7 Reasons To Work With an Immigration Lawyer

Immigrating into the United States can be complex. The laws surrounding immigration are always evolving, and one misstep can derail the entire process. Ensuring the proper steps are taken from day one is essential for success.

Working with an immigration lawyer can help you navigate the process from the very beginning and throughout the various stages of your journey. Here are seven compelling reasons why you should hire an immigration lawyer.

Better Timelines

Working with an immigration lawyer ensures that all of the paperwork and nuanced steps of the immigration process are handled right from the beginning. Making a mistake on your paperwork doesn’t get fixed with a little liquid paper and a quick resubmission; it can add months or even years to the application process.

By working with an immigration lawyer, you reduce the risk of missing submission requirements. Furthermore, you mitigate the risk of missing deadlines, which your lawyer will have in mind throughout the process. For this reason alone, it’s well worth hiring an immigration lawyer.

Avoid Costly Mistakes

Another aspect of making mistakes with the immigration process is that they have the potential to cost you thousands of dollars. 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.

While hiring an attorney during the early phases of your immigration is costly, the value is worth the money both in terms of mistake avoidance and timelines.

Help With Tricky Issues

Immigrating isn’t always a clear path forward, especially if you have special needs or considerations. For example, if you’ve ever been a part of a crime of moral turpitude, you risk deportation or denial of entry.

Immigration courts have come to characterize Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude (CIMT) as involving an intent to commit theft or fraud or acts which inflict great bodily harm. As the guidelines surrounding CIMT are vague and often subjective, working with someone who understands the nuances of immigration law can be incredibly beneficial.

Business owners are another group who might experience challenges during the immigration process. If you’re trying to move your business operations to your new location, it’s worth working with an immigration attorney who has business expertise.

Knowledge and Experience With Legal Jargon

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 skilled immigration lawyer will be able to communicate the legalese to you in a way that makes sense. They can simplify the language and tell you what you need to know without subjecting you to the confusing lingo. Better yet, they can tell you what needs to happen without diving too far into the reasons why, if that’s what you prefer.

Can Help Make Informed Decisions

Generally speaking, there’s not a single clear path forward for anyone navigating the immigration process. You will have to make choices about your application and the various steps along the way. Having so many options can be overwhelming and stress-inducing.

An immigration expert will be able to clearly define the potential paths forward and help select the best option for you. They’ll be able to outline the benefits and barriers of each option so that you can make an informed decision about your future.

Improving Chances at Citizenship

Sometimes a misstep is hard to erase. In addition to delaying your timeline, some mistakes will eradicate it completely. Even if all of your paperwork is filed properly, you still need to prove your value as a citizen to obtain legal citizenship.

A skilled immigration lawyer can help you present your case in the best possible light and dramatically improve your chances of achieving citizenship. Remember, immigrating is a marathon, not a sprint. Having someone to coach you through the process improves your likelihood of crossing the finish line as you progress throughout your journey.

Assist With Employment and Job Opportunities

One of the greatest challenges immigrants face is securing employment to support them throughout the process. 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.

An immigration lawyer can help immigrants navigate the job search process and provide helpful guidance along the way. They can direct immigrants to job searching tools and recommend recruiters and hiring agencies to help find legal work.

Tips for Choosing an Immigration Lawyer

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.