Choosing The Right Attorney to Petition a Family Member In Los Angeles

If you are a U.S citizen or a legal permanent resident and you have a family member that is resident in another country, you can petition for them to become permanent residents in the United States. This may sound like an uphill task but it is possible with a good attorney.

Petitioning a family member overseas to become a green card holder in the U.S is called consular processing. This is becoming a popular option for those with family members overseas. If you reside in Los Angeles or any other part of the United States, you will find that becoming a legal permanent resident in the U.S allows one to enjoy some privileges. 

Before you start searching for an attorney to petition a family member in Los Angeles, it is important that you confirm that your relative is eligible for this registration. While the registration process may not be completely easy, the outcome which is aimed at improving their standard of living is worth the stress.

This article will outline some of the relevant information you may need to petition a family member in any part of the world. So, sit back and read along as we explain more.

Who Can Be Petitioned?

The following are a list of family members that you can petition:

1. Your spouse.
2. Unmarried children who are still below 21 years.
3. Unmarried daughters or sons who are 21 years old or older.
4. Married daughters or sons (Age doesn’t matter here)
5. Sisters or brothers (21 years and above)
6. Father or mother (The petitioner must be 21 or above)

For legal permanent residents, they can petition for:

1. A spouse.
2. Unmarried children below 21 years.
3. Unmarried daughter or son (21 years and above).

Processes Involved in Consular Processing

Filing of Petition

Here, the petitioner is required to file a petition for the family member in another country. After the approval of the petition, the case will be transferred to the National Visa Center in the United States. 

Interview

Your family member will be required to attend an interview which is usually held at the embassy. Your relative will be issued an immigrant visa when they arrive at the embassy. This visa allows them to enter the United States as a legal permanent resident. 

Qualification

After proper evaluation of your relative’s application and documents, they will be granted a green card. The waiting period for this stage is dependent on a lot of factors including categorization (Immediate or preference relatives), nationality, and the number of applicants from a particular country. 

The United States immigration services regularly received millions of applications every year, even with the limited visas. With this development, it may take some time to process green cards for eligible applicants but it will certainly happen. You just have to work with the right attorney with good knowledge of the system and how it works. 

These are some of the processes involved. We will now look at some tips to help you find the best attorney.  

Choosing the Best Immigration Attorney

An experienced immigration attorney makes all the difference to your application. Some of them are honest and hardworking professionals that will help with a successful application. Here are some tips to help you find the best attorneys. 

Check Online

It’s possible to find a lawyer online. You just have to verify that they have been in the business for years. Also, check that they are listed as a member of a state bar association as well as a licensed immigration lawyer. 

You can also check reviews published on their website to find what previous clients are saying about their services. Although reviews are relevant for identifying the credibility of an attorney, you need to know that they can also be manipulated to suit the narrative of a business. To this end, if you need help with identifying fake reviews, you can check here: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/online-shopping/article/online-shopping/how-to-spot-a-fake-review-aiDaS3e1ivfr

Avoid Desperate Lawyers

You will find that there are attorneys that flood immigration offices in a bid to solicit a job. This practice is unethical and should serve as a red flag when choosing a lawyer. A good attorney has more tasks to handle than looking for ways to convince new clients to work with them. Their reputation, experience, and delivery should do the advertisement for them and not the other way round. 

The moment you find someone trying to convince you at the immigration office, turn them down and continue with your search for a good professional.

Go for An Attorney and Not Petition Preparer

There is a difference between an attorney and a visa consultant or petition preparer. Just as you will not ask a handyman to perform surgical operations on your body, do not allow a nonprofessional to work for you. You will find that immigration is one area that has been flooded with nonprofessionals claiming to understand the process more than qualified legal practitioners.

This unfortunate practice can affect your chances of a successful application if you don’t act right. You can also lose your funds to these charlatans as they can run away with your money. It is important that you go for a real lawyer regardless of the claim of any other person to be experienced in the field.

Avoid Attorneys Who Offer Unethical Advice

Standard procedure is nonnegotiable. This means that you don’t have to manipulate the system to your favor for any reason. Regardless of the lawyer’s claims of having several years of experience in the field, do not give in to their demands to lie or submit a false document. You may feel this action is temporary and will only help you get through with the situation but it will certainly come back to haunt you. 

If the system identifies any discrepancy with your application, it will certainly cause a bigger problem than you envisaged. More so, you will bear the consequences alone without the attorney. The knowledge of this should make you insist on doing the right thing always.

Be Skeptical About Unrealistic Promises

Even the most experienced attorney in your town cannot guarantee success when it comes to immigration laws. Ultimately, your case is determined by an immigration judge alongside relevant agencies and departments of government. Any lawyer claiming to achieve complete success with applications is lying and should not be an option for you.

Talk to More than One Attorney

It is always good to get the take of more than one attorney to know the best step to take. While good immigration attorneys may be busy, and rightfully so, they can also spare a few minutes of their time to fill you in on the requirements as well as other relevant information that can help your application. You can also read this article to find information on how to enter the U.S.

Use Referrals

This is also an option to consider if you do not have time to start searching from scratch. You can ask family and friends to recommend a good immigration attorney. With this, you can easily select from the list. Ensure to make personal findings other than relying completely on their submissions on the recommended lawyers. 

Conclusion

If you are looking to petition a relative, the first step is to find a good attorney to assist with the process. This article discussed relevant steps to take in finding the best attorney for your case. Feel free to check them out.