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The differences between paralegal specialists and immigration paralegals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a paralegal specialist and an immigration paralegal. Additionally, an immigration paralegal has an average salary of $67,056, which is higher than the $61,244 average annual salary of a paralegal specialist.
The top three skills for a paralegal specialist include legal research, litigation and government agencies. The most important skills for an immigration paralegal are management system, government agencies, and USCIS.
| Paralegal Specialist | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Yearly salary | $61,244 | $67,056 |
| Hourly rate | $29.44 | $32.24 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 4,185 | 4,279 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Paralegal Specialist provides assistance to lawyers and does many of the same jobs that lawyers do. They work in various areas, such as family, environmental, or real estate law.
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.
Paralegal specialists and immigration paralegals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paralegal Specialist | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Average salary | $61,244 | $67,056 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $106,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | DLA Piper | American Express |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a paralegal specialist and an immigration paralegal in terms of educational background:
| Paralegal Specialist | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Legal Support Services |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between paralegal specialists' and immigration paralegals' demographics:
| Paralegal Specialist | Immigration Paralegal | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |