is VJ the place that can help you get the visa without a lawyer?

[hanysalama 0]

The "Do I need a lawyer??" observation that clinched the decision with me was that only the petitioner can gather the necessary documents (birth certificate, pass port, pictures, boarding passes, work history, and later financial documents etc). By the time all that has been gathered, 90% of the work is DONE. The easy part, filling in the forms, I decided I would also do myself, and save the money I would have spent on a lawyer to pay all the fees. (!!! I didn't know it was going to be this expensive!!!!!)

VJ has useful checklists (if you're afraid you've forgotten something)

As mentioned already above, special circumstances may warrant the use of a lawyer, but basic, straight forward cases are frequently navigated (successfully) by the petitioner/beneficiary without one.

The guides and checklists were invaluable for us. We did everything exactly as directed in the guides and bounced a few things off of people that had been through our same situation.

Thanks all , you know how worried we all are , once you are new in the process you always want help nd that's how we use lawyers because we are very scared and we want somebody to comfort us , but you are all right,it is just a matter of collecting papers , a decent lawyer would never bother to take such writting cases , he would have many complicated cases to take over , instead of doing this paper work for thousands, Thanks all for your help

[Amina_KSA 0]

There is no need for a lawyer assuming your situation does not have very unusual circumstances. We did everything w/o a lawyer and it was very easy, alhamdulilah.

In fact, I've heard many stories about lawyers making cases take longer and complicating things. My dear friend hired a lawyer who told them it would take about two years to get a visa and then her husband would have to apply for AOS once they arrived (I'm not sure what kind of visa she was giving them but it made no sense because they could easily get a CR-1). I told her the lawyer sounded crazy and suggested she try DCF. So, she withdrew her case with the lawyer and did DCF the same way that we did it. They got their CR-1 visa in like two months and are in America now, alhamdulilah.

[rebeccajo 14]

you mean being told by vj members, or by the uscis? The uscis does not give any special treatment to lawyers. If you mean here on VJ, YES you are totally right. If I read something here that is contridictory from what I have researched, then i go research some more and/or call or email the appropriate entity for an answer. ( i like research, so it doesnt bother me lol)

I think of VJ as more of a sounding board for my questions. Ultimately, it is up to you to gather the correct info.

Attorneys have telephone access directly to the Service Centers and to the Consulates that we do not have.

Experienced immigration attorneys have contacts within the Service (by virtue of their education and connections) that can be invaluable. By example, the attorney Laurel Scott has contacts within the Mexican consulates.

My husband and I were aided by a gentleman who had been a former US Attorney that helped craft the last major changes in US immigration law in 1996.

Connections can matter.

[rebeccajo 14]

i wonder why everybody tells you not to use a lawyer?i'm using one but would like to go without hi services ,

but do you think you could go without their advice?

i just want to know .

i need real replies from people who actually did it .

VJ is not a place that can help you get a visa without a lawyer nor should VJ be a substitute for competant legal counsel.

VJ is one of several user driven communities on immigration issues... nothing more.

And there are a couple of user-driven communities where attorneys are members. Their writings and opinions are very much worth reading.

Try britishexpats.com for good reading that can benefit all - not just those from the UK.