As an immigrant, you must be mindful of the laws that pertain to your ability to stay in the country. You must avoid running afoul of these laws and putting yourself at risk of deportation.
To ensure that you remain in the law's good favor, you need to know when to hire a lawyer to represent you. These circumstances can call for you to hire an immigration attorney to take your case.
Visa Expiration
If your visa is close to expiring, you may need to hire an immigration attorney to help you renew it. The laws since you obtained your first one may be entirely different now. You may not even know what those laws are or how they pertain to your ability to apply for and get a new visa.
Instead of trying to navigate the reapplication process yourself, you can hire a lawyer to navigate it for you. He or she will also know what paperwork to fill out and submit. Your lawyer will also know when that paperwork needs to be submitted and to what divisions within the immigration department that it must be sent.
Criminal Offenses
If you have committed a crime when you are here on a visa, you could face being deported. Your visa may not allow for you to be convicted of a felony, for example. If you are convicted, you could be deported back to your home country.
If you have been charged with a crime, it is important that you hire an immigration attorney to represent you. Your lawyer may be able to get the charges against you dropped or lowered to a misdemeanor. He or she can also argue before the court that you should be allowed to stay in the country and pose no risk to society.
Finally, an immigration attorney can help you apply for citizenship. If you have been in the country long enough and want to become a naturalized citizen, you can hire a lawyer to assist you in the application process. Your lawyer can tell you how to access testing materials, where to take the test, what is required to pass it, and where to take your oath.
An immigration attorney can provide valuable services to help you stay in the country. You can renew your visa before it expires. You can also get help to avoid being deported and become a naturalized citizen. Talk to an attorney to get started.