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How to Find an Immigration Lawyer

Most times people looking to immigrate to other countries are plagued with a lot of challenges, due to the complex immigration law of those countries

For example, the US often sees a constant flow of people pursuing to enter its borders. Either for genuine reasons like study, work or for ingenuine reasons.

For whatever reason it is, the process has never been easy. However, immigration lawyers are there to help and guide individuals or families through complex immigration processes.

These are the guidelines to find one.

 

How to find an immigration lawyer

 

Never hire in a hurry

Finding good immigration lawyers takes so much time and effort than we realize.  This is why you must never hire in a hurry. Being in a hurry makes you hire the first lawyer you come across.

For instance, you might be faced with the challenge of adjusting your status from undocumented (illegal) to legal resident and in dire need of legal assistance to fix your immigration issues. You may feel pressured to accept just any legal assistance rendered. Thus, your case might be mishandled by a lawyer who isn’t specialized in immigration law. That would mean an automatic failure for you. You shouldn’t make the error of hiring just any lawyer who claims to be good enough.

 

Never trust lawyers who approach you first

At immigration offices, you will find a bench of lawyers rounding up immigrants as new clients. They will approach you first, offering to help out with whatever your immigration case might be.  But, that shows a level of desperation and desperation does not speak of quality.

After all, good immigration attorneys are probably going to be too busy offering top-notch services to their clients to spend their time that way. Good immigration attorneys don’t come looking for you, you find them. It will cost you quite a deal of time and effort to do so.

 

Ask for referral services for Immigration lawyers

Whichever country you have immigrated to,  would surely have a certified association of lawyers. Their websites should, therefore, have referral services for immigration lawyers. For instance, the America Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).  They also give honest reviews for each of those lawyers. This will help you to choose which lawyer is suitable for your case.

 

Do online research for immigration lawyers

Searching online for immigration lawyers would give you a vast record of lawyers. Like many popularly believe, one can never truly hide from the eyes of the media, because the media never forgets. So, every track record you need to validate their credibility would be at your disposal online.

From the referral services, you can still look upon those lawyers that caught your interest. Their profiles would show you if they can handle the case or not.

 

Consult an Immigration law directory

This is a simpler way to narrow down your search. If you are just looking for a lawyer within your area of residence, a law directory might help. It gives a brief biography of lawyers practising in that area. You don’t have to search for those who live in farther regions which may cost you more to employ their services.

 

Contact the lawyers you have selected

Sending emails or making phone calls should be the next point of action when you have narrowed your search. Be brief when you call or send an email. Introduce yourself and what you need their services for. Also, make inquiries if they handle your type of immigration case for the sake of confirmation

It is quite probably these lawyers might be unavailable to take phone calls, but don’t get tempted to send text messages, it will appear unprofessional.  And if you want these lawyers to bring their best to the table ( delivery, quality, service), your request for their services must seem professional enough. Send well constructed, but brief emails. don’t make the mistake of sending a broadcast email,  because the more direct your email is to an immigration lawyer, the more likely it will be taken seriously.

 

Have an interview with each of them

When you have been able to contact them, fix a meeting. ( whether virtual or physical). This is where you make enquiries about their services, what they have to offer, the amount of money involved, and the proficiency of lawyers. It is highly recommended to have physical meetings with the lawyers. This would help you know if the lawyer is good enough for you.

 

Review the services agreement

This is the last important thing to do in finding a good immigration lawyer. It is beneficial to know and review the services agreement.

A good immigration lawyer would have a binding written list  of all the work that the lawyer will do for you, and fees and cost that apply

 

If you proceed, ask if there is a consultation fee. If there is a mutual agreement to proceed, ask if the consultation fee would be a fixed amount or if it will be paid on hourly rates. Find out if there are additional fees involved.

Also,  you can ask the lawyer about the method of payment. Some lawyers require a “retainer” which is paid at the beginning of the service.  Some lawyers simply want to be sent an invoice each month or at the end of your case.

Also, Some lawyers allow clients to pay in instalments. These are all points to discuss with your lawyers at the beginning of the case to avoid surprises.

 

Finding a good immigration lawyer requires a lot of time and effort, but it is worth it. A good immigration lawyer helps you take care of your case, keeps you informed and gives you peace of mind.

 

Also, Read >>> Solicitor General Meaning

 


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About the author

Nnamdi Nwachukwu

An amazing writer with over 3 years of experience working in the Marketing, Education, and Sports firms.

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