Immigration law attorneys are specialists in the immigration field and are trained to assist those in need. An immigration law attorney has the responsibility to stay current with all changes in immigration law, whether someone is immigrating into or out of the United States.
Before you engage with an immigration law attorney, it's important to understand what they do. Here's an in depth review of an immigration law attorney's responsibilities ...
The very first step in working with an immigration law attorney is a free consultation. The immigration law attorney will need to know, via an interview or fact finding session, if they will be able to help. Normally, this free consultation is 45 minutes to 1 hour in length, enough time to ask questions, discover facts, and develop a comfort level. Each immigration case is different, so it is important for both the immigration law attorney and the client to have an open, honest dialogue.
Next, an immigration law attorney is responsible for handling immigration law paperwork and making sure you understand the entire process. It is important for the client to be actively involved in their case and not leave everything up to the immigration law attorney. The client will need to become somewhat educated about the immigration law process.
Also, the immigration law attorney is responsible for understanding 100% of the pertinent facts in a client's situation. This is critical. The immigration law attorney will be responsible for working directly with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) so it's vitally important the immigration law attorney is extremely thorough and extracts all necessary information from the client.
The INS is responsible for keeping out aliens with a criminal history, and it is the immigration law attorney's role to find out if their client is being completely direct and forthright. It's in the immigration law attorney's best interest to do so, as there are severe penalties for both immigration law attorneys and their clients for withholding or falsifying important information.
As the immigration case proceeds, it is the immigration law attorney's responsibility to make progress on the case and communicate openly with the client. Immigration cases are complicated and often take months or years. The immigration law attorney needs to be an advocate for the client, and make sure the client understands all timeframes and responsibilities involved.
An immigration law attorney is the most important factor in a successful immigration case. There are immigration law attorneys for every case, no matter where the person is attempting immigration. It is vitally important for an appropriate match, as immigration law has many specialties and there is not a one size fits all immigration law attorney. Lastly, there needs to be a positive, open dialogue and comfort level between the client and immigration law attorney. All these factors combined should result in a successful and less stressful immigration case.