People often seek help from an immigration lawyer during an important moment in their lives. You may be trying to build a future in the United States, hoping to bring family together, or working through rules that feel complicated. A lawyer can guide you through each step, but they can only do that well when they understand your situation clearly.
A lawyer cannot guide you without understanding how the law applies to your personal history. The sections below explain the areas of your life that immigration law examines and why your lawyer needs clear information in each one.
How your entry and status affect your options
Many immigration benefits depend on how you entered the United States and whether you maintained lawful status. This is written directly into federal law. For example, the part of the Immigration and Nationality Act that covers applying for permanent residence inside the United States requires proof of a lawful admission or parole. It also limits eligibility when someone fell out of status.
Your I-94 record, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection maintains on its website at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov, shows your class of admission and the date your stay ends. This record influences whether you can extend status, change status, or apply for a green card inside the United States. A lawyer must review this information before choosing any process, because the law does not allow workarounds when the entry record is missing or the period of stay has already ended.
Why past immigration events matter under federal law
Immigration law looks closely at a person’s past actions. Certain past events can make someone ineligible to receive a benefit or may require a waiver before the government can approve the case. These events include overstays, refusals at a U.S. consulate, denied applications, or issues at a port of entry.
These rules come from the parts of the law that describe grounds of inadmissibility. They cover situations such as misrepresentation, overstays that trigger reentry bars, and entries without proper documents. When your lawyer knows your history, they can determine whether a waiver is needed and whether a certain path is allowed under the law. Without this information, they risk choosing an option that immigration officers must deny.
How criminal issues influence eligibility under the statute
Immigration law has its own way of interpreting criminal matters. A case that seems minor at the state level can still affect eligibility because federal immigration standards are different. The law lists specific criminal grounds that can make someone inadmissible or deportable. These include certain offenses involving moral turpitude and some controlled substance violations.
To apply the law correctly, a lawyer needs to know the charge, the outcome, and the state or country where it occurred. Immigration law also has a specific definition of what counts as a conviction. With full information, your lawyer can determine whether the law applies to your situation or whether you remain eligible to continue.
How family information can shape your immigration strategy
Federal immigration law allows certain family members to receive benefits linked to the main applicant. These rules appear in the sections of the law that define derivative beneficiaries and in the regulations that describe who qualifies as a dependent in temporary visa categories. Many of these benefits apply only to a spouse and unmarried children under age 21.
Your lawyer needs accurate information about your children’s ages and marital status because these details determine whether they qualify today and whether they may age out soon. Immigration processing times vary, and some categories have long waits. Planning ahead helps prevent situations where a child becomes too old to be included.
Why your lawyer must review all past and present filings
Any immigration petition filed for you in the past can influence your current options. A previously approved immigrant petition may carry a priority date that can move you forward in the green card process. At the same time, some temporary visas require applicants to show they intend to return home after their stay. A pending immigrant petition can conflict with that requirement.
These rules come from the parts of the law that define priority dates and from the standards consular officers follow when reviewing non-immigrant intent. Your lawyer needs a full record of all past filings to understand which category is safest and which filing strategy matches your goals.
Conclusion
Immigration lawyers rely on clear information because the law requires precise answers about entry, status, history, criminal matters, family relationships, and earlier filings. When your lawyer has this information, they can guide you confidently, avoid preventable problems, and help you move through the process with a plan that fits the rules.
Sources:
USCIS. https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-eligibility/adjustment-of-status
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov