What You Need To Know To Become An Immigration Attorney
Posted on: 15 October 2021
If you're looking into becoming an attorney but you're struggling to pick a specialty, immigration attorneys are a good option. Immigration attorneys help those who are having problems with immigration law.
What Is Immigration Law?
Immigration law is the rules surrounding immigration.
Immigration law has rules regarding some of the following:
- Naturalization process
- Who can come into the country
- How long an immigrant can be in the country
- Loss of legal status
- Removal proceedings
- Green cards/Visas
- Asylum
To become an immigration attorney, you'd have to become an expert in all these areas to be helpful to your clientele.
What Does an Immigration Attorney Do?
An immigration attorney's goal is to help anyone facing immigration problems get on the right track. They can do this by:
- Representing clients in court
- Offering advice and counsel
- Assisting with paperwork and documentation
- Meeting with appropriate government officials
- Walking clients through visa/green card/citizenship process
Becoming an Immigration Attorney
To become a lawyer of any kind, you will need to graduate high school before moving on to complete a bachelor's degree. After getting a bachelor's degree, you'll need to attend a law school of your choosing to obtain a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. After finishing law school, you can continue school to obtain higher degrees, or you can begin to make your way into the legal field.
During and after law school, it is recommended that you dip your toe into the field. Try finding internships or clerkships. Take additional training courses. Find volunteer work. There are many possibilities to begin giving you experience as early as possible.
After you've completed law school, all states require anyone practicing law to have passed the bar exam for the state they plan on practicing law in. You are required to keep your certificate in good standing. Some states may require continued and periodic education even after being licensed.
The last step is to find a law firm to work at. This can be difficult if you don't have any experience under your belt. Make sure to introduce yourself to work in the field as soon as possible.
Salary Information
Most people want to know their potential salary before committing to school for that field. The average salary of an immigration lawyer sits at around $72,906 annually. Depending on your skill level and experience, you have the potential to make more.
Reach out to an immigration attorney for more information.
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