Houston immigration lawyer

The US immigration system is complex. No one should attempt to navigate it on their own. You need attorneys that have years of experience by your side. Contact Fong Ilagan for help with your case. When you need a Houston immigration lawyer, we are a firm you can trust.

Reasons you need an immigration attorney

Multiple industries benefit from immigrants who travel to the US. Let's take a look at a situation that requires the services of an immigration attorney.

• Student visas- if you wish to study in the US, you need a visa to live in the country
• Employment visas- for companies from overseas who want to set up a US office or need to temporally bring workers in from an overseas office for a project, those individuals require visas during their stay.
• Overseas adoptions- if US residents adopt a child from overseas, an immigration lawyer helps you obtain all the needed documents to bring the child back into the country.
• Fiancé visas- if your fiancé lives overseas, but is moving to the US to marry and live with you, an immigration lawyer helps with that process.

Other situations need the help of a Houston immigration lawyer, but these are examples that people do not always think about.

Length of time for immigration proceedings

The period depends on the type of case and the complexity of the case. Matters concerning the issuance of a student visa take about 60 days. The K-1 visa (aka the fiancé visa) can take 2-3 months based on how many other cases that office has active at that time. A work visa can take 5-7 months before the matter resolves.

Immigration hearings for citizenship can take several months, even years. There is a backlog in the system and not enough judges. You can speak before your judge at a hearing and not have a ruling for months. To get to the point that you have a hearing in front of a judge can also take months. It is not uncommon to have that kind of immigration case take years.

Why hire an immigration attorney?

The short answer for this is that the US immigration system is extremely complex and complicated. An average person can not navigate it successfully. If a person does not cross every t and dot every I on an immigration case, criminal charges can ensue. For cases dealing with a person who entered the country without documentation, that person can end up in a holding facility.

An immigration attorney understands the system and will guide their clients in the right direction. They also set realistic expectations for their clients, especially those working with deportation cases.

Immigration fees

The fees vary based on the type of document and how many documents the person needs to file. Even the cost of a green card varies based on the age of the applicant ($750-$1225).

Don’t attempt to navigate the US immigration system without a Houston immigration lawyer. Contact Fong Ilagan today.