Tuesday, January 29, 2008

How Important Is It To Choose The Right Immigration Lawyer For Your Case?

Submitted By: George Royal

If you do not choose the right immigration lawyer you could find yourself getting thrown out of the country, whatever country that may be. In order to be allowed to stay you need to have a good immigration lawyer on your side.

This may sound scary and daunting but the good news is that it is easier than ever to get in touch with a good immigration lawyer. The internet makes it so easy to find and interview all kinds of immigration lawyers. This is a very important step when it comes to finding the perfect lawyer. You need to interview each and every immigration lawyer that you are considering in order to get a feel for whether or not the lawyer is the right one for you. Your immigration lawyer needs to be someone that you feel you can trust and someone who has your best interests at heart. If you are unsure of this then you need to move onto another candidate.

An immigration lawyer is going to cost you a pretty penny but the best way to look at it is like an investment in your future and that of your family. Sure, you may have to put out a lot of money but you will be able to stay in the country and your family will be able to continue living the life they have come to love. If you cannot find the money to help you pay for your immigration lawyer then you may need to look to other ways to get an immigration lawyer. There are services that can help you to find and obtain the services of a good immigration lawyer for an affordable price. Some of these services are specific to where you are from while others are simply concerned with the fact that you do not have the money to pay for an immigration lawyer.

The sooner you can get an immigration lawyer the better. You need to be able to give your immigration lawyer time enough to plan a good strategy. There are many facts that need to be checked and double checked by your immigration lawyer and you cannot afford him or her to cut any corners if you want to be able to stay where you are. The immigration lawyer that you choose is going to mean the difference between you succeeding in your case and failing.

Even if you cannot afford to pay for an immigration lawyer you need to at least meet with one and get some much needed advice. Getting the proper advice is absolutely vital to your success. If your family wants to stay where they are you are going to need to get as much information from your immigration lawyer as you can afford. This is easy to do and if you have not yet met with an immigration lawyer you need to do it today.

About the Author:
Lawyers HQ: everything you need to know about finding the right lawyer.

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How Important Is It To Choose The Right Immigration Lawyer For Your Case?

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The steps needed for obtaining a green card

by Clint Jhonson

There is a long, difficult and time consuming process that needs to be undertaken if someone wants to obtain a green card and enjoy the benefits of US naturalization. A number of critics state that if the process would be simplified, the number of illegal immigrants would decrease significantly. And you can be sure that a lot of things may be done faster.

For someone to visit the United States as a tourist, student, patient or for business purposes, the process is very simple. They are required to present their passport, an ID card with a photo or birth certificate and the entry visa. Once they have done that, they are free to enter the country. It is very simple, low in cost and consumes very little time.

A visa is the endorsement on a document which is used to prove its authenticity and states the permission of its bearer to travel or to enter a specific country. An alternate name for this type of visa is a nonimmigrant visa. All the costs involved in the process reach 300$ the most and that is including passport fees, the nonimmigrant visa and a border crossing card.

The difficult process is when you want to reside and work in the US. You must obtain an immigrant visa, otherwise known as a green card. (wrong terminology, immigrant visa is not the same thing as a green card, it is sometimes a pre-requisite in that you enter with the immigrant visa and then have the option of adjusting your status to that of a lawful permanent resident otherwise known as green card holder.) This document was originally called the Alien Registration Receipt Card, but its name was recently changed to Permanent Resident Card. Before it was green in color, but now it is white with just a few green printings on the back. Because of this it is still known as a green card. It is valid for 10 years and the recipients of this document must have it with them all the time.

Obtaining a green card requires a petition by either a relative or an employer. This petition is meant to allow the foreign citizen to reside permanently or to be employed in the United States. After this, the long and difficult process begins. There are three steps involved in this process that may seem simple and easy to follow, but they require a lot of time and money.

Before, the service that issued the green cards was known as INS, or the Immigration and Naturalization Service, but now, since it is a part of the Department of Homeland Security, it is known as the US Citizenship and Immigration Service, or simply put USCIS. This institution is required to review all the documents and approve the petition filed by the relative or employer. This step can take more than two months. The lack of communication between the USCIS and the petitioner is the main cause for delays.

After you have overcome the first step, which can cost up to 400$, the paperwork is collected by the National Visa Center. The NVC determines whether any additional documents are needed. This step can take up to seven months and can reach a cost of more than 500$. The last step is to issue a visa number to the US embassy or consulate and only a few of those are available each year. For immediate family, waiting for a number is not necessary. An appointment to the embassy can take up to nine months.

The applicant is required to take additional blood tests and medical exams. This can cost an additional 200$. Once you have overcome these steps and you have your green card, you can reside in the US for 10 years. After 5 years you have the right to apply for citizenship. The naturalization is complete when you have taken the Oath of Allegiance.

Even though taking the Oath means you are a US citizen and the naturalization process has ended, you also need to prove you have good knowledge about the language, history, government and you are willing to uphold the principles of the constitution. The final fee that you are required to pay is of 400$ for fingerprinting and application and after that your US naturalization is complete.

About the Author
The three steps that have been presented afore seem simple. The hassle comes with the long periods of time you need to wait in order obtain your green card . It requires commitment, determination and resources. After all the efforts are over and your naturalization is complete.

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The steps needed for obtaining a green card

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Friday, January 18, 2008

How Do I Find A Good Immigration Lawyer?

Submitted By: Marcela Devivo

Finding a good lawyer is one of the most important things you can do for yourself if you're looking for help with immigration issued. As in any other field of law, a good immigration lawyer who knows the ropes and understands every aspect of immigration law is imperative to winning your case, filing your papers, or any other action you pursue.

However, immigration lawyers are not created equal. There are some who excel and others who are terrible and everything in between. The most important thing to think about before you begin your research is whether or not they specialize in their field.

This is important, as an immigration lawyer who specializes in amnesty law may not be the best person to choose for deportation matters, and vice versa. They should have direct experience in their sector of immigration law. Of course, many immigration lawyers have several specialties, so just make sure that, above all, they have experience with cases similar to yours (as well as decent results).

Another thing to check for is background. You can find out what school they applied to, where they took their bar exam, what professional associations they belong to and much more. This is especially important in knowing who is a professional with the license to help you and who just wants your money.

Make sure the immigration lawyer you choose belongs to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). While this isn't the only indicator of a lawyer's worth, anyone with legitimate credentials who pays a fee can get in. This weeds out the real fakes and allows you to narrow down your list and focus on reputations.

Reputations, reputations, reputations. This can't be stressed enough. If a lawyer has been in the news a lot for positive cases, serves as a source for newspapers or anything similar, you can bet they're pretty good at what they do.

References and a successful track record are a must. If you can, get your hands on some references and do some research online. Forums, chat rooms and the like are great places to find valuable information about the lawyer you're looking into. The internet is a powerful tool and is one of your best friends when looking for a good immigration lawyer.

Remember: knowledge is power. Ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to grill your potential lawyer. You're the client, and have every right to know if your lawyer knows their stuff. Come prepared knowing a little about immigration law, or at least the basics, and an understanding of the services you need for yourself. For example, if you're dealing with deportation, look up US deportation laws and familiarize yourself with them enough that you understand what your lawyer's saying.

About the Author:
http://myabogado.com

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Wednesday, January 09, 2008

US Immigration

Submitted By: Immigration Ran

US immigration is a process to travel from other nations as an immigrant or non-immigrant to the U.S. A person who desires to travel to the U.S should require visa and follow certain immigration rules and regulations.

Getting an immigration visa is very complicated .It is constantly changing. An immigration lawyer will be able to help with (immigration and naturalization) issues such as obtaining a U.S. work visa or other type of visas like Visitor visas B1, B2 for business visitors, Student visa,L1-Intracompany transferee visas, E1-Treaty trader, E2-Treaty investor, Family visa include K and V (fiancée visa and spousal visa) and green card issues. A US immigration attorney or immigration lawyer deals with issues concerning foreign nationals who enter the U.S either temporarily or permanently. Their line of work involves everything associated with the legal rights, duties, and obligations of foreigners in the United States.

Depending upon the purpose, there are many types of U.S. visas. Mainly visas are divided into two types Non-immigrant visas and Immigrant visas. Non-immigrant visas like: B1 Visa- It is mainly for temporary visitor for business.B2 Visa- This type of visa is for temporary visitors for pleasure.H-1B Visa – It is mainly applicable to persons in a specialty occupation which requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge requiring completion of a specific course of higher education.H-3 Visa-Applies to trainees. This classification also applies to practical training in the education of handicapped children.H4- It is for dependents of H1, H2 or H3 visas.

Immigrant visas provide permanent resident status (Green Card) to foreign nationals to permanently reside and travel in the US. Certain immigration visas also permit to change or ‘adjust status’ (I-485, I-140), which is the process of adjusting the foreign national’s position from nonimmigrant to immigrant without having to leave the US.

About the Author:
Detailed information on US immigration visas can be obtained from http://www.immigrationforum.com , it also provides various categories like Nonimmigrant visas, Immigrant visas, Citizenship, Canada immigration, UK immigration, Australia immigration and more for discussion.

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US Immigration

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Saturday, January 05, 2008

Canadian Immigration

Submitted By: Dave Lympany

One of the most disheartening things I hear about Canadian Immigration is the stories of families who return to their original country after unsuccessfully attempting to settle in Canada. One of the main reasons for the failures, it seems, is that the principal member of the household that normally supports everyone financially is unable to gain meaningful employment in their chosen profession or trade.

Many of these stories state that once in Canada it is quickly discovered that the foreign qualifications do not meet Canadian standards and so they cannot find employment without extensive retraining. Most of these cases may have been avoidable if the prospective employment requirements had been thoroughly researched well in advance of landing. Canada has an extremely high standard of education and many other systems simply don’t measure up against theirs – a degree program is 4 years for instance. So the chances are you will have to retrain, recertify or normally as a minimum, start again at the bottom. This may seem crazy but it’s the way it is – at least once your experience is apparent you may well soon find yourself rising up the ranks.

When my wife and I moved to Canada I believe we had exceptional luck, but we had also spent two years thoroughly researching our respective occupations in the Province of our intended destination. When I realized that my qualifications would not suffice I had to make alternative plans and so set about working towards qualifications that would be attractive to any employer – not just my “niche”.

A first aid at work course run by the St Johns ambulance will only cost 2 days of your time and around $150.00 and will instantly make you slightly more attractive to any employer – most Provinces have Laws requiring employers to train their staff. Being computer literate with a variety of applications is almost imperative. Anything that makes you stand out and will reduce the cost and time needed to train you, will be a massive boost to your Resume. Also, employers are the same the world over – everyone prefers people who are keen to self improve and make themselves more employable.

The first step is to decide which Province you wish to settle in as each has its own educational assessment agencies and occupational regulators. The Federal application for skilled trades bases your trade on the National Occupation Classification (NOC) list. However, some “Red Seal” trades are regulated in such ways that they transfer between Provinces, but the majority of trades and professions do not, which means recertification if you ever move.

Once you have an idea whereabouts in Canada you want to settle, contact the agency that will carryout your educational assessment and follow their instructions. Once you know what your qualifications equate to you will have a good point from which to start. Then using the PROVINCIAL regulators find out exactly where you stand with regards your intended field of expertise. The International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS) in Ontario provides a service that evaluates educational documents to provide a Canadian equivalent that can be used for employment, immigration or further education. ICAS also has information and advisory services for all types and levels of education - elementary, secondary, postsecondary and technical. I would definitely recommend contacting them well in advance for some professional advice. You can find the contact details on our website “Job search” and “Ontario Immigration assistance” pages on our site.

If you only need to complete a few exams or courses to change over to the Canadian system then great, if not, make plans so that you can support yourselves during the time it takes to recertify. Also, try to make sure that there will be a good chance of employment available once you’ve qualified.

Definitely have a back up career chosen or identify anything you could easily cross over into as things rarely work out as you intend. If you read the “Our Story” page on our Canadian Immigration information website, you’ll see that events transpired that meant my Plan A and Plan B both went wrong. Luckily some earlier research paid off and I managed to “the right job” within 6 weeks.

To close this article, DO NOT rely on your settling funds to last – I would thoroughly recommend working anywhere to start with – our budget gave us 6 months without work but in reality we’d have been in trouble in 4!!!! A servers or Bar job can be very lucrative but even $1,000 a month means that your money will last longer or help with retraining costs. My wife, Andie, worked in the local movie store almost straight away and apart from the money it means you meet people and start making contacts. As the saying goes “it’s not what you know it’s who you know”.

Whatever you decide about your Canadian Immigration adventure, please ensure you fully research your employability – Onestopimmigration-canada.com is packed full of great FREE information about Canadian Immigration and if it’s not on the site, there’ll be a link to the relevant authority.

GOOD LUCK

Dave Lympany

About the Author:
The author immigrated to Canada in 2003 and has constructed a free information website http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com about Canadian Immigration based on his family’s experiences. This ever expanding resource covers all aspects of settlement and life in Canada.

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Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Immigration Lawyer New York To Ease Your Immigration Process

Submitted By: Hadiya Robins

Immigration of people from one country to another has been going on for many years. Today, more then ever people are looking to immigrate to foreign countries in search of better opportunities and a better lifestyle. The United States of America is one of the most preferred destinations for immigration and New York is among one of the most preferred cities by people from all over the world. So if you belong to another country and want to settle down in New York, you will have to hire the services of immigration lawyer in New York.

There are many legal things that need to be considered before you can become the citizen of any country. The laws regarding immigration are very complex containing very small legal nuances. All these nuances are not very easy for a common person to understand and this exactly why you will require the services of an immigration lawyer. You will need to know all about these things clearly if you want to settle down at New York in the United States.

The main reason for you to hire the services of an immigration lawyer is because of the complex nature of the immigration laws of America. Instead of trying on your own to understand those complex laws, it is better to seek the services of a professional immigration lawyer who has the knowledge and the experience of dealing with immigration related issues. Another reason is that immigration laws keep on changing and lawyers are the best source for a person to know about all the changes that has taken place.

There are several immigration lawyers who operate in New York, but it is crucial for you find out and hire the services of the best lawyers to deal with your immigration issue. You pay money to hire the services of lawyers, so you must ensure that you get the proper worth of your money. Make sure that the lawyer is a member of AILA or American Immigration Lawyers Association. An AILA lawyer has access to all the information that will help in speeding up your process of immigration to the country. They see to it that your immigration application gets processed very quickly through the proper channels.

Take an estimation of the amount that the immigration lawyer will charge you. Find out that if the rate is hourly or not. This will help you in finding out approximately how much money you will have to pay for the services and you can make arrangements accordingly. Also find out what will be the charges if your application is rejected due to any reason and if an appeal has to be filed. You must be clear about all this before you hire the services of an immigration attorney.

One important thing which you need to check out about the lawyer is his/her track record as an immigration attorney. What is the success rate and if there has been any failure, what have been the reasons for it. If your attorney has more experience, then chances for the successful processing of your immigration application also increases.

About the Author:
Hadiya Robins is a legal expert. She works for Pulversthompson and gives advice to clients who are looking for Immigration Lawyer New York,Matrimonial Lawyer New York,Lawyer New York.For legal advice and to get services of a Lawyer in New York visit http://www.pulversthompson.com

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Immigration Lawyer New York To Ease Your Immigration Process

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