An immigration lawyer is an integral part of understanding a foreign country’s procedural bureaucracy. Among the important responsibilities of an immigration lawyer are: to help you navigate immigration laws, provide a walkthrough in your rights, offer resolutions and strategies for your case(s) or concern(s), and guide you all throughout the process. 

Given the weight an immigration lawyer plays, here are the five (5) qualities that you should look for.  

01 – Expert in Immigration Laws

Regardless of the immigration concern you are trying to resolve, such as applying for a sponsor licence, visa application, permanent residency, and the like, you should always look for an immigration lawyer who has a good track record with navigating through complicated immigration policies. 

Likewise, do your homework and check the years of experience of the immigration lawyer or firm you have your eye on. Choose a lawyer or firm whose area of speciality is dealing with immigration matters, as this should increase your chance of achieving your perceived result(s). Checking with their references and testimonials should also be helpful during your assessment.

02 – Keen to Details

Dealing with immigration applications equate to large amount of paper works, hence inevitability of encountering small errors during the process.  

It’s vital that you are working with a lawyer who’s careful and meticulous with even the smallest details as an error can put you in a big problem, and worst, place you in permanent damage. 

To assess the thoroughness of a prospect immigration lawyer, consider scheduling a meeting with him or her and share everything about your case and gauge if he or she is thorough in obtaining every detail of your inquiry.

03 – Excellent Communication Skills

Like an icing on the cake, apart from the expertise shown by a prospect immigration lawyer, he or she should also possess superb communication skills – from impeccable brevity to persuasiveness. 

A good lawyer should be able to relay complicated terms or policies to you in a layman’s term, and at the same time help you in making decision(s). They should also be able to walk you through in filling out paper works and make everything as seamless as possible. 

Also, when speaking to the lawyer, measure his or her persuasiveness as it will play an important factor when dealing with immigration authorities.

04 – Compassionate Heart

While an immigration lawyer’s educational background and technical experiences are among the significant qualities you should consider, possessing soft skills, such as being emphatic with his or her clients, is a trait that you should also assess. 

There’s nothing more comforting to know that your lawyer understands what you’re going through, listens to your qualms, analyses the situations, and shows commitment to help you with your case. 

You can check the reviews of an immigration lawyer’s previous clients to gain an insight. It’s also important to note that regardless of the result of your case, if you’re paying a flat fee, the immigration lawyer will still get the same compensation.

05 – Honest & Transparent

It would also be ideal if the immigration lawyer you will work with will show an amount of pessimism – or honesty – when it comes to providing you with possible outcomes of your case.  

Definitely, we’d like to work with a lawyer that will be upfront with the status of your case and possible challenges you’ll encounter during the process. If an immigration lawyer assures you a 100% success, it’s not wrong to have doubts on working with him or her. 

Final Thoughts 

Apart from these qualities, you should also consider the immigration lawyer’s consultation fee and schedule – if it meets your financial capability. Nonetheless, a quality immigration lawyer will always dedicate their lives and profession in protecting your rights, especially if it’s being challenged. 

Written By – Omar Shams