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Immigration paralegal vs senior paralegal

The differences between immigration paralegals and senior paralegals 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 senior paralegal. Additionally, an immigration paralegal has an average salary of $67,056, which is higher than the $60,125 average annual salary of a senior paralegal.

The top three skills for an immigration paralegal include management system, government agencies and USCIS. The most important skills for a senior paralegal are legal research, litigation, and law firm.

Immigration paralegal vs senior paralegal overview

Immigration ParalegalSenior Paralegal
Yearly salary$67,056$60,125
Hourly rate$32.24$28.91
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs4,2794,213
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4646
Years of experience1212

What does an immigration paralegal do?

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.

What does a senior paralegal do?

A Senior Paralegal helps attorneys acquire the information needed for legal research, document preparation, and for other assignments delegated to them. They are usually specialized in certain areas of law, such as tax law.

Immigration paralegal vs senior paralegal salary

Immigration paralegals and senior paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.

Immigration ParalegalSenior Paralegal
Average salary$67,056$60,125
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $97,000Between $38,000 And $92,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying statePennsylvaniaWashington
Best paying companyAmerican ExpressAmazon
Best paying industryProfessionalFinance

Differences between immigration paralegal and senior paralegal education

There are a few differences between an immigration paralegal and a senior paralegal in terms of educational background:

Immigration ParalegalSenior Paralegal
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorLegal Support ServicesLegal Support Services
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Immigration paralegal vs senior paralegal demographics

Here are the differences between immigration paralegals' and senior paralegals' demographics:

Immigration ParalegalSenior Paralegal
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 26.3% Female, 73.7%Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 5.6% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between immigration paralegal and senior paralegal duties and responsibilities

Immigration paralegal example 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.
  • Show more

Senior paralegal example responsibilities.

  • Achieve sole responsibility for administration of all estates and guardianships.
  • Respond to active litigation in collaboration with internal custodians and external counsel, including responding to discovery requests and subpoenas.
  • Handle all corporate matters including annual shareholder documentation and shareholder meetings, prepare contracts and coordinate execution, and provide litigation support
  • Edit and proofread initial drafts, transcribes dictation and perform cite checking, copy assembly/attachments for filing and/or mailing.
  • Draft and prepare legal documents, correspondence, corporate resolutions and UCC's, together with file maintenance and organization.
  • Position entail all secretarial correspondence, dictation, expense reporting, record keeping and the handling of settlement documents and payments.
  • Show more

Immigration paralegal vs senior paralegal skills

Common immigration paralegal skills
  • Management System, 8%
  • Government Agencies, 8%
  • USCIS, 7%
  • Immigration Law, 6%
  • HR, 5%
  • Litigation, 5%
Common senior paralegal skills
  • Legal Research, 13%
  • Litigation, 13%
  • Law Firm, 7%
  • Subpoenas, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Lexis, 3%