Immigration Lawyer's Role | Farmer Law PC (2024)

August 12, 2021

Immigration law in the United States containsa massive set of rules, regulations, and processes, mostly handled at the federal level, that govern the entry of foreign nationals into the country — along with the rights, duties, and obligations associated with that entry.

• Help you consider your options.Part of being successful in your immigration case is making sure that you have petitioned for the right kind of visa or status in the first place. If there are multiple options available, consulting with an attorney can help you determine the advantages and disadvantages of each option and advise you on the expected timeline of each.

• Help you complete immigration petitions.If government paperwork were simple and straightforward, it might not be worth hiring an attorney, but it’s often very confusing and requires legal knowledge for completion. Most government documents are not written in a way that makes sense to the average non-lawyer, no matter how educated and successful they may be in their field. Immigration paperwork often requires a level of knowledge about the laws surrounding the kind of paperwork that needs to be submitted. Hiring a lawyer to help with the petition process means less time spent figuring out what to do and more time doing it.

• J-1 Exchange Visitor
• TN-1/2 NAFTA Professionals
• H-2A Visas
• H-2B Visas
• I-601 Waivers
• L-1A Visas
• K-1 Visas
• I-601A Visas
• I-601A Visas
• E-2 Visas
• H-1B Visas
• EB-3 Visas

• Help your case stay up-to-date.Just like the paperwork itself, processing immigration paperwork, whether for the DACA program orthe H-2B guest worker program, is complicated. Multiple agencies and documents are involved, and if there is any need for documentation correction or an appeal at any stage, the process just becomes an even bigger maze. Ideally, you’ll avoid the need for correction in the first place by hiring an experienced immigration lawyer, but if your case is challenged, you must be aware and get to work on it quickly to avoid huge delays or even denials. Similarly, if there is a lottery involved, it’s extremely important that the timing be just right.

• Help you continue to stay compliant.The petition process is only one part of immigration law. Once you have been approved, whether you are an employer or a green card holder, you have duties and obligations to the U.S. if you want to maintain your status. You have to keep up with renewals, documentation, paperwork, taxes, and many other responsibilities that are associated with being a beneficiary of the U.S. immigration system. When you don’t adhere to these requirements, you not only delay the process of maintaining legal status, but your life or business can come screeching to a halt.

Whether you are an employer looking tosolve your construction labor shortageor just want to make sure you’re on the up and up when it comes tothe E-Verify system, an experienced business immigration attorney can help.

• All U.S. employers mustcorrectlycomplete an I-9 for every employee they hire for employment, and timing matters.
• Simple mistakes, such as using an outdated I-9 form, can result instiff penalties, costing businesses thousands of dollars.
• Audits are up, with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)conducting thousands of investigationsannually.
• Compliance with federal hiring and labor regulations means following a number of different rules ーthe I-9 is just the beginning.

When you findthe right candidate, you want to make sure nothing keeps them from joining your team. Time is money, and productivity should never have to suffer because ofpreventable administrative errors.

• Obtainingfiancé visas
• Applying fora green card
• Becoming aJ-1 programsponsor