You’ve come to the United States on a work or family visa, and you’re about to get married to your spouse. You’ve decided to get an immigration lawyer to help you complete the immigration paperwork to get your spouse’s residency status in the United States, but what else should you expect from your immigration lawyer?
At any stage of the immigration process, from the initial filing of your paperwork to the hearing before an immigration judge, it’s important to make sure you’re in good hands. A good immigration lawyer will help you not only understand what’s happening with your case but also make sure you’re prepared for every step along the way—it’s not all paperwork!
When you hire an immigration lawyer in van Nuys, your main focus might be on how they can help you to get citizenship or permanent residency, but there are other things they can do to make your life easier as well.
In this article, we’ll go over the top nine things you should expect from your immigration lawyer, including their duties and responsibilities during your case, as well as how much you can expect to pay for their services.
-
Applying for Immigration Status (Work Permits, Residency Etc.)
We’re not immigration attorneys and we’re not going to pretend we know everything there is to know about immigrating or moving within a country.
That said, we do think it makes sense that as a startup founder if you’re going to consider moving abroad, it would behoove you to make sure all of your bases are covered before taking action.
Work with an immigration attorney from day one, and they can help make sure all of those bases are covered as efficiently as possible.
While not every startup will need an immigration attorney, if that possibility is on your radar, then working with one from day one will pay off down the road.
-
Understanding Your Immigration Status (And What It Means)
As your immigration lawyer, it’s my job to help you understand where you are now with regard to immigration status. And it’s especially important if you have applied for a visa or have recently become a resident of another country. Let me explain what these different statuses mean and how they may affect your ability to travel outside of the country, apply for citizenship, work in certain jobs, or study abroad.
-
Handling Taxes
Choosing where to settle down is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as an immigrant. After all, a new country can mean a new language, a new culture, and a new way of life. It’s important to choose wisely – it will impact where you live and what education opportunities are available to your children.
-
Choosing Where to Settle Down
Moving to a new country is tough. You’ll have to learn a new language, adjust to a different culture, and try to settle into unfamiliar surroundings.
-
Dealing with Healthcare
As an international student, your access to healthcare is often severely limited. That’s where an immigration lawyer comes in.
It may seem like overkill to hire an immigration attorney just because of a minor injury, but many universities require it—and most students would prefer that their immigration counselor serves as more than just a glorified ambulance chaser.
-
Getting Kids Enrolled in School (If Applicable)
Whether it’s a new visa, or a green card, or something else entirely, it’s important to have an expert handle your immigration law concerns. If you have any interest in buying property in America, an immigration lawyer can help ensure that it goes smoothly from start to finish.
-
Saving for Retirement (If Applicable)
If you are not a US citizen or permanent resident, it is generally difficult to obtain financing in order to purchase the property. Foreign buyers may have limited choices in terms of lenders, interest rates, and loan products. It’s best to check with your lender before investing in a property that you intend to live in yourself.
If purchasing property solely as an investment property that will not be occupied by a buyer, then foreign buyers typically have more options when financing their purchases. Some exceptions exist but do vary by state law.
-
Buying Property (If Applicable)
A home is one of the most important investments an individual will make in their lifetime. However, buying property abroad is a complicated process that many first-time investors do not know how to navigate. Fortunately, there are professionals who can help new buyers purchase property with ease.
These professionals come in various forms including real estate agents and attorneys.
Whether you are purchasing or selling property abroad, it is important to have an expert walk you through every step of the way.
-
Helping You Meet People/Expanding Social Circle (If Applicable)
This can be one of the most challenging parts of moving to a new place. New people in town can make it easier to feel less alone in your new environment, plus give you more connections in case you ever need help.
The key is not to overwhelm yourself by trying to take on too many activities or make too many acquaintances at once.
Some Situations to Consult with an Immigration Lawyer
-
Be inadmissible
The most common legal problem potential immigrants face is being inadmissible for having committed a crime, Having any financial instability that could lead to being a public charge.
-
Being overwhelmed by paperwork
The simplest of US immigration applications, require many forms to fill out and documents to prove, any error. No matter how insignificant will be the reason for your application to be returned or may be delayed.
They even have the immigration technology and software that allows them to offer a complete and timely service.
-
Application delays
Another circumstance that often leads people to consult an immigration attorney is the delays at USCIS Service Centers to approve or reject an application for reasons that have more to do with bureaucracy than with the law.
The immigration attorneys have access to internal information lines where only they can ask about delayed or problematic cases.
-
Know your options:
Immigration law has constant modifications, exceptions, and different applications for each case.
A way of acting that worked for a family member or acquaintance of yours may not be the best way to act for you. Before making decisions, you should seek the advice of a qualified lawyer.
What situation is better? Which takes less time? What risks are there?
Similarly, an immigration attorney can advise you on:
- The rights and duties you have as an immigrant.
- Residence and citizenship.
- Asylum or refugee applications.
- Deportation.
- Hearings before the immigration courts.
- Sorry (Waiver).
- Work and tourist visas.
- Change of status.
- Migratory relief.
- Matters involving interaction between immigration and criminal law, among others.
Hope this article helps you to know how an immigration lawyer can help you during the immigration process.
