For Attorneys

Understanding Legal Topics

Immigration

Immigration to the United States from other countries is based on federal law, so it's the same in every state. In fact, a lawyer may not need to be a member of the state's bar association to practice law there. More on Immigration >

All Immigration topics:

Citizenship or Naturalization
Customs
Employer Petitions
Employer Work Visas
Family Petitions
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender (LGBT) Rights
Passports
Permanent Resident (Green Card)
Political Asylum & Refugees
Removal or Deportation
Undocumented Workers
Visas

More about Immigration

Immigration law relates to immigration to the United States from other countries around the world. It's based on federal law—so it's the same in every state. In fact, your lawyer may not need to be a member of the lawyer's bar association in your state in order to practice law there.

Although immigration law has many subspecialties, most immigration lawyers tend to focus either on the business side of immigration law practice or the family side. So, for instance, if you think you may qualify for a work visa (H1B) or a green card based on a job offer, you'd want to find a lawyer who specializes in business immigration law ("Employer Petitions" or "Employer Work Visas"). If, on the other hand, you've married a U.S. citizen or are related to a U.S. permanent resident or citizen and wondering about getting a green card on that basis, you'd speak to a family-immigration law specialist ("Family Petitions").