Common Objections…
“Why should I call an immigration lawyer?. . . The Internet has a lot of information.”
Yes, it does. But you will not know which is accurate, up-to-date, how all the pieces fit together or how it relates to you. And there are important legal details for non-citizens that are outside immigration law.
“I know a guy who helps immigrants for a lot less than a lawyer.”
Yes, you probably do. But lawyers have seven years of university education, and the legal obligation to advise you competently and within the law. And if you entered the U.S. illegally then you paid a lot of money to a people smuggler to put you in legal jeopardy. If your question is important to you then you should not hesitate to pay a fee for competent answers.
“I’ll leave when they deport me.”
Yes, you will. But until then you will have spent years, perhaps decades, living in the shadows of life in the U.S. hoping for a miracle. Your children at home will grow up without you. And you will pay a people smuggler again because a lawful return after deportation is very, very difficult.
“Americans don’t like immigrants.”
Yes, sad to say, some don’t. But by far Americans are proud of their own immigrant heritage. What they dislike is widespread lawbreaking. And unless you have an immigrant visa and a green card then you are not an immigrant. In 2017 the U.S. granted 1.13 million green cards to immigrants.
“They will only turn me in to the immigration police.”
Yes, but only when the lawyer is reasonably certain that something you plan will cause death, or you will commit a crime. There are other less serious reasons. Otherwise he must keep your information confidential.