Lawyer or No Lawyer

[pattilou47 0]

Has anyone here actually gone through this process without a lawyer and had success ?

Im brand new here, any help is appreciated

Thanks a bunch !!

[KarenCee 3]

Welcome to VJ!

The majority of us on here did just fine without a lawyer. IF your case has complicities, then a lawyer might be needed. My husband and I did the K1 without a lawyer and had no problems. We are now in AOS and filed it without the "help" of a lawyer.

Best wishes!

[~Chad~ 0]

Welcome to VJ,

Like karen stated, if you have a simple case, dont waste your money on a lawyer. Everything you need to know is on this site.

[s-luvs-k 0]

not all the way through yet but, as long as you read a lot on this website you should be fine without one. We are waiting for the interview for my fiancee I'll tell you after it whether it was a good idea or not.

[Teddy406 0]

Has anyone here actually gone through this process without a lawyer and had success ?

Im brand new here, any help is appreciated

Thanks a bunch !!

Yeah, I think most of us have/are! I was the same, it seemed like a LOAD of legal stuff best handled by a lawyer..but unless you have any skeletons in your or your fianc(é)e's closet, the FAQs, GUIDES and members of the forums are here for you.

I've had times when I've made simple things hard and people here have been great at giving you sound advice based on their experiences.

Peace,

Teddy

[Dan J 277]

Even with a lawyer, its important to understand the process for yourself (Its long and involves alot of paperwork and waiting). If you do choose a lawyer, make sure he or she is an immigration lawyer that has handled K-1 cases before. A lawyer will not make the process go any faster, all applications go through the same queue.

[aussiewench 9]

Whilst sites such as this offer great resources and experiences in order to do this yourself, a consult with a competent immigration attorney may not go astray. We do not always know the issues that may cause a delay or problems with our case down the track, so at least a consult may uncover any of these possible issues, which in turn may take away any possible heartache later when things go amiss and a petition is sent back for revocation.

There are many that have navigated this visa/immigration process without any major problems, but there are also those that perhaps would of faired better had they at least gotten some legal counsel to begin with.

All the best to you

[JoeMama 0]

I found it quite simple to just do the K-1 myself without a lawyer. If no complicating matters exist, no use for a lawyer. You're still having to do all the same paperwork as you would you have gather and fill out and give to a lawyer. The more hands that involve themselves in your paperwork, the more likely errors will occur. This site and the knowledged people here are great at helping. Be sure to read and read to familiarize yourself with everything and you will see for yourself it is not difficult to do. But you have to stay ontop of the process. The difference is you mailing the completed paperwork yourself and giving it to a lawyer to send for you. I think it cost me about $12 to send all the required paperwork myself (excluding the $170 I-129F fee). A lawyer wanted to charge me $1500 to do the same thing. Hell of a price for a stamp!

[Peil 1]

I found it quite simple to just do the K-1 myself without a lawyer. If no complicating matters exist, no use for a lawyer. You're still having to do all the same paperwork as you would you have gather and fill out and give to a lawyer. The more hands that involve themselves in your paperwork, the more likely errors will occur. This site and the knowledged people here are great at helping. Be sure to read and read to familiarize yourself with everything and you will see for yourself it is not difficult to do. But you have to stay ontop of the process. The difference is you mailing the completed paperwork yourself and giving it to a lawyer to send for you. I think it cost me about $12 to send all the required paperwork myself (excluding the $170 I-129F fee). A lawyer wanted to charge me $1500 to do the same thing. Hell of a price for a stamp!

I have to agree with this guy. You still have to do all the legwork yourself with a lawyer. Basically a Lawyer is a 1500 dollar stamp. This site gives you all the help you need.

[fozzie 41]

we used a lawyer but honestly don't think it was necessary. We did it so that we wouldn't have the stress of worrying if it was done correctly. If i were to do it again i would go it alone.

[~Chad~ 0]

I found it quite simple to just do the K-1 myself without a lawyer. If no complicating matters exist, no use for a lawyer. You're still having to do all the same paperwork as you would you have gather and fill out and give to a lawyer. The more hands that involve themselves in your paperwork, the more likely errors will occur. This site and the knowledged people here are great at helping. Be sure to read and read to familiarize yourself with everything and you will see for yourself it is not difficult to do. But you have to stay ontop of the process. The difference is you mailing the completed paperwork yourself and giving it to a lawyer to send for you. I think it cost me about $12 to send all the required paperwork myself (excluding the $170 I-129F fee). A lawyer wanted to charge me $1500 to do the same thing. Hell of a price for a stamp!

I have to agree with this guy. You still have to do all the legwork yourself with a lawyer. Basically a Lawyer is a 1500 dollar stamp. This site gives you all the help you need.

Yep, that ole' saying "Knowledge is Power" definitely applies to this situation. A lawyer has alot of other cases and alot of other things going on. If you do it yourself, learn the process yourself, etc, you can devote all the time you need to it. Interviewing a lawyer--if you hire one-- is probably the most important role. Not only do you want an immagration lawyer, but you want one with plenty experience.

[tonyeck 0]

Some immigration lawyers scare me. Some of the accounts I have read on this site alone put me off getting one. We MUCH prefere doing it on our own

Edited March 3, 2007 by tonyeck

[joeyjoey 1]

Has anyone here actually gone through this process without a lawyer and had success ?

Im brand new here, any help is appreciated

Thanks a bunch !!

We did not use a Lawyer. Interview is March 13 at 8am! You probably do not need a Lawyer unless you have some serious legal issues in your past. The forms are simple, sometimes a little confusing. VJ gives 24/7 support, far more than you'd ever get from a Lawyer. But the Lawyer will take your money faster than VJ!

Edited March 3, 2007 by joeyjoey

[pattilou47 0]

I wanted to THANK EVERYONE who responded to me !!

[antda 13]

Hi Pattilou47,

Good luck on your immigration journey! Yes, I think that it is a good idea to hire a lawyer, regardless of the situation, as you never know what might happen during the immigration process. Believe me, with something as important as immigration, hiring a lawyer is a wise investment! As well, if there are any complicated issues, or you make mistakes along the way, then the lawyer can help you out with the legal paperwork to make things easier paper-wise and time-wise. Also, the lawyer might be help you with the interview process, by attending the interview with you if need be.

For me, I did hire a lawyer for my situation, and I know it definately helped. If you need a recommendation for a good immigration lawyer, feel free to PM me and I'll be glad to give you more info about the lawyer we hired.

Hope this helps.

Ant

Has anyone here actually gone through this process without a lawyer and had success ?

Im brand new here, any help is appreciated

Thanks a bunch !!