How to hire an immigration paralegal

How to hire an immigration paralegal, step by step

Here's a step-by-step immigration paralegal hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an immigration paralegal job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new immigration paralegal
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an immigration paralegal do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an immigration paralegal, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An immigration paralegal's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, immigration paralegals from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of immigration paralegal salaries for various roles:

   Type of Immigration Paralegal	Description	Hourly rate
   Immigration Paralegal	Paralegals and legal assistants do a variety of tasks to support lawyers, including maintaining and organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting documents.	$21-46
   Law Internship	A law internship is a program that is designed for law students to give them valuable insight into the professional lives of attorneys and judges. Law interns need to understand and observe what being a lawyer involves... Show more	$11-30
   Legal Administrator	The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents... Show more	$15-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Management System
   • Government Agencies
   • USCIS
   • Immigration Law
   • HR
   • Litigation
   • Attorney Review
   • Immigration Cases
   • I-140
   • Zoom
   • H-1B
   • Legal Research
   • I-485
   • EB-1

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage caseload utilizing INSZoom software.
   • Manage large volume of documents, enabling attorneys to easily identify key documents that are critical for mediation and arbitration.
   • Prepare training materials for H-1B visas and permanent labor certification.
   • Write and prepare all arguments in re: to RFE's.
   • Provide notary services to clients.
   • Interview clients to complete form interrogatories.

   More immigration paralegal duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your immigration paralegal job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An immigration paralegal salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an immigration paralegal in Louisiana may be lower than in Pennsylvania, and an entry-level immigration paralegal usually earns less than a senior-level immigration paralegal. Additionally, an immigration paralegal with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average immigration paralegal salary

   $67,056yearly

   $32.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level immigration paralegal salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 12, 2026

   Average immigration paralegal salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$81,702	$39
   2	Pennsylvania	$80,835	$39
   3	District of Columbia	$80,578	$39
   4	New Jersey	$78,154	$38
   5	Washington	$76,581	$37
   6	Colorado	$73,759	$35
   7	Illinois	$72,191	$35
   8	Virginia	$72,050	$35
   9	New York	$70,157	$34
   10	Massachusetts	$66,503	$32
   11	Georgia	$63,883	$31
   12	Maryland	$62,450	$30
   13	Ohio	$60,917	$29
   14	Arizona	$60,283	$29
   15	Mississippi	$58,653	$28
   16	Texas	$55,454	$27
   17	Missouri	$52,600	$25
   18	Florida	$51,099	$25

   Average immigration paralegal salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	American Express	$94,804	$45.58
   2	Perficient	$86,660	$41.66
   3	Kent Daniels & Associates	$77,548	$37.28	14
   4	Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty	$77,258	$37.14
   5	Harvard University	$77,250	$37.14
   6	Greenberg Traurig	$76,811	$36.93	19
   7	Baker McKenzie	$75,454	$36.28
   8	Crawford & Company	$73,973	$35.56
   9	CTG	$72,606	$34.91
   10	GPAC	$72,230	$34.73
   11	McCandlish Holton	$70,734	$34.01
   12	Hunton & Williams LLP	$70,041	$33.67	1
   13	T-Mobile	$69,969	$33.64
   14	Boston Area Rape Crisis Center	$68,646	$33.00
   15	Ulmer & Berne	$68,226	$32.80
   16	Miller Mayer	$67,925	$32.66
   17	Hunter	$66,150	$31.80
   18	The-Panther-Group	$66,010	$31.74	1
   19	George R Campbell	$65,605	$31.54
   20	DISH Network	$65,559	$31.52

4. Writing an immigration paralegal job description

   A job description for an immigration paralegal role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an immigration paralegal job description:

   Immigration paralegal job description example

   If you are looking for a fast-paced, positive team environment with professional growth potential, then look no further. Our Immigration Law firm has an immediate full-time opportunity for a superstar Paralegal... a team player who has excellent administrative, client relations and legal skills. This is a fabulous opportunity for someone who wants to be part of an All-Star team.
   
   Currently, we need someone who can meet with clients to conduct intake, gather required documentation, prepare and submit legal documentation under the direction of our Attorneys, and maintain communications with our clients. Ideally, you will have experience as a Case Manager, Paralegal or Legal Assistant in an Immigration law firm. While we expect to train you on how we operate within the firm, you should have basic immigration law knowledge and experience as a Paralegal so you can hit the ground running. Since we are a small firm, the most important quality you can possess is a great attitude and willingness to roll up your sleeves and help wherever it’s needed.
   
   This position offers a respectful team culture, opportunities for professional development, and a competitive salary based on skills and experience.
   Compensation: $50,000 - $60,000 Depending on Experience Responsibilities: Your basic responsibilities:
   
   Meet with clients to explain our process and identify what is expected of them Gather and prepare documentation Prepare legal documents under the direction of an Attorney Submit legal documents to proper agencies Schedule appointments and manage calendars Perform basic administrative tasks – draft documents, copy, scan, file Maintain communication with potential and existing clients in person, by phone and email Manage paper and electronic files Back up team members when they need a hand or a day off Maintain practice and client confidentiality
   Qualifications: If the following describes you, then YOU may be the ONE we are looking for:
   
   You are fluent in Spanish You believe it’s important to treat clients with respect and care You genuinely want help immigrants achieve their American dream You are skilled at communicating with people on the phone, in person and by email You are a relationship-builder who is comfortable interacting with different types of personalities and all levels of authority You see an opportunity for organization where others see a mess You are eager to learn new tasks and computer systems You value doing it right the first time, so you proofread your work and double-check details You know what happens in the office, stays in the office Once you’ve been trained, you take the initiative to do what needs to be done without being prompted
   About Company
   Our Founding and Managing Attorney is an entrepreneur who is passionate about helping good people make their home in the greatest country in the world! We need an experienced Immigration Paralegal who takes initiative and wants to ensure the client experience with our Firm is second to none. We have set our sights on being the “go-to firm” for Immigration Law in Jacksonville, Florida. While we are focused on rapid growth, we are still small enough to care about every team member and client. We need someone who is interested in being with us as we grow and is willing to wear multiple hats until the workload supports hiring additional team members.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right immigration paralegal for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with immigration paralegals they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit immigration paralegals who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your immigration paralegal job on Zippia to find and recruit immigration paralegal candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting immigration paralegals requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new immigration paralegal

   Once you've decided on a perfect immigration paralegal candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new immigration paralegal. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an immigration paralegal?