US Immigration Law Attorney Fees

US Immigration Law attorney fees can be the scariest part of an immigration process. While not every immigration case will follow the usual predictable processing path, most will and a quoted attorney fee should reflect that. Find out more information about our US immigration law attorney fees and our fee philosophy below.

Ruth Immigration Law Attorney Fees Schedule

One of my overriding principles upon which my firm is founded, is the strong belief that realistic, affordable attorney fees for clients are not, and certainly should not, be an indication of “low quality” or “low experience”, but rather, should be an aspiration for all law firms to strive to achieve.  In other words, “greed” and “inefficiency” should not be synonymous with quality and experience.  In this vein, my firm, through the use of extensive computer technology and through other intelligent business practices, is able to operate at a high standard of economic efficiency, without any compromise of effectiveness for our clients.  In fact, I believe that our efficient business practices enhance our responsiveness to our clients, and our ability to be an effective advocate on their behalf.  Thus, I feel that it is only fair to our clients to “pass this efficiency” along, in the form of affordable rates for our legal services.

In most immigration matters, attorney’s fees are assessed on a “flat fee” basis.  By using the flat fee concept, clients know precisely what their total fee bill will be for an issue, and there will be no attorney fee surprises.  Costs associated with an immigration issue, such as USCIS filing fees, translation fees, certification fees, postage expenses, copying fees, etc., are the responsibility of the client, and must usually be paid in advance to the firm.  All reasonably anticipated costs are identified to the client at the time of the initial consult.

Initial Consultation Fee – $40 per 20 Minutes

During an initial consultation with a client, valuable information is exchanged that assists the client and enables the client to make well-informed decisions about their immigration matters. Our consultation fee is $40 per 20 minutes. Most initial consultations take 20 minutes, while some take longer. To schedule an initial consultation for your immigration matter, please contact my office. If we are retained for your immigration matter, we credit the initial consult fee that is paid, towards the retainer fee for your immigration case.

“Do It Yourself” Forms Package Review Fee – $295.00

We recognize that between high USCIS filing fees and these challenging economic times, many potential clients simply do not have the financial funds necessary to retain an attorney to prepare and submit USCIS or visa forms packages for them, and thus elect to prepare the forms packages on their own. While our flat attorney fees for forms preparation and submission services are affordable in comparison to many other firms, we understand that to many clients these days, it is simply not feasible, and they must “do it yourself”. Yet those clients worry nevertheless about mistakes and omissions in their “self-prepared” forms packages that could prejudice an immigration or consulate visa application.

Because of this, for “do it yourself” client cases, we offer a forms package review service and 20 minute corresponding consult for a flat fee of $295.00. As part of this service, I review your forms (not a paralegal) one time, for apparent mistakes and omissions and completeness, and also offer you basic suggestions and advice on assembling your immigration or visa application package with accompanying documentation, and submitting that package to the relevant USCIS office or consulate. As part of this review service, you also have the opportunity to speak with me for a 20 minute consult to ask any other questions you may have about your process. You can submit a copy of your forms and documentation package for attorney review via e-mail as a pdf, via snail mail, or in person if you are close to our physical offices, and our accompanying consultation can be held via telephone, video conferencing, instant messaging, e-mail, or in person. While this service is not a substitute for our regular immigration petition services, it can be a better alternative than foregoing legal services at all.

Full Service Immigration Law Attorney Fees Schedule

Our current attorney fee schedule for common immigration matters is as follows (if your immigration issue is not listed below, please contact us to schedule an initial consultation about your immigration situation)(also note that for unusually complex matters, the attorney fee may be higher, and any deviations from our attorney fee schedule below will be discussed at the initial consultation):