When applying for a visa to visit, reside, invest or work in the United States, you do not necessarily need to hire an immigration lawyer. As long as you have no criminal record and are eligible for a visa, applying for a visa should be straightforward.

However, the laws and processes revolving around US immigration are complex. As a result, most people looking to immigrate to the US or renew their visas have difficulty navigating US immigration laws and processes. Seek the counsel of an immigration lawyer to make the immigration process smoother.

Here are two situations that require you to hire an immigration lawyer immediately.

You Don't Know Which Visa to Apply For

There are over 180 visas that you can apply for when seeking to get into the United States. These visas are applicable for business people, investors, students, tourists, asylum seekers, and medical tourists.

As a first-timer, it can be challenging to determine which visa(s) you need to apply for depending on your intentions for immigrating to the United States. If you pick the wrong visa or conduct activities not permitted under the visa you applied for, you could get deported for breaking immigration laws. For instance, if you apply for a tourist's visa, you are not permitted to conduct any business, make investments, enroll in a learning institution, or get employed in the United States.

Therefore, if you are unsure of which visa(s) you need, contact a US immigration lawyer. An immigration lawyer can explain the different visas to you and help you select the appropriate visa you need. In some cases, an immigration lawyer will recommend applying for different visas based on the activities you plan to conduct once in the United States.  

If you are not conversant with the US visas you need to apply for, hire an immigration lawyer before starting the application process.

You Have Received a Notice for Deportation 

There are several reasons why you can get deported from the United States. However, even as a non-US citizen, you have the right to fight the deportation order in immigration court. Non-US citizens are not eligible for public-funded attorneys. Hence, your best chance of fighting your deportation is by hiring a competent immigration lawyer.

An immigration lawyer can act as your defense lawyer in immigration court. A competent immigration lawyer can present your defense in deportation hearings (removal proceedings) in various ways. Some of the most common defense strategies used by immigration lawyers to fight deportation include:

• Proving that the crime you are charged with is false or lacks merit for deportation
• Proving you are a US citizen based on parents or grandparents who are US citizens
• Requesting an exercise of prosecutorial discretion
• Applying for a cancellation of removal which enables you to get a green card
• Proving you are eligible for asylum status

If you are facing a deportation order, hire an immigration attorney to help you fight for your right to remain in the United States.