If you’re a permanent resident in the United States and are ready to become a citizen, you may be wondering whether to hire an immigration lawyer to help you through the naturalization process. No doubt, a big part of that decision will depend on the cost. After all, you’re already facing a hefty filing fee for the citizenship application ($725 for most applicants in 2018). How much extra would an immigration attorney cost? And would the lawyer’s help be worth the money?
To get some real-world answers to those questions, we conducted a survey of readers across the U.S. who had applied for citizenship. Here’s what we learned about how many hired lawyers, how much they paid, and whether having a lawyer made a difference in the outcome of their applications.
Usually, attorneys charge clients a “flat,” or fixed, fee to handle immigration matters, instead of billing by the hour. Clients generally prefer this arrangement, because they know from the outset how much the final bill will be.
More than nine in ten (91%) of our readers paid a flat fee to have their lawyers handle their citizenship applications. But the amount of those fees ranged widely. Nearly half (45%) of our readers paid between $1,000 and $2,000, while three in ten (30%) paid less than that. A quarter (25%) of readers paid more than $2,000.
When immigration attorneys quote you a price for a flat fee, they’ve estimated how much time they’ll have to spend on your citizenship application. So they may charge more if your case involves complications like a criminal record or a history of arrests or deportation proceedings. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of readers said the flat fee included services over and above the standard citizenship application, such as evaluating whether you abandoned your residence during a long stay outside the United States, or working with your doctor to prepare a disability waiver for some of the exam requirements.
The price may also depend on how much experience the lawyers have and where they work (fees tend to be higher in large metropolitan areas).
In the rare cases when immigration lawyers charge by the hour, you could expect to pay somewhere between $150 and $500 per hour. Still, it might be more economical for you to pay by the hour in some circumstances, such as when you can complete and submit the forms and paperwork on your own, and you only need the attorney to give you legal advice and review the paperwork.
Not everyone can afford an immigration lawyer, and not everyone needs one. In fact, 46% of our readers went through the process without help. Slightly more (48%) hired a lawyer. Their citizenship applications may have involved complicating circumstances that call for expert immigration help. Or they may have felt unable to complete the complex paperwork and go through the interview on their own. Or maybe they just wanted the best shot possible at getting citizenship.
Only a small proportion of readers (6%) hired nonlawyers to help with their citizenship applications. That makes sense, given the risks of hiring paralegals or notaries for immigration cases.
Naturally, if you choose to hire a lawyer for your citizenship application, you hope your money will be well spent. There are no guarantees, and the outcome of your application will depend on your particular circumstances. But our survey sheds some hopeful light on whether other citizenship applicants thought their lawyers were worth the cost.
More than eight in ten readers (83%) who hired immigration attorneys for their citizenship applications told us they were satisfied or very satisfied with the legal help they received. That response may have something to do with the outcomes of their applications: 92% of those who hired lawyers were granted citizenship, compared to 53% of those who went through the naturalization process on their own.
At the same time, when readers told us why they were happy with their immigration lawyers, the most common reasons had to do with communication, such as:
So when you’re meeting with immigration attorneys, ask them how they handle communication with clients. And when you’re checking reviews of attorneys, notice what previous clients have to say about the lawyers’ availability.
Keep in mind, however, that some clients may be frustrated about how long immigration cases take. That’s not the lawyers’ fault. Statistics on processing times for immigration matters show an 80% increase between 2016 and 2018 in how long it takes the government to process citizenship applications. Attorneys can keep track of deadlines and the most common reasons for delays, but they have limited ability to pressure the government about your case.
