Immigration law in the US is complex and highly specialized — rarely do you see their work on TV or the impact they have on the lives of the people they interact with. But immigration attorneys handle complicated cases that range from securing visas for highly skilled professionals to helping asylum seekers fleeing persecution to aiding victims of human trafficking.
To get a sense of their not-often-publicized work, we spoke with three immigration attorneys and asked them to put together a diary of their week. (What are you doing all day, anyway?) Their words have been lightly edited for length and clarity, and occasional definitions of terms in their diaries appear in brackets.
Meet the lawyers
Mallorie Mecham
Mallorie Mecham practices in Salt Lake City, UT, at a boutique immigration firm. Her practice focuses on midsize companies and individuals seeking nonimmigrant visas, permanent residence, or citizenship.
Christina V. Paradowski
Christina V. Paradowski operates a solo practice in Coral Springs, FL. She handles family-based petitions that begin the process of helping relatives obtain lawful US status, as well as deportation defense and applications for naturalization and removal.
Corie O’Rourke
Corie O’Rourke is a founding partner of a two-person practice in the Washington, DC, area. She helps children and families with immigration matters, including Special Immigrant Juvenile status [a US immigration classification that allows undocumented children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned to apply for a Green Card], T visas for victims of human trafficking, cases involving domestic violence, and other situations where children have experienced trauma.
Monday
Mallorie
The proclamation was issued at 7 p.m. Friday. [On September 19, a presidential proclamation imposed a new $100,000 fee on certain H-1B visa holders entering the United States. An H-1B visa allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in “specialty occupations” in fields like engineering, science, medicine, and finance that require specific expertise.] My clients started texting, emailing, and calling, “Hey, what’s this going to do to us?” The information over the weekend varied from agency to agency.
By Monday morning, the dust had settled from the White House, from USCIS [US Citizenship and Immigration Services], and from Customs and Border Protection.
I sent follow-ups to clients — “Here’s what happened, here’s what we know, here’s what we don’t.”
I met with one of our managers about a pro bono project and then hopped on a mandatory team meeting about everything that had changed since that morning.
I checked in with my paralegal on some really sensitive cases — one for a Jewish company here in Utah who was bringing in a worker who needed to be Jewish, and there’s a specific visa for that — and then went up to a local university to teach an immigration class.
I usually review three or four cases a day — confirm, ask for more info, make sure a case is ready to file. Even with a great team, there’s so much that only I can do, like approve a Request for Evidence [RFE] or teach a law class. [An RFE is a formal notice from the USCIS that an immigration application is missing information or documentation.]
Christina
I was supposed to have a trial on Monday for a client — a deportation trial, scheduled as the final hearing.
The morning was essentially a wash because the trial was set for the afternoon in Miami and I had to drive about an hour to the immigration court from my office in Coral Springs. When we arrived at the courtroom, we found out that the immigration judge had scheduled a whole block of cases that overlapped with our time.
We were scheduled for three and a half hours, from 1:00 to 4:30, which is a normal allocation for a deportation trial. When I got there, the government attorney told me that she had just recently found out that the judge was scheduled to have what’s called “master calendar hearings” from 2:30 to 4:30. These are the initial, formal hearings in immigration deportation cases.
When the judge arrived, he acknowledged the conflict. There was some objection — “Hey, we have a trial scheduled” — but ultimately, the judge had to move forward with the other hearings instead.
So, our trial ended up getting continued until the end of January.
Lately, the measure of success has shifted. It used to be that the win was getting the Green Card. Now, sometimes the win is just that my client isn’t leaving in handcuffs — that they walk out of the courtroom with me. You take that as a win.
Corie
Monday mornings are a chance for me to get things ready for the week. Our firm workload is about 70% direct client representation and 30% contracting, mentoring, and training work. Most of the contracting/mentoring/training work I do is on T visas. This Monday, I’m focused primarily on writing an appeal brief for USCIS.
At midday, it’s time to give a virtual training session. About once a month, I do a 90-minute virtual training on T visas for immigration attorneys across the country. It’s a chance to connect with other practitioners and brainstorm creative legal strategies.
Monday afternoon, I went with a long-time client of mine to their naturalization interview. I’ve worked with this client for almost 10 years. She passed all the tests with flying colors. She should get her approval notice and then get scheduled for her naturalization ceremony soon after.
Tuesday
Mallorie
I met with a client about an RFE — we’ve seen a rise in those from USCIS in the Trump administration.
The rest of the day was catching up on reviews and emails — H-1B petitions, Green Card filings.
That same week we found out the administration had moved forward the stoplight for Green Cards, so we had to get as many people filed before the end of October as possible. [The US uses a “stoplight” system to indicate whether a Green Card holder can enter the country. A green light means the person is allowed to enter. A yellow light signals that the individual will undergo further review. A red light means entry is denied.]
Christina
I caught up on all of the other cases and emails that came through Monday while I was out for the trial, and even the Thursday and Friday before, when I was locked in doing final preparations for the trial that was continued.
I use this as an administrative catch-up day and work on client matters — drafting forms and documents, responding to emails.
There’s so much second-guessing now. Things I wouldn’t have questioned five years ago, I triple-guess today. The system changes, the policies change, and you have to rethink every strategy.
Corie
I’m up bright and early so I can be at the asylum office at 7:00 a.m. My client is seeking asylum based on being a gay man with HIV. He said, “This application is not just about looking for a place to live. It is about looking for peace and safety.”
Tuesdays are also my day for consultations. I did three consultations this afternoon. The first is a referral from Ayuda, a local nonprofit that provides legal, social, and language-access services to low-income immigrants in the DC area. The second is for a child who has been cared for by family friends in Virginia. The third is for an individual engaged to someone in another country.
Wednesday
Mallorie
I had prep calls every other week with two of my largest clients — we went piece by piece through every case they had questions on.
Then I met with our junior associate, whom I mentor, to review her work on requests for evidence and complex cases.
I had back-to-back client calls — smaller clients get monthly check-ins, larger ones every other week — then a kickoff call for an L-1 visa, which is an intercompany transfer. [This visa lets a company move an employee from one of its offices in another country to an office in the US.]
At 3:00, I held another call with a major client to update them on the whirlwind of the H-1B proclamation, Green Card changes, and the possibility of a government shutdown.
Christina
I typically try to schedule or keep consultations to only Wednesdays and Thursdays, because I find that it works better for me. If I let them happen throughout the week, it ends up getting a little too choppy.
So, between Wednesday and Thursday, I ended up having one, two, three, four… seven consultations.
Today, I had four consultations covering a range of immigration matters:
Obligations under the Affidavit of Support, which is signed by a US citizen or permanent resident sponsoring a family member for a Green Card.
A work visa based on extraordinary ability within a person’s field of endeavor (O-1 visa).
Deportation proceedings involving a pending Application for Asylum.
A marriage-based Green Card application — specifically, an Adjustment of Status for a US citizen with a foreign national spouse already.
Corie
Early each Wednesday morning, I meet with my personal trainer. Keeping my mental health in check is super important in this line of work. We are a small firm; it’s just me, my law partner, and our practice manager.
In the afternoon, I primarily focused on writing a Motion to Reopen to the Board of Immigration Appeals for an individual who is a survivor of human trafficking. [A motion to reopen asks the immigration court to look at a case again after a decision has already been made. It lets the judge review new facts or evidence that weren’t available before.]
Then I move on to case work that requires deep concentration like writing briefs and motions, doing research, putting together filings, and reviewing attorney work to give feedback.
Thursday
Mallorie
Thursday mornings start with a 9 a.m. team case review to make sure no one’s going to expire — meaning lose work authorization.
I had a call with accountants about an L-1 visa, then a firmwide legal strategies call where they updated us on what all the governmental changes meant.
I had back-to-back client calls in the afternoon. One of my clients, we always end up talking about Real Housewives of Salt Lake City for the last 15 minutes — it lightens the mood.
Christina
On Thursday, I had three consultations regarding:
A US citizen parent wanting to sponsor their adult child for a Green Card.
A marriage-based Green Card.
One for someone currently in the US under TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and whose employer was interested in sponsoring them for a Green Card. [TPS lets people from certain countries stay in the US legally if their home country is dealing with war, natural disasters, or other serious problems. It also allows them to work while they are in the US.]
Corie
Thursday mornings tend to be a popular time for in-person client meetings. One of my clients brings her adorable nine-month-old baby dressed like a pumpkin. Immigration work is really draining, so it’s important to find joy where I can.
On Thursday afternoons, I head to George Washington University, where I teach. I love teaching the next generation of change-makers.
Friday
Mallorie
Friday mornings, we have a billing call to make sure we’re charging clients appropriately. Immigration doesn’t work well hourly — we bill by matter [that is, for specific services, such as helping secure a certain type of visa].
Then we had a meeting about the Green Card surge — 45 to 50 people are suddenly eligible to apply in a four-week window. [This number can vary from month to month.]
My junior associate handled a call about a denial of a visa application, and then I joined her to answer a few of the harder questions.
I had another client call about some company changes, then one to fix Green Cards that prior counsel had filed kind of wonky.
And then it was time for margaritas.
Christina
Friday is a bit more administrative — checking on the overall status of clients’ cases.
I check processing times and the status of pending applications (for permanent residence, naturalization, Temporary Protected Status, petitions to remove conditions, work authorization) on the USCIS website so that I can stay on top of the current status.
Then I turn my attention to social media. One of the things I didn’t anticipate when I started my firm was how much I’d enjoy connecting with people who have zero connection to the immigration system and just explaining how it actually works.
Corie
In the morning, I accompanied a client with Withholding of Removal status to their yearly ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] check-in. Luckily, my client was released. The client and I cry happy tears after leaving. [Withholding of Removal is a form of protection in US immigration law that can stop someone from being sent back to a country where they could face danger.]
At midday, I give a 90-minute training to school social workers. After the training, I get a call from our local FBI office. They are interested in investigating a trafficking experience that a client of mine survived.
Mid-afternoon, I have a mentoring call with an immigration attorney preparing their first T visa case. After I finish up for the week, I close my laptop and go pick up my 3-year-old. My spouse, my child, and I go out to eat every Friday evening.