What You Need to Know About Practicing Immigration Law During COVID-19
Immigration has changed greatly due to COVID-19 and will likely continue changing over the coming year. Read this post to stay up-to-date with all the most recent changes!
  • legal tech
  • immigration
Meredith Boe
Published on Nov 24, 2020

 

In the time of COVID-19, immigration attorneys have to ensure that they’re keeping up on changing regulations, but also working to keep clients as safe and supported as possible. How has immigration changed, and what does it mean for your law firm? Here’s what you need to know as we round out 2020.

 

 

What has changed in immigration during COVID-19?

Immigration offices around the country are being bombarded with applications and cases at a time when they may be closed or remote. This is causing delays in processing these applications as well as court hearings.

 

Further complicating matters are travel restrictions which began in March 2020 to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Suspensions were placed on some visa services in other countries and immigration-related appointments were canceled regularly. Over the summer, more applications were being processed again but delays are still ongoing to make up for the lost time.

 

For immigration attorneys, these challenges make it harder to serve clients and stay on top of changing regulations and suspensions.

 

Immigrants and those waiting to enter the country are also struggling to deal with COVID-19 cases. The ABA reported that, as of November 16, 2020, over 7,000 people who were or are being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had tested positive for the coronavirus.

 

 

Why legal software is important for immigration

During COVID-19, it’s crucial that you use tools that live on the cloud when managing your immigration cases. You and your clients need to access case information from anywhere, since work as we know it has gone virtual.

 

To keep your practice moving and to continue to help immigration clients in need, use web-based software where you can handle data entry, client intake, and case management all in one place. Make sure you offer virtual communication options for your clients to keep everyone safe.

 

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we have to be ready to pivot at any moment, and part of creating a more modern practice is using the latest tools and applications to better serve your community.

 

 

Using NextChapter for your immigration practice

NextChapter is a legal immigration software for attorneys. We help you run your practice from wherever you’re working these days. Streamline data entry, simplify processes, and store case information in one application. Moving through the software, you can prepare the Adjustment of Status and handle family-based immigration, and employment-based immigration cases.

 

Being an immigration attorney during COVID-19 is challenging, but we can help. Sign up for NextChapter and keep supporting your immigration clients during the pandemic.