Applying for a visa to the United States is a complex process for people of many nationalities. Attorneys often provide support and guidance from the preparation stage through to the end of a client’s immigration journey.
Support and guidance are typically most helpful when the attorney is fully informed. This article will look at what honesty and openness typically mean in a relationship with an attorney in the United States — and some reasons why an open flow of information could make a difference in the context of a visa application.
The client-lawyer relationship
From the very beginning, there are rules for attorneys when consulting with a prospective client. One of the most important is that, even if the client does not hire the attorney, the attorney must not use or reveal any of the information shared.
This means that clients and prospective clients alike would benefit from these rules as early as the initial consultation. Any exception to these rules typically requires the written consent of the client.
The visa application process
Most people are familiar with the two main categories of immigrant and non-immigrant visas. Within those two categories, there are many other divisions based on purposes of travel, types of sponsors and other factors.
If clients are as honest as possible with their attorneys, the attorneys would be in favorable positions to recommend an appropriate visa type. Conversely, incomplete or incorrect information could mislead a lawyer and disrupt an application process.
Attorneys do many things for immigration law clients, but their work is partly limited by the amount and quality of information that they have. A visa application could hinge upon a few details a client decides to share — details that a lawyer must keep confidential due to a strict ethical code.