we owe a lawyer a lot of money for our immagration case we are making payments . but my wife is scared the lawyer is going to hold her visa. can she?

A lawyer is entitled to fair payment for services rendered. In most cases, a lawyer may inform you that he or she is refusing to continue to work on your case until payment is made. If that is what you mean by the lawyer holding the visa, the lawyer may certainly be within his/her rights. If you mean that the lawyer will hold onto your green cards or other US visa documents, that would be questionably ethical. I do note that if your case is in the immigration court, an attorney will continue your representation until relieved by the court.Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.