It’s very common to run into a situation when you need a lawyer to help you take care of a matter dealing with immigration, naturalization, or sorting out visa issues right away. Your visa might have expired or you might be seeking to immigrate and you are overwhelmed by deadlines that are beginning to come closer. You might feel like you have no time to find the perfect lawyer for your case, you just want a lawyer, any lawyer, who will help you before time runs out. Should you spend time finding an immigration lawyer? The answer is yes and here is why.
An immigration lawyer has specifically trained in immigration law. A good one will have years of experience working with immigration law with a number of successful cases under their belt. Immigration law is complex and filled with a lot of specific paperwork which, if filled out incorrectly, can cause crippling delays. An immigration lawyer will know what needs to be filled out, what information needs to be on which form, and how to avoid costly delays.
Immigration lawyers also pay close attention to new laws and regulations as they go into effect, because these laws directly affect how immigration lawyers do their job. Other lawyers might not pay as much attention to every immigration law that goes into effect if it is not their specialty. Missing a step can cost you time which, depending on your situation, you might not have.
Remember that in the United States of America the term lawyer refers to someone who has studied law at an accredited school, while an attorney is someone who can represent a client in a legal capacity. All attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are attorneys. It is more common to hear people use the term lawyer in everyday conversation. When you are looking for someone to represent you in an official capacity, you might want to look for an immigration lawyer who is also an attorney.
If you need a lawyer for an immigration law issue, find an immigration attorney. The time you will save dealing with an attorney who knows the current immigration laws and procedures will far outweigh the time it takes to find a good one. Immigration laws are complex and challenging, which is why it’s great to have someone on your side who knows the system and works with it every day.