Hire an Immigration Attorney if You Have Received a Notice to Appear
You need to hire an immigration attorney immediately if you have received a notice to appear (NTA) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), because an NTA is fundamentally a notice to you that you are removable, or deportable, from the United States. It is important to understand that an NTA is not a removal order; rather, it is an opportunity for you to appear in Immigration Court and present a defense in front of an immigration judge. However, to do so without having a seasoned immigration lawyer representing your best interests is certainly not a wise move. Many people who receive an NTA immediately become afraid that the government will remove them without trial and without due process. However, this is not the case, as the Department of Homeland Security is simply letting you know that you are removable based on their allegations, which are in the actual letter.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN NTA
The very first step you need to take if you receive a notice to appear is to hire a competent immigration attorney immediately. As your immigration attorney, we will look at possible methods to dispute the allegations being made by the Department of Homeland Security and seek to find ways for you to keep your current status. Even if we are unable to dispute the allegations being made by DHS, we will still try to find a way to avoid removal and allow you to legally stay in the United States despite the allegations and attempt by DHS to have you removed. As a side note, it is important to understand that if you are in the country illegally, there’s a good chance that your status is considered deportable, and this is something we will have to fight to prevent. If in the unlikely scenario that we are unable to maintain your status or allow you to remain in the United States, we will want to find ways to reduce the consequences of being deported.
WHY PEOPLE ARE REQUIRED TO APPEAR
As an immigration attorney, one of the most common reasons we find that the DHS wants to remove a person is because of a criminal conviction and an unauthorized presence in the United States. It is important to have your immigration attorney look at the NTA, studying it in close detail to find out if there are any errors in the allegations that can be pointed out to the judge as soon as possible. In addition, your immigration attorney will want to analyze the difference aspects of your case for possible defenses.
There are a variety of statutes that can be used to help you waive the deportation and assist with your continued stay in the United States. Some of these statutes include:
- If you have been in the United States for at least 10 years and have significant family ties.
- If you have a spouse, children, or parents who are legal citizens of the United States, you may be able to apply for a visa based on your relationship to those individuals.
One of the strongest arguments that we can make as your immigration attorney is that your loved ones who are legal U.S. citizens could suffer undue hardship because of your forced removal from the country. To discuss this and your case in further detail, call and schedule a consultation today.