Immigration is controversial, not to mention a socio-political issue in Canada. Having one of the stringiest immigration procedures and policies, the need for immigration lawyers is abundant.
Immigration lawyers in Canada charge per hour or case. And other means which ensure them unwavering profit. Thus, a career as an immigration lawyer is undoubtedly classy and stable.
However, despite all the glory on the outside, one cannot become the best immigration attorney overnight. The process involves you covering several steps and requires some hard work.
To become an Immigration Lawyer in Canada, one needs to pursue certain courses and follow a specific path.
Steps Involved in Becoming a Successful Immigration Lawyer in Canada
1. Research
The work of every immigration lawyer or express entry lawyer includes helping immigrants gather a green card to work and reside in Canada under settled political asylum. These lawyers also assist illegal immigrants and defend them to ensure they are accepted as naturalized citizens.
Most cases involve meeting clients, deciphering cases and scenarios, interviewing clients, writing motions, and formulating forms and means to win points in court. Thus, after the research to practice immigration, one needs to get the correct degrees.
2. Bachelor’s Degree
The start of your immigration career begins via the much-needed bachelor’s degree. One must enrol on the best college offering a bachelor’s degree in law. Further, one must be adept in more than one foreign language and have a comprehensive knowledge of world politics and affairs.
Thus along with law, enrol in cultural studies and significant in forging languages for the best results.
3. Graduation
This isn’t any secret. Skilled express entry lawyers have graduated from a good law school in Canada or abroad. Further, participants need to acquire a Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
Other factors involved include garnering a top score on the Law School Admission Test. This will help you get accepted into the best law school. After this, students will select their course and pick out immigration law to study.
4. Cracking the Bar Exam
This is probably the most challenging stage for all immigration lawyers. Qualifying for the bar exam requires giving a 6-hour Multistate Bar Test that analyzes your skill in various fields of law. Qualifying this one ensures a practising license in the state for immigration law.
5. Joining the Association for Immigration Attorneys
One can either take the assistance of a professional or a mentor to help them become acquainted with the immigration law practices. They can join an association for immigration lawyers. These have a network of professionals who can guide them in finding the right company or agency to collaborate with.
Immigration Lawyer Career Path
Regardless of the eventual practice area, completing a bachelor’s degree is the usual first step in becoming a lawyer, followed by earning a degree in law. A law school concentration or specialization in immigration law will help bolster your expertise in this speciality and give you an advantage in the field. However, it is not technically necessary to practice.
Instead, employers and clients will be looking for lawyers with ample exposure to the immigration field, particularly hands-on legal experience through clinics, legal internships, externships, clerkships, pro bono activities, and more, as well as through their law school coursework.
A career in immigration law, as with most legal areas, also requires specific skills.
High-level capabilities in reading and writing are a must, as is the ability to understand and communicate complex concepts and advocate for your client in an adversarial setting. Law schools seek out these skills in applicants and cultivate them in their students.
In many situations, strong interpersonal skills are also needed. During any given day in immigration practice, an attorney may work with people who have undergone exceptionally traumatic experiences, including suffering persecution, human trafficking, or torture.
The ability to communicate with compassion may be essential in dealing with immigrants and immigrant families, who may need reassurance and technical assistance in dealing with the legal complexities of immigration.
Immigration Law Pay Scale
It’s no secret that legal careers tend to pay well, though individual lawyers’ salaries can vary considerably, even within the same legal speciality, like immigration law. The services you offer, the clientele you serve, and the area of the country you practice in can all affect earning potential.
Median salaries top $140,000 for those employed by the federal government, while state and local government pay range from $85,000 to $93,000 annually. Lawyers hired by large, successful law firms or big corporations tend to earn more than those who own their practices or work for nonprofit organizations.
Earnings for some lawyers who specialize in immigration may be lower than the average for lawyers in general. An attorney who accepts a position with a small immigration nonprofit, for example, may choose that option with the understanding that while the salary is lower than average, the work offers the opportunity to serve people in life-altering situations who lack the resources to obtain legal assistance otherwise.
Not to mention the satisfaction rates are consistently higher for public interest lawyers. Many immigration lawyers go into solo practice as well.
Life of a Lawyer in Canada
Canada is a top immigration destination with plans to welcome over 1.2 million newcomers over the next three years. A lawyer in Canada is a very prestigious career and depending on the type of law they practice, a lawyer can easily make over $300,000 a year. The average salary of a lawyer is around $135,000 annually.
The requirements for practising law in Canada vary province by province, but the first step is to have foreign education credentials recognized in Canada. Your academic transcripts will be required, and language proficiency will also be tested. A minimum IELTS score of 7 is required in English or French. Lawyers should qualify for the Canadian bar exam to start their law career in Canada.
Immigration Consultants and Use
Individuals seek guidance from an immigration consultant, either for help with the immigration application or assistance with family sponsorship. In that case, picking a reliable professional with high standards is essential. After all, one wants their immigration application to be accepted on the first attempt.
Therefore, it's essential to choose a Canada Immigration Consultant that one can rely on for immigration application needs. If they have never worked with an immigration consultant, they may not know where to start when choosing the right one for their situation.
To make the whole process easier for the applicants. It might be suspicious during the initial consultation, but later one can understand better.
One must find the right law school and study hard and diligently to get acceptance. Remember, at the end of the day, hard work, consistency, and dedication will help achieve a career in immigration law and gain steady fast profit.
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