Top 9 reasons why you need to hire an immigration attorney
To become an immigration lawyer, you must first earn a bachelor’s degree from a college or university. At some point towards the end of the four-year program, you will take the law school admissions test (LSAT). The standardized exam assesses a person’s reading comprehension, logical, and verbal reasoning proficiency.
We have listed them below:
“We looked at who else is here," said Christine Zeller-Powell, an immigration lawyer with RISP and one of the founders ... for a work permit it can cost nearly $500 and needs to be renewed every two years. It took Cortez 13 years to become a citizen.
Immigration lawyers may represent clients in administrative courts, or they may counsel clients about their legal rights and obligations related to immigration, among other things. They also suggest courses of action based on their knowledge of immigration law.
Immigration services can be just as complex, and it is likely worth the expense to hire an immigration lawyer for immigration questions and processes to avoid unnecessary staffing and legal employment compliance hurdles.
While an immigration attorney cannot per say “speed up” your case, the immigration attorney is knowledgeable in immigration law and will know the best strategy and options for your case. Undeniably, this avoids any unreasonable delay by anyone lacking specialized knowledge in this area of law.
An immigration lawyer charges between $150 and $300 per hour, with a typical 30-min consultation fee of $75 to $150. Legal assistance when filing basic immigration forms costs $250 to $800, while green card assistance runs from $800 to $5,000, plus the USCIS fees of $460 to $700.
The USCIS Immigrant Fee is $220.00.
How long does it take to become a U.S. citizen? The national average processing time for naturalization (citizenship) applications is 14 months.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resource constraints resulting from the prior administration, USCIS inherited a significant number of pending cases and increased processing times.
Expedited Naturalization by MarriageHold a green card for three years;Be married to and living with your US citizen spouse for three years;Live within the state that you're applying in for three months; and.Meet all other requirements for US citizenship.
When choosing an immigration lawyer, look for someone with proven experience and expertise. Ask for recommendations and referrals from others who have gone through the process successfully to find someone you can count on.
Even the non-monetary issues that can arise can impact your ability to earn a living or may require extra travel expenses that you hadn’t prepared for. Furthermore, if you decide you need assistance from an attorney at the last minute, you’ ll pay dearly for it.
This challenge is why many families end up being separated for years, with some members on one side of the planet and others still in their home country. It takes money to immigrate, and it takes a job to make money.
Even native English speakers struggle to read and translate legal jargon. It takes years of study and review to understand some of the more complex laws and often archaic wording of legal policies and guidelines. If you’re not a native English speaker, understanding the content around your application can be nearly impossible.
A seasoned immigration lawyer can easily walk you through the nitty-gritty of immigrating to Canada. Being well-versed in immigration laws, procedures and constantly updated about recent regulatory changes, he can explain a number of options unique to your case. Whether it is working legally in Canada, obtaining a permanent residency or citizenship, or getting a spousal visa, he can help you fully understand your circumstances.
Tracking your petition once all the requirements have been submitted to the concerned agencies is the full responsibility of your immigration lawyer. He can make inquiries and quickly act if there are requests for additional information or clarification. He can even help with the appeal process, letting you understand why a petition was denied and how you can proceed with the appeal.
While an attorney can help immigrants find a job legally, citizens on a working visa remain subject to laws that are only applicable to them. They can even face deportation before their visa expires. An immigration expert can assist and guide you in obtaining a permanent residency, protect you from endangering your residency status, or suggest a path towards citizenship.
An immigration lawyer advises clients and businesses on legal matters related to immigration, which is the process of coming to the U.S. from another country to live or work. These lawyers represent their clients in court proceedings, assist them with legal documents and provide recommendations based on their understanding of immigration law.
If you're interested in a legal career, there are many reasons to consider becoming an immigration lawyer. Reviewing some advantages of this profession can help you decide whether to pursue a career in immigration law. Here are seven advantages of being an immigration lawyer:
While there are many benefits of a career in immigration law, it's also important to understand some challenges of working in this area. Comparing these drawbacks with the benefits of the profession can help you determine whether it's the right career for you. Here are seven cons of being an immigration lawyer:
One of the most important benefits that hiring an immigration lawyer can offer is less tangible than the others. The help of an expert that has experience making immigrants' dreams into realities cannot be understated. You see, it's invaluable to hire someone that's done it before for thousands in the same position as you find yourself now.
An experienced immigration attorney can walk you through the correct steps to apply for work permits, marriage licenses and citizenship, without allowing mistakes that derail your chance to get these crucial documents authorized by the proper parties. 2. They Are Seasoned by Experience.
If you don't follow these laws during your time in the country, you could be deported before your visa is expired or after acquiring permanent resident status. A skilled immigration lawyer can help understand these laws so you don't endanger your status as an immigrant with residency in the United States. 6.
As anyone that's gone through the process will tell you, navigating any area of immigration law is not an endeavor you'd want to go through alone. There is an extensive paperwork process that goes along with immigration that even natural-born U.S. citizens would struggle with, let alone immigrants from other countries for whom English is not their first language.
Immigrants have a more difficult time trying to find legal employment than the average American, let alone a job that earns a competitive salary in the United States. An immigration lawyer can assist you in the process of applying to jobs, interacting with human relations staff, and seeking employment opportunities.
This is already the case in many other countries, and in the United States is institutionalized in immigration law practice, where certain non-lawyers accredited by the federal Board of Immigration Appeals are allowed to represent immigrants in removal proceedings or in administrative matters before the Department of Homeland Security.
Clearly, practicing law is never a 9-to-5 job. Being a lawyer is a high-stress, plummeting-prestige profession—the work is demanding, the economics of the profession are increasingly challenging, and in the views of some, the psychic or status rewards of working as a lawyer rank below nail technician.
Immigration lawyers may represent clients in administrative courts, or they may counsel clients about their legal rights and obligations related to immigration, among other things. They also suggest courses of action based on their knowledge of immigration law.
Because immigration law provides you with a foundation to represent people who have immigration matters to resolve, but it also allows you to recognize how a person’s immigration status might impact them in many seemingly unrelated ways.
Another helpful resource is the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a national organization of more than 15,000 attorneys and educators who practice and teach immigration law. This nonpartisan nonprofit provides continuing legal education, information, and professional services.
In many situations, strong interpersonal skills are also needed. During any given day in immigration practice, an attorney may work with people who have undergone exceptionally traumatic experiences, including suffering persecution, human trafficking, or torture.
An attorney who accepts a position with a small immigration nonprofit, for example, may choose that option with the understanding that while the salary is lower than average, the work offers the opportunity to serve people in life-altering situations who lack the resources to obtain legal assistance otherwise.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual wage for all lawyers is about $120,000. Median salaries top $140,000 for those employed by the federal government, while pay for state and local government ranges from $85,000 to $93,000 annually.
Advanced degrees are generally pursued by those who hope to teach law or conduct scholarly research.