What Immigration Lawyers Know That You Don’t

Relocating and starting a new life in a foreign country isn’t easy, which immigration lawyers know all too well. It isn’t as simple as just packing your bags, booking a flight, and finding yourself welcomed with open arms. There are many legal battles, mounds of paperwork, and research that goes into legal immigration. It’s also wrong to believe that seemingly straightforward arrangements, such as marriage to a foreign citizen, will go through without obstacles. These days’ laws have tightened and more people, even those qualified to immigrate, are getting refused.

So what can you do? The first step is to research immigration lawyers and hire an experienced one. Before you balk at the price they can save you a fortune by, helping you eliminate unnecessary steps when possible and, by greatly reducing the odds of a rejection (reapplying means spending a fortune on fees and applications again). You’ll also have greater peace of mind during the frustrating process, as legal professionals are far more skilled and able to handle the heavy workload that comes with moving to a new country.

If you still aren’t convinced that you could use the advice of a legal professional, consider a few different scenarios that are fairly common. You are applying for a fiancé visa. However, the country requires that you have proof of a stable relationship for one continuous year. If during a good portion of that relationship you were traveling and have no rental receipts or other important documents that prove the validity of your situation, you will have great difficulty proving your relationship. Without this crucial evidence, you might be refused, leaving you with precious few options. Immigration lawyers, however, deal with cases like this all the time. They can help you find sufficient evidence by other means and build a plausible case in your favor, giving you a much greater chance of acceptance.

Another situation is having permanent residency or right to work suddenly revoked due to unforeseen circumstances. You may already have built up a comfortable life and even be starting a family when suddenly you are faced with deportation. Immigration lawyers can help keep you in the country or try to find an alternative route for you to stay (something that would be very difficult if not impossible to do for an average person with minimal legal resources who is also under duress due to their situation).

These legal professionals also understand trends in laws and the potential future and direction that many countries may choose to change their immigration process. Countries such as England and Australia, for example, have recently undergone major overhauls to their migration system that will affect not only future immigrants, but also those holding visas at the moment. Sometimes people are even unaware that they are now illegally residing in a country due to the constant shifts in laws and complexity of the system. Immigration lawyers can be consulted to help you understand and adapt to these constantly changing rules and regulations.