is attorney needed?

[rebeccajo 14]

For any of us here to tell someone not to consult an attorney is - well - poor advice.

The homepage states the site is not a substitute for counsel.

US immigration law is not only the most complex in the world, it is a highly specilized practice of US law.

It's not for us to suggest to someone they SHOULDN'T hire an attorney.

My personal opinion - everybody should AT LEAST have an attorney consult. We did. Once before we filed any paperwork with the service. And twice while we were adjusting status.

I think he asked "Do the people here on VJ feel it wise to retain a immigration attorney or service for this process?" I think it was pretty general.

if he would have asked " do you think I shoudl hire an attorney for this process" then it would be a different story. People are giving only their opinion here, it is up to each of us decide what to do.

No one should be telling anyone they shouldn't retain an attorney. Its entirely personal and based on the nuances of their own case. None of which can be ascertained by a few lines in an opening post.

[morocco4ever 63]

A lot of it depends on your own personal situation. Most people here breeze through the process, some get hung up, but eventually get approved, and some get out right denied. This site can give you great insight as to what the red flags are that could cause you possible problems to obtain a visa.

May I suggest you search on these red flags and consider your own case accordingly? It is an easy process, but there are times when a qualified lawyer is in order. Only you will know for sure. We here can only base it on our own situations.

[Loolie 56]

in my opinion this is a forum...some people hired or consult attorney and some people did not...if someone ask about attorney then those people who did the petition by themselves will say oh its better not to have one etc....and those people who did will say oh its better to have one etc...etc...

we should respect each others opinion..its still up to the person if he will do it or not...so its just a matter of respect here.. heller..

[pwk86 0]

I want to thank everyone for there replys. I am thankful for everyones opinion either way they feel i should go. I have done lots of reading, and still have lots to do so i can made an educated decision. thanks again people, and more opinions are welcome

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I plan to start the k1 visa process within the next 3 months after i return from the philippine to meet requirment for having met in person in the last to year (btw this will be our 3rd meeting). Do the people here on VJ feel it wise to retain a immigration attorney or service for this process?

Lawyers increase costs and delay cases, it is the ONLY THING they can do. Really.

Read the guides, read the instructions. What, exactly can a lawyer do? Nothing. YOU must provide all the documentation. Does your lawyer have your birth certificate? Does he know how to answer question 18? Does he have photos of you together? Travel documents of your trips? HE HAS NOTHING! YOU have to give it to him. SO, you will bring hom all the documents and hand it to the secretary. She will say "thank you, we will be in touch" and put it in the pile with all the others where it sits until the attorney looks at for 21 seconds three weeks from next Tuesday. THEN he will give it to a secretary he pays $12 and hour to fill in a two page document on the computer which she will do in 15-20 minutes. It will then go back to the attorney who will look at it two weeks after his vacation to Bermuda (Oh yeah, it's THAT time of year) and determine that the secretary filled in the blanks correctly for the 2000th victim of his immigration scam/law career. He will then give it back to his secretary who will wait until next Friday at 4:30 to call you and say it is ready and you need to sign it and bring them a check for $2000 plus the $455 filing on Monday. On Monday you bring the checks and they say "Thank you, you will get a notice when it arrives" and you wait for weeks for the NOA1, by now you joined VJ and notice all of us get our NOA1 in a few days. Why haven't you gotten yours? Because your petition is still at the attorney's office as he is going to save postage by sending petitions only once a month in a package.

He never tells you to work on your Packet 3 items NOW, in fact he never tells you about packet 3. Do you get the picture?

Now he will do what all attorneys do, they have to in order to get business. He will show you the USCIS timeline and then show you cases HE got done faster, he is so special. Of course, you want to be with your beloved fiancee sooner, and this magic man can do it for only $2000 (plus $3000 for the even easier AOS when she arrives) so you fork it over and quickly send an email to your beloved and tell her the good news, you will be together at least 4 months sooner now!!!!!!!! LOL. The USCIS timelines are completely useless. My case is still listed as "received and pending", my WIFE is sleeping naked in my bed right now (So why I am here typing to you???) with her GREEN CARD in her wallet, but we are still listed as "recived and pending". Maybe I could get a lawyer to speed things along.

Immigration attorneys should be used for medical lab testing, since there are some things a rat won't do!

[Nik+Heather 121]

I asked a coworker who recently went through the immigration process this same question regarding our case.

His view had at least one point made in the above post which was that only you can collect all the data and documents. By the time that is complete, 90% of the work is already done, and he thought that it just made sense to complete the rest as well.

I can also see the benefits on the other side of the coin - someone who does this over and over will be able to answer all your questions specific to your situation, and make sure everything's there.

We decided that we have a pretty clean cut case - no previous marriage, no children etc, and decided to do our K1 paperwork ourselves (using the experience of the community here and the checklists in the guides). Of course, you can see that we are just barely starting out so...

-Heather

[Slightly Bonkers 0]

I have a friend who is US diplomatic staff and processes K1 and other visas in the country in which he's posted.

When we started the process, we asked him and he said that for a couple with no big red flags, the process was created to be done by the applicant, not by a lawyer. I thought it was an interesting point of view, and one I remembered lots while pulling my hair out over forms.

[MissDinaDee 8]

I agree with many of the posters here... It really depends on your personal situation and even the time that you and your fiance have available to putting the paperwork together yourselves. My fiance and I decided to forge ahead and do the paperwork ourselves. VJ is a great source of information, love and support... We are open to hiring legal assistance should it be necessary but we would rather save on the attorney fees for a nice vacation!

Best of luck to you and your fiance!

[Wis-Can 0]

I agree with many of the posters here... It really depends on your personal situation and even the time that you and your fiance have available to putting the paperwork together yourselves. My fiance and I decided to forge ahead and do the paperwork ourselves. VJ is a great source of information, love and support... We are open to hiring legal assistance should it be necessary but we would rather save on the attorney fees for a nice vacation!

Best of luck to you and your fiance!

I agree!

[daboyz 36]

I plan to start the k1 visa process within the next 3 months after i return from the philippine to meet requirment for having met in person in the last to year (btw this will be our 3rd meeting). Do the people here on VJ feel it wise to retain a immigration attorney or service for this process?

Lawyers increase costs and delay cases, it is the ONLY THING they can do. Really.

Read the guides, read the instructions. What, exactly can a lawyer do? Nothing. YOU must provide all the documentation. Does your lawyer have your birth certificate? Does he know how to answer question 18? Does he have photos of you together? Travel documents of your trips? HE HAS NOTHING! YOU have to give it to him. SO, you will bring hom all the documents and hand it to the secretary. She will say "thank you, we will be in touch" and put it in the pile with all the others where it sits until the attorney looks at for 21 seconds three weeks from next Tuesday. THEN he will give it to a secretary he pays $12 and hour to fill in a two page document on the computer which she will do in 15-20 minutes. It will then go back to the attorney who will look at it two weeks after his vacation to Bermuda (Oh yeah, it's THAT time of year) and determine that the secretary filled in the blanks correctly for the 2000th victim of his immigration scam/law career. He will then give it back to his secretary who will wait until next Friday at 4:30 to call you and say it is ready and you need to sign it and bring them a check for $2000 plus the $455 filing on Monday. On Monday you bring the checks and they say "Thank you, you will get a notice when it arrives" and you wait for weeks for the NOA1, by now you joined VJ and notice all of us get our NOA1 in a few days. Why haven't you gotten yours? Because your petition is still at the attorney's office as he is going to save postage by sending petitions only once a month in a package.

He never tells you to work on your Packet 3 items NOW, in fact he never tells you about packet 3. Do you get the picture?

Now he will do what all attorneys do, they have to in order to get business. He will show you the USCIS timeline and then show you cases HE got done faster, he is so special. Of course, you want to be with your beloved fiancee sooner, and this magic man can do it for only $2000 (plus $3000 for the even easier AOS when she arrives) so you fork it over and quickly send an email to your beloved and tell her the good news, you will be together at least 4 months sooner now!!!!!!!! LOL. The USCIS timelines are completely useless. My case is still listed as "received and pending", my WIFE is sleeping naked in my bed right now (So why I am here typing to you???) with her GREEN CARD in her wallet, but we are still listed as "recived and pending". Maybe I could get a lawyer to speed things along.

Immigration attorneys should be used for medical lab testing, since there are some things a rat won't do!

I couldn't agree more with this post.

[Myo 0]

Before I was directed to VisaJourney I found VisaAmigo.com. VisaAmigo also provided detailed instructions on completing the forms including sample letters. I feel pretty good about the directions I found on VisaAmigo since I didn't have any problems with my paperwork - the only issue was me being patient. Everyone hear says that the Guides are excellent. So you have several sources that could help you DIY. Read through some of the comments on this site to learn about problems different people have had - everyone is wonderful in sharing their experiences as a help to others. You can do it. Take your time, don't skip any steps or suggestion. Good luck!

Of course, it is always advisable to consult with a professional on any legal issue. Go with your comfort level.

[Anh map 2,098]

I am saddened to see some of the comments in this thread. I have always found the forum to be open to all opinion so that each of us can draw our own conclusions based on the individual experiences. Now it seems that we are being told to keep our opinions to ourselves if they are not shared by some.

[bora bora 1]

I plan to start the k1 visa process within the next 3 months after i return from the philippine to meet requirment for having met in person in the last to year (btw this will be our 3rd meeting). Do the people here on VJ feel it wise to retain a immigration attorney or service for this process?

Not unless you want to waste your money!

(unless you have a "special" case - like your fiance has been deported, has a criminal record, a disease, or something along those lines)

[haleywynne 0]

My fiance and I actually paid for a $600 consultation with a lawyer in London (as recommended by his friend who went through the process). I can even quote the lawyer who told us we didn't need him. He said it's nothing we can't do ourselves with a lot of work. It was pretty much up to us if we thought we could handle it.

After finding this site, I completely believe that!

[Cacerez 19]

I plan to start the k1 visa process within the next 3 months after i return from the philippine to meet requirment for having met in person in the last to year (btw this will be our 3rd meeting). Do the people here on VJ feel it wise to retain a immigration attorney or service for this process?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, as we are still waiting for our NOA2, but I do not feel that I am missing out from not having a lawyer. As many people have said, you have to gather all the paperwork, you have to provide all the information, so why not just fill out the paperwork by yourself and mail it in? Granted, if your fiance is - or has been - here illegally, has a criminal record, a communicable disease, etc., then you should definitely consider talking to a lawyer.

Just as a side note about lawyers, even when I was in my divorce process and wanted to change my name (before it was finalized so I could get my passport, start a new school year with my maiden name, etc.), I ended up doing it myself after a month of waiting for him to file the paperwork and it only cost me $30 plus a .42 stamp as opposed to $160 per hour.