“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” Alexander Graham Bell
And so it is with everything we do. Why should lawyering be any different? It isn’t!
So many of our immigration clients wonder what we are preparing them for - since we submitted all (or at least most) of the forms and documents to USCIS ahead of time. “What are we going to do when we meet?” they ask. “What are we preparing for?” they wonder.
Our job is to prepare you for the onslaught of personal and legal questions you are about to face in the interview with the immigration officer.
Our job is to make sure you understand what you signed - and in some cases - remember what you signed. Often, clients have to wait for months, sometimes years, after we file documents for them before they are actually interviewed. Do you remember the meaning of “espionage” or “narcotics.” Do you understand what these words mean? If not, how can you be sure you did not engage in conduct regarding them.
Our job is to remove as many surprises as possible so you are more confident and knowledgeable about the process.
We tell you what to expect before it happens - based on our experience.
We remind you that you are under oath and remind you to tell the truth. We also make sure that you don’t talk more than you need to.
Interview preparation can be a little tedious and time-consuming, but it is so essential to both you and the attorney. You may remember things that happened but forgot to mention to your attorney. You may have to update an answer to a questions since so many months or years have passed. Maybe you had another trip outside the country or maybe there was an arrest that you did not mention. You may have misremembered a date of birth or address. Preparation allows us to clarify any issues like this so they are not an obstacle to you in this process.
The more thorough you are in preparing the client for the interview, the smoother the interview and entire immigration process will go.
I had a client comment recently that “we got lucky that everything went so smoothly” and he received a favorable result quickly. Luck may have played a part, but I think it was also all of the preparation! After all, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success" (Alexander Graham Bell).
