When acquaintances find out that I’m a Calgary immigration lawyer, they often ask a variation on the following question: I understand why someone being deported would hire an immigration lawyer, but why would the average person hire a lawyer just to do an immigration application? Unfortunately, this way of thinking often leads to problems. As in many areas in which having legal counsel is advisable, if you consult with an immigration lawyer only after something has gone wrong, it’s quite possibly already too late to change the outcome at that point. If you obtain the services of an immigration lawyer Calgary only after an application is rejected, for instance, you are faced with the prospect of either starting your application from scratch (if that is even still possible) or appealing the adverse decision (if that is even still possible). Either way, you have likely wasted both time and money and would have been much better off retaining a lawyer from the outset.
The reason for this is simple. A lawyer is not simply an advocate representing clients in an adversarial context. A lawyer is fundamentally an advisor who can help you navigate the complexities of legal and bureaucratic systems. A would-be immigrant is faced with many possible immigration routes. Some may be relatively quick and efficient. Others will be long and circuitous, with countless obstacles. Others will be dead ends from the start. Even if the choice of immigration application seems obvious, an ostensibly straightforward immigration application can unexpectedly become a migraine-inducing mess of paperwork.
Most applications require the applicant to elaborate on his or her personal history, education, work experience, family status, and finances. Even with a so-called typical or average application, there is likely going to be a problem with providing information related to at least one of these areas. For example, perhaps your application requires two years of work experience. You have the experience, but your previous employer is no longer in business, or does business under a different name. An immigration lawyer Calgary will likely be able to anticipate many of these problems, and if such problems are encountered, may have strategies for effectively dealing with them. A do-it-yourself mentality is fine in some circumstances, but when the consequences of failure are severe, it is wise to engage the services of a professional.
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