Looking for a Wisconsin immigration lawyer who knows how cases actually move through USCIS Milwaukee, the Chicago Immigration Court, and ICE’s Chicago Field Office? Francis Law Center represents clients across Wisconsin — Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine, Wisconsin Dells, Appleton, Waukesha, Eau Claire, Janesville, and every community in between — in family-based immigration, asylum and humanitarian visas, and removal defense. Our team is led by Dr. Jae Francis, an immigration attorney licensed before USCIS, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the federal courts — which means we can handle your case from the first filing through a Chicago courtroom if it ever gets there.
| Key Takeaways Francis Law Center represents Wisconsin residents statewide in family immigration, asylum and humanitarian visas, and removal (deportation) defense. Our Madison office (608-573-8491) serves Dane County and southern Wisconsin, while clients across the state meet with Dr. Jae Francis by Zoom. Wisconsin removal cases are almost always docketed at the Chicago Immigration Court (EOIR) — the same court where our Chicago-based attorneys appear daily. Family-based green card interviews for most of Wisconsin are held at the USCIS Milwaukee Field Office. Book a paid consultation with Dr. Jae Francis or call 866-868-1596 for a free case evaluation with our intake team. |
Do You Need a Wisconsin Immigration Lawyer?
If you live in Wisconsin and you are applying for a green card, citizenship, asylum, a U visa, VAWA relief, TPS, or a work permit — or if ICE has placed you in removal proceedings — you should work with an immigration attorney who handles the specific federal offices that decide Wisconsin cases. Unlike family law or criminal defense, immigration is entirely federal: you are not filing with the Wisconsin Department of Justice or a Dane County court. Your case goes to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). Picking the right lawyer means picking one who appears in front of those exact offices — and, because of how EOIR is organized, that often means a lawyer who knows Chicago.
Which Wisconsin Cities Does Francis Law Center Serve?
We serve clients anywhere in Wisconsin. Because immigration is federal and the bulk of case work is filed by mail, e-filed through myUSCIS, or handled at hearings in Chicago, you do not need a lawyer in your ZIP code — you need one who knows the system. Clients commonly reach us from:
- Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Allis, and the Milwaukee metro
- Madison, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, and the rest of Dane County
- Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, and the Fox Valley
- Kenosha and Racine — close to the Illinois border and the Chicago Immigration Court
- Waukesha, Brookfield, and Menomonee Falls
- Wisconsin Dells, Lake Delton, Baraboo, Reedsburg, Sauk City, Prairie du Sac, and Spring Green — Sauk County and the surrounding Dells area, including hospitality-industry workers and families
- Eau Claire, La Crosse, Wausau, and the rest of western and northern Wisconsin
Our Madison office (608-573-8491) is available for in-person meetings in southern Wisconsin, and our Chicago and Schaumburg offices handle hearings and filings for clients statewide. Every client — regardless of city — has the option to meet Dr. Jae Francis by Zoom.
What Immigration Services Do You Offer in Wisconsin?
Francis Law Center concentrates on three practice areas. We do not take H-1B, L-1, O-1, EB-5, or investor visa matters — which means when you hire us, you get attorneys who do immigration family, humanitarian, and defense work every single day.
Family Immigration & Citizenship in Wisconsin
Most Wisconsin clients come to us through family. We handle marriage-based green cards (Forms I-130 and I-485), fiancé(e) visas (K-1), parent and sibling petitions, adjustment of status, removing conditions on a green card (Form I-751), and naturalization (Form N-400). Most family green card interviews for clients living in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, and the Fox Valley are held at the USCIS Milwaukee Field Office at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 850, Milwaukee, WI 53203. We prepare you for that interview the same way we would for one in Chicago.
Asylum & Humanitarian Visas in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is home to large refugee and humanitarian-visa communities — including Hmong families in Wausau, Green Bay, and La Crosse, and survivors of violence in Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha. We file affirmative asylum applications under INA § 208 (Form I-589), defensive asylum in Chicago Immigration Court, U visas for victims of qualifying crimes, T visas for trafficking survivors, VAWA self-petitions for survivors of domestic violence, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) for children abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent. SIJS is a two-step case: we first obtain a Wisconsin circuit court predicate order (typically a CHIPS, guardianship, or custody finding) and then file Form I-360 with USCIS — we coordinate with Wisconsin state-court counsel to finish both pieces before the child ages out. Because asylum is our core humanitarian practice area, we can often file an I-589 and a work permit (I-765) within weeks of your initial retainer.
Removal (Deportation) Defense in Wisconsin
If you received a Notice to Appear (NTA), were detained by ICE, or missed a hearing and received an in absentia order, time matters. Wisconsin residents in removal proceedings are docketed at the Chicago Immigration Court. We file motions to reopen, immigration bond motions, motions to change venue (so a Wisconsin client does not have to travel to Chicago for every hearing), cancellation of removal, waivers, defensive asylum, Form I-246 stays of removal filed with ICE ERO to pause a final removal order while another remedy is pursued, prosecutorial discretion requests, and appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (which hears Wisconsin immigration appeals).
Why Are Wisconsin Immigration Cases Heard in Chicago?
There is no immigration court in Wisconsin. EOIR operates only a limited number of immigration courts nationwide, and the Chicago Immigration Court (located at 55 E. Monroe Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60603) has jurisdiction over removal proceedings for residents of Wisconsin, Indiana, Wyoming, and parts of other states. That means:
- If ICE issues you an NTA in Milwaukee, Madison, or anywhere in Wisconsin, your Master Calendar and Individual hearings will be scheduled in Chicago (or on a Chicago-based webex docket).
- Appeals from Wisconsin cases go to the BIA in Falls Church, Virginia, then to the Seventh Circuit in Chicago.
- ICE enforcement for Wisconsin is run out of the Chicago Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), which also maintains a Milwaukee ERO sub-office at 310 E. Knapp Street for check-ins and administrative processing.
Francis Law Center is physically headquartered in Chicago — which means when your Wisconsin case moves from USCIS to immigration court, your lawyer is already a five-minute walk from the courthouse. See our Chicago office page for directions.
What Happens If You or a Loved One Is Detained by ICE in Wisconsin?
ICE holds Wisconsin detainees at a handful of facilities. The two most common are the Dodge Detention Facility in Juneau, Wisconsin, and the Kenosha County Detention Center in Kenosha. Some detainees are also transferred to Broadview, Illinois for processing or to facilities out of state. If a family member is detained:
- Do not sign anything — especially not a stipulated removal order or a voluntary departure form — until you speak to a lawyer.
- Locate the person using the ICE Online Detainee Locator.
- Call us at 866-868-1596. Bond hearings at the Chicago Immigration Court move fast, and the earlier we file a Form EOIR-28 (Notice of Entry of Appearance) and a bond motion, the faster your family member can come home.
Where Will My USCIS Interview or Biometrics Appointment Be Held?
For most family-based green cards and naturalization cases, USCIS schedules:
- Biometrics (fingerprints) at the USCIS Application Support Center (ASC) in Waukesha or Milwaukee.
- Green card interviews at the USCIS Milwaukee Field Office at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 850, Milwaukee, WI 53203.
- Naturalization interviews and oath ceremonies at the same Milwaukee field office.
- Affirmative asylum interviews for Wisconsin applicants at 517 E. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 182, Milwaukee — a circuit-ride interview location used by the USCIS Chicago Asylum Office so WI asylum seekers do not have to travel to Illinois.
We mock-interview every client before their appointment and, when USCIS allows it, an attorney attends the interview in person or by video.
Has USCIS Stalled Your Wisconsin Case? Mandamus Lawsuits Explained
If your N-400, I-485, or I-130 has been pending well past published USCIS processing times — sometimes years — you may have a remedy: a writ of mandamus filed in federal district court under 28 U.S.C. § 1361. A mandamus lawsuit does not ask the court to grant your benefit; it asks the court to order USCIS to decide your case. For Wisconsin residents, mandamus actions are typically filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (Milwaukee) or the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison). Most mandamus cases settle within weeks of filing because USCIS would rather adjudicate the application than defend the delay. We screen every long-pending case to see whether mandamus is the right tool — and we do not recommend it when a regular case-status inquiry, a USCIS Service Request, or congressional outreach will solve the problem faster and cheaper.
How Much Does a Wisconsin Immigration Lawyer Cost?
Francis Law Center uses flat fees for almost every case — no hourly billing, no hidden costs. Typical ranges (subject to your facts and USCIS filing fees, which are set by the federal government and listed on the USCIS fee schedule):
- Marriage-based green card (I-130 + I-485): a single flat fee that includes USCIS response-letter work.
- Naturalization (N-400): flat fee, including interview prep.
- Affirmative asylum (I-589): flat fee up to the asylum interview; defensive asylum is priced separately.
- Removal defense / bond: flat fees set at each stage — Master, Individual, BIA appeal.
A paid consultation with Dr. Jae Francis is the fastest way to get a real number for your case. A free case evaluation with our intake team (866-868-1596) is the right first step if you are still deciding whether to hire a lawyer at all.
| Free Case Evaluation Speak with our intake team about your Wisconsin case. No attorney fee to get started. Call 866-868-1596 | Book a Consultation with Dr. Jae Francis One-on-one strategy session by Zoom — anywhere in Wisconsin. Schedule on Calendly |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hire a Wisconsin immigration lawyer who is not physically in my city?
Yes. Immigration is federal law, and lawyers licensed anywhere in the United States can represent you before USCIS, ICE, and EOIR. What matters is that your attorney is admitted to at least one state bar in good standing and regularly practices before the offices that will decide your case. Dr. Jae Francis is admitted in Wisconsin and represents Wisconsin clients in Chicago Immigration Court and before USCIS Milwaukee daily.
Do I need to travel to Chicago for my immigration court hearing?
In many cases, yes — Master Calendar and Individual hearings for Wisconsin residents are docketed at the Chicago Immigration Court. Some hearings are held by webex (video). Your attorney will tell you in advance.
What is the difference between affirmative and defensive asylum in Wisconsin?
Affirmative asylum means you file an I-589 before being placed in removal proceedings — the Chicago Asylum Office decides it at a non-adversarial interview. Defensive asylum means you raise asylum as a defense in Chicago Immigration Court after ICE issues a Notice to Appear. The evidence is similar; the procedure is different. We explain both on our asylum attorney service page.
How long does a marriage-based green card take for a Wisconsin couple?
For U.S. citizen spouses filing in Wisconsin, concurrent I-130 and I-485 filings currently resolve in roughly 3 to 8 months, depending on USCIS Milwaukee’s interview schedule. Check the USCIS case processing times tool for current estimates.
What happens if I miss my hearing at the Chicago Immigration Court?
Missing a hearing typically triggers an in absentia removal order. You may be able to file a motion to reopen under INA § 240(b)(5)(C) if you had exceptional circumstances or never received proper notice. Call us immediately — the deadline can be as short as 180 days.
Does Francis Law Center offer services in Spanish?
Yes. Every core service page on our site has a Spanish version. See our Spanish-language Wisconsin immigration page (abogado de inmigración en Wisconsin) or call 866-868-1596 and ask for a Spanish-speaking intake specialist.
I was detained at the Dodge County jail in Juneau, WI — can you help?
Yes. We regularly file bond motions and EOIR-28 appearances for clients held at the Dodge Detention Facility. Bond hearings are held at the Chicago Immigration Court. Call 866-868-1596 — bond cases are time-sensitive.
What should I bring to my consultation with Dr. Jae Francis?
Bring any USCIS receipt notices (Form I-797), NTAs, court hearing notices, prior denials, your passport, any criminal records, and a short written timeline of your immigration history. If you do not have all of these, come anyway — we work with what you have.
Disclaimer: The information on this page is general legal information about U.S. immigration law and Wisconsin-based practice, not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this page, submitting a contact form, or calling our intake team. Deadlines, eligibility, and strategy depend on your individual facts — speak with a licensed immigration attorney before making any decisions.
