Newstricky| There were 44 million immigrants in the United States, making up about 14% of the population.
Immigration law is a complex field and your legal status in the U.S. could depend on what state you’re in. In 2017 alone, 49 states passed 206 immigration laws.
That doesn’t include changes at the federal level.
It makes you wonder if you should spend the money to hire immigration law firms or go at it yourself.
Read on to learn what an immigration law firm does and how you can benefit from hiring immigration services.
What Does an Immigration Legal Services Firm Do?
Immigration law firms provide a variety of services. They can help refugees seeking asylum gain legal residency or citizenship status.
If you have a business and would like to hire foreign workers, they need to have the appropriate visa to enter and work legally in the country.
Immigration services can help you obtain the proper visas and clear immigration quickly.
You’re probably familiar with DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Act.
It was passed in 2012 under the Obama administration. It doesn’t make immigrants who came to the U.S. as children legal.
All it does is delay deportation for two years. This process requires an application and you have to meet certain qualifications.
Immigration services can help you do anything from fill out paperwork, represent you at a hearing, help you prep for an interview, and more.
Different immigration law firms offer different types of services. For instance, one law firm may target businesses and sports teams to get work visas.
Other immigration law firms take an activist approach to immigration law and fight for the rights of immigrants.
Benefits of Hiring Immigration Services
Why should you hire an immigration lawyer? Immigration law is complex and emotionally charged. The law is also carried out by human beings.
They bring their perceptions, political leanings, and previous experiences into their work. While the law is impartial, the people carrying out the law aren’t always impartial.
They could violate your rights and you wouldn’t know it. You’d have no way to defend yourself on your own. An immigration lawyer knows when your rights are violated and will fight on your behalf.
Get a Free Consultation
You can’t always get free legal advice, but most immigration law firms offer a free consultation. This is a chance for you to interview immigration services.
It’s a chance for immigration attorneys to assess your case and determine what your best legal path is.
Navigate the Bureaucracy
It’s common for government agencies to be slow and bureaucratic. There’s always a ton of paperwork and processes in immigration.
One application error could cost weeks in the immigration process. Immigration attorneys understand the complexities and bureaucracy involved. They’ll help you through it with ease.
Peace of Mind
This is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of working with an immigration lawyer. No one knows how stressful it is to live in legal ambiguity unless they experience it themselves.
The uncertainty of not knowing if ICE will deport you or your loved ones is frightening. You don’t want to get too attached to the community and you don’t want to make big life decisions.
It’s no way to live.
Having an immigration lawyer helping you through the legal process gives you peace of mind. You’ll be able to sleep better knowing that you’re on the path to getting legal status in the U.S.
Understand How Local Politics Affects Immigration Policy
Immigration is a hot political topic and DACA is often under fire by leaders in border states like California and Arizona.
In Arizona, the governor openly defied DACA. Stunts like this are all too common these days, and they can change immigration policies in a state instantly.
You can hire a Phoenix immigration attorney that knows the current political environment and how it could impact your immigration case.
That kind of knowledge is invaluable and more than what you’d know on your own.
How to Hire Immigration Law Firms
Are you ready to hire an immigration lawyer? The best way to hire an immigration lawyer is to get referrals and recommendations.
Ask people in your local community. There are usually local Facebook groups of immigration communities. These are worth checking out for recommendations, too.
Once you get a few names, look up the immigration law firms online. Read the reviews and recommendations, and browse their websites.
Read about the services they provide. Take a look at the attorneys’ profiles and see if they provide the services you need, whether it’s for a visa or illegal immigration law issues.
Schedule a free consultation with several law firms. Make the most of the consultations by preparing questions and documentation in advance.
Bring your birth certificate, any letters from ICE and USCIS, applications, permits, and any other documentation related to your case.
Your list of questions should start with the attorney’s experience in immigration law. If they work in other areas of law, ask them how much time they spend on immigration cases versus other areas of law.
Ask them if they worked on cases similar to yours and what their success rate is. Get a sense of their case strategy and the cost of your case.
Compare all of that information and choose the immigration lawyer that has the experience and best strategy to work on your case.
Don’t Navigate Immigration Law on Your Own
Immigration law is messy, complicated, and intimidating. Schedule a free consultation with immigration law firms and find an immigration attorney that can help you with your needs.
You’ll be able to reap the benefits of immigration legal services while you become a legal resident in this country.
Do you want to know more legal tips and insights? Check out the Law section of the blog
