Hire a Criminal Immigration Lawyer for Legal Advice
When a noncitizen living in the U.S. faces charges, they may require a criminal immigration lawyer to avoid penalties that could negatively impact their immigration status.
Criminal Immigration Lawyer Basics
Foreign nationals accused of committing a criminal offense face serious immigration consequences requiring the assistance of a professional criminal immigration lawyer. These are immigration attorneys who are also criminal defense lawyers.
Criminal lawyers, also called defense attorneys, defense counsels, or criminal defense attorneys, defend people who have been accused of committing a crime. An immigration lawyer represents clients in the United States who are seeking to live and work there.
Suppose you are a lawful permanent resident or non-citizen charged with a crime. In that case, you should immediately contact a legal team knowledgeable about the immigration system to plan your defense, especially if you have a criminal history. Michael G. Murray, P.A. can help you with criminal issues in immigration law.
Facts About Immigration and Criminal Law
Criminal and immigration law are two separate legal areas that often overlap, requiring law firms that practice both. Immigration law is a broad term including many different areas of immigration law, such as naturalization, deportation, asylum, refugee status, spousal sponsorship, family reunification, and more. Criminal law refers to the body of laws that regulate conduct not otherwise specifically proscribed by a given society’s civil code or constitution.
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is the primary law that governs who is allowed to enter, live in, or work in the United States. The INA provides two types of visas: immigrant visas for those intending to live permanently in the U.S. and non-immigrant visas for those visiting or working temporarily.
Where the two areas of law intersect is that under the INA, certain criminal offenses cause a non-citizen to become inadmissible for U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. Some offenses can also lead to removal proceedings, also know as deportation.
What Is Crimmigration?
Since it is not a term you often hear, you might wonder what is meant by “crimmigration”? Crimmigration is the intersection of criminal and immigration law.
Crimmigration affects both undocumented immigrants and documented immigrants.
1) A person may enter the country illegally and commit a crime, or
2) A person may be in the country legally and commit a crime.
With either status, a criminal charge can affect the person’s ability to enter or legally stay in the United States.
Undocumented immigrants are more likely to be scared of contacting any law enforcement officers. This fear often leads them to avoid reporting crimes committed against them or their property, making it harder for authorities to investigate these crimes.
In order to obtain a green card or permanent residency, immigration authorities must conduct a Green Card Criminal Record Check. This process examines the would-be permanent resident’s history to see if they have a criminal history. Although a prior case may have been resolved, the consequences of criminal accusations can have damaging effects for someone pursuing residency.
Attributes to Look for in the Best Immigration Criminal Lawyer
With so many law firms in the country, finding the best immigration criminal lawyers for your case is not always easy. If you need a good lawyer, you should ask yourself these questions:
There are many immigration lawyers in the Austin, Texas area, but if you face charges of deportable crimes, you require a skilled immigration lawyer emphasizing criminal law.
Why Hire an Austin Criminal Immigration Lawyer
So, why hire an Austin Criminal Defense and Immigration Attorney? Immigration law is a complicated area of the law that few attorneys are qualified to handle. Criminal defense attorneys are often not qualified to handle immigration cases and vice versa.
To improve your chance of a favorable outcome to your criminal charges, you want an immigration defense team to assess and advise on your case. The right law firm can represent you in court to help reduce or avoid the immigration consequences of criminal convictions.
How Much Is the Rate for Criminal Immigration Attorney?
How much does hiring a criminal immigration attorney in the United States cost? The average rate for a criminal immigration attorney depends on the attorney’s experience and the complexity and location of your case.
Criminal laws and immigration laws are not all the same, and lawyers are not one-size-fits-all. Many factors go into choosing the right lawyer for you. Contact Michael G. Murray, P.A., to schedule an initial consultation.
Criminal and Immigration Lawyer
When choosing the right criminal and immigration lawyer as a new client, you want a law firm with experience in criminal cases similar to yours. Any crimes are potentially devastating to your immigration endeavors, but some of the most common crimes include the following:
Pleading guilty to moral turpitude crimes has more serious consequences for a non-citizen than an American citizen. Since having Good Moral Character for Naturalization is one of the aspects that a would-be immigrant must prove, it is indispensable that a person accused of a crime retain the services of reputable criminal defense immigration lawyers to represent them. Otherwise, they may face removal proceedings or a loss of immigration benefits, as well as criminal conviction consequences.
Immigration Criminal Defense Attorney
How can an immigration criminal defense attorney help? With experience in multiple technical areas, a criminal immigration lawyer can offer information, advice, and advocacy when facing criminal charges. They may be able to get your charges reduced by negotiating a plea agreement to minimize the impact of the criminal charge on your immigration efforts.
The right law firm will develop a solid attorney-client relationship with you to help you get through the process with less stress and more confidence. Contact Michael G. Murray, P.A. today.
