Citizenship lawyer takes a well-seasoned to secure a case. The road towards US citizenship can be long and tenuous because of the treasure of opportunities it brings. Not only does citizenship open a range of job opportunities, but it also allows the scope of better education for your children. You may also contact further best civil litigation lawyer for getting detailed explanation on this.
Although being a US citizen has its benefits, a taxpayer of the state must deal with the naturalization procedure’s challenges. However, to acquire the US’s naturalization, you’ll need a skilled firm to handle your case.
Your first step towards citizenship should be to hire a good citizenship lawyer. Initially, you might find yourself in a mess trying to shortlist all the essential criteria. However, this article should help you understand the various aspects that count while hiring an immigration lawyer.
Ensure that you have a clear cut idea about Citizenship lawyer cost. Moreover, while researching the professionals in your area, you should take advantage of the attorney for citizenship free consultation to better understand your compatibility with the firm and the lawyer.
What is naturalization?
Naturalization is a vital process that needs the guidance of an experienced Citizenship lawyer. A good lawyer can take you through the process of acquiring US citizenship without losing much sweat. Your attorney should help you file the required documents, prepare and review your naturalization application, and tackle the challenges that arise.
Citizenship Lawyer – What are the required criteria ?
To obtain US citizenship, you must fulfill one of the following criteria:
- US permanent residency or Green card
- Asylum in the US and have lived there for at least 4 years
- Spouse of a US citizen and have lived there for at least 3 years
- Have served in the military and have been in the country for 3 years
- Have a good character certificate
- Meet the requirements for literacy and knowledge of US history
Although the applicants are tested for their ability to read, write, and speak ordinary English language, there are some exceptions such as:
- Physically unable to comply due to disability (attested by a licensed medical practitioner or clinical psychologist to support the claim) are exempted from the literacy requirements
- Applicants of age 50 years or more and have lived in the US for more than 20 years may be tested in their native language
- Applicants of 55 years age or more are tested in the native language if they’ve lived in the country for 15 years or more
However, all applicants must clear the oral history test even if they pass the English language test.
Citizenship Attorney – How is US Citizenship obtained?
There are two broad paths of obtaining US citizenship. People born to a US parent or inside the premises of the country acquire citizenship by birth. The constitution of the States has birthright citizenship as a part of the 14th amendment.
Before the amendment, the supreme court barred black Americans from acquiring citizenship. However, the act interpreted that all individuals born or naturalized in the States are US citizens.
However, you’ll have to go the legal way to attain citizenship, i.e., naturalization, if that is not the case for you. That is the process by which a foreign national gets US citizenship. If you are a US citizen by birth, you must go through naturalization if you wish to acquire citizenship.
What are the other paths to citizenship?
Although there are a few ways of acquiring citizenship without naturalization, most of them are exclusive for children. For instance, a child can get citizenship if they’re born overseas, but their parents are US citizens. However, the procedure follows a complex formula, and you should hire a Citizenship lawyer for legal support.
Attorney for Citizenship : What to expect from the process?
Before you dive into the procedure, you must verify whether or not you qualify for naturalization. You must fulfill all the criteria mentioned under the US citizenship act. Moreover, you must have physical proof of your US residency and have grounds that validate your request. You should also have a clean legal history.
Any record of your involvement in acts or activities illegal under US law can harm your case. You might also be declared inadmissible in the States.
Valid documents and evidence should support your N-400 form. You might also have to submit a biometric data collection. You’ll have to schedule an appointment with USCIS and submit the interview with personnel.
In case you and your application are denied by the USCIS, a Citizenship lawyer can help you take corrective measures to reapply for citizenship. If you continue your application, you can proceed with further formalities with your lawyer’s help to get approval.
Lawyer for Citizenship : How can a lawyer help you?
The job of immigration or citizenship lawyer is to help you and your family with the overwhelming and mind-boggling process of immigration proceedings. Just a simple consultation with a lawyer can give you a lot of clarity about the proceedings.
The lawyers help you with tasks, both simple and complex like:
- Filing forms and paperwork
- Proving help in the courtroom
- Explain you the case situation
- Help you with post case issues
- Help with employment opportunities
The citizenship lawyer perform a complete background check and look for any hitch or interference that can cause problems with the proceeding. Their ultimate goal is to make sure you get the most favorable and beneficial result.
Immigration Lawyer for Citizenship : Benefits of hiring one
Hiring a lawyer can make the proceedings a lot smoother and less chaotic. There are few other benefits as well that can help you and your case:
- A citizenship lawyer will help you avoid mistakes: A considerable amount of paperwork comes with the immigration process. These include visa, work permit, marriage licenses, citizenship, etc. Here a lawyer can help you fill these with ease and, most importantly, without any mistakes.
- Flawless services: There is no denying that an experienced lawyer can help you with your case. They have dealt with many immigration cases and proceedings in the past and can most definitely provide their services to you as well. They understand the law and also find victory for their clients.
- Your attorney can maneuver permits and regulations: Any good immigration lawyer is well versed with all the licenses, permits, rules, and regulations. They also possess valuable knowledge regarding how to maneuver through all the procedural necessities. With their help, you can get guaranteed approval from all the processes.
- They can explain a reasonable range of options: In any legal proceeding, you get multiple options. The same is true for immigration cases. Your lawyer’s job includes helping you understand all the possible options available and inform you which is the best option for you and your case.
- Citizenship lawyers can advise you as a permanent resident: One of the biggest misconceptions regarding immigration is once you get your work visa or permanent residency, your worries are over. As an immigrant, there are still some special laws that apply to you, and these laws can cause a problem. You need to keep a check and follow these laws carefully, or else you might get deported. Here a lawyer will help you understand these laws and make sure you do not run into any legal issues.
- They can help find legal jobs: Many immigrants face problems while finding regular employment opportunities in the US. Because of this, survival becomes hard and challenging for them. Your immigration citizenship lawyer can help you to find a job with a competitive salary. They will interact with HR, officials, and even seek various opportunities for you. They can also guide and assist you with the hiring and recruitment process.
- An immigration lawyer helps acquire citizenship: Every immigrant seeks to achieve the American dream of US citizenship. An immigration attorney with a lot of experience has already helped many people to achieve their vision. With their extensive knowledge of immigration laws, policies, and permits, they will help you complete immigration proceedings. Moreover, they will also look after all or any issues or complexities you may run into later.
Citizenship Lawyer Cost – Professional charges
Usually, an immigration lawyer for citizenship charges around $150-$300 per hour; some may charge a set fee for the complete process. Filing primary immigration forms will cost you a price of somewhere around $250 to $1,200.
However, these prices may vary with the type of case; factors like time, services, and resources also play a role. Some of the costs, along with cases, are:
- Application for employment authorization fee: $250-$500
- Fees for a citizenship/naturalization application: $500-$1,200
- Family-based green card application: $800-$1,500
- Employment-based green card application: $1,500-$5,000
- Fee for asylum application: $1,000-$3,000
- Deportation defense fee: $2,000-$10,000
- Status adjustment application fee: $600-$1,200
factors affecting the fee of your lawyer
As mentioned above, many factors determine how much the us citizenship attorney will charge you for your case. Some of those factors are:
- Your case specifications: The demands and requests that come with your case influence the asked fee significantly. Things like assistance for filing forms, on-court help, and the citizenship lawyer work regarding your case can substantially increase costs.
- Lawyer’s level of expertise: Similar to any other hired help, if the person is more experienced, then they will charge more for their services. Experienced lawyers come with excellent courtroom reputation, successful cases, and more satisfied clients.
- Location of the professional: The fee cost also varies depending on where you live. The fee varies with states, cities, and even counties.
- Quality of services that you need: As mentioned, the services your case demands influence the fee structure a lot. There are many possibilities that a citizenship lawyer looks at during consultation and determines the complete fee structure for you.
US Citizenship Attorney – What should you know about them?
Hiring an attorney is quite a complicated process, and if not done carefully, it can result in a lot of future trouble. It would be best to consider many different options before agreeing to accept a particular lawyer’s services. To help you find the best candidate, here are some tips:
- Shortlist the top immigration attorneys in your area: Do your research correctly, look for all the possible options present in your locality, and make a shortlist of the best according to reviews and recommendations.
- Immigration intake questionnaire: Before an attorney can help you, they need to know about you and your case with a questionnaire. You also need to question them about their services and success rate.
- A citizenship lawyer’s role: The lawyer is there to help you with every aspect of your case, from filing forms to representing you in the courtroom.
- Documents that you’ll have to produce during the case: A lot of paperwork comes with an immigration case. Your lawyer is there to help you file and present these documents without any inaccuracy.
Before hiring any legal help, you must interview the candidates with questions regarding them and their approach for your case. If the interviewed lawyer is dodging your questions or responding with too much confidence, see it as a red flag. Some of the question you can ask your lawyer are:
- What is their experience with immigration list of civil rights cases?
- Where are they licensed from, and in which state do they practice?
- What is the percentage of immigration clients they’ve dealt with?
- Are they a member of the American Immigration Lawyer Association?
- Have they handled cases similar to yours?
- What is their communication policy?
- What are their fee percentage, regulations, and agreement?
Before you hire someone to ensure that you have researched Citizenship lawyer cost in your area enough to get an approximate idea, make sure you discuss the fee structure and payment process before hiring them. Moreover, you must also sign a contract about the same beforehand.
There is no denying that the immigration proceedings are convoluted and perplexing for the parties involved. Moreover, they are quite overwhelming and can take a huge mental toll on you and your family.
Hence, with the help of an immigration or Citizenship lawyer, you can get the service you need and make sure you get a favorable outcome. Getting that much needed legal advice can break or make your case, especially if you are worried about some hitch or obstacle in your background. In this case, you may take advice from Online lawyer for more information.
