More than nine in ten (91%) of our readers paid a flat fee to have their lawyers handle their citizenship applications. But the amount of those fees ranged widely. Nearly half (45%) of our readers paid between $1,000 and $2,000, while three in ten (30%) paid less than that. A quarter (25%) of readers paid more than $2,000.
After all, you’re already facing a hefty filing fee for the citizenship application ($725 for most applicants in 2018). How much extra would an immigration attorney cost? And would the lawyer’s help be worth the money?
When clients ask, "how much does a lawyer cost," the answer can vary from $50 to $1000 or more per hour. But if you're facing a legal issue, working with a lawyer is very helpful and can affect the outcome of the case.
When immigration attorneys quote you a price for a flat fee, they’ve estimated how much time they’ll have to spend on your citizenship application. So they may charge more if your case involves complications like a criminal record or a history of arrests or deportation proceedings.
$725The current naturalization fee for a U.S. citizenship application is $725. That total includes $640 for application processing and $85 for biometrics services, both of which are nonrefundable, regardless of whether the U.S. government approves or rejects an application.
The immigration process can be intimidating and take a long time, but hiring an immigration attorney to support you with your case can speed up the process and help you meet your goals.
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.
Do I need a lawyer to apply for U.S. citizenship? No. You can file USCIS forms yourself, including Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, which can be submitted online. However, some people choose to seek assistance from a lawyer or Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)-accredited representative.
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.
around 6-24 monthsThe current average processing time for Form N-400 is around 6-24 months (as of August 2022). Generally, however, the speed of processing depends on the USCIS field office handling the application, and some applicants can get a head start on the process (see “Filing Early” below).
The total fee in a simple case could be as low as $1,500, or in a complex case can climb higher than $10,000. If you need to appeal your case, expect to pay even more. If the lawyer quotes an hourly rate instead, expect to pay between $100 and $350 per hour.
Expect to pay the attorney somewhere between $3,000 and $7,000 in total—in addition to the application fees described above. Most attorneys will quote you a flat fee in advance, and ask you to pay part of it at the beginning and the rest at the end.
Attorney vs Lawyer: Comparing Definitions Lawyers are people who have gone to law school and often may have taken and passed the bar exam. Attorney has French origins, and stems from a word meaning to act on the behalf of others. The term attorney is an abbreviated form of the formal title 'attorney at law'.
Fee Waivers for Citizenship Application (Form N-400)1 The applicant, their spouse, or the head of their household receives a means-tested benefit.2 The applicant's household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.3 The applicant is currently experiencing a financial hardship.
How long does it take to become a U.S. citizen? The national average processing time for naturalization (citizenship) applications is 14 months, as of April 2022. But that's just the application processing wait time (see “Understanding USCIS Processing Times” below).
One of the benefits of having a lawyer at a citizenship interview is that we are allowed to ask for clarification. If you are ever confused by one of the questions the USCIS officer asks, your attorney can communicate the issue with the question.
If an attorney is involved in the process, which is quite common, the cost to become a United States Citizen can vary anywhere from $900 to more than $10,000 for those with complex cases.
An immigration attorney may be needed if you don’t display good moral character, which oftentimes means you have a criminal background. Depending on the severity of the crime, an immigration lawyer may be able to help expedite the process and get you approved.
After the form is filed, according to USCIS.gove, can take six months ; however, this doesn’t take into effect the time you have to live in the United States to be eligible.
Aside from a green card, you must spend a certain amount of time in the United States, have a good moral character, pass a basic test in English and U.S. History.
If you want to become an American citizen, then you have to go through a naturalization process. This whole path to becoming an American citizen can be divided into five simple steps: After you submit the application, get your fingerprints taken, attend the interview and take the tests, all you have to do is take the oath ...
After you fill out the initial form, it can take up to six months or more, according to the USCIS official website, before you get an answer. Remember that you have to live in the United States for quite a while before you are even eligible to apply.
You can’t apply for citizenship if you don’t have a stable residence in the US for at least 3 years. The only cost you should expect to become an American citizen is the one offered by the INS, which means that there shouldn’t be any price difference, except for the costs involved in applying for citizenship.
The first important aspect is that you already have a green card. There are very few exceptions that would allow you to be approved for citizenship without a green card in hand. Along with a green card, you should also have a good moral character, take and pass a basic U.S. History and English test and spend a certain amount of time in the United States prior to applying for citizenship.
You can use a credit card to pay the application fees if you don’t have cash because the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services accept this payment method nowadays, but if you choose to do this, you will have to submit another form, the G-1450 Form.
The USCIS has a fee waiver process for people that qualify for citizenship but can’t afford the initial filing fee. For example, if the head of a household is receiving government benefits, they might qualify for fee waiver. November 12, 2018 /. 0 Comments.
It's going to be harder to find a lawyer who is willing to just review work you've done before you send your application . This is because even a simple review creates a lawyer-client relationship and all of the responsibilities that come with it for the lawyer. Most lawyers will want to have complete control over the work product ...
Most lawyers will want to have complete control over the work product if they are going to take on the lawyer-client responsibilities, and therefore a reduced fee for what you hoped would be a simple review is not going to be worth it to the lawyer. When you're ready to hire a lawyer, make sure the lawyer-client agreement says exactly what ...
The lawyer can also attend your citizenship interview with you — mostly to take notes about what happens during the interview in case you are denied, but also to speak up on your behalf if the USCIS officer needs clarification or asks you inappropriate questions.
In the American system, an immigration lawyer does not have any special influence over the government's decision. There is nothing outside the law that a lawyer can do that will make your application process go faster or make it more likely that you will get your citizenship. However, a lawyer will know everything that is legally possible ...
However, a lawyer will know everything that is legally possible to make your application process go as quickly and successfully as it can. Your lawyer cannot tell you how to answer any questions on the application form, although he or she can explain the questions to you so you can understand how to answer. At your citizenship interview, your ...
An immigration lawyer can save you time. Not just the time it would take you to figure out how to apply, but also time you might waste if you make a mistake in applying or don't send the right type of document. At the least, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the government agency in charge of naturalization, ...
Don't expect your lawyer to give you a ride to the USCIS office, unless you've agreed to this arrangement. There aren't many immigration lawyers who will help you with your English or your knowledge of U.S. history and government (civics), if you need that kind of test-preparation help. The best the lawyer can do is tell you where to find ...
Hiring an attorney means adding legal fees to your immigration case, but often, avoiding mistakes can save money and time down the road - and prevent visa denials and even removal from the U.S.
Legal fees vary widely depending on the services needed. For example, hiring an attorney to help file a family-based immigration petition will be much less costly than hiring a lawyer to defend you in a deportation (removal) case before an immigration judge.
There are three main reasons to consider hiring a qualified immigration attorney:
It is estimated that hiring an immigration lawyer to complete your immigrant or nonimmigrant visa application can save you four to eight weeks in processing time.
Many individuals want to know if there are ways to adjust their status from undocumented (illegal) to legal resident. An immigration lawyer can review the facts and help you determine what avenues, if any, are available to you.
If your card is rejected for any reason, USCIS will not attempt to process your card a second time and will deny your application for failure to pay fees.
Most USCIS immigration forms require you to pay a filing (or processing) fee. How you pay your filing fees is largely dependent on whether you are located in the United States or abroad. USCIS requires that you pay the exact amount required or your application will be rejected.
Making Payment by Mail. If you file your form by mail, you can still pay fees by credit card by following these steps: Complete and sign Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions); Place your completed Form G-1450 in the envelope with your USCIS application; and.
Are USCIS Fees Refundable? In paying any fee, you ask the USCIS to perform a service. That service is processing your USCIS form (or application). Because USCIS is performing a service for you, these fees are non-refundable regardless of whether USCIS approves your application or not.
The USCIS will not accept the payment of some fees through a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad. If you are permitted to pay this fee abroad, you must contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you are filing for the acceptable payment method: Find U.S. Embassy.
Most permanent residents have a green card that must be renewed every 10 years. The current USCIS fee for replacing or renewing a green card is $540. So every 10 years you will pay to renew a green card. Don’t forget, if the green card is lost, stolen or damaged, it will cost another $540 to replace it. And USCIS fees keep increasing ...
One of the common reasons permanent residents don’t apply for U.S. citizenship – cost. It presently costs $725 to file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. That’s a lot of money, but it’s less expensive than remaining a permanent resident. And the cost of citizenship will only get more expensive in the future as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) raises fees.
The best way to escape this cycle is to become a U.S. citizen. After naturalizing as a U.S. citizen, you won’t need to pay anymore USCIS fees or file forms. Over a lifetime, that can save you and your family thousands of dollars. You can save yourself a lot of money by naturalizing now.
To request a fee waiver, you can submit Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, with your Form N-400. Be sure to include proof that you meet the criteria. Additional instructions and examples of evidence can be found on the USCIS Fee Waiver page. Reduced Cost of Citizenship.
There are approximately 13.6 million immigrants in the United States who are lawful permanent residents, otherwise known as green card holders. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, an estimated 9.1 million of those permanent residents are eligible to naturalize (become a U.S. citizens).
Low income families can file a fee waiver. Because some applicants cannot afford to pay the filing fees, USCIS established a fee waiver process for the citizenship application. USCIS will approve a fee waiver if you clearly demonstrate that you are unable to pay the filing fees.
Understanding the cost of a lawyer before you enter into an agreement can help prevent unpleasant surprises or costs that you cannot afford. Some people might start working with an attorney, only to find that the fees are mounting dramatically.
If the lawyer is not willing to discuss the costs with you, it's a sign of poor client service.
Courts may limit contingency fee percentages. The average ranges from 25 to 40 percent . Contingency fees may be negotiable. Referral fees: if a lawyer doesn't have a lot of experience with cases like yours, he or she may refer to you another lawyer who does.
Flat fee: a lawyer may offer a flat fee for a specific, simple, and well-defined legal case. Examples of cases eligible for flat fee billing include uncontested divorces, bankruptcy filings, immigration, trademarks , patents, and wills. Before agreeing to a flat fee, make sure you understand what is covered in the agreement.
Because a criminal case is often more intricate, pricing with contingency fees doesn't really make sense. Serious criminal cases often require multiple legal proceedings, such as the preliminary hearing, jury selection, trial, writs and appeals, and sentencing, so the process can take months.
A criminal lawyer's hourly rate will depend on multiple factors, which may include: The reputation of the lawyer and/or firm. The complexity of your criminal charges. The lawyer's level of experience. The location (hourly rates are typically higher in large cities)
If these aren't included on the written estimate, make sure to ask. You might end up with a separate bill, unless your attorney absorbs the extra fees into the total bill. It's also important to make sure that the cost of the lawyer is worth the overall cost of the case and what you could recoup.
The cost of applying for U.S. citizenship will depend greatly on whether or not you are currently eligible to begin the naturalization process.
Regardless of whether you are a legal permanent resident or not, factors like a criminal history or a negative immigration history can make the process much more complex, and therefore more expensive.
Certainly. Technically, applying for citizenship just means submitting the correct forms and evidence to the right places.
While becoming a naturalized citizen can be a rewarding experience, the process of naturalization is both expensive and riddled with complexity.