Is an immigration lawyer a good idea?

[bruno. 4]

I'll suggest a coupla things, maybe (maybe...) help you to decide whether you need an attorney or not.

a. read the VJ guides. map the steps out on paper and pencil. See if anything doesn't make sense to you.

b. Read the USCIS web portal about the forms. Map out the steps on paper and pencil. See if anything doesn't make sense to you.

c. Practice filling out the forms, at least 5 times. See if anything still doesn't make sense to you.

d. Have any red flags? Practice writing up attestation letters about each red flag.

Now, after doing (with major emphasis on DOING ) all of the above, if you do NOT understand the forms and the process and potential red flags for your petition,

then I'd suggest getting a good IMMIGRATION lawyer.

Welcome to VJ, btw - this is a GREAT DIY Immigration Web Portal, with emphasis on 'Y', and 'D'.

just for information, what does DIY stands for?

[Mont Blanc ... 3]

DIY = Do It Yourself

Edited August 27, 2010 by montlblanc

[mcdrew 0]

I had attorneys in US and in the country my fiancee was from. Were they helpful - somewhat? Why did I hire them in the first place? To have a peace of mind and help me navigate the waters should we have any issues or unforseen items. Our case was straightforward but I had attornies anyways. Do I regret ? No - it is like having insurance - a necessary evil. Also, I felt better through out the process knowing all i's and t's were dotted and no mistakes were made. The end result was a smooth process resulting in K1 being granted.

If money/finance is not a factor you should hire an attorney - this is my personal take.

This site has a wealth of information for DIY'ers so you can do this on your own too.

Good Luck

[bruno. 4]

DIY = Do It Yourself

Ok, thanks Montblanc, now I get it better. I thought it was another immigration process specific acronym

[Harsh_77 718]

one more voice for same, unless your case is complicated as previous marriages, previous criminal history, over stay in US etc.

You dont need a lawyer, most of the stuff is pretty straight forward. There are lot of ppl on forums like this who can give you some advice (We are not lawyers we share our Exp )

Yes your mom can be your co-sponsor.

[Kimchimex 8]

Going thru CDJ is a personal challenge given the drug cartel violence down there. Just follow the US travel advisory, and keep your head on a swivel when down there! Good luck!

Hi I just would like to say to people who post photos of the violence on the border that is is kinda not nice to those of us who have to travel there to get our loved ones here...no need to remind us, we are WELL aware of the tragedy unfolding in Juarez. Plus we are trying to do this the LEGAL way so, please folks...no more scary pictures...we see it on TV & the web already!

Muchas Gracias

Kim

[Darryl1 0]

Should we do it ourselves or hire a lawyer?

My fiancee and are are just beginning the "visa journey" and are trying to decide if we should hire an attorney to assist with the K1 visa process.

What are other people's experiences? The K1 is already so expensive. We'd like to keep down the cost. But, we also want to make sure that we are approved.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

It is hard to advise on the need for an attorney. There can be so many different variables to your needs and someone Else's. But I will say that you have taken

a good first step by becoming a member here. This place is a wealth of information for all situation. We did the K1 filing with an attorney and the AOS without.

I believe I could have made it through the K1 without the attorney I had, But I could not made it through the K1 or the AOS process without this website.

Good luck to you and your fiancee

[Ryan H 3,812]

I had attorneys in US and in the country my fiancee was from. Were they helpful - somewhat? Why did I hire them in the first place? To have a peace of mind and help me navigate the waters should we have any issues or unforseen items. Our case was straightforward but I had attornies anyways. Do I regret ? No - it is like having insurance - a necessary evil. Also, I felt better through out the process knowing all i's and t's were dotted and no mistakes were made. The end result was a smooth process resulting in K1 being granted.

If money/finance is not a factor you should hire an attorney - this is my personal take.

This site has a wealth of information for DIY'ers so you can do this on your own too.

Good Luck

I kind of feel the same way as mcdrew. I'm not a fan of spending the money to retain an attorney but I have read enough on this and other forums to conclude that going it alone for K1 would be rolling the dice, and I have an awful feeling that roll would come up snake eyes. Our case is straightforward and no red flags pertain to us. I have no qualms about filing paperwork for the first phase with USCIS. But to me, the Consulate phase can get tricky. I'm looking for the same piece of mind as mcdrew.

I'll repeat what others have posted; every case and its circumstances are different. The ultimate decision to retain an attorney will be yours and yours alone. People who post on here will give you great advice and information when you ask for it. We are all in this together.

Best of luck to you!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Should we do it ourselves or hire a lawyer?

My fiancee and are are just beginning the "visa journey" and are trying to decide if we should hire an attorney to assist with the K1 visa process.

What are other people's experiences? The K1 is already so expensive. We'd like to keep down the cost. But, we also want to make sure that we are approved.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Download an I-129f for free from this site. Download a G-325a from this site for free. Start filling them out. Anything you need to pay an attorney $2000 for? You can answer your own question. The process of filing for a K-1 is easier than a job application process at a big box store.

If you run into any questions, do a search here on VJ in the appropriate forum. Every question has been covered 10,000 times. If you run into a question no one has ever run into before...post the question. You will get a better answer in a few minutes than an attorney will give you in a few days...for free.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Gary and Alla

[bobby_kvisa 7]

The lawyer only does 3 things for you: Fills Out your Petitions, Sends your Petitions to the Government, and Collects all Notices from the Government on your Behalf.

All 3 of these things you can do yourself. Especially if your case is legitimate and genuine and straightforward.

Laywers I have met and worked with seemed not to really care about my situation. They constantly forgot details of my case, took their time in responding and what is worse they know very little about the actual process in the Beneficiary's country. Your lawyer will likely not know much about Birth Certificates, Police Reports and Marriage Certificates, the VFS office (in India only), Medical Examinations, etc in your Beneficiary's country so you cannot go to them for any of those types of advice - they will just give generic answers.

[Snickerz 0]

hello everyone, we hired an immigration lawyer since we thought it would be easier and faster, but right now i think it is more frustrating....it is a longer wait and they do not timely respond to our emails and queries if i should have known, i should have done it ourselves and save the fees....oh well good luck to us!

[bora bora 1]

Should we do it ourselves or hire a lawyer?

My fiancee and are are just beginning the "visa journey" and are trying to decide if we should hire an attorney to assist with the K1 visa process.

What are other people's experiences? The K1 is already so expensive. We'd like to keep down the cost. But, we also want to make sure that we are approved.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

, unless you have some issues that you think may prohibit you from being approved

[baron555 934]

Should we do it ourselves or hire a lawyer?

My fiancee and are are just beginning the "visa journey" and are trying to decide if we should hire an attorney to assist with the K1 visa process.

What are other people's experiences? The K1 is already so expensive. We'd like to keep down the cost. But, we also want to make sure that we are approved.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

A lawyer can not do anything to help you being approved....you need to prove to the CO at the interview that you have a legitimate relationship.

We did it all ourselves and no problems.

[Arabella 4]

Immigration Lawyers are useless for the vast majority of us who can fill out our own forms, in a more timely manner, and for the price of the filing fee only.

Do it yourself unless you have a very complicated case.

[edsperfect 25]

According to some of the people here, and some of the red flags they have offered to stall or have your application denied, are in my case. However we recieved our NoA2 mid August. I would always start the process on your own, no one knows the two of you better or your family history better than you. Just read ( alot ), get familiar and comfortable with the process, dont be afraid to ask any questions on this board ( I found my questions were answered within minutes of my post - the people here are amazing, knowledgeable and helpful ) .. its a long journey .. so be prepared to hurry up and wait ( alot ). If you run into a problem ... and no one can help you .. then get the lawyer, but other than that, the process is very straight forward.

Best of luck on your journey, and please keep your timeline updated so the people to follow in your ( our ) footsteps also have valid and current information.

As an attorney that has personally gone through the process and that has done many of these for clients the answer to that question is not that simple. It depends a great deal on the facts of the case and probably more so the individuals involved. TOO MANY TIMES the client is so anxcious to get it filed he does not take the time to think it through and do it right. Patience is an important element here and generally americans have little