Doing paper work yourself

[Bl@ckRoSe 0]

Hi saj102965,

I know some who hire a lawyer because they don't have time to do the paperwork and they think that by hiring lawyer, it makes it easier for them and give them "a peace of mind" - and they have the money to do it. But SOMETIMES, that backfires.

If your SIL agrees after reading the positive comments about DIY AOS application, you have to do extensive research and do many readings, but at the end, it's really easy. All the instructions and samples are there for guidance. VJ forum is like - Site for Dummies as opposed to the Book for Dummies.

I managed to adjust my status by filing my own paperwork, and having my husband counter-check and making sure I have the right information for each forms that we filled. I really thought I would receive RFE's because I might have some missing evidence or information, but thank god, none of that happen, and my case was adjusted smoothly (as you can see from my signature). We completed all the paperwork within a week, after a month of extensive research and reading.

Hope that helps in your son-in-law decision!

[thongd4me 69]

The most important clause in the lawyer's contract is the line that says "results can't be guaranteed"

and that is the means by which lawyers can get paid even when they make the most ridiculous errors.

You're not hiring a lawyer to do paperwork, the paperwork will be done by a law clerk and and lawyer

will just be there to smile when you sign it and get your check.

A lawyer will have no culpability if things backfire but the petitioner will be 100% responsible.

That's why even those that use lawyers on VJ will tell you to double & triple check all their work.

If there is a grave legal question or a question of being out of immigration status by an act of

omission or commission, then it might be necessary to hire a lawyer to attempt to smooth

the way. Otherwise, it only lengthens the time the process takes because it's one more

participant that the paper has to go through.

[meijie 9]

I bought the book "Marriage and Fiance Visas" from Amazon for $25. That and reading all the instructions for the forms made the whole process a breeze. (I didn't find out about VJ until I already submitted my AOS packet.)

[trillium13 84]

We filed ourselves, we were VWP adjusters, with long overstay.

I think the key to doing it yourself is to pay attention to all the details and read, read, and re-read! It isn't necessarily difficult, it is just time consuming, and you have to be really conscious of getting everything in order correctly.

I think some people try to go too fast, or just don't pay attention to what they are doing. They get their packages sent back for silly trivial things, like making the check out wrong. They get RFE's for things that were spelled out plainly in the instructions. They just didn't pay attention. Some people are certainly better off having someone else do things for them.

We read everything a thousand times it seems and went over our package MANY times before sending it to make sure it was all right.

If the case is straightforward you should have no problems doing it yourself, I'd think. It really is just following instructions.

[GC2010 7]

I would like as many comments as possible on this subject because my new son-in-law is getting conflicting information from other friends of his from SA who have married US citizens and then filed to adjust status from H2B visas.

Several of his friends are telling him that they did their paperwork by themselves only to have it returned and then they had to employ an attorney. They are telling him that they highly recommend that he get an attorney to avoid prolonging the process. One of them even told them that it took them 5 years to get his green card because all of their paper work was returned then they got a lawyer involved (and I told my son-in-law that the attorney is probably taking to long to file documents and doing them wrong) that is why it has been delayed.

I am a paralegal for 20 years (not in immigration) and I know I can handle preparing and filing all the paperwork. I want to get responses in black and white form VJers so I can show him that this process can be done if the instructions are followed to a "T", and you double and triple check the forms and provide all required proof of your marriage. I explained to him that all an attorney is going to do is take all your information and plug it into the forms, collect your check payalbe to USCIS, along with the attorney's fee which is outrageous since his paralegal will be doing all the legework (I'm speaking from experience) and send all the documents and follow the case just like I would be doing.

Thank you in advance for backing me up on my theory that an attorney, most of the time, will make more mistakes than you would in preparing the doucments because you care more about your own case then the attorney does.

i did my paper work myself .. i came here in 2005 on a b2 visa so that mean i been out of status for a really long time but today i had my interview base on marriage an it get approve on the spot..

[Robert B 1]

I just want to chime in and say we also did it ourselves. We followed the guide on this site to the teeth, no RFE, no $5000 lawyer bill. Filling out the forms can be done in a couple of hours, checking and triple checking them all also a couple of hours. Gathering evidence maybe an hour, we sent in a copy of our lease, bank statements with both our names, marriage certificate copy, and 5 photos of our courtship. Spread it out over a couple of days if you don't have the time.

You know the kind of person you are best (organized, able to follow instructions etc) best.

It isn't hard, it just takes time. Mine took from 8am, till the post office at 4:45pm.

[DebbyNSeyi 15]

I just want to chime in and say we also did it ourselves. We followed the guide on this site to the teeth, no RFE, no $5000 lawyer bill. Filling out the forms can be done in a couple of hours, checking and triple checking them all also a couple of hours. Gathering evidence maybe an hour, we sent in a copy of our lease, bank statements with both our names, marriage certificate copy, and 5 photos of our courtship. Spread it out over a couple of days if you don't have the time.

You know the kind of person you are best (organized, able to follow instructions etc) best.

It isn't hard, it just takes time. Mine took from 8am, till the post office at 4:45pm.

Pardon my ignorance, Robert B....but what does "OPT" stand for?

[Robert B 1]

Optional Practical Training, it is a kind of visa/work-permit that the government gives to F1 students to gain work experience in the field of their major, in my case nursing.

[leash5 3]

I would like as many comments as possible on this subject because my new son-in-law is getting conflicting information from other friends of his from SA who have married US citizens and then filed to adjust status from H2B visas.

Several of his friends are telling him that they did their paperwork by themselves only to have it returned and then they had to employ an attorney. They are telling him that they highly recommend that he get an attorney to avoid prolonging the process. One of them even told them that it took them 5 years to get his green card because all of their paper work was returned then they got a lawyer involved (and I told my son-in-law that the attorney is probably taking to long to file documents and doing them wrong) that is why it has been delayed.

I am a paralegal for 20 years (not in immigration) and I know I can handle preparing and filing all the paperwork. I want to get responses in black and white form VJers so I can show him that this process can be done if the instructions are followed to a "T", and you double and triple check the forms and provide all required proof of your marriage. I explained to him that all an attorney is going to do is take all your information and plug it into the forms, collect your check payalbe to USCIS, along with the attorney's fee which is outrageous since his paralegal will be doing all the legework (I'm speaking from experience) and send all the documents and follow the case just like I would be doing.

Thank you in advance for backing me up on my theory that an attorney, most of the time, will make more mistakes than you would in preparing the doucments because you care more about your own case then the attorney does.

I filed myself, no RFE. The forms are very straight forward. And I am sure with your extra qualifications, it will be a breeze.