What To Bring To An Immigration Lawyer?

Most people are overwhelmed when tasked with meeting an immigration attorney for the first time. For an initial consultation, there is usually not much you have to bring.

Primarily, the initial consultation is meant as an ice breaker between you and the lawyer. This is also when you ask some questions about your case and ask the lawyer to clear any doubts you may have.

For many people, an initial consultation is usually also the time where they judge if they would like to continue with the lawyer or hire another one. If they feel they cannot get along with the lawyer, or if he/she is not that knowledgeable about immigration laws, or if they have minimal experience, the client may decide to hire someone else.

Most people do a fair bit of research before they approach an immigration lawyer. Since this field is exceptionally unique and requires a lot of mind-share, it is best to opt for well known immigration lawyers in Manchester. Experienced attorneys can carefully look over your case in the first meeting and give you a fair estimate about the chances of your application going through.

Let us look at what you can bring to an immigration lawyer.

An immigration consultation is a give and take. The lawyer can only help you with the information you give. Remember to be honest, truthful, and transparent about your history (especially if you have any circumstances in your past that will hamper your application). Experienced lawyers need all the information and data to help make your application strong and find solutions for issues that may cause a delay in your case. You must maintain records (either in soft or hard copy) of all the documentation relevant to your immigration application. You should carry a copy of all your documents when you meet the immigration lawyer for the first time.

Legal Documents:

  • Birth Certificate
  • Passport Copy
  • Marriage Certificates
  • Death Certificates
  • Divorce Certificates
  • National ID Proof/ Driving License

Immigration Documents:

  • Current passport
  • Expired passports with all pages
  • Travel documents
  • Work permits (if any)
  • Court orders (if any)
  • Notices from immigration officers
  • Rulings from immigration judges
  • Notices to appear in court
  • Any past cases (criminal, litigation) paperwork and final verdict certificates

Educational Documents:

  • High school transcripts
  • Passing certificates/ degrees
  • Undergraduate transcripts and degree certificate
  • Postgraduate transcripts and degree certificate
  • PhD related documentation
  • Any other education-related documents
  • Pass/fail certificates
  • Any disciplinary proceeding-related paperwork

Work History:

  • Offer letters from all past jobs
  • Relieving letters from all past jobs
  • Salary/ payslips
  • Increment letters
  • Recognition letters
  • Removal/ firing letters
  • Any cases (officially filed)

If you have had any criminal proceedings against you or a family member (anywhere in the world), you should get those case papers and relevant documents. Even if your case happened over a decade ago, or if it was dismissed, you should get the case papers to the immigration lawyer’s office. Final verdict papers and certificates should also be produced upon request.

When planning to immigrate to another country, a thorough background check is done by the new government. If you have even a minor speeding ticket violation, it will show up in your past records. Most countries overlook these minor issues, but if there have been major criminal proceedings or if the verdict was against you and served time, you need to truthfully declare all this in your application.

Any information you hide or lie about can be held against you, and your immigration application may be rejected.

What Else Should You Do Before You Meet The Immigration Lawyer?

Write Down All Relevant Dates: You should maintain a diary of all relevant dates, circumstances, and events relevant to your application. You need to mention all the travel dates and destinations from the past 10 years in many application forms. If you don’t have a list of all these dates ready (according to your old and new passport), you could miss out on something, and it may work against you. If you seek asylum, you should write down all relevant circumstances related to your experience and the names of potential witnesses, other victims, and other important people.

Write Down Questions: When you visit the immigration attorney for the first time, you will have several questions to ask. Making a list of all the questions regarding experience, uniqueness of the case, outcomes, documentation, and particular circumstances. Doing this will help you get answers to all your queries, and you will not have any doubts remaining.