Questions to Ask From an Immigration Lawyer

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When under the pressure of legalities involving immigration and identities, meeting up with your immigration lawyer is the best option there is to be able to process such issues. This is why when hiring an immigration lawyer (or any lawyer on that matter) you must briefly verify his or her credibility and competence. 

Given that there are a lot of questions piled up that you want to ask them that is relevant to the legal situation you are in or could just be a way of validating their knowledge around that matter, here are some starter questions that you can ask in order to know that the lawyer may represent you at their best.

Participation in a Verified Organization

“What company or law firm are you from?” 

Finding an immigration lawyer is one but verifying the organization or law group he or she belongs to is another. There are tons of immigration attorneys per city that can present an identification card, business card and all that credentials but confirming if he or she belongs to a law group is another way to absolutely make sure.
 
Law groups often cover affiliation with American Immigration Lawyers Association, where the client can assure that the attorney’s commitment is immigration law and not other specializations.

The Specialization of Practice

“Is your practice devoted or focused on Immigration Law?”

After confirming its organization involvement, asking about their focus of specialty is also significant. Some attorneys do practice Immigration cases but it does not clearly mean that it is their forte. Having inquiries regarding his or her practice areas can be very useful to establish rapport. Not only for establishing trust with the client but also to know whether the lawyer would actually prioritize his or her case.
 
This is to client feel relieved regarding the handling of his case, especially if the situation is at its worst (i.e., deportation or removal from the country; visa overstaying for more than a year).

Experiences in Similarities

“What do you know about my immigration case?”

Asking the immigration attorney questions regarding cases he or she have handled similar to yours is the most crucial question among the list. The Immigration Law embodies a wide range of cases from visa approvals to extension of stays or could be deportation. Each case require different expertise secondary to differentiation in process and execution in the court room.
 
Having an attorney who understands the client’s situation first hand (and not just from the get-go) can definitely make a difference when it comes to finalizing legal matters, preventing it to get out of hand. 

Conclusion
Immigration has always been one of the top legal issues experienced by tourists, exchange students and overall, non-citizens. While travelling at the other side of the world or a nearby foreign country is their responsibility, often times, breaking of immigration law comes unintentionally. Hence why, you have to take responsibility on finding the right lawyer to trust and handle the situation humbly and systematically. 

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