Best Immigration Lawyers Seattle, WA Of 2024

• Michele Carney
• Andrew T. Chan
• Janet H. Cheetham
• Robert H. Gibbs
• Ester F. Greenfield
• Kristin Kyrka
• Kevin Lederman
• Marsha T. Mavunkel
• Robert Pauw
• Keaton H. Whitten

The state of Washington is adjacent to Canada and one of the closest states to Russia, parts of Japan and other countries in eastern Asia. This makes it one of the hubs for immigration to the U.S., both documented and undocumented.

Unsurprisingly, Washington has very robust laws around immigration and immigrants’ rights. A Seattle immigration attorney best understands these laws and can help people with immigration issues navigate the federal and state immigration laws.

Who Is Covered by Immigration Laws in Seattle, WA?

State laws primarily deal with what additional rights immigrants may take advantage of. Washington immigrant laws give rights to undocumented immigrants that they are unlikely to receive in other states.

Federal laws set the policies for immigrating to the United States and who may apply for certain types of immigration. Under federal immigration laws, the Department of Homeland Security recognizes six classifications of immigrants:

• Relatives of U.S. citizens. Only immediate relatives (spouses, children, newly adopted children, etc.) qualify in this category.
• Family-sponsored. This classification includes all family members who are not immediate relatives.
• Employment-based. Immigrants with special skills who are needed by a sponsoring business and their immediate family fall into this category.
• Refugees and asylees. This includes people who are or would be persecuted if they remained in their native country.
• Diversity. This covers immigrants who come from countries where immigration to the U.S. is rare.
• Other. This is a catch-all category that includes immigrants who are admitted under special legislation.

Immigrant Rights Under Washington Immigration Laws

All immigrants, documented or not, have access to public benefits in Washington. The list of benefits that undocumented immigrants can access is more restricted than what documented immigrants can access. Undocumented immigrants can access all of the following:

• driver’s licenses
• medical coverage for pregnant people, prenatal care, cancer care and dialysis
• emergency benefits like disaster relief or emergency Medicaid
• housing assistance
• TANF benefits
• immunizations and infectious disease treatment

An experienced Seattle immigration attorney can help immigrants determine what benefits they can use based on their documentation status.

Washington Laws That Impact Immigrants

Washington state is considered a sanctuary state. This means that local authorities are prohibited from complying with voluntary immigration holds, sharing nonpublic personal data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), asking about peoples’ immigration status or depriving people of public benefits based on their immigration status.

Additionally, with some exceptions, employers in Washington are not required to use the E-Verify system to determine the immigration status of an employee before hiring them. The most notable exceptions are in Pierce County, Woodland County and Whatcom County. Local laws in the first two areas require some contractors to use E-Verify. In Whatcom County, all employers must use this system.

Filing Process for Immigration in Seattle, WA

Immigration filing is a federal process. It involves a lot of steps that can take months or even years to resolve. If the applicant makes any mistakes, they will likely be denied and may even become ineligible to file for immigration in the future. Seattle immigration attorneys understand this process and can protect their clients from making mistakes. Typically, the filing process involves the following steps.

• Sponsorship. Usually, a U.S. citizen files a petition on behalf of the applicant. Refugees, asylum seekers, diversity candidates and some others may sponsor themselves.
• First decision by USCIS. USCIS confirms that the application is valid and approves it if there is a visa available in the relevant category.
• The applicant chooses residency type. The applicant files a green card application if they are seeking permanent residency or a visa application if they are seeking temporary residency.
• Biometrics. The applicant provides the government with their fingerprints, photo and signature.
• Interview. The applicant is interviewed by a USCIS representative who confirms that the applicant wants to travel to the U.S. for legitimate reasons.
• Final decision. Based on all the evidence gathered to that point, USCIS decides whether to approve the application or deny it.

If you or someone you know is applying for immigration to the United States, hiring a Seattle immigration attorney to represent you will improve your chances that the immigration petition will be approved. Seattle immigration attorneys understand federal regulations and the approval process. They know what information will best help an applicant and when deadlines are approaching.

Furthermore, a Seattle immigration attorney is practically required if your application is denied for any reason. Appealing a denial is difficult. It often requires an in-depth knowledge of the law that only an experienced attorney is likely to have.

Finally, lawyers can assist immigrants facing deportation for any reason. While all people in the U.S. are protected by constitutional rights, like the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure, how those rights are interpreted by different immigration courts can vary.

If you or someone you are sponsoring are facing deportation, that deportation could happen quite quickly (potentially within a matter of days) if it is expedited. An experienced attorney can slow the process and make sure the immigrant gets their day in court.

Selecting the best Seattle immigration attorney for your needs requires a bit of research. Reading this guide is a good start, but you still have to choose which of these lawyers to work with. When narrowing down your choice, consider the following factors:

• Languages spoken. You will need to share a lot of information with your lawyer when applying for immigration. That is easier to do if they speak your native tongue.
• Awards earned. It isn’t always clear how dedicated a lawyer is to their profession or their focus. If they have earned awards for immigration law, that means they are usually highly devoted.
• Focus areas. Some lawyers don’t handle asylum cases, while others have a reputation for those types of cases. If you can’t tell from their bio, ask a lawyer whether they have a history of taking cases similar to yours.

Forbes Advisor considered many factors to determine the best immigration lawyers in Seattle of 2024. Its mathematical analysis considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area.

Within the model, we take into account factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:

• Legal experience
• Special licenses and certifications
• Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
• Legal thought leadership
• Education and employment background
• Scholarly lectures and writings
• Awards and honors

Forbes Advisor collects public data from a variety of sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. However, this information should not be considered comprehensive. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.

Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Bear in mind that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds but does not evaluate their personalities or their knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.

One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when going through a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns.

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