Preparing for immigration formalities all on our own is just like walking on the wire barefoot; one mistake and you are months and years away from re-applying. It leaves you with nothing but wasted time and resources. You may find yourself in the same predicament when you happen to hire someone in haste who turns out to be incompetent and ruins your case.
Hence, while looking for the best immigration lawyer in Ontario who can help you file a petition for a visa or a green card or avoid deportation or help in applying for any other kind of immigration benefit, we need to look for these attributes in order to gauge their knowledge, experience and dependability in immigration cases. After all, it’s the question of one’s future.
- Quality: Just like anything else, choose the best lawyer for your case. Look for a person who can handle your case with professionalism and expertise. Don’t settle for the first lawyer you meet. Meet a number of candidates, understand if their way of working is in accordance with your needs and only then go further.
But one thing crosses the mind that high-quality top immigration lawyers in Toronto will cost high. One and only rebuttal for that is to check for the services they are offering in that package and know that if you are serious about your immigration, then it’s worth the cost. Going about a cheaper option may cost you dearly later.
- Referral: Referral is one great way to prepare a list of recommended immigration lawyers. From your personal contacts, you can ask for acquaintances who have gone through immigration procedures and used an attorney for the same. In this way, you can get some useful contact information about some of the best professionals in this field who can help you with your case.
Apart from the suggestions by friends and family, you can scour the internet for good lawyers. Visit their websites and check the reviews, complaints and testimonials given by their clients. The internet can be a good source to track down some of the best-fit candidates to process your application.
- Credentials: Before confirming your deal with the top immigration lawyer in Toronto, do check their credentials to establish their authenticity. This information can be checked via their website or ask them directly about it.
Canadian Bar Association, where the lawyers do practice, may also be contacted to check about any malpractice suits and complaints filed against them in the past. This will help in narrowing down the list further.
In this line of business, there are many con people who are neither qualified enough nor licensed to represents immigrants. Hence, it becomes imperative to be vigilant and proactive in digging out all the required information about the immigration lawyer who is going to represent your case.
- Shortlist the best lawyers to interview: After preparing the list with all the recommendations received from friends and online, it’s time to shortlist some of the best immigration lawyers in Ontario and interview them thoroughly.
Try to establish their modus operandi and ask questions in regards to their experience, the kind of cases they have dealt with in the past and their area of specialization.
Answers to these questions will help you make a decision that which lawyer you want to work with.
- Reference: In the consultation session, apart from discussing the case in detail, one may ask for past references from the immigration lawyer they are working with. An experienced, professional and established lawyer will be able to quote relevant references from his/her past case dealings.
At this time you may also ask for a reference similar to your case. Understand how they handled that particular case.
A good immigration attorney will have a good long list of happy and satisfied clients.
- Negotiate the fee: Before finalizing the lawyer, make sure you ask about the fees charged by them. Ask if they charge on an hourly basis or it’s a flat fee. Once you get this information, understand the services they will provide in that fee package. Some lawyers may have partial fee payment schedules. So ask for that provision too. It’s no harm in negotiating the price.
One important thing that must be done is to compare the fee. You may ask any well-known Canada immigration lawyer in Toronto for a free consultation. Make sure to compare the prices your lawyer is charging with other good lawyers in the suburb. This helps you gauge the current market trend so that you can be sure that you are not being ripped off.
Also, ask about any additional charges that may incur in the immigration process like postage fees and long-distance charges.
- If you are comfortable: After working on the above-mentioned aspects of choosing the best immigration lawyer in Ontario, you will be in a position to decide whether or not you will be comfortable working with them as it is going to be a long term relationship.
Since you are investing a lot of time and money into your case, it’s equally important to take your gut instinct into account while considering your choice for the final time. There may be a possibility that a particular lawyer has good credentials and a wide spectrum of experience but still, your heart is asking you to turn away. Then DO that.
One another point to consider is language. It will make communication between the two parties easy and hassle-free if the attorney knows how to speak and write your language.
Go ahead and shell out money from your pocket only when you are fully convinced and confident of the lawyer in question.
- If they use the cloud: Extensive physical paperwork makes the immigration process quite tiresome and time-consuming. A major chunk of time can be saved if your immigration attorney uses the cloud to manage the paperwork. Signing the documents electronically can save a lot of time and money in terms of postage charges.
Final Reflections
Finding a good immigration attorney is neither too easy nor too difficult a task to be accomplished. One only needs to start this search process way ahead of time and with lots of patience and a good amount of research and background check to get the top immigration lawyer in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to handle your case and give you good results in the end.
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