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The differences between immigration paralegals and legal administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an immigration paralegal and a legal administrator. Additionally, an immigration paralegal has an average salary of $67,056, which is higher than the $47,198 average annual salary of a legal administrator.
The top three skills for an immigration paralegal include management system, government agencies and USCIS. The most important skills for a legal administrator are veterans, litigation, and powerpoint.
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $67,056 | $47,198 |
| Hourly rate | $32.24 | $22.69 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 4,279 | 56,419 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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. Other duties include interpreting laws, regulations, and rulings in legal documents, obtaining information from other agencies or organizations, and preparing management and legal reports. In addition, legal administrative assistants are responsible for updating and maintaining databases and ensuring to provide effective administrative assistance. They are also expected to schedule client meetings and court hearings.
Immigration paralegals and legal administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Average salary | $67,056 | $47,198 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $97,000 | Between $33,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | American Express | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between an immigration paralegal and a legal administrator in terms of educational background:
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between immigration paralegals' and legal administrators' demographics:
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Administrator | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% |
| 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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |