Why you need lawyers for immigration matters
1. Nuances of legislation
Different countries have different approaches to immigration and immigrants. There are no uniform requirements for relocators, uniform tariffs, or uniform rules. Moreover, these requirements and rules may be scattered across a large number of subordinate acts or depend on certain nuances that can easily be overlooked. Incorrect assessment of the criteria can lead to unnecessary expenses and even refusal to obtain a visa or residence permit.
For example, in Portugal, migration is regulated by one basic law and dozens of subordinate acts (decrees, MNE/AIMA portarias, instructions), with major amendments to them occurring every 2–4 years (2007, 2012–2015, 2020–2023, 2025), plus specific changes and clarifications are issued annually. The situation is similar in Cyprus, for example, where there are two key laws and several regulations, plus policies/decisions of the Council of Ministers, i.e., also “dozens” of applicable norms and clarifications. And although they do not change as often, Cypriot changes tend to tighten requirements for migrants.
2. Involvement of a large number of people in the process
To obtain residence permits, you often have to deal with a large number of people, from officials, without whom the migration process is impossible in principle, to bank employees, translators, notaries, and even lawyers. Many of them may not speak your language. An experienced intermediary will help you not only with paperwork, but also with communicating with all the necessary people.
On average, throughout the entire process, you will need to talk to and obtain the necessary documents from 10-17 people, including officials, bank employees, and notaries. However, this number may be even higher, depending on the size of your family and the issues arisen. And that's not counting the documents you need to get in your home country too. Keep in mind that not getting a document at any of these stages can mess up the whole migration process.
3. A more accurate estimation of the expected costs
It's way easier to figure out the total cost if you've done something like this before. An experienced specialist will immediately inform you of the cost of a particular action at all stages of the process, and you will not find yourself in a situation where you planned to spend one amount, but in the end did not take into account certain expenses and ended up spending more.
4. Professionalism
It is always difficult to do something for the first time. And if you are considering migration, it is unlikely that you do it often. Lack of experience can lead to mistakes—incorrectly filled out documents, missing certificates, translations, or other confirmations, delays in certain actions, etc. can cost you not only money, but also the very possibility of obtaining a residence permit.
According to statistics, errors in documents are the biggest reason for residents’ permit refusals (up to 35%).
5. Reduced effort
Even if you have the energy at the initial stage, the migration process is long and sometimes very complicated. A professional helps you avoid endless queues, repeat visits, and paperwork, especially in the event of an error.
In particular, due to the accumulated backlog, the queue for obtaining a Portuguese “golden visa” has stretched up to 3 years, and the visa processing time itself varies from several months to several years. Therefore, any mistake in such a lengthy process can prolong it even further.
6. Reduced risk of fraud
Companies or individuals who have been involved in the migration process for a long time have built up a reputation and connections that they value. It can be difficult to assess on your own how much you can trust a particular translator or other person involved in the process, whether you were legally required to provide additional documents, and so on. All of this can greatly affect both the amount of money spent and the migration process itself.
For example, in 2020, journalists in Cyprus uncovered a scheme for illegally issuing investors’ residence permit or “golden passports.” As a result, by May 2025, 304 people had lost their citizenship, including investors and their families, among them such well-known figures as Joe Low (involved in the 1MDB scandal). This is because it is easier for intermediaries, whose sole purpose is to make money regardless of the client's interests, to forge documents than to seek legal grounds for obtaining a residence permit. That is why it is important to work with professionals who care about the interests of their clients first and foremost, as well as their own reputation — after all, it is the migrant and their family who suffer the most in such cases.
Authors: Yaroslavna Zadesenskaya, Aleksei Molchanov.
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