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Voluntary Departure
Joseph McGregor & Associates are Dallas immigration lawyers that defend you and your loved ones from deportation or removal. We will help you to understand the legal process, the timeline for most deportations, and we will help identify the best ways to prevent deportation. Sometimes, however, an immigrant's options are limited, and the best alternative is Voluntary Departure.
What is Voluntary Departure?
In immigration law, Voluntary Departure is a form of removal relief that allows an immigrant to leave the country at his own expense and at a time of his own choosing. Voluntary Departure requires that the immigrant lay aside any claims to other immigration benefits like adjustment of status or Cancellation of Removal in order to not receive a final removal order.
In order to request Voluntary Departure, the immigrant may not seek any other forms of relief from deportation or removal, must concede removability, and waive any appeals.
Who qualifies for Voluntary Departure?
In order to qualify for Voluntary Departure, you must have resided in the U.S. for at least one year prior to the initiation of deportation proceedings, be a person of good moral character, you must not have committed an aggravated felony, and you must evidence an intent to depart the U.S. There are no limits as to how many times you may request Voluntary Departure as long as you obeyed your previous agreements for Voluntary Departure.
What are the benefits of Voluntary Departure?
There are two primary benefits of Voluntary Departure in an immigration proceeding:
- Timing. Most clients consider the most important aspect of Voluntary Departure to be the fact that you get to leave at your own time. At the deportation proceeding the judge will determine how long he will give you to leave the country, and you will be required to leave by that date. You will also be responsible for obtaining your own travel itinerary. Usually, judges grant the maximum amount of time the law allows, which is four months.
- Keeping your record clear. Although perhaps little benefit during the actual deportation or removal proceeding, a Voluntary Departure has the benefit of keeping a final removal order off your record.
How can Joseph McGregor help me to know if Voluntary Departure is right for me?
It is our hope that no one needs Voluntary Departure; in fact, our first concern is always to seek a way to stop deportation or removal.
Unfortunately, it is often the case that there are simply no alternatives to stop deportation, and Voluntary Departure is the only option. When clients hire us, we conduct a full investigation to determine what options are available to stop deportation. Only when no options present themselves do we advise the client to consider Voluntary Departure. Afterwards, we assist the client through the subsequent deportation or removal proceeding, and remain available to answer any and all questions until the conclusion of the immigration issues--usually when the client departs the country.
Accordingly, when clients hire Joseph McGregor & Associates they are assured that Voluntary Departure is either the only option remaining, or the best option, and that an experienced attorney will guide them through the deportation proceedings.
Why Joseph McGregor & Associates?
One thing that sets us apart is our dedication to our clients. We have found that clients want to speak with an attorney, not a secretary or paralegal. We make sure that an attorney handles your case, and that at any time you will have access to that attorney.
Service Area
Joseph McGregor & Associates Inc are Texas immigration attorneys representing immigration clients throughout the United States. Since our home base is in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, we most often cater to clients in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Garland, Plano, Richardson, Allen, DeSoto, Waxahachie, McKinney, Grand Prarie, Denton, Irving, Carrollton, Grapevine, and Rockwall.
We also service Central Texas--primarily Bell County, which includes Temple, Belton, and Killeen.
We are currently opening an office in Harlingen, Texas to service our growing clientele in Harlingen, Brownsville, McAllen, Mission, Edinburg, Raymondville, Port Isabel, South Padre, Pharr, and Los Fresnos.
Consultations
We offer a low initial consultation for $75. For our Immigration clientele, we are currently offering weekend and weeknight initial consultations. We regularly receive requests from those outside the Dallas area. Please feel free to call us so that we can arrange to speak with you.
