How can an immigration lawyer make a difference in your case? \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just filling out forms. . .\u201d is what many people think.\u00a0 In fact, the immigration system can be very complex to navigate, with laws being cross-applied from several sources.\u00a0 Also, the government will not give you the benefit of the doubt, and it is\u00a0your<\/u>\u00a0burden to convince the government that you qualify for the immigration benefit. \u00a0While an attorney isn\u2019t necessary for all cases, here are some reasons why an attorney can make a difference for you.<\/p>\nTime, money and peace of mind<\/h2>\n
You can save time, money and peace of mind by making sure the case is handled properly and efficiently. \u00a0 The average government filing fee now ranges from $300 to $500-plus,\u00a0per form. \u00a0You can\u2019t afford mistakes or starting over and re-filing. \u00a0Our law firm has seen self-represented people start a case in the wrong place, or fail to follow procedure, or miss a deadline they didn\u2019t even know existed.\u00a0 Another common thing we see is when people waste money applying for something they aren\u2019t eligible for. \u00a0Finally, people will attach conflicting or confusing documents, or they assume the government will connect the dots and work hard to understand the puzzle pieces of their case.\u00a0 All of these situations cause delay in your case, and quite often they result in the government issuing a Request For Evidence (RFE) or a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID). \u00a0A competent immigration attorney will avoid these situations, and give you peace of mind that replaces the self-doubt about how you answer questions on the form, or which documents to attach, or what the latest government correspondence means.<\/p>\n
The government makes mistakes, and an attorney recognizes when that occurs and knows how to fix it.\u00a0 For example, in one of our recent cases we had to intervene repeatedly because the government made numerous consecutive mistakes over a period of a year in a marriage case: it issued an RFE, lost the documents that were filed, threatened to deny the case, issued a second RFE, then mistakenly issued a grant letter, and then issued a denial letter ten days later with no explanation.\u00a0 This jungle of mis-steps had to be handled correctly at each new development.\u00a0 Through numerous emails\u00a0to USCIS, official written responses, a DHS Ombudsman complaint, and identifying whether to file an appeal or a motion to reopen, we kept steering the case back on track.\u00a0 Even then, USCIS suddenly changed its policy and requested further documents with an impossibly short due date, and we had to negotiate a compromise.\u00a0 Without an attorney, this case probably would have ended up in a dead-end, costing the law-abiding applicant enormous stress, delay and further money in filing fees.<\/p>\n
These situations need to be taken seriously.\u00a0 Many people think they have a minor record that can be explained away.\u00a0 Or they believe their record is clean, when in fact it is not and it jeopardizes the case.\u00a0 Sometimes people don\u2019t even know they have a record, or they wrongly believe the government won\u2019t find out.\u00a0 An immigration attorney recognizes \u201cred flags\u201d and will do thorough research into what happened and how it affects the case.\u00a0 A prior deportation, or even a stop at the border, could be a long-term bar to further immigration benefits such as a green card.\u00a0 Similarly, most criminal records can never be erased for immigration purposes, and they will prevent you from winning your immigration case if they are not addressed properly.\u00a0 Even worse, the laws change without notice and can be applied retroactively: yesterday your case was fine, but with a new immigration case decision, now you are in trouble.<\/p>\n
You are not obligated to hire an attorney, but these are some common reasons where having representation can help make the process less stressful and quicker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How can an immigration lawyer make a difference in your case? \u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just filling out forms. . .\u201d is what many people think.\u00a0 In fact, the immigration system can be very complex to navigate, with laws being cross-applied from several sources.\u00a0 Also, the government will not give you the benefit of the doubt, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":878,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tips-and-strategy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n