It may be in your best interests to hire an immigration lawyer in your area if you or a loved one needs help with a citizenship application. Your attorney can provide you with guidance and instructions during the process. This can help minimize any delays or errors.
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.
Immigration Lawyer Cost Item Average Cost 30-min Consultation $75 – $150 Hourly Rate $150 – $300 Form Filing Assistance $250 – $800 Green Card Assistance $800 – $5,000 1 more rows ...
The lawyer's level of experience – Although there are many competent immigration lawyers with less experience than veteran immigration lawyers, it's vital that you seek someone with a good reputation in terms of the clients they have represented in the past.
USCIS has special rules making it easier and quicker to apply for U.S. citizenship in certain situations. Most of these situations involve persons who are overseas because they or their spouse is working for the U.S. government, or they're in (or have been in) the U.S. armed forces.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In some cases, green card holders applying for U.S. citizenship can face deportation as a result of discoveries made during background checks. But non-citizens are more commonly deported due to criminal activities including the violation of immigration laws.
about 20 minutesA typical citizenship interview lasts about 20 minutes, but the exact timeframe varies by applicant.
An immigration lawyer cannot magically speed up your applications process once it has been submitted, however by hiring an immigration lawyer you can greatly decrease your chances of unnecessary delays caused by mistakes in your application.
To request expedited processing of your naturalization application, you can either go through the USCIS Contact Center (800-375-5283) or write a letter to your local USCIS field office. Be ready to prove the reason you need expedited processing with documentation backing up your statements.
You can generally request expedited processing by calling the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) or by asking Emma after you have obtained a receipt notice.
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 simple answer, of course, is that it is impossible to know whether USCIS knows if an applicant for a green card or for naturalization is lying to them. The safe assumption is that they DO know everything about you and that, if you lie in the interview, you will be caught.
An immigration lawyer provides consultation to clients in various activities such as applying and filing for OIC cards. He or she provides consultation to them on the conversion of visa status, visa renewals, and getting registered with foreign registration offices.
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.
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.
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.
Most immigrants are working towards the American dream - U.S. citizenship. An expert attorney has made this dream a reality for thousands of immigrants, completing their journey to becoming a U.S. citizen.
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.
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 ...
After an immigrant obtains a permanent resident green card, the green card can be revoked for any number of actual or perceived criminal or immigration violations. Typically, the permanent resident is not notified that they have placed their green card in jeopardy. Instead, they first become aware of their deportability only after submitting fingerprints for a replacement green card (I-90), removal of conditions (I-751) or citizenship. But, by then it is too late. Once labeled by USCIS as being in violation of immigration laws, the permanent resident will be placed in removal proceedings and could be deported. The only way to avoid such a situation is to have never applied for the benefit in the first place.
Nervousness can lead an innocent applicant to appear evasive or dishonest. A citizenship lawyer can accompany an applicant to his or her citizenship interview and can help set the tone for a successful interview. The citizenship lawyer can also address any issues that may arise concerning residency, physical presence, or moral character.
Somewhat less often, USCIS will deny an application for citizenship when it discovers that a foreign national has been a member of the Communist Party or another totalitarian party. It also may deny an application if the foreign national has advocated for a totalitarian party, even if they are not a member of it. This is because support for this type of organization conflicts with the commitment to democracy and constitutional principles that is required for citizenship. However, it is less likely that you will be deported on this basis.
The most obvious risk is applying for citizenship when you have a criminal record. You will need to show that you have a good moral character to get citizenship, which is rare if you have committed crimes. Some types of crimes may also subject a foreign national to the revocation of their green card.
If USCIS finds that you committed fraud in your green card application, you can lose your green card. You might not necessarily know whether you committed fraud. For example, you might have provided inaccurate or incomplete information in the application because you did not understand immigration laws or the wording of the application.
Abandoning your green card can lead to your removal in addition to a denial of citizenship. USCIS will review every trip that you took during your green card status, so a trip that happened a long time ago could potentially come back to haunt you.
Risks of Applying for Citizenship. Green card holders who have established a long-standing presence in the U.S. may feel that becoming a citizen would make sense. It can give them access to additional benefits. However, applying for citizenship also involves certain risks, since USCIS will review your file as part of the application.
Almost any violation of a drug law can result in the revocation of your legal status, unless it consists of one incident of marijuana possession in an amount of 30 grams or less.
Otherwise, the foreign national can lose their green card.
This means that if a non-U.S. citizen makes a single mistake by committing a certain crime or other immigration violation – no matter how long he or she has lived in the United States – he or she could be placed in removal (deportation) proceedings before an immigration judge. This can have devastating effects on the immigrant and his or her family members.
However, most of these jobs require U.S. citizenship. At the same time, if you would like to get involved in politics by holding public office , you will also need U.S. citizenship.
Non-U.S. citizens who are primarily dependent on the U.S. government for their livelihood by receiving public cash assistance or long-term care at government expense (such as at a nursing home or mental institution) can be found inadmissible to the United States. They can be prevented from adjusting status (getting a green card while in the United States). This is known as being a “public charge.”
One of the goals of U.S. immigration law is family unity. While permanent residents can only sponsor spouses and unmarried children for a green card, U.S. Citizens can also bring parents, married children, and siblings.
In addition to the information contained in the previous two replies, note that sometimes an applicant may handle every detail about a naturalization petition correctly, but the USCIS makes consequential mistakes.
In addition, by hiring an attorney, you will have someone with you throughout the application process and at your interview that can answer your questions, make sure that your rights are protected, and ensure that the law is applied correctly in your case. Respectfully, Elizabeth
Many people navigate the citizenship process successfully without an attorney. This is impossible to answer without knowing your sophistication and education level. There is more to the process than just reading and answering the form but of course this is important as well.