Green cards, work and family visas, citizenship, asylum and removal (deportation) defense. Immigration is federal law, so the rules are the same in every state.
The rules depend on your state, so the points below are set out state by state.
Lawyers whose own published profile focuses on immigration work. Each lawyer was checked on their state bar's public directory before being listed — check again before you hire, as people move firms.
Stephen Davis · Business Immigration Attorney · Huntsville
200 West Side Square, Suite 100, Huntsville, AL 35801
Business immigration attorney in Butler Snow's Huntsville office. He joined the office in February 2025, when the firm added two immigration attorneys in Huntsville.
Not necessarily — you can file with USCIS yourself. Many people get help when something has gone wrong or the stakes are high, such as a denial or a case in immigration court. If you get help, use a licensed attorney or a Department of Justice accredited representative working for a recognized non-profit organization.
Under the usual rule, five years. You must also be at least 18, have been physically present in the US for at least 30 months of those five years, and have lived for at least three months in the state or USCIS district where you apply. If you are married to a US citizen and have lived with them in marital union for three years, the period is three years. Other exceptions exist — see USCIS for the rule that fits you.
No. Immigration is federal law, so the same rules apply in every state. Applications go to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and immigration court proceedings are conducted by the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
To practise law in Alabama a lawyer must be licensed through the Alabama State Bar. You can look up any lawyer in the State Bar's public Find a Member search, and the Bar publishes its disciplinary history. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in that search before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the State Bar's Office of General Counsel.