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Immigration specialist vs staff attorney

The differences between immigration specialists and staff attorneys 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 staff attorney. Additionally, a staff attorney has an average salary of $110,028, 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 staff attorney are litigation, legal services, and juris.

Immigration specialist vs staff attorney overview

Immigration SpecialistStaff Attorney
Yearly salary$58,674$110,028
Hourly rate$28.21$52.90
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs4,16575,402
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Doctoral Degree, 56%
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 staff attorney do?

Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.

Immigration specialist vs staff attorney salary

Immigration specialists and staff attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.

Immigration SpecialistStaff Attorney
Average salary$58,674$110,028
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $102,000Between $69,000 And $173,000
Highest paying CityCambridge, MASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsCalifornia
Best paying companyAtlassianNelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between immigration specialist and staff attorney education

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

Immigration SpecialistStaff Attorney
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Doctoral Degree, 56%
Most common majorBusinessLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Immigration specialist vs staff attorney demographics

Here are the differences between immigration specialists' and staff attorneys' demographics:

Immigration SpecialistStaff Attorney
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 24.8% Female, 75.2%Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5%
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, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between immigration specialist and staff attorney 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

Staff attorney example responsibilities.

  • Generate an internal memorandum exploring VAWA and special immigrant juvenile cases that lead to the establishment of a new clinic program.
  • Provide statewide training for attorneys and advocates on education law and also responsible for major impact education litigation and appeals.
  • Create and conduct workshops on e-discovery, privilege, FMLA, ADA, and FLSA
  • Conduct internal FLSA (wage and hour) compliance and re-classification audits for pre-complaint resolution.
  • General practice attorney handling primarily bankruptcy, domestic relations and criminal cases, preparation of wills and trusts and probate.
  • Draft wills, powers of attorney, probate estate administration filings, divorce filings, caregiver contracts, and property deeds.
  • Show more

Immigration specialist vs staff attorney skills

Common immigration specialist skills
  • HR, 14%
  • Immigration Counsel, 6%
  • Immigration Law, 5%
  • Visa Applications, 5%
  • H-1B, 4%
  • Immigration Program, 4%
Common staff attorney skills
  • Litigation, 17%
  • Legal Services, 8%
  • Juris, 7%
  • Legal Advice, 6%
  • Appeals, 4%
  • Administrative Agencies, 4%