Need an Immigration Lawyer in Fort Lauderdale?
South Florida is one of the most active immigration jurisdictions in the United States. The AILA South Florida Chapter is one of the largest in the country, the Miami Immigration Court (which serves Broward County removal cases) carries an enormous docket, and the private bar includes attorneys with Caribbean, Latin American, and European specialty practice. The right Fort Lauderdale firm will be a current AILA South Florida member, will know the Miami EOIR judges, and will speak the language your case needs.
We've shortlisted 10 Fort Lauderdale immigration firms whose attorneys are active members of AILA South Florida, with substantial records in family-based petitions, employment visas, asylum, and removal defense. Most consultations are paid (typically credited toward engagement) given the depth of case-strategic analysis required. Most firms offer payment plans.
How we picked these 10: We reviewed published verdicts and settlements, peer rankings (Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, Avvo, AAML, AILA), client review patterns, and bar association recognition. Firms that appeared consistently across independent sources made the list. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not write sponsored reviews. More on our methodology →
Practice focus: Family, employment, business immigration
All partners named Florida Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers' "Lawyer of the Year." Evan and Michael Shane are past presidents of AILA South Florida Chapter — exceptional credentials.
Practice focus: Family, removal defense, naturalization
Nadia Lewis is an AILA member serving Orange, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade. Member of Broward County Bar Association and Dade County Bar Association.
Practice focus: Family, naturalization, removal defense
AILA and Florida Bar member with long-tenured Broward immigration practice. Personalized small-volume practice.
Practice focus: Employment, family, business immigration
AILA member with substantial South Florida employment-immigration practice. Strong on H-1B, L-1, and EB-2/3 cases for South Florida tech and corporate clients.
Practice focus: Employment, EB-5 investment, family
AILA, ABA, NYSBA, and NYCLA member. Multi-state firm with substantial South Florida volume — particularly capable on employment and EB-5 investor cases.
Practice focus: Family, removal defense, asylum
South Florida Bar AILA member with substantial Broward County practice. Bilingual Spanish/English. Strong family-based and removal-defense record.
Practice focus: Family, employment, naturalization, asylum
Long-established Fort Lauderdale immigration boutique with AILA membership and decades of South Florida practice. Trusted referral source within the Broward immigration bar.
Practice focus: Removal defense, asylum, family
AILA-member boutique focused on removal defense and asylum — particularly strong on Cuban and Venezuelan cases. Bilingual Spanish/English.
Practice focus: Family, business, removal defense
Multi-attorney South Florida AILA firm. Free initial consultation in many matter types — useful when budget is tight.
Practice focus: Family, employment, EB-5, citizenship
Weston-based Broward AILA member firm with substantial volume. Strong on family-based green cards, naturalization, and EB-5 investor cases.
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Family-based green cards through a U.S. citizen spouse typically take 12 to 18 months. Employment-based green cards (EB-2/EB-3) run 1 to 6+ years depending on country of origin. Asylum applications take 6 months to several years. Miami Immigration Court removal-defense cases run 12 to 36+ months. Naturalization (N-400) currently runs 8 to 14 months. Your firm will set realistic expectations at the consultation — and will spot quickly whether your case has any complicating factors (criminal record, prior denials, status violations) that change the timeline.
Fort Lauderdale immigration firms typically charge flat fees: $2,500–$5,000 for an adjustment-of-status family green card; $1,500–$2,500 for an N-400 naturalization; $5,000–$15,000 for removal-defense representation; $7,500+ for asylum. Government filing fees are separate (USCIS fees range from $130 to $4,000+ per application). Most firms accept payment plans. Hourly billing is rare in immigration but appears in business-immigration matters.
Federal — but Miami EOIR matters. Immigration law is entirely federal, but South Florida removal cases run through the Miami Immigration Court. Miami judges have particular grant-rate patterns for asylum, particular scheduling preferences, and particular credibility-finding tendencies that experienced AILA members will know.
USCIS — Hialeah and Miami field offices. Family-based petitions, naturalization, and adjustment cases for Broward residents are typically interviewed at the USCIS field offices in Hialeah or Miami. Wait times track national patterns. Local attorneys know current local-office practice.
Notario fraud is rampant in South Florida. Florida has more notario-fraud cases than almost any other state. Notarios, immigration consultants, and "document preparers" cannot give legal advice. Many Broward enforcement actions arise from bad filings done by non-lawyers. Hire a licensed AILA-member attorney only.
Criminal record matters — a lot. Florida criminal convictions can trigger removal or bar relief. South Florida prosecutors and immigration courts coordinate closely. If you have any criminal history, your immigration attorney needs the full record before any filing.
The legal directories you find on Google list thousands of Fort Lauderdale immigration firms. Most are competent. A few are problematic. The patterns to avoid:
Guaranteed outcomes. No ethical attorney can guarantee a result. If a firm promises a specific recovery, dismissal, or approval, walk away.
The disappearing partner. You meet a senior attorney at intake, then never speak to them again. The case is handled by an unsupervised junior or a paralegal. Ask in writing who will be your day-to-day attorney.
Pressure to sign immediately. Reputable firms give you the engagement letter in writing, time to read it, and the option to take it home. High-pressure intake is almost always a sign of a volume mill, not a craftsperson's practice.
No verifiable track record. The firm should be able to point to verdicts, settlements, peer rankings, or bar-association recognition. “We've helped thousands of clients” is marketing copy. Specific numbers, named cases, and third-party rankings are evidence.
Vague fee terms. “Don't worry about cost” is a red flag. Every legitimate Fort Lauderdale lawyer will give you a written engagement letter with the fee structure, what is covered, what triggers extra charges, and what happens if you fire them.
Most Fort Lauderdale firms on this list offer a free initial consultation. Use it. Bring a list of questions and write down the answers. Compare across at least two firms before you sign.
An adjustment-of-status case for a U.S. citizen spouse typically takes 12 to 18 months. Consular processing (spouse abroad) runs 12 to 24+ months. Cuban Adjustment Act cases follow different rules.
Usually yes, after USCIS issues an Employment Authorization Document — typically 4 to 6 months after filing the I-485 adjustment.
Representation in deportation proceedings before the Miami Immigration Court. Defenses include cancellation of removal, asylum, withholding of removal, adjustment of status, and U-visas. Most removal cases benefit substantially from experienced AILA counsel.
You may qualify if you fear persecution in your home country based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Application generally must be filed within one year of arrival. Cuban, Venezuelan, and Haitian cases are common in Broward.
It depends on the conviction details and the relief you're seeking. Some convictions are deportable; some bar naturalization for a period; some have minimal immigration effect. Always disclose the conviction before any filing.
No — only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives can give immigration advice. South Florida notario fraud has caused thousands of immigration disasters. Walk away if a non-lawyer offers to file your case.
One last thing. Choosing a lawyer is personal. Read the reviews. Call two or three firms before you sign. Ask each one: How many cases like mine have you handled in the last three years? The answer tells you everything. — The LawFirmSquare team