<p>I'm in my third year of my undergrad and I am a Public Policy major with a concentration in Non-Profit leadership. The school I go to ranks fairly well in it, among the top thirty. I am currently interning in the Immigration Services department in the office of a well-known refugee resettlement/humanitarian non-profit relief organization. The case workers in my office are accredited representatives for doing immigration legal work and that is what I assist with. I now want to go to law school and become an immigration lawyer or an Asylum Officer for DHS. </p>
<p>Should I stay a Policy Major? My school has a Philosophy major with a concentration in pre-law. I do very well in Economics, so there could be that. My final idea is Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs, as I think that would prepare me well for dealing with immigration policies in the future. </p>
<p>Help me out! I want to know which one is the best option not only for LSATs, law school, etc but also for helping me be on track to work in immigration.</p>
<p>My GPA is currently a 3.47. I’m going to start studying for the LSAT soon as I’d like to take it next year. I plan on applying to the University of Georgia Law School, Emory University Law (though that may be out of reach because it is top 25 and a private, more expensive school) and Georgia State University School of Law.</p>
<p>Spend the rest of undergrad getting that GPA to 3.7 or better. Don’t take the LSAT until you do. Law school isn’t going anywhere, but your undergrad is. You can study for the LSAT after undergrad, but you can’t boost your GPA. I’d also look into who does immigration work in your area. Ask them to lunch and ask about their practice/see if you can intern there. My understanding of immigration work is that asylum is not a large part of it. </p>
<p>Pick the major you’re most comfortable with; the internships you’ve been doing have and will supply a lot of practical experience in immigration law. That type of experience will be particularly helpful for finding a job in that field(although finding a law job is tough for all, but that’s another story).</p>
<p>You are on the right track if you really want to work for DHS as an asylum officer. There is no educational requirement for the position, but the majority of asylum officers have law degrees and most who don’t have the JD usually have multiple graduate degrees. But even more important than the degree is some background working with refugees. In choosing your law school you should make certain that they offer course work that will be relevant to your goals. Immigration law, International Humand Rights law, and Asylum law are courses to look for. It would also help if there is an immigration law clinic that you can get involved in. Competition for the asylum officer slots if pretty fierce right now so you may have to find some work as an immigration lawyer for a year or two before you can get hired.</p>
<p>DHS also has a separate Refugee Officer corps. These are protection officers who travel overseas to refugee camps and interview refugees for resettlement in the US. So, as a young person, who is unattached, you may want to consider that option too. Refugee officers usually spend two months overseas conducting interviews and then are back in Washington, DC for two months (essentially preparing for their next overseas assignment). Once again, there is no requirement for a law degree, but the majority of refugee officers have a law degree (but a smaller majority than with the asylum officers).</p>
<p>I guess my question now, is how do I know what schools are good for immigration law? I wasn’t aware they vary like that. Do you know how I can find out what schools in Georgia are known for a good program for Immigration Law?</p>