移民法的实践涵盖了广泛的法律环境，从商业移民法（其中律师代表企图雇用外国出生的工人的公司）到驱逐出境辩护，其中包括代表被联邦政府拘留的个人，以寻求释放羁押和释放的释放。移民律师在大小企业，非营利机构和政府中执业。移民法通常可以分为两个大领域–行政或平权实践和驱逐出境辩护。
The practice of immigration law encompasses a broad range of legal environments, from business immigration law in which lawyers represent corporations seeking to employ foreign born workers to deportation defense which includes representing individuals detained by the federal government seeking release from detention and relief from removal. Immigration lawyers practice in large and small firms, non-profit agencies and government.<br><br>Immigration law can generally be divided into two large spheres administrative or affirmative practice and deportation defense. Administrative practice involves petitioning the U.S. government to allow a person to migrate to the U.S. on an immigrant or non-immigrant visa or as a refugee. This practice can be further broken down into business immigration, family based immigration and humanitarian based immigration. Deportation defense involves more classic litigation including interviewing and counseling clients, motions practice, legal brief writing, preparing lay and expert witnesses, oral arguments, and appellate practice. Given the high rates of immigration detention and the defensive posture, deportation defense is most like criminal defense in its practice.