Is it legal for an immigration lawyer to hold your green card until you pay them?

My husband has been going through his immigration process since 2005 through a lawyer...we have spend thousand's of dollars already. He just got his 10 year green card sent to the lawyers office. The lawyer called me yesterday and said they won't give it to us because we have a $700 balance left with them. They said we have to pay them $500 right now or they will hold it until we do. Is that legal for them to hold onto a government issued document that doesn't belong to them? It was supposed to come to our house and went to them instead...if it came to our house they never would be able to hold it hostage for $!!
 
Back
Top