One assumption that many immigrants have is that they don't need an immigration lawyer to help them with the immigration process. The reason they give is that there is a lot of information about immigration that can be found in books and on the internet. However, the information that is found on the internet and in the books is not as straightforward as it sounds. There are some statements that are written that need interpretation. Some people try to figure out the information on their own and end up misunderstanding everything. It is when the law catches up with them that they decide to look for an immigration lawyer. So, it is better to engage the services of an immigration lawyer from the onset.The truth is that there are some immigration applications that are straightforward. On the other hand, there are others which are a bit technical and difficult. Some of these difficult situations may require counsel immigration professionals. These difficult situations include defense processing, deportation and consular processing. Such situations require a lawyer who deals with immigration issues.
When you decide to look for an immigration lawyer, there are some questions you should have in the back of your mind. Some of the questions are:
- How available is the lawyer?
- Are the fees being charged reasonable? How do they charge their fee? Is it by the hour or is the rate fixed?
- What is the level of experience of the lawyer?
- When contacting the law firm, who did you speak with? Was it the lawyer or the assistant?
- Who exactly will handle the case?
- How well does the immigration lawyer know the rules of the country you are going to enter?
The answers to the above questions can help you when you want choose an immigration lawyer.
Getting recommendations and referrals is another way you can get a good lawyer dealing with immigration issues. For example, if you are in San Francisco, the population that is found there is a multi-cultural one. This means you can talk to different people from different nationalities to find out whether they used an immigration lawyer to help them with the immigration process. Those who used a San Francisco Immigration Lawyer can recommend and/or refer you to some of the best San Francisco Immigration Attorneys. It is best to have a list of immigration attorney. You can have between 4-6 attorneys that you can check with. When you interact with more people, you will find that some of them will make reference to a particular law firm. This should be an indicator that the law firm that has been referred to is a good and reputable one.
The internet is another source from which you can do your search for lawyers dealing with immigration. If you are in the US, you can use the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) website very helpful. If, for example, you are looking for an immigration lawyer in San Francisco, you can simply go the AILA website and search for one.