Why Hire an Attorney?

Everybody knows it's better to go to the doctor for preventive care rather than to wait until a medical emergency happens. Similarly, it's better to consult a U.S. immigration lawyer early rather than waiting until your visa is refused or or you are detained at the airport trying to enter the U.S.

Some immigration cases are relatively straightforward, but others are not. U.S. immigration laws are very complex:

"The INA [Immigration and Nationality Act] and its underlying bureaucracy is often compared to the Internal Revenue Code as being one of the two most complicated statutes in the U.S. Code."

-- U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, DOS Cable 99-State-21138 (Feb. 4, 1999)

Immigration law is changing all the time, making it a challenge for even lawyers to keep up with the changes. It's good to have a qualified immigration lawyer that you know and trust on your team.

"Immigration is a mystery and mastery of obfuscation, and the lawyers who can figure it out are worth their weight in gold."

-- Karen Kraushaar, U.S. Immigration and Nationality Service Spokesperson, quoted in Washington Post, [Maryland] Family Ensnared in Immigration Maze--After Changes in Law, Couple Faces Deportation (Apr. 24, 2001)

A qualified immigration lawyer knows what questions to ask and what evidence to review in order to analyze whether or not your case may be problematic. Having handled many cases, we are prepared for many of the potential pitfalls in cases that at first seemed “easy.” We can propose realistic strategies to deal with any problems. If the analysis shows that your case is relatively straightforward, you'll leave the consultation with peace of mind and with advice about how to increase the odds that your application will go through the immigration bureaucracy smoothly and quickly.

Immigration lawyers do more than just fill in immigration forms. We advise clients about legal requirements and procedures. Where called for, we research and prepare legal briefs in support of our arguments and advocate personally to the immigration and consular officers on behalf of our clients positions. We thoroughly prepare our clients for their interviews with the government so that our clients can avoid traps for the unwary. And we don’t just blindly follow the instructions the government gives us: when it's in our lcients' interests, we challenge the government—and win.

Just as you would expect to pay doctors for their experience, knowledge, and training in medicine, you should expect to pay lawyers something for their experience, knowledge, and training, and for the time they spend listening to the facts of the situation you might bring to them and for advising you.

Some clients have asked our firm whether a U.S. Consulate may be suspicious because a visa applicant has hired an attorney. The answer is no. Consular officials have actually thanked our firm for explaining the law and facts of cases clearly, thus assisting the officials in adjudicating the cases.

"The employment of a lawyer does not constitute a red flag or signal the existence of a problem in the case...."

"The best immigration attorneys know the law very well...."

"One very important service that attorneys provide to their clients is making sure that forms are correctly completed and necessary supporting documentation presented at the time of the interview. Posts ... will appreciate this service."

-- U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, DOS Cable 99-State-21138 (Feb. 4, 1999)

"In the sometimes complex world of visas, a good attorney can prepare a case properly.... The attorney can help the consular officer by organizing a case in a logical manner; by clarifying issues of concern; ... and by providing the applicant with the necessary understanding of the intricacies of the visa process."

-- State Department Visa Office, reproduced in 67 Interpreter Releases 950, 967, 969-70 (Aug. 27, 1990)

Beware that some lawyers and non-lawyers purport to offer immigration law advice despite lacking experience and qualifications. Our law firm has licensed U.S. attorneys. We have represented thousands of clients in immigration matters. We are members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

为什么要雇佣律师?

众所周知，寻求医生预防性的保健比一直等待而突发急症再就医要好的多。同样，提早咨询美国移民律师比等待签证被拒签后或者准备入境美国而在机场被扣留后再咨询要明智的多。

有些移民案件相对直截了当，但是其他的却不同。美国移民法是相当复杂的：

作为美国法典中最为复杂的两部法律之一，美国《移民及国籍法》及其基本制度经常会被拿来与美国《国内税收法》做比较。

--美国国务卿马德琳•奥尔布赖特DOS Cable 99-State-21138 (1999年2月4日)

移民法经常被修订，对律师来说，时时跟进这些变化也是一种挑战。拥有一位你所了解和信任的执照移民律师确实是件好事。

"移民是一件神秘，克服困惑的事情。如果律师可以解决这些问题那么他们将极具价值。"

-- 凯琳•克劳斯哈尔，美国移民与国籍局发言人于2001年4月24日华盛顿发表谈话。

一位合格的移民律师懂得问什么样的问题，提供什么样的证据来分析你的案件是否存在问题。这样的律师可以提供针对解决问题的各种现实策略。如果分析显示你的案件相对直截了当，那么你可以用平静的心态来听取咨询建议，如何将你的申请在移民局增加顺利和快速审理的可能性

就像你支付给医生，包括他的从医经验、知识及医药方面培训的费用；那么同样你支付给律师的费用，也是包括律师们的从业经验、知识、培训、他们了解你的案情和给予建议的时间等。

有些客户曾经问过本所，美国领事馆是否会对申请人雇佣律师而对其签证申请产生怀疑。答案是不会。签证官们事实上非常感谢我们事务所能将法律及案件实情解释清楚，这有助于签证官判断案件。

"雇佣律师并不会对案件产生示警或危险信号…"

"最好的移民律师对移民法相当了解...."

"律师所提供的一项最重要服务是确保客户表格全部正确填写，面试时所有的辅助文件材料到位。公布…将感谢此服务"

--美国国务卿马德琳•奥尔布赖特DOS Cable 99-State-21138 (1999年2月4日)

"在签证时而繁复的世界里，一位好的律师却可以恰到好处的准备案件…律师可以帮助签证官将案件按照逻辑顺序整理，判断疑难问题；…帮助申请人理解错综复杂的签证程序"

-- 国务院签证处复制翻译发布950、967、969-70达67次。1990年8月27日

请注意，一些律师和非律师者尽管缺乏相关经验和资质，但依然声称可提供移民法律建议。我们事务所均为获准授权的美国律师。我们已为数以万计的客户办理移民案件。我们也是美国移民律师协会会员单位。