The Reality Check Every Immigration Attorney Needs

This Week’s Immigration News Highlights

• Trump Administration Cuts Aid to Unaccompanied Undocumented Children

• Trump Pauses Immigration Application for Migrants from Latin America, Ukraine

• Three Migrants Won Lawsuit to Avoid Guantanamo Bay, Deported to Venezuela

What I Wish I Knew When I Started (as an Immigration Attorney)

Law school taught me statutes and case law, but it didn’t prepare me for the reality of immigration practice. Every day there’s constant shifts, inconsistencies, and deeply personal stakes. Here’s what I wish I knew from the start.

1. More Than a Lawyer

You’re not just an attorney. You’re a crisis manager, therapist, and sometimes a magician. Clients bring their lives to your doorstep, and you’ll guide them through hope and heartbreak.

2. The System is Arbitrary

A strong case doesn’t guarantee approval. USCIS officers and immigration judges are unpredictable, so be prepared for anything.

3. Overprepare for RFEs

Requests for Evidence (RFEs) can be irrational, often asking for submitted documents. Treat every case like the toughest adjudicator is reviewing it.

4. Timelines Are a Joke

Processing times are unreliable at best. Manage client expectations. Delays are inevitable and patience is key.

5. Wins and Losses Make No Sense

Brilliant cases get denied, and weak ones get approved. Do your best but accept that the system is unpredictable.

6. Burnout is Real

You can’t fight for clients if you’re running on empty. Set boundaries and take care of yourself.

7. The System is Rigged

The U.S. immigration system is designed to be confusing, slow, and frustrating. But if you know how to fight, advocate, and get creative with legal strategies, you can still win for your clients. Knowing the law is one thing but knowing how to work around the system’s inefficiencies is another.

You have to like to fight. Immigration law is a battlefield. The system will test your patience, push your limits, and make you question everything. But stubbornness wins the fight, at least, in my opinion. The victories change lives, and the setbacks only make you tougher. Keep pushing, get creative, and when you’re drained, recharge. Because this fight is worth it.

Dear USCIS, WTF?

Immigration attorneys are no strangers to frustration, but a few things test our patience, such as the randomness of USCIS adjudications. Some days, it feels like we’re living in an alternate reality without logic and consistency.

Inconsistent Adjudication Process

Picture this: An EB-1A petition meticulously prepared with stacks of evidence, expert letters, and an airtight argument. What happens? An RFE questioning whether a world-renowned scientist has “sustained acclaim.” Fine. We respond, doubling the evidence. DENIED. Then, we refile the exact same case, with no new evidence, before a different officer. What do you know? APPROVED. Make it make sense, USCIS.

This isn’t a one-off incident. NIWs, O-1s, and even routine employment-based cases are subject to what feels like adjudicator roulette. The same legal standard, supporting documents, and wildly different outcomes.

USCIS Customer Service: The Silent Chaos Generator

If there’s one thing worse than an arbitrary denial, it’s USCIS customer service. Clients call the 1-800 number hoping for clarity, but instead, they get half-baked answers that contradict the law and, often, reality.

Example: A client’s EAD has a typographical error. USCIS’s mistake. They call USCIS and are told their lawyer “filed it wrong” and should “just reapply.” Never mind that a service request could fix it. Instead of believing their attorney, the client panics, calls us in a rage, and demands a full refile. Apparently, an anonymous Tier 1 or 2 call center rep now outranks legal professionals.

So, What’s the Fix?

We can’t control USCIS, but we can:

1. Over-document everything: Assume an RFE is coming and make the initial filing bulletproof.

2. Appeal strategically: A denial doesn’t mean the case is unwinnable; sometimes, it just means refiling and rolling the dice again.

3. Client education is key: Teach clients to trust legal expertise over USCIS’s scripted responses.

Until USCIS stops playing roulette with our cases and gaslighting our clients, we can only keep fighting the good fight. But seriously, USCIS…WTF?

That’s it for this week.

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To make it as an immigration attorney, and honestly any career, you must be patient and always be learning from your own mistakes and the mistakes of others. I hope you can take some of the lessons I’ve learned through the years as you start your own careers in law.

Until next time, take some time to relax for the journey ahead! 🛣