Post job

What does an immigration lawyer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted expert
Michelle Miller
On this page

Immigration lawyer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real immigration lawyer resumes:

  • Manage highly demanding and detail-orient immigration litigation process as both a leader and member of legal team
  • Conduct several political asylum trials, advocating for citizenship rights for politically oppress or abuse clients.
  • General civil practice focusing on real property matters, business entity formation/representation, estate planning, and probate.

Immigration lawyer skills and personality traits

We break down the percentage of Immigration Lawyers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

    Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an immigration lawyer to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what immigration lawyers do because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." Additionally, an immigration lawyer resume shows how immigration lawyers use analytical skills: "conducted legal research and analysis in immigration matters. "

    Problem-solving skills. Many immigration lawyer duties rely on problem-solving skills. "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients.," so an immigration lawyer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways immigration lawyer responsibilities rely on problem-solving skills: "led litigation and alternative dispute resolution sector within the department. "

    Research skills. immigration lawyers are also known for research skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to immigration lawyer responsibilities, because "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." An immigration lawyer resume example shows how research skills is used in the workplace: "performed immigration legal research of family-based, employment-based, and naturalization procedures involving complex questions of criminal and administrative law. "

    The three companies that hire the most immigration lawyers are:

    Compare different immigration lawyers

    Immigration lawyer vs. Bankruptcy specialist

    The bankruptcy specialist is responsible for filing and documentation loan bankruptcy materials with the appropriate attorneys. They ensure full compliance with loan bankruptcy regulations and monitor accounts throughout the loan bankruptcy process to contact the appropriate party when necessary. A bankruptcy specialist might be an administrator or lawyer in a bankruptcy office and supports bankruptcy law. They are likely to evaluate state declaration and affidavits for legal progression, interact with customers and outside counsel about bankruptcy proceedings through written and verbal communication, and work with local counsel and upper management in effectively reviewing client's files.

    If we compare the average immigration lawyer annual salary with that of a bankruptcy specialist, we find that bankruptcy specialists typically earn a $30,500 lower salary than immigration lawyers make annually.

    These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an immigration lawyer are more likely to require skills like "vawa," "waiver," "immigration forms," and "l1." On the other hand, a job as a bankruptcy specialist requires skills like "relief," "pacer," "foreclosure," and "msp." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

    On average, bankruptcy specialists reach similar levels of education than immigration lawyers. Bankruptcy specialists are 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 32.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Immigration lawyer vs. Housing counselor

    A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.

    On average, housing counselors earn a $12,732 higher salary than immigration lawyers a year.

    In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, immigration lawyer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "vawa," "waiver," "immigration forms," and "l1." Meanwhile, a housing counselor has duties that require skills in areas such as "litigation," "in-house counsel," "social work," and "regulatory compliance." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

    Average education levels between the two professions vary. Housing counselors tend to reach similar levels of education than immigration lawyers. In fact, they're 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 32.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for immigration lawyers in the next 3-5 years?

    Michelle MillerMichelle Miller LinkedIn profile

    Associate Professor of Legal Studies, Quinnipiac University

    Of course, it has long been the case that attorneys and paralegals are not using actual books, even to do legal research, as Lexis and Westlaw have become ever more popular. However, over the past several years, smaller, less expensive, legal research products have been giving these two companies a run for their money, especially in smaller firms. No Legal Studies program can cover all of the technology that a graduate might encounter. This means that graduates must be willing to learn new research and office management programs, other than those they may have met at university.

    Immigration lawyer vs. Student attorney

    Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.

    On average, student attorneys earn higher salaries than immigration lawyers, with a $39,187 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on immigration lawyers and student attorneys resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "vawa," "uscis," and "court appearances.rdquo;

    There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an immigration lawyer is likely to be skilled in "waiver," "immigration forms," "l1," and "immigration cases," while a typical student attorney is skilled in "legal issues," "legal memoranda," "social security," and "district court."

    Student attorneys typically earn similar educational levels compared to immigration lawyers. Specifically, they're 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 5.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Immigration lawyer vs. Staff attorney

    Staff attorneys tend to earn a higher pay than immigration lawyers by an average of $44,030 per year.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An immigration lawyer uses "vawa," "waiver," "immigration forms," and "l1." Staff attorneys are more likely to have duties that require skills in "litigation," "legal services," "juris," and "legal advice. "staff attorneys reach similar levels of education compared to immigration lawyers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 23.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Types of immigration lawyer

    Updated January 8, 2025

    Zippia Research Team
    Zippia Team

    Editorial Staff

    The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

    What an immigration lawyer does FAQs

    Search for immigration lawyer jobs