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How much does an Immigration Lawyer cost?

Average Price
$100 - $350 per hour

What's the average cost of an Immigration Lawyer?

Need to hire an immigration lawyer but unsure how much it’ll cost? Read our handy guide to find out how much you’ll pay for an immigration lawyer depending on the service you require.

What is an Immigration Lawyer?

Immigration lawyers are professionals who are experts in helping their clients become citizens of a particular country. They arrange visas so that people can live, work, study, or invest in the country. As part of this, an immigration lawyer can also fight the case of someone who is being deported. Also, they can help people obtain citizenship through naturalization. 

How much do Immigration Lawyers charge? 

The amount that immigration lawyers charge will vary depending on the service you require and your lawyer’s level of experience. Your immigration matter may also be priced as a fixed fee, which will make it much easier to calculate the final cost. 

To give you a general idea, here’s the average cost of an Immigration Lawyer throughout America: 

Average cost (per hour) $100 to $350

Price considerations

If your legal matter relates to the right to live in a particular country, then by choosing an immigration lawyer you are already on the right track. Although it’s important to understand how much hiring an immigration lawyer could cost you depending on the service you require. 

Let’s take a look at the most common immigration lawyer services for entering the US and their average costs:

  • Work visa 

  • Student visa 

  • Green card or permanent resident

  • American citizenship (naturalization) 

  • Asylum appeal 

  • Request for reconsideration 

Type of serviceLowest average priceHighest average price
Work visa$250$4,900
Student visa$500$3,000
Green card or permanent residence$800$5,000
American citizenship (Naturalization)$500$5,000
Asylum appeal$1,000$8,000
Request for reconsideration$1,500$5,400

Work visa and student visa applications are on average the cheapest service to access from an immigration lawyer, starting at just $250 and $500.

The most expensive service can be an asylum appeal, which can be as much as $8,000

Work & study visas

If you want to live and work in the US, then you’ll have to apply for a work visa from the US Department of State to reside there legally. Often, you may require a US employer to file a visa application on your behalf. You can obtain a temporary (nonimmigrant) worker visa and a permanent (immigrant) worker visa.

If you want to study in the US, you will need a student visa. You will need a valid passport, an acceptance from a SEVP approved school and you will have to pay an application fee. This can range from $180 to $200.

An immigration lawyer can charge up to $4,900 for their help in completing it, with immigration form help ranging from $250 to $800.

Green card or permanent residence

You must have the authorization to reside in the United States permanently. In other words, you need to obtain a Green Card. This will involve filing Form I-485, which includes completing supporting documents and paying a fee. This can be a complicated process, which can be made easier with an immigration lawyer. Immigration lawyers charge around $800 to $5,000 on average to support permanent residence applications. 

US citizenship - naturalization

To become an American citizen, you will need to obtain a Green Card first. Once you have permanent residency, you must live in the US continuously for five years. This number is reduced to three years if you are married to a US citizen. This is going to allow you to apply for naturalization. You must be over the age of 18. 

An immigration lawyer can cost from $500 to $5,000 to help you with your application. There are also $725 for USCIS fees. Since the application for naturalization can be complicated, a lot of people hire a lawyer to help to ensure they file the N-400 correctly.

Asylum appeal

The main reason for requesting asylum in another country is security concerns in your home country. As this issue is the most serious, an immigration lawyer will normally be needed to help prove your case. The fees can be as low as $1,000 but can range to $8,000. The actual cost will depend on the complexity of the case and how many family members wish to claim asylum. 

Request for reconsideration

If your naturalization application is refused, you will be notified of this decision. If this is the case, it’s possible to submit a request for reconsideration. Consulting an immigration lawyer would be your next step, with fees ranging between $1,500 to $5,400.

The individual Lawyer

The experience of the lawyer, whether they work on a freelance basis or as part of a law firm and their location will all impact the cost of hiring their services. If the case is extremely complex and involves several family members, then this will require more hours of work for your immigration lawyer. Make sure you discuss fee expectations with your immigration lawyer from the outset so that you’re both on the same page. 

Is it worth hiring an Immigration Lawyer?

When it comes to having the legal right to live, work, study or invest in the US, it is well worth having a qualified expert on your side. After all, the legal system is complex and most people do not know nearly enough to be able to win a case without help. An immigration lawyer will be well versed in your particular issue, and so although they are expensive to hire, will give you the best possible chance at winning your case. 

From asylum applications to have the right to study in the US, find immigration lawyers to help fight your case with Bark.

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