Top Reading, MA Immigration Through Parent or Sibling Lawyers Near You

Reading Immigration Through Parent or Sibling Information

Are You Considering Immigrating Through a Parent or Sibling?

If you have a parent or sibling who is a legal permanent resident or US citizen, your relative may be able to petition for you to immigrate. However, before someone files a petition on your behalf talk with a Reading attorney experienced with handling immigration applications for legal advice and guidance through the process.

The Immigration Through Parents or Siblings Process

Immigration through a parent or sibling can be complicated. In general, to be eligible to bring your brother or sister to live in the United States, you must be a U.S. citizen and at least 21 years of age. Permanent residents cannot petition for their siblings under current law. A US citizen parent may petition for a child of any age and a permanent resident parent can do so if the child is under 21 or if the child is still unmarried and over 21 years old.

Best Time to Seek Legal Help

No matter what your legal issue may be, it is always best to seek legal help early in the process. An attorney can help secure what is likely to be the best possible outcome for your situation and avoid both unnecessary complications or errors.

Tips on Approaching an Initial Attorney Consultation

• Use the consultation as a means of gaining a better understanding of your legal situation.
• Ask the attorney how many cases similar to yours he/she has handled. An attorney's experience and knowledge can speak to their expertise (or lack of) in addressing your situation.
• Your attorney should be able to articulate roughly how long a case like yours will take to resolve and what sort of procedures to expect.
• Determine how comfortable you are working with the lawyer and/or law firm.

How will an attorney charge me?

A reputable attorney will be very upfront about how he/she will charge you. The three most common fee structures that attorneys use to charge for their services are:

• Bill by the hour
• Contingent fee agreement
• Flat fee agreement

Depending on your specific legal situation, it's possible that only one type of fee structure is available. For instance, criminal defense attorneys almost always bill by the hour. In a flat fee arrangement, an attorney accepts a one-time payment to help you resolve your issue. With a contingent fee agreement, the client pays little to nothing upfront and the attorney receives a percentage of the money recovered if you win your case.

Common legal terms explained

Affidavit - A sworn written statement made under oath. An affidavit is meant to be a supporting document to the court assisting in the verification of certain facts. An affidavit may or may not require notarization.

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