When applying for a green card or an immigrant visa in the United States or overseas, you are not required to have a lawyer. If your case is straightforward, and you’re eligible and have no record of crimes or run ins with the authorities, you can potentially move forward with your green card or via proceedings without a lawyer. In fact, if you are overseas, lawyers are not allowed to attend interviews with you, they are just allowed to prepare the paperwork and pursue communication with the consulates.
There are, however, plenty of situations where a lawyers help will come in handy or will save you a lot of effort and potential aggravation. Immigration is notoriously complicated and receives much less oversight than you might expect. Nearly 41 million immigrants lived in the United States in 2012 and there are 1,001,715 green cards given out each year on average. About 20% of all international migrants reside in the United States alone. It’s clearly a prevalent and loaded issue that the United States has had time to encapsulate by law. If you’re wondering if you need a help from the top immigration law firms, ask yourself if you’re in any of the following situations:
Are you in the middle of immigration court proceedings? If you are in court for court regarding deportation law you should find a lawyer immediately. Court proceedings will stall your application and a good immigration lawyer’s insight into the complexities of the law will only benefit you. They will also be able to tell you if the proceedings will affect the outcome of your application.
Are you inadmissible? This is one of the most common issues people face trying ti immigrate to the United States. There is a list of criteria for inadmissibility some examples including having committed a crime or previously lied to the United States government. If any of these grounds apply to you, consider a lawyer.
Are you overwhelmed? The immigration application process is tedious and dependent upon being done perfectly. Mistakes can sometimes mean having an application retired, delayed or rejected. Top immigration law firms can help navigate these nuances and manage your workflow in the best way.
Are you experiencing delays? Green card complications? This is extremely common and can be based on some missing bit of information, relocation by the applicant, or just an overextension of the office handling the paperwork. Having a lawyer will help you stay vigilant and offer advice with regards to avoiding them.
While lawyers don’t have a lot of power in these circumstances, the top immigration law firms can help give you the best chance possible and make the entire process a little more painless.
