Retaining A U.S. Immigration Lawyer
If you have immigration questions, careful planning will increase the chance of successfully immigrating to the United States. Your immigration planning will initially depend on your current status. An experienced U.S. immigration lawyer can advise you on how to achieve your goals.
If You Are Outside The U.S.
In some ways, this is the best position to apply for citizenship because it is less likely that you will make any big mistakes that could make it difficult for you later.
Visas
If you plan on coming to the U.S. for a short trip, several types of visas may fit your needs. If you want to remain for a more extended time, then an immigration lawyer should be consulted to help you through the process.
Going online for advice
If you are currently outside the United States, you will likely have to go online to locate an immigration lawyer with U.S. legal credentials since most knowledgeable immigration lawyers are in the United States would help if you have a clear plan for when you want to come to the U.S., how long you want to stay, and a sense of what you would plan on doing in the future – even as far ahead as the next ten years.
This information will help your immigration attorney provide you with comprehensive advice now and in the future.
The lawyer may examine whether you might be eligible for an immigrant visa in the immediate future or whether the better strategy would be to pursue a nonimmigrant visa first and then convert that into permanent residency after being in the U.S. for a period of time.
These strategies will depend on whether you have been in the U.S. before, remained illegally, committed any crimes, or made any material misrepresentations to the INS or consular officials, etc.
If You Are Inside The U.S.
Remain in legal status
Seeing a lawyer as soon as possible is advisable since time is always a factor. Your temporary status may run out shortly or has already run out.
If you are in legal status, you will need to think about how long you can financially and legally remain. Are there possibilities for changing the status? What prospects for moving into permanent status, and how would that be accomplished? Does your situation allow you to leave the U.S. before getting your permanent residency?
Being out of legal status is risky
Planning is critical in this situation because the longer you have been here illegally, the more obstacles you will face. While this might not mean that you will never be able to remain permanently, it does mean that you will have to be extra careful about how you go through the immigration process.
The immigration attorney will be particularly concerned with how long you have been out of status or illegally in the U.S. She will also need to know about your work, education, and family ties with temporary residents or U.S. citizens.
Risk of detection
You should also anticipate that if the INS discovers you, you will be required to post a bond and need an attorney’s help. A bond of $5,000 or more is not unusual, depending on the facts of your case. You should therefore place the money in a secure location, either in a bank account or with relatives (one of whom is legally in the U.S.) who can work with your lawyer to get you released.
