7 Tips for Choosing an Immigration Attorney

Choosing an immigration officer can be a difficult job as you will need to make sure everything goes well before you step into a new state. You will need an attorney who makes sure everything goes well. Before you decide on an attorney, you will need to make a list of attorneys and interview them to find the one which suits your demands. As you evaluate each attorney, here are the things that you need to keep in mind.

Do not bargain

There are plenty of immigration attorneys out there. But in the search for a good attorney, you will come across many bad options. Some attorneys can have a lot of cases to handle to dedicate quality time for you, while others may not have enough experience in a specific area of immigration law. Do not end up making a bargain on a bad choice to avoid any legal issues in the future.

Get referred

Ask your friends and family members about any attorney that they have taken help of or check out the websites of attorney’s and find out how they got reviewed by their previous clients. A good attorney should not suffer from a shortage of happily satisfied clients.

Negotiate fees

When we said do not bargain, we did not mean that you cannot negotiate the fees. Good attorneys never forget to demand fees that can be a little too extra for your pocket. Immigration law firms generally charge by the hour while some law firms have a fixed fee for handling your entire case. If you are opting for the hour basis, ask for an estimated time that they will take to work on your case. Otherwise, you can always choose the fixed fee firms. This will give you an idea of how much you will have to spend so you can handle your money properly.

Save your documents

You can pay for cloud storage or use free ones like Google Drive to save your documents. Keep a soft copy of all your signed documents. This will keep your documents easily accessible whenever you want them. Ask the attorney if they provide the service of managing electronically signed documents.

Hire an attorney who speaks your language

It will be better to find an attorney who speaks your language so that you can communicate everything properly. This will make sure that you and attorney are always on the same page to understand the legal works. The lawyer should also make sure that you get all your documents written and translated in both English and your native language.

Build a relationship with your attorney

You need to get your visa done to before you step out of the airport of any country. When you get your VISA, other things can get smoothly. You will have to stay for a few months or years before you can apply for immigration, which is why you will need to build a good relationship with your attorney so that you can manage your documents and VISA renewal later in the future as well.

How to Get a US Student Visa

To study in the US without citizenship, you will need a student visa for the time of your stay. Applying for a student visa is a long process, so you will have to start preparing for it ahead of time. There are several steps involved in applying for a US visa, so you will need at least three to five months before your course starts. Consult a good attorney to get the right instructions when you are applying. There are five stages in the process of applying for a US student visa.

Apply to a SEVP-approved institution

Make sure that the university you are applying for has the accreditation of the US government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program(SEVP). Accreditation will ensure that your degree is recognized by other universities, professional associations, employers, and government ministries around the globe. The universities having SEVP accreditation even provide the necessary documents to get the US student visa.

Pay the SEVIS fee

You will have to pay the SEVIS fee at least three days prior to submitting your application for a US visa. You can pay the fees through a paper form or use the online portal of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) SEVP website. Avoid any mistakes to input the required details exactly as they appear on your I-20 or DS-2019 form. Once you are done with the process and making the payment, you will get a confirmation from the website. Save the confirmation note as you will need it at the time of your US student visa interview.

Complete a US student visa application

After paying your SEVIS fee, you will need to make an appointment with a US consulate or embassy in your country. Apply for the US student visa form. It is best to apply as early as possible to make you can join your classes from the first day. Issuing your visa can take up to 120 days. Different countries have their own application forms and may require a lot of documents along with your application form. Make sure you have everything before you go to the embassy with your application.

Pay the VISA application fee

 The Machine Readable Visa Fee(MRV fee) or visa application fee form is paid at the embassy or at the website provided by them. This will be a non-refundable, non-transferrable visa application fee. You can pay this either at an approved bank or by phone or online. You will be asked for your MRV fee receipt when you visit the embassy for your visa interview.

Schedule and attend a US student visa interview

The last and final step is to attend a visa interview. It can be done online or on a phone call with your nearest US embassy or consulate. Keep your documents ready, as you will have to tell your fee receipt numbers even on your phone call. Your visa application cannot be completed until you appear for the interview. Make sure to give your interview with all the necessary details. All the best!