Having a lawyer/firm involved helpful?

[Maveric 0]

Hello so me and my gf are finally submitting our i-129f paperwork and i've followed the guide here which is very detailed and amazing thanks again for the help. But i was wondering if its beneficial to have an attorney help in the process. I know most of you are thinking that its a bad idea and it will cost a lot but i'm in a strange situation where my brother is an immigration attorney and has offered to help without fees. I've already sent my paperwork to his firm with a signed G-28 and they will be sending to a lockbox. Is this going to over complicate things or will it be beneficial with all the other forms/things coming down the road and any problems we may encounter?

Thanks.

-Logan

[akihon 129]

the way I see it, an immigration lawyer is just someone you pay to collect your immigration forms and papers, instead of collecting them yourself. I see no benefit unless you know there's a good chance you would run into trouble.

[Maveric 0]

No i don't think i will encounter any issues but what i was getting at is the majority of the paperwork coming down the road for the AOS etc. The only issue we've encountered has been the father of her child wasn't allowing her daughter to get a passport but i've worked out these issues with him and she and her daughter now have a passport.

-Logan

[akihon 129]

you don't need a lawyer for any of that unless you think you will have issues. seeing as you don't, you don't need one and can probably handle it all by yourself.

[lost_at_sea 995]

Hello so me and my gf are finally submitting our i-129f paperwork and i've followed the guide here which is very detailed and amazing thanks again for the help. But i was wondering if its beneficial to have an attorney help in the process. I know most of you are thinking that its a bad idea and it will cost a lot but i'm in a strange situation where my brother is an immigration attorney and has offered to help without fees. I've already sent my paperwork to his firm with a signed G-28 and they will be sending to a lockbox. Is this going to over complicate things or will it be beneficial with all the other forms/things coming down the road and any problems we may encounter?

Thanks.

-Logan

We did use a lawyer, because we were unconfident and really just wanted someone to look over everything (plus, we had a recommendation from someone else doing visa stuff with the same representation). What they did was as the previous commenter said - they compiled all the documents we supplied, completed the forms for our signing etc. and mailed the package (which included disclosure forms for both of us to say that we had OKed the representation). We could have done it ourselves.

My advice would be not to bother - if you get down the line and something goes wrong, or you get to a stage you'd like more professional help with, you can always engage a lawyer at that stage and save your money now.

[EAS 45]

Hello so me and my gf are finally submitting our i-129f paperwork and i've followed the guide here which is very detailed and amazing thanks again for the help. But i was wondering if its beneficial to have an attorney help in the process. I know most of you are thinking that its a bad idea and it will cost a lot but i'm in a strange situation where my brother is an immigration attorney and has offered to help without fees. I've already sent my paperwork to his firm with a signed G-28 and they will be sending to a lockbox. Is this going to over complicate things or will it be beneficial with all the other forms/things coming down the road and any problems we may encounter?

Thanks.

-Logan

If your brother is an immigration attorney and he is willing to assist you without any fees, I don't see the harm as long as he is reliable and punctual. The only potential downside is that he would know EVERYTHING in the documents about you and your beneficiary.

Edited October 31, 2012 by EAS

[aws&ndd 103]

It is actually more beneficial to do it yourself because YOU will have complete control over how the forms are filled out, when they are mailed in, etc. I think it's a better deal than waiting for a lawyer to collect the information then fill out the forms and then mail it. The wasted time could add up, and plus you are out whatever money you spend on him too.

[Tintin and Mike 127]

It's a straight-forward process, no need for a lawyer. VJ members are very generous with most if not all information.

Good luck on your journey!

[madtownguy 164]

I look at it like this, when you go to court you want a lawyer. Not because you need one, but because the person(judge) that will decide your fate is a lawyer and will somewhat respect that. The person in immigrations is most likely not a lawyer, I think it can harm you as much as help. If you're bad with filling out forms and doing a bit of research then get one. But once you get a lawyer everything goes from the government to the lawyer to you, then back to the lawyer and back to the government. It slows the process down and there is no way around that. If the lawyer makes a mistake they might give you a discount, but they make mistakes too I've seen an immigration lawyer make multiple mistakes with an easy case so it happens. In weird situations like having someone cross the border illegally but having kids here in the US, that is grey areas that any help is good. But a straight forward K1 visa is pretty simple, you will have plenty of time to research too!

[dadajhow 6]

I paid a lawyer for my I129 and it was great ,,.. everything went fast and good , but seriously, I am applying now for AOS and saved a lot of money , and it is so easy doing it , here on visa journey you have everything u need, even the example forms... really helpful. As someone said already , pay a lawyer if you get denied or get in trouble otherwise try it first coz it is easy....

[berhanu 10]

The immigration process is straight forward. I have never hired a lawyer from the day I arrived in the US all the way to citizenship. I just had my k1 approved also without a lawyers help. I have found out a lawyer completing the forms makes you not fully in control of the process and you tend to be very lazy. Remember its the applicant not the lawyer who has to proof. At k1 interview yoyr lawyer will not be there so its bettter u are in charge from the get go