Immigration Legal Services FAQ: Answers for Raleigh, Wake County and Clients Nationwide

Our firm handles the full range of immigration matters, including family-based visas, adjustment of status, naturalization and citizenship, asylum, employment visas, temporary protected status, U visas, and deportation defense. We also represent clients whose immigration case intersects with a criminal charge, sometimes called crimmigration. Clients across Wake, Durham, and Johnston counties work with us, and we also represent clients nationwide by phone and video consultation.

A green card lawyer helps a client obtain lawful permanent residence, often through a family petition, employment sponsorship, or adjustment of status filed with USCIS. A citizenship attorney, sometimes called a naturalization lawyer, steps in after a client has held a green card long enough to apply to become a U.S. citizen. The eligibility rules, forms, and interviews differ for each stage, so it helps to work with a firm that handles both.

These terms describe the same core work: helping U.S. citizens and permanent residents petition for a spouse, fiancé or fiancée, parent, or child. A family visa attorney reviews your relationship evidence, prepares the petition and supporting forms, and represents you if USCIS issues a request for evidence or an initial denial. The right approach depends on your specific relationship and immigration history, which is why an early consultation matters.

An employment immigration attorney represents both workers and the businesses that sponsor them. For workers, that can mean guidance through a nonimmigrant visa, a labor certification, or an employment-based green card. For employers, it means building a compliant sponsorship process that keeps valued employees on staff and out of status trouble.

Certain criminal convictions, and sometimes even charges that never lead to a conviction, can trigger removal proceedings or block a pending application. This overlap is why our firm pairs immigration knowledge with criminal defense experience. If you or a family member is facing charges as a noncitizen, get advice before you resolve the criminal case, not after.

Yes. Our multilingual team includes Spanish speaking and Arabic speaking staff so clients can discuss sensitive immigration matters in the language they're most comfortable using. As a faith-based firm, we also understand how important trust and respect are when a family's future is on the line.

Timelines vary widely depending on the type of case, the USCIS or immigration court backlog, and whether additional evidence or an interview is required. A straightforward naturalization application may move faster than a family petition tied to a busy consular post, while an asylum or removal case can take a year or more. We give clients a realistic estimate based on current processing trends once we've reviewed the details of their case.

Bring any immigration documents you already have, such as prior petitions, notices from USCIS, passports, and identification documents for yourself and any family members involved in the case. If you're dealing with a pending court date or a deadline, bring that paperwork too. Even an incomplete file gives our attorneys a starting point to advise you accurately.