Immigration Process FAQs, click to get answers to the questions many people ask us! Of course you can always contact us with any questions we have not answered.

How Does the Immigration Process Work?

Step 1: Assessing Your Case
Before making an Immigration process decision to immigrate or apply for a passport, visa, etc. you should have your case professionally assessed by us to determine whether you are eligible.

Step 2: Signing the Retainer Agreement with your Lawyer
Once you are told you the immigration process time and that you will get the Work visa or bio-metric passport, you should hire a lawyer introduced to you by our immigration team. You should always sign a retainer agreement with your lawyer before proceeding with your case. The retainer agreement sets out the legal fees and the lawyer’s responsibilities in representing you or processing any visa or passport.

Step 3: Gathering your Documents
It is important that you gather all immigration process documents which is relevant to your case. Your lawyer should provide you with a list of documents you will need. Immigration process to Canada.

Step 4: Completing Application Forms
Your lawyer should be able to assist you in completing your immigration process application forms if any applies to your case. Our lawyers use software whereby application forms can be completed on the computer. Always take note of the immigration process time to catch up.

Step 5: Preparing your Application Package
After gathering your immigration process documents and completing the forms (if applicable), your lawyer will prepare the documents in an organized presentable fashion. Your lawyer will also prepare legal submissions to the visa officer on your behalf.

Step 6: Submitting the Application to the Visa Office
Your lawyer should be able to advise you as to what email or visa office to submit your application or will do it by his/her self on your behalf. You will have to pay your immigration processing fees at this time.

Step 7: Monitoring the Application as it is Processed at Visa Office:
It is important to make sure that your application is being processed according to the visa office’s published service standards. If not, your lawyer should be pro-active to make sure your case is processed on time.

Step 8: You may have an interview
Some visa cases require an interview with a visa officer.  If an interview is required, the visa office will notify you of the date and time of the interview.  Your lawyer should prepare you for your interview and caution you about the immigration process time.

Step 9: Letter of Acceptance or Refusal Letter

After your interview or if you don’t have one, you will be eventually notified in writing that you have been accepted for immigration or refused (visa refusal cases are very rare with us, that is why we use the term approved).

Step 10: Issuance of Visa or Appeal because of a Refusal

If you get approved for your visa, congratulations! And don’t forget to thank your lawyer! But if your case is refused (which is very rare with us), you should consider your options for appealing the refusal. Your lawyer will do it for you, and this time, it MUST be approved unless otherwise stated.

Why choose an immigration lawyer when I can do it myself?

Before making the decision to choose an immigration representative, you may wonder whether or not you even need one. After all you may know people who have successfully obtained their visas without hiring an immigration lawyer or consultant. You may have heard stories of people simply filling out the forms, paying the government fees and they have been issued their visa.

However, you may have also heard of cases where the adventurous have gone it alone only to find that their visa application was refused and till date, they have never been opportune to have a visa or bio-metric passports.

Our position on applying for a passport, visa, permanent residence etc without the benefit of legal representation is that it is a risk just as it is not worth taking. While it is true that it is possible for you to represent yourself in some simple immigration matters, the reality is that in doing so you are taking a big gamble.

Immigration laws, immigration process time are constantly changing and are very complex. You may have some basic understanding about what is involved in applying for a visa, but unless you are a full time immigration professional, you will not be aware of all the issues which may impact on your case. Moreover, even if you apply on your own and get your visa, you may have created some problems that could impact on your status long after your visa has been issued. So what seemed like a successful visa application may turn out to be just the opposite.

Does this mean that we think you should leave it all up to the experts? No way.

We believe that it is important that applicants educate themselves about the visa process and work with a professionals as a team. Both applicants and immigration professionals working together can maximize the applicant’s chances of success. Applicants know more about their personal circumstances than the professional, whereas the professional knows more about immigration laws than the applicant(s). Successful immigration cases result from bringing applicants and immigration professionals together to work as a team.

Who should I choose? Lawyer or Consultant?

Applicants should also know something about the visa process to protect themselves from individuals representing themselves as immigration professionals when they are really not. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of corruption in the immigration business. By having a basic understanding about immigration, applicants can arm themselves against being victims of fraud.

There are essentially two types of immigration representatives offering their services to clients: Lawyers and Consultants;

Consultants
Consultants are immigration representatives who are not lawyers. They are often referred to as paralegals, law officers and, immigration specialists. Some consultants are former immigration officers who have left the government to work in the private sector. Immigration consultants are now regulated by the Immigration Consultants of USA and Canada Regulatory Counsel (ICCRC).The ICCRC is responsible for regulating the activities of immigration consultants who are members and who provide immigration advice for a fee.

The ICCRC grants memberships to only those individuals who have demonstrated their knowledge and ability to advise, consult and represent people who wish to seek USA, UK, Australia and Canadian immigration, have passed the Society’s Knowledge and Ethics Test and have demonstrated their good character.

Lawyers
Lawyers often act as representatives for applicants with immigration matters. Unlike consultants, lawyers in USA or Canada are required to have a university education and to complete law school. Lawyers are regulated by the Provincial or State Bar in the jurisdiction in which they practice. The fact that lawyers are regulated provides their clients with protection against unethical and incompetent practitioners.

Immigration Lawyers
Immigration Lawyers are lawyers who practice primarily or exclusively in immigration law. They generally have a greater and efficient level of expertise than a general practitioner who may merely dabble in the field. Clients interested in hiring a lawyer with experience in immigration law should always ask the lawyer what percentage of their practice is dedicated to immigration law to determine if they practice immigration law on a regular basis.

Uscispassportvisa Group only works with licensed US, UK, Germany, Australia and Canadian Immigration Lawyers. Of course UPV Lawyers have support staff that may include consultants and legal assistants but the responsibility for your visa case always falls on the UPV lawyer.

Who is uscispassportsvisa? How can they help?

Uscispassportsvisa.com was founded by Tracy Renaud, an immigration lawyer, who has over 32 years of experience in immigration law. It is an award winning and leading law firm, Visa & passport service in USA and Canada.  uscispassportsvisa.com has won the Top Choice Awards for the Top Immigration Visa & passport service firm in north Carolina from 2010-2019 as well as other awards and designations for its great service to clients.  Tracy and her immigration team are frequently sought after in the media to discuss the latest immigration developments. During her years of immigration experience, Tracy has developed what she considers to be the “best practices and procedures” for Canadian and U.S visa/passport cases.

Uscispassportsvisa.com is backed by the latest technology in immigration case processing and works with trained and experienced immigration lawyers who represent Tracy’s vision in providing the very best, most efficient and cost-effective immigration and visa services available worldwide.

Our lawyers:

• Have over 56 years of combined experience with over 13,863,270 cases processed & successful
• Have a proven track record for handling all U.S, Canadian, Germany, Australia and UK visa cases;
• Are Fully licensed, independent,  award winning U.S, Canadian, Germany, Australia and UK lawyers
• Have Access to the latest technology for easy communication with you

Our Goal

We know these days UK, Australia, Canadian and U.S. governments in particular, have created complicated barriers to entry. Immigration rules and regulations are becoming more and more complex. In order to qualify to relocate to Canada or to the U.S., you must present your case properly to an immigration officer who has the authority to grant or deny your admission.

We have made it our primary goal to do it for you and/or to assist you towards getting your visa to UK, Australia, Canadian and U.S and if you are facing removal from any of these countries, we are here to help you resolve your immigration problems.  Our job is to help open the door so that you, your relative, friend or employee can live, work or study in UK, Australia, Canadian and U.S.A.

Contact us to book an appointment or use our online eligibility form here.

What documents do I need?

Many people mistakenly believe that all that is involved in applying for immigration is completing some forms and paying a fee. Nothing can be further from the truth. Completing your immigration forms accurately and honestly is essential of course but what really may make the difference between a successful application and one that is refused, are the documents that you include in your application that are in support of your case.

Not only do your documents serve to substantiate the information that you have filled in on your application, but they also tell the visa/passport officer reviewing the case, your story. The documents show the visa/passport officer that not only do you qualify for a visa/passport but that there is a real live person behind the application who really needs a visa/passport.

Proper presentation of your documents is also important. The more organized your documents, the less risk there is of frustrating the visa/passport officer by making it difficult for him or her to find the relevant information. Your goal as an applicant (or your lawyer’s goal) should be to make the visa/passport officer’s job as easy as possible. Nothing is worse than presenting a disorganized application that annoys a visa/passport officer.

What documents are you required including with your application? The answer depends on the nature of application that you are submitting. For example, the documents that are required in support of a Study Permit application are much different than those required for an independent/skilled worker application. In most cases, the applications contain instructions on which documents are required for a particular application. Generally, you are asked to include documents proving your identity such as birth certificates or national identity cards. If you are married, you should also include your marriage certificate.

Do you have to submit original documentation? In most cases, photocopies of documents are acceptable but be prepared to submit original employment references and police clearance certificates. Each application has specific requirements for documents. It is important to carefully check what is required.

Documents tell your story. Make sure to include all relevant documents in support of your immigration case.

What should I expect from my immigration lawyer?

The lawyers of the uscispassportsvisa Group (UPV) are committed to resolve your legal problem in an efficient, cost effective manner.

If you are applying for a Visa or entry to UK, Germany, Australia, Canada or the United States, our lawyers are trained to assess your specific legal issues, outline solutions that work and take the necessary steps to get you, your family or employees the necessary paperwork for Canadian, UK, Australia or US legal status.

You should expect friendly, professional and timely service from your UPV Lawyer. You should expect to be informed every step of the way during the visa/passport application/processing process. And most importantly, you should expect efficient results!

What are your legal fees?

Legal fees are always quoted to you in advance. Immigration cases are charged on a flat-fee basis not on an hourly rate so there is no “running tab”. This way you know exactly how much your case will cost with no surprises! We will also outline any additional office disbursement charges as well as applicable government application fees. UPV lawyer’s fees are very competitive. Since UPV lawyers restrict their practice only to immigration law, they handle a wide range of cases which keep fees low and reasonable without sacrificing service.

How do I know if you can do the job or help me?

Before taking you on as a client, your UPV Lawyer will always conduct a comprehensive assessment of your specific situation. This involves listening to you, understanding your background, history and objectives. Only after getting a clear idea of your unique issues, can we provide you with solutions that will work and we guarantee 100% efficient results. And we will tell you what steps must be taken, how long and at what cost.

We have an online assessment form which is the first step towards understanding your case. Fill it out and expect to be contacted within one business day!

If I hire a uscispassportsvisa Group Lawyer what is the next step?

After conducting your immigration assessment and if you are eligible for a visa/passport, your lawyer will ask you to  sign a “Retainer Agreement” that clearly outlines the nature of the case, the legal fees and other costs as well as the role of your lawyers and what we expect from you as their client.

A UPV Lawyer will then send you a detailed list of documentation by email guiding you on what is needed for your file and will begin gathering the necessary information in order to complete any application forms (If needed), legal submissions or other paperwork necessary.  After your file is complete and ready, your lawyer will submit it to the immigration authorities on your behalf, ensuring that your file gets into the correct hands and is processed in a timely manner.

Of course, during the application process, your lawyer will keep you informed on what’s going on and you can always contact them any time with your questions and concerns. Once your passport, visa or permit is ready to be issued, they will make sure it’s delivered to you so things go smoothly when you are ready to make the move.

Can you help people from anywhere in the world?

The uscispassportsvisa Group has attorneys licensed to practice US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Germany immigration laws. They are centrally located in North Carolina but can process cases for people from all over the world. This means a UPV lawyer can process/represent you no matter where you presently live.

Further UPV Lawyers are totally accessible by emails/phone. The nature of immigration practice does not require the inconvenience of your physical attendance at our offices.

UPV Lawyers processes/represent clients throughout the United States, Canada and overseas on daily bases. Though the use of the latest technology, they are equipped to handle all immigration and visa/passport cases for you regardless of your current location.

What if I think I will not qualify?

Complete our online assessment form to confirm your eligibility. Positivity is the backbone for success.

Contact us to book an appointment or use our online eligibility form here