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The differences between immigration paralegals and legal clerks 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 clerk. Additionally, an immigration paralegal has an average salary of $67,056, which is higher than the $35,152 average annual salary of a legal clerk.
The top three skills for an immigration paralegal include management system, government agencies and USCIS. The most important skills for a legal clerk are litigation, legal correspondence, and subpoenas.
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $67,056 | $35,152 |
| Hourly rate | $32.24 | $16.90 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 4,279 | 74,069 |
| 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.
A legal clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to legal offices and organizations to ensure smooth legal business operations. Legal clerks sort and distribute documents to the appropriate personnel, update information on the database, schedule appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, and document meeting objectives. They may also coordinate with other offices and institutions to acquire files and research data according to the needs of the managing department. A legal clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in monitoring business transactions and submitting reports timely and accurately.
Immigration paralegals and legal clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Average salary | $67,056 | $35,152 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $97,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | American Express | Diodes Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between an immigration paralegal and a legal clerk in terms of educational background:
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Law |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between immigration paralegals' and legal clerks' demographics:
| Immigration Paralegal | Legal Clerk | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| 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, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |