Email me your immigration query or a topic you would like us to cover today: Kieran@ipcboston.org

Boston immigration attorney suspended
A recent report in the Boston Globe highlighted the suspension of Massachusetts based John K. Dvorak’s law license. Dvorak was suspended for 18 months, following federal sanctions in March for failing to provide accurate information in immigrants’ visa applications.

Finding an attorney
People need to be careful when hiring a professional in any field of work. We encourage readers to get references from people and immigrant support organizations on attorneys they are considering hiring for an immigration application or petition.
The practice of immigration law has grown in recent decades and a lot of firms are now filing petitions under the different categories. We have even seen cases where Irish immigrants were scammed by individuals holding themselves out as attorneys. In some cases, individuals have paid attorneys thousands of dollars only to receive a notice from US CIS that their petition has been rejected.
While a consumer in certain situations may take the attorney before the state bar for censure and/or sue for malpractice, this can be a difficult process in particular for individuals with little funds and/or someone awaiting immigration status.
If you are hiring an attorney to do an immigration related case, hire an attorney specializing in immigration law. The same can be said if you are facing a criminal charge: you would be advised to find an attorney specializing in criminal law. Because of changes in immigration laws back in 1996, some criminal attorneys are learning more about immigration law, and vice versa.
Find out if the attorney you are about to hire is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). The Irish Apostolate USA has Irish immigrant support centers in different cities across the USA. A list of our centers can be viewed at www.ipcboston.org

US citizenship interviews
This week I heard from someone we helped on his US citizenship application at a recent legal clinic. He has now been called for his citizenship interview in June. We remind people who are filing applications for US citizenship to have our attorneys review the paperwork ahead of time at our monthly clinic. We also prepare people for their citizenship interviews at our clinics.

Legal clinic
Our next clinic is on Tuesday June 5, at 630 PM at the Banshee, 934 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester. Our clinic attorneys Dan Harrington and Chris Lavery are among leading experts in the field of immigration, naturalization and removal law, and practice exclusively on immigration matters each week before the US Citizenship and Immigration Service in Boston. Both have won awards for their work in the Irish community and we are very grateful for the commitment to public service and Irish immigrants over the years.