Hiring a Boston Immigration Lawyer means additional costs to your immigration case. While this appears to be an expensive road to take, it is one of the most effective ones, especially as it guarantees that you can better avoid mistakes and save more time and money down the road. Mistakes can lead to denial. This means you may have to restart the process, leading to more costs.
More people are interested in whether or not they should hire an immigration lawyer to file their paperwork, especially as the internet is filled with countless information about to how to proceed and navigate through these processes. If you are thinking of hiring an immigration lawyer to help you reach your goals, then the expenses incurred is worth it overall.
If you are thinking of cutting costs, especially considering government fees, adjustments, biometrics, and filings below are some of the reasons why you should do it right the first time by hiring an immigration lawyer.
How much does it cost to hire an immigration lawyer?
Immigration lawyers do not have a specific amount that is charged. While some lawyers charge based on hours invested in your case, some others have a standard pricing package. The charges of an immigration lawyer are dependent on a number of factors including their experience and knowledge. In addition, the overall cost of hiring an immigration lawyer is based on the final outcome which you seek. For example, an immigration lawyer will cost less when he or she is charging you to defend your deportation case compared to one that has been hired to help you file a family-based immigration petition.
In an immigration case, there are some typical legal fees which you may incur and they include:
- Citizenship/Naturalization Application: $500 – $1,200
- Asylum application: $1,000 – $3,000
- Application for employment authorization (work permit): $2,50 – $500
- Adjustment of Status Application: $600 – $1,200
- Deportation defense: $2,000 – $10.000. This amount may further go up if the case requires court appearances.
- Employment-based petitions: $1,500 – $5,000
It is important to note that some attorneys may charge more than the average price depending on the packages offered to clients and other factors.
Why Pay an Attorney for my Immigration case?
When handling any type of immigration-related case, there are three main reasons why it is recommended that you consider the services of an attorney. These reasons include:
Consider the complexity of the case
Whether you are pursuing an application process for visas and family-based petition or you are faced with deportation, hiring the services of a qualified attorney can better improve your chances of getting the desired outcome. Attorneys are well versed in cases like this and this allows them to better position your case towards reducing the chances of a negative outcome. The current and growing trend towards detention and deportation is enough reason to hire the services of an attorney. Qualified attorneys understand the waivers available for non-US citizens and are able to apply the law accordingly to get their clients out of potentially dangerous and damaging situations.
Efficiency and Risk Reduction
Hiring the services of an immigration attorney to handle and complete your immigrant and non-immigrant visa application has been estimated to be effective in saving applicants about four to eight weeks of process time while also reducing the chances that they will get rejected due to errors.
An immigration lawyer is familiar with the immigration system and as such, they know exactly what type of visas or relief is available to certain classes of applicants. Through their legal experience, applicants have a better chance of packaging a solid and complete application the first time thus increasing the chances of approval.
In addition, an immigration lawyer is in the best position to prepare applicants ahead of their interviews at the consulate or USCIS. Through thorough interview briefing and preparation, an applicant’s chance of success is increased and the chances of rejection are greatly lowered.
Immigration lawyers will also take a step forward to evaluate the facts of an applicant’s particular case. Based on this, they can provide advice and recommendations on the chances of obtaining a positive response in regards to the type of visa the applicant seeks.
In most cases, applicants do not realize that immigration lawyers are much closer to the system when it comes to issues relating to visas, waivers and/or adjustment of status. The closeness of immigration lawyers to the system allows them to readily offer information and services which are not easy to come by. Working with an immigration lawyer can save you from paying hefty bills and charges to get a proceeding before the immigration court. Furthermore, the lawyer can also save you from the extensive wait period which you may have been subjected to in the absence of his or her legal experience.
For applicants seeking an adjustment of status based on marriage to, or engagement to a US Citizen, or those seeking asylum, the chances of getting approved are greatly improved when you work with an immigration lawyer.
Illegal Presence
For people who are unlawfully residing in the country, there are several complications to the case, especially if you are in search of how to stay in the United States. Hiring an immigration lawyer may however be very instrumental to changing your status from an illegal resident to a legal resident.
Working with an immigration lawyer can expose you to certain advantages like case reviews. Upon reviewing the facts of your case, the immigration lawyer may decide to help you to seek avenues presented by the law to get you the desired outcome. Your immigration lawyer can further explain to you the dangers you are faced with regarding deportation and also help you with options such as re-entry or help you to normalize your status if possible.
If you are interested in a waiver of inadmissibility as a cure for your illegal stay, crimes, certain types of fraud, or unlawful presence, speaking to a qualified immigration lawyer may also be a great option.