immigration lawyers

[FrankD 0]

hi. me and my girlfriend are thinking of hiring a lawyer to help us with the immigration process coz it really is beyond us, neither of us really understand it, its too complex. how can i find a good lawyer and make sure theyre reliable?

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

It looks overwhelming at first, but if you follow the k-1 guide here, you will have no problems.

You will save $1500-2500 which you can use to take a nice vacation.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=k1guide

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=k1flow

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=k1tips

[Eveline 9]

Don't take a lawyer if your case is a rather uncomplicated one. If both of you were never married, have no children, no past arrests etc...no lawyer is necessary. Really, most of the members here did it without one. It will save you lots of trouble and money.

[danielle46901 0]

hi. me and my girlfriend are thinking of hiring a lawyer to help us with the immigration process coz it really is beyond us, neither of us really understand it, its too complex. how can i find a good lawyer and make sure theyre reliable?

I really thought the same thing. I thought there is no way we are going to be able to do this and get this right, but the guides and the people on here are truly tremendous. I agree with the other vj in saying you don't need one if you don't have any major hang-ups. Just print out all the information you can get your hands on and sit down and go through it. That's what we did and so far (cross our fingers) we have hadn't any issues and it was alot easier than I thought it would be. If you have any questions just feel free to post and most everytime someone will have the answer. There are alot of smart cookies on this sight who are not only willing to help, but are happy to.

[rebeccajo 14]

Some people don't like to do paperwork, you know.

Ask for the attorneys credentials. Ask them if they specialize in immigration - the family based variety (not employment, students, etc.). If they don't, don't use them.

If they do, ask them their success rate. Ask them what professional organizations they belong to - like AILA or other professional groups that specialize in immigration law. Ask who handles the paperwork - them or an assistant. Ask them how often they will communicate with you. Ask them what they will do if their are problems with the case - how quickly they will communicate with you; how soon they will send in paperwork after you get it to them, etc.

If they tell you they can speed your case - run - do not walk - out of the office. A lawyer cannot speed up processing. They do however have access to personnel within the Service Centers and Consulates that we do not.

Edited March 19, 2008 by rebeccajo

[mox 298]

They do however have access to personnel within the Service Centers and Consulates that we do not.

Nah, they just do the RFE trick.

*ducks and runs*

[Josh and Nathalie 0]

hi. me and my girlfriend are thinking of hiring a lawyer to help us with the immigration process coz it really is beyond us, neither of us really understand it, its too complex. how can i find a good lawyer and make sure theyre reliable?

I'll parrot what everyone else has said and unless you have a unique case...you might want to save your money and do the work yourselves. As someone who just filed on Monday...when I started at the beginning of the month, it seemed very overwhelming...but once you go through the guides, download the forms, start reading everything...it all becomes easier to handle.

Plus...the forums here are great for any questions you might have during this process.

Good luck in whatever decision you make.

[rebeccajo 14]

I'm not trying to be a smart aleck here, but it really amazes me how those of you who don't even have NOA2 yet, let alone a visa in your hand, can speak of your success.

[desert_fox 32]

If you cant fill out this simple paper work...it makes me wonder what you are going to do one day when you have to fill out a job application (more complex). Hire a lawyer??

[Eveline 9]

If you cant fill out this simple paper work...it makes me wonder what you are going to do one day when you have to fill out a job application (more complex). Hire a lawyer??

I agree. It's really not that hard and I don't understand why I should hire somebody to fill my birth date and place in a blank. It's really not that hard and very repetitive too.

[rebeccajo 14]

If you cant fill out this simple paper work...it makes me wonder what you are going to do one day when you have to fill out a job application (more complex). Hire a lawyer??

I agree. It's really not that hard and I don't understand why I should hire somebody to fill my birth date and place in a blank. It's really not that hard and very repetitive too.

That's true. But that's each persons decision.

It's really risky (IMO) for us to advise others NOT to seek legal counsel. We don't know their details.

We had an attorney consult before we filed. The lawyer told us we really didn't need him. A good immigration lawyer will tell you that. Because the good ones are too busy working for people who DO need them - they aren't desperate for a fee. It's always good to hear (from the lips of someone who knows the nuances of the process) that your case is 'straightforward'.

Edited March 19, 2008 by rebeccajo

[chuck_n_rose 0]

It's your money, but any one with basic learning skills can complete the process without the use of a lawyer.

Unless you problems that you know that would make your case a special circumstance, do it yourself.

The guides can be your lawyer, and you have access to a field of experts on here to help you.

[tuty 0]

YOU DONT NEED ONE! JUST LEARN AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTION LIKE MOST OF US DID....(LOL dont get lazy!)

[Stephen1 0]

Many people who have used lawyers have encountered problems they shouldnt have like not being notified about RFEs. Really its a rip off anyways to pay them 800 dollars for 30 minutes worth of work. It takes a while your first time but if I ever had to do this again it would only take a half an hour or one hour.

[mox 298]

Many people who have used lawyers have encountered problems they shouldnt have like not being notified about RFEs. Really its a rip off anyways to pay them 800 dollars for 30 minutes worth of work. It takes a while your first time but if I ever had to do this again it would only take a half an hour or one hour.

Well, this is quite an exaggeration. Yes, many people who have used lawyers have had problems. However, you never hear about the many other stories where there were no problems because people are much more likely to complain than they are to share success stories.

I do agree that most people can file on their own and it will save them a lot of money by investing the time into really understanding the process. However, there are some who feel their time is worth more than the cost of a lawyer, or who simply don't want to do the paperwork, or who might have a special situation best handled by a lawyer. In those cases, they absolutely should consider a lawyer who specializes in family immigration.

I don't believe for a second that you only had 30 minutes of time invested in your petition, and since you haven't been approved yet, so there's nothing that says you even did it right. You need to count more than just the time it took to fill out the paperwork. (and even the paperwork took me longer than 30 minutes.) There's a lot of research involved into what forms to file, and how to fill them out properly. I probably had a good 10-12 hours of research invested in mine, maybe even more. I don't know if that's typical, but nobody can do it in 30 minutes from start to finish. Someone who sets out to do this themselves needs to understand that this is not just a simple "fill in the blanks and mail it in" process. There is grunt work and lots of time involved. Yes, it's not hard, but it does take time, patience, and the ability to pay attention to detail.

Edited March 20, 2008 by mox