Are you going through an immigration process that is filled with bumps along the road due to your case being a complex one?
It is possible that you’ve already had a negative experience with immigration authorities, and you’re afraid to go through that experience again. Maybe you’ve had issues due to having a criminal record in your country of origin, or perhaps you’re simply unsure about your eligibility for a certain visa.
On the other hand, maybe your case isn’t necessarily complicated, but you simply don’t have time or will to deal with loads of papers and bureaucracy.
That’s perfectly understandable and it’s what immigration lawyers are there for.
If you’re wondering whether you should tackle your immigration case by yourself or whether consulting a legal expert would increase your odds at successfully dealing with the immigration process, here’s a couple of things that could help you make that decision:
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If you’re applying for a visa or a green card, which type are you applying for?
There are plenty of work visas and employment-based green cards out there, depending on different factors, such as the kind of work you’re doing, the abilities you have, whether there’s a demand for such labor force on the market and so on.
In case you’re considering entering the US with the help of your family members, there are also different types of sponsorships available to you.
Each of these types has different requirements in regards to your qualifications. Depending on your financial situation and whether your case is time-sensitive, different options might offer different benefits in regards to fees and the time it takes for your case to be processed.
If you’re unsure about which type of visa or a green card would be the best fit for you and what is the way for you to acquire it, booking a consultation with lawsb can help you with understanding your options and choosing the best one.
In the end, if sometimes during your initial consultations your immigration attorney realizes that your case is pretty straightforward and you’ve already got all the necessary information, they’ll let you know that you don’t need their services.
If you’ve got the information, but you aren’t certain whether you can trust it.
Relying solely on Google or even the information provided by the USCIS information officers isn’t necessarily the best (or safest!) idea.
This information is often provided by people who are not experts. Their interests aren’t necessarily aligned with yours and they aren’t likely to take responsibility for providing you with the incorrect information.
An immigration attorney, however, has extensive knowledge about and ready access to all the relevant legislation, case law and immigration policies.
More importantly, if an immigration attorney has years-long experience dealing with immigration cases, they have empirical knowledge that isn’t available on any website or to any other person who hasn’t dealt with that many different scenarios and had positive outcomes.
If you already are or have been detained or deported, or even if there’s a possibility that you might be.
If you’ve been arrested by the immigration authorities, your application has been rejected, or you’re facing an asylum hearing before the immigration judge, your immigration process has almost certainly taken a serious turn and an involvement of an immigration lawyer would be the best course of action.
A legal expert can summarize the grounds upon which you can be deported from the US, advise you about the risks of pleading guilty or no contest plea, help you if you’re an undocumented person in the US and so much more.
The court proceedings will often affect your immigration process and you’ll want a lawyer to explain to you how and give you tips on how to move forward.
Certain categories are inadmissible to the US and an immigration lawyer can provide you with the information whether you fit onto one of them before you initiate the immigration process.
If your case is a high-stakes one.
You might be looking into entering the US simply because you like the idea of migrating there for life.
On the other hand, your reasons for moving might also be more serious. Perhaps that’s the only way for you to be united with your family again, or perhaps you’ve been offered a work opportunity of a lifetime.
Either way, due to the complexity of the immigration laws in the US and its frequent changes, consulting an immigration lawyer can help you avoid making common mistakes in your immigration process that could cost you a lot of money, but also decrease your odds of obtaining a visa or a green card.
The immigration process is a time-consuming and costly one, but there are ways to avoid unnecessary delays and throwing hundreds of dollars down the drain.
It might seem like hiring an immigration lawyer will require you to spend more money than necessary. However, having a legal expert explaining to you which visas you’re not eligible for, which applications you shouldn’t file and which documentation you should gather will end up saving you a lot of money.
Furthermore, immigration attorneys often have insider information, know the shortcuts and connections which can fasten the process of getting the answers to your inquires – and they can take over all that paperwork that’s likely driving you insane.
If you’re dealing with other things, including personal ones, on the side.
You can’t exactly hit a pause button on your life while dealing with your immigration process. Hiring a professional to handle the thing that they’re best at will allow you to deal with the things that you’re best at.
If you’re needed elsewhere, an experienced immigration attorney will know how to make your consultations and the whole immigration process as efficient as possible.
They’ve likely dealt with cases like yours, so depending on what you’re trying to achieve, they’ll know exactly which questions to ask and what kind of information to gather within the shortest possible amount of time.
Moreover, they’ll be able to anticipate the probable outcomes and issues that may arise, which in return will take the unnecessary burden from your shoulders and help you be more at ease.
If you’re looking to employ a foreigner.
An employer from the US, who’s looking to sponsor a foreign worker for a green card, must go through a complex process of certifying their labor.
Even the tiniest mistakes can result in a negative outcome, which is why a business owner might want to reduce that risk by hiring an immigration attorney who already knows all the laws and intricacies of this certification procedure.
An attorney will make sure to double-check all the required information on the necessary forms, take care of your advertisements for the job, make sure to send DOL questionnaire response, retain all your PERM documentation for as long as needed and manage the rest of the procedure.
In conclusion, you need an immigration lawyer if you’re missing key information on the immigration procedure, if you’re experiencing any sort of issues or delays, or if you simply want someone else to take care of everything while you’re focusing on the other more pressing matters in your life.