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The differences between immigration paralegals and immigration attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an immigration paralegal, becoming an immigration attorney takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an immigration attorney has an average salary of $80,187, which is higher than the $67,056 average annual salary of an immigration paralegal.
The top three skills for an immigration paralegal include management system, government agencies and USCIS. The most important skills for an immigration attorney are immigration law, business immigration, and USCIS.
| Immigration Paralegal | Immigration Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $67,056 | $80,187 |
| Hourly rate | $32.24 | $38.55 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 4,279 | 7,703 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Working alongside immigration lawyers, an immigration paralegal is in charge of liaising and assisting clients through the progress of their visa petitions or other cases. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering and securing foreign documents, coordinating with immigration managers, managing and filing documentation, preparing applications, and handling case systems and other databases. Furthermore, as an immigration paralegal, it is essential to update clients with the progress of their cases, answering their inquiries and helping them navigate through the procedures as needed.
Dealing with immigration requirements can be a daunting task. An immigration attorney helps those who are struggling with these requirements. Functioning in this role means that they serve in an advisory capacity to foreign citizens and immigrants who are required to work with the country's immigration authorities. They are the go-to guy for immigrants in matters such as Visa applications, naturalization, employment, and deportation.
Immigration paralegals and immigration attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Immigration Paralegal | Immigration Attorney | |
| Average salary | $67,056 | $80,187 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $97,000 | Between $48,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | American Express | Seyfarth Shaw |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between an immigration paralegal and an immigration attorney in terms of educational background:
| Immigration Paralegal | Immigration Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Doctoral Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Law |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between immigration paralegals' and immigration attorneys' demographics:
| Immigration Paralegal | Immigration Attorney | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% | Male, 39.5% Female, 60.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |