Reasons to Hire an Immigration Lawyer
In order to get into the United States, sometimes it's necessary to hire an immigration lawyer. An immigration lawyer is an individual who specializes in immigration law and knows all the requirements and conditions to entering the United States as a legal, permanent resident. It is entirely possible to go through the whole visa process without hiring an immigration attorney. They're not formally required to be part of the process. But US immigration law can be difficult and confusing for someone to try to understand on their own. An immigration lawyer will know the ins and outs of US immigration law and will make sure you don't make mistakes that could delay or prevent your application from being accepted. An immigration attorney can also prevent you from making costly mistakes.
Individuals who will most benefit from the services of an immigration attorney are those who have not gone through the system before, or know no one who has. There are people who have successfully made their way through the system without an immigration lawyer, but those people usually also have a strong support group (friends or relatives) who have been through the process. If you don't know where to find an immigration attorney, there are immigration resource centers and communities that can help you with this. There is a strategy to applying for an immigrant visa to increase your chances of having the visa approved. There are so many different types of visas available that sometimes it can be difficult to figure out which one you should get first. There are strategies that can be put into effect that will get you into the United States legally and faster.
For example, in some situations it might be a better idea to enter the country on a non-immigrant visa and then work your way towards an immigrant visa. An immigration attorney is your best option to find out which strategy would work best for you and your situation. An immigration attorney is especially crucial when something goes wrong with a visa application. If the application was denied, for example, an immigration attorney is your best way of successfully appealing the decision. It's possible to reduce the risk of being denied if you hire a lawyer to prepare your application to make sure you have everything there needs to be to increase your chances of the application being accepted.
Other cases where you would need an immigration lawyer for sure would be if you broke the law either seriously or with a misdemeanor arrest. Even a misdemeanor can get you sent back to your country and an immigration lawyer knows the system better than a criminal attorney and might be able to prevent this from happening. If you're an undocumented immigrant, you will need an immigrant lawyer to plead your case and fill out the paperwork. Some individuals have things on their application that might negatively impact their chances of the application being accepted. An immigration lawyer can advise so those items can be mitigated.
SOURCES: http://www.immigrationsolicitorsonline.co.uk http://ezinearticles.com/?Reasons-to-Hire-anImmigration-Lawyer&id=7029596