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Immigration specialist vs legal counsel

The differences between immigration specialists and legal counsels can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an immigration specialist and a legal counsel. Additionally, a legal counsel has an average salary of $132,867, which is higher than the $58,674 average annual salary of an immigration specialist.

The top three skills for an immigration specialist include HR, immigration counsel and immigration law. The most important skills for a legal counsel are legal advice, legal issues, and litigation.

Immigration specialist vs legal counsel overview

Immigration SpecialistLegal Counsel
Yearly salary$58,674$132,867
Hourly rate$28.21$63.88
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs4,16510,337
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does an immigration specialist do?

To be an immigration specialist is to be at the center of all things foreign. Immigration specialists are tasked with assisting foreign nationals with the nitty-gritty of immigration and immigration procedures. They lead immigration programs, ensure all paperwork required both from immigration and Visa applications is completed, and process tax treaty evaluations. They are ultimately in charge of enforcing compliance with all immigration rules and regulations.

What does a legal counsel do?

A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.

Immigration specialist vs legal counsel salary

Immigration specialists and legal counsels have different pay scales, as shown below.

Immigration SpecialistLegal Counsel
Average salary$58,674$132,867
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $102,000Between $81,000 And $216,000
Highest paying CityCambridge, MASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsCalifornia
Best paying companyAtlassianApple
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between immigration specialist and legal counsel education

There are a few differences between an immigration specialist and a legal counsel in terms of educational background:

Immigration SpecialistLegal Counsel
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorBusinessLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Immigration specialist vs legal counsel demographics

Here are the differences between immigration specialists' and legal counsels' demographics:

Immigration SpecialistLegal Counsel
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 24.8% Female, 75.2%Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between immigration specialist and legal counsel duties and responsibilities

Immigration specialist example responsibilities.

  • Case manage school-aged students as well as developed IEP's /conduct IEP conferences.
  • Manage permanent resident, citizenship, and other immigration applications for clients.
  • Achieve award for increasing efficiency by extensively communicating with debtors' attorneys and monitoring trustee activities on a daily basis.
  • Respond to the queries issue by DOL, USCIS, and NVC on various non-immigrant and immigrant visa issues.
  • Process new hires and re-hires in HRIS.
  • Enter new hire information in the ADP database.
  • Show more

Legal counsel example responsibilities.

  • Achieve statewide recognition as expert on Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Manage high-risk employee terminations from initial decision through preparation for appeals hearings and any subsequent legal action.
  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Conduct anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) due diligence on a daily basis.
  • Ensure compliance with federal securities laws, NYSE rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
  • Draft position statements for EEO and other regulatory claims.
  • Show more

Immigration specialist vs legal counsel skills

Common immigration specialist skills
  • HR, 14%
  • Immigration Counsel, 6%
  • Immigration Law, 5%
  • Visa Applications, 5%
  • H-1B, 4%
  • Immigration Program, 4%
Common legal counsel skills
  • Legal Advice, 11%
  • Legal Issues, 9%
  • Litigation, 8%
  • Legal Support, 7%
  • Intellectual Property, 5%
  • Legal Risks, 4%