Immigration Law includes regulations, legal precedents, and national statutes that govern immigration into and also deportation from a country. Generally speaking, it is very distinct from other matters like citizenship and naturalization, even though sometimes they can be conflated.
In this article, I will be discussing “how to become an immigration lawyer” and more. Keep reading till the end of the article to find out more information about the same!
Immigration Lawyers’ Area Of Expertise
The Immigration Lawyers work in interpreting the law. They also aid people in analyzing their possibilities, strategies, and rights and then guide them accordingly through every step of the complicated Immigration process.
Immigration Law in general is a very broad category. There are a lot of different types of cases that these might have to deal with. Some of them are Student Visas, Green Cards (employment-based), asylum seekers, work visas (temporary), criminal proceedings, etc.
Tip: Make sure to be patient with your attorney/lawyer as delays and difficulties are inevitable in this line.
How Long Till One Becomes An Immigration Lawyer ?
You might wonder right off the bat about how many years to become an Immigration Lawyer? In the region of United States, it takes about seven years to become an immigration lawyer. This also includes 4 years for completing an undergraduate degree and an additional three years for completing a Juris Doctor degree (J.D).
If you choose to pursue an LLM for some more advanced training then the total time of completion is going to become eight years.
Steps Required To Become One
The path to becoming an Immigrant Lawyer is set with a lot of hardships. There’s a lot of rigorous studies and knowledge that you have to go through and acquire. Here is a list of some of the steps required to become an Immigration Lawyer:
1. Get A Bachelor’s Degree
Prior to attending a Law school, aspirants must first get a bachelor’s degree. The bachelor’s degree can be of any concentration – English, Philosophy, History, International Studies, Economics, Political Science, etc.
Having a Bachelor’s degree makes it easier for an aspirant to get into law school.
2. Obtain A J.D
After having graduated with a Bachelor’s degree, it would be time to pursue your J.D. from law school. If you have the option for it, then it is going to be helpful for you to choose a particular specialization or concentration in immigration law for better preparing yourself better for your future career.
Even though technically, it is not necessary to become an immigration lawyer, it is going to grant you more experience in the field.
Keep reading till the end of the article to find out more information on the same!
3. Get Hands-On Experience
Throughout your studies and post-graduation, it would be essential to get hands-on experience. This is a factor that many employers and clients look for when considering hiring.
Whenever it is possible for you, seek out volunteer opportunities, internships, and even part-time jobs that allow you to gain exposure to things that are related to your organization.
While having an experience with any type of law is good, future employers and clients are mainly going to prefer an experience in Immigration Law.
4. Cultivate Your Skills
As and when you work and study, make sure to find time to work on your skills too! Along with effective skills and in-demand, Immigration Lawyers also need to have other skill sets to focus on. They are – Public Speaking, Analytical Thinking, Researching, Writing, Reading, Problem Solving, etc.
When getting into Immigration Skills, you might need to focus on other types of skills like – active listening, additional languages, social media literacy, and more.
You might also get to develop a few of these skills while taking graduate and undergraduate courses.
5. Get The Necessary Certifications
While it is true that you are not required to earn specific certifications to become an Immigration Lawyer, obtaining them is going to make you an attractive option for your future clients./employers.
There are a lot of online courses that are available and provide additional forms of knowledge. Taking such courses is going to be a sure-shot way of overcoming any kind of communication barrier.
6. Gather More Clients
After you have completed your bar exam, the last step would be to gather up your first clients. To do so you could either join an existing organization or a law firm that focuses on immigration law.
By joining an already existing law firm that specializes in Immigration Law, you would be able to work as a solo practitioner. Additionally, you are also going to get a support system and the ability to start to work with clients right away.
Salary Of This Job Role
According to a lot of stats, the median salary (yearly) of Immigration Lawyers is $71,744. However, there are also a lot of Immigration Lawyers out there whose salaries range from $69,500 – $97,000. The top earners which constitute a very small percentage make $116,000 (yearly).
The salary might vary depending upon where you reside and the demand for such lawyers in your area.
To Wrap It Up!
Remember to have patience when just starting this journey. After you complete your course, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get clients right away. Hence, remember to have some patience when opting for this particular line of work.
Thank you for reading this article up till here. I hope you found the information regarding “ how to become an immigration lawyer” to be useful.
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