by Steven Roberts
If you’ve ever known someone who has gone through the immigration process, you understand how complicated and sometimes frustrating immigration law can be. While it’s possible to research immigration law yourself, it is basically a full time job as immigration laws change frequently.
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 first thing an immigration law attorney will do with a potential client is offer a free consultation. This serves two purposes. First, the immigration law attorney needs to determine if they can legally help you. Second, the immigration law attorney wants to develop a rapport and find out pertinent facts about the person seeking to immigrate. As each immigration case is different, it is vitally important such a fact finding consultation takes place.
After the consultation, the immigration law attorney will explain the paperwork process and begin to complete the immigration paperwork. This is a critical juncture for client involvement in their own case. While the immigration law attorney is there to help, it is important the client has a basic understanding of their responsibilities and what will happen next.
At this stage, the immigration law attorney needs to be very thorough, especially when obtaining pertinent information from their client. The immigration law attorney will be working directly with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which will demand complete and in depth information about the case. The immigration law attorney is responsible for finding out every bit of information necessary to move forward.
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.
The most important aspect of an immigration law attorney’s role is to make positive progress on the immigration case. They will also need to actively communicate the status of the immigration case to their client, and make sure the client understands all timeframes and responsibilities involved. The immigration law attorney will make sure the client understands exactly who is responsible for what aspect of the immigration case, either the client or the immigration law attorney.
To summarize, it is extremely important to find the right immigration law attorney. Make sure you have the right immigration law attorney for your needs. Immigration law is very specialized, so your case needs to match up with the immigration law attorney’s expertise. A good match in this regard plus an open, honest dialogue between client and immigration law attorney will undoubtedly ensure a successful immigration case.