Do you suggest getting an attorney or use an agency?

[easyukraine 1]

I would say for those who have dealt with Government agency's and forms it is quite simple. for those who haven't you can just ask questions here after you review the guides and example forms. I filled my paperwork out last week and will be filing Friday. I just reviewed my forms to make sure they were complete and found I did not fill in one part of a question. I will have it filled out tomorrow then review it again before I print and make a few copies. I do want to thank Gary for help

[amykathleen2005 441]

We filed ourselves and no problems. As long as you are willing to take the time to read the instructions and examples, ask questions when you don't understand and check it over again than you will be fine.

If you have a question about your case ask it here, I almost guarantee you will get some response within a few hours. Try that with a lawyer.....

[Ryan H 3,810]

I am planning on doing everything my self (using all the forums, example forms, and other online outlets) but a friend suggested that I get a lawyer because the reviewers are looking for mistakes and such and a lawyer would be able to make sure there aren't any. I personally think that I would be able to take care of this my self but now I am a little scared. What do you think?

Go ahead and take care of it yourself. As long as your case is straightforward, you will be fine.

Good luck and best wishes on your journey!

[pushbrk 12,569]

Go ahead and take care of it yourself. As long as your case is straightforward, you will be fine.

Good luck and best wishes on your journey!

Nobody and I do mean NOBODY has any business telling another couple they "will be fine". There's no way for anybody to know who will be "fine" and who won't or why.

[TBoneTX 44,679]

Nobody and I do mean NOBODY has any business telling another couple they "will be fine". There's no way for anybody to know who will be "fine" and who won't or why.

Darned right! Hoorah for pushbrk.

[Casprd 167]

I will go against the grain as usual and say it depends on where your SO is. We are using an immigration attorney in China who has good success and who is very affordable. Even though our case is pretty standard, in the past year or two, I know many people who did it themselves and were denied at the consulate. In our case, it has already paid off a few times as "advice" we had gotten previously was generally incorrect (this was prior to coming to VJ). The other plus is if you do have a problem then the attorney is already involved. If they attorney has to pick up the case midstream then it will be much more expensive.

Bottom line is you have to decide what your comfortable with. As someone else here posted,if you do go with an attorney, find one who has offices in your spouse's country also. They will have information on how the process at the consulate works and can help put everyone at ease.

[pushbrk 12,569]

I will go against the grain as usual and say it depends on where your SO is. We are using an immigration attorney in China who has good success and who is very affordable. Even though our case is pretty standard, in the past year or two, I know many people who did it themselves and were denied at the consulate. In our case, it has already paid off a few times as "advice" we had gotten previously was generally incorrect (this was prior to coming to VJ). The other plus is if you do have a problem then the attorney is already involved. If they attorney has to pick up the case midstream then it will be much more expensive.

Bottom line is you have to decide what your comfortable with. As someone else here posted,if you do go with an attorney, find one who has offices in your spouse's country also. They will have information on how the process at the consulate works and can help put everyone at ease.

For example, I'm not in China and neither are any of the VJ China experts. You don't have to be IN a country to know how things work for spouse or fiancee visas at the US Consulate(s) in a country. What is very helpful though is if the professional service you hire can also offer support to the foreign national in their own language.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

not all lawyers are good at what they do,if you are as big of a hands on person as you say you are,a lawyer is a waste of money,you can either fill the paperwork with example forums you find online OR you can fill your paperwork and take em to a lawyer to just confirm,worst case scenario youll pay for one meeting about 500 bucks ,not 2500+

[pushbrk 12,569]

not all lawyers are good at what they do,if you are as big of a hands on person as you say you are,a lawyer is a waste of money,you can either fill the paperwork with example forums you find online OR you can fill your paperwork and take em to a lawyer to just confirm,worst case scenario youll pay for one meeting about 500 bucks ,not 2500+

There is more to obtaining a visa than properly filling out forms.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

There is more to obtaining a visa than properly filling out forms.

correct,but if it is a simple k-1 visa,then its not that hard

[pushbrk 12,569]

correct,but if it is a simple k-1 visa,then its not that hard

With all due respect, all you've done is fill out forms and send them in and your petition is not yet approved. While it may have been easy so far, it's not over by a long shot. Petition approval IS the easy part. Getting the visa is a whole other animal you haven't experienced yet.

[thelastpetitioner 218]

With all due respect, all you've done is fill out forms and send them in and your petition is not yet approved. While it may have been easy so far, it's not over by a long shot. Petition approval IS the easy part. Getting the visa is a whole other animal you haven't experienced yet.

yet i have not heard anything hard about it,the hardest part ( while is the easiest ) seems to be the interview.

i suppose we both can agree, a plain and simple k-1 process is not exactly lawyer worthy,unless there is more complication to it such as over stays and what not

[Blob18 111]

correct,but if it is a simple k-1 visa,then its not that hard

I agree. This website could take the place of a lawyer in essence. Ask questions, get advice, help, tips from people who have gone through the process and it's free. I would only recommend a lawyer if the case is a difficult one.

------------------------------------------------------------------

To the OP:

In the case of an 'easy' filing, the lawyer fills out the paperwork and supposedly checks (judging by what people say here, alot of them do it poorly)to make sure all documents and supporting evidence is included.

The lawyer doesn't get the photos, the boarding passes, birth certificate, phone logs etc, you have to get those. Nor does the lawyer attend the interview, give the interview or do anything other than charging you for filling out documents and giving advice (which again based from peoples experiences here, is usually incorrect).

Go for the lawyer if a legal issue would be involved with the Visa such as an IMBRA or AWA problem or visa overstay etc, something that deals with law. Also make sure the lawyer knows the information he/she claims to.

I was thinking of a lawyer a year before I found this site. Once I found this site, I searched all over it for answers to my questions and found 99% of them. Those I couldn't find the answer to I wrote down and had asked to one of the staff members of my fiancees country who does the interviews and gives out the K-1 visas, but not everyone is able to do that.

In the end it boils down to "What do you feel comfortable doing" and go with that.

Edited October 27, 2010 by Blob18

[pushbrk 12,569]

yet i have not heard anything hard about it,the hardest part ( while is the easiest ) seems to be the interview.

i suppose we both can agree, a plain and simple k-1 process is not exactly lawyer worthy,unless there is more complication to it such as over stays and what not

I didn't mention lawyers. I'm saying nobody can tell anybody else they don't need help with the process or that they can or should do it themselves unless they are both qualified to do so and know enough about the other person's abilities and case to make a meaningful judgment. I would submit that even YOU don't yet know for certain doing it yourself will have been a good idea BECAUSE you haven't done it all yet.

IMO, the "hard part" is spread throughout the process as one attempts to present the case and prepare for the interview in such a way that success will be the outcome. Filling out forms is an important but small part of the endeavor. Managing the process is the key.

[rsn 135]

I think this thread is in need of some full disclosure. If it seems like Pushbrk has been overly interested in shooting down DIY comments, it's probably due to the fact that he makes money helping others w/ the process. So, if you are wise, you will take his comments on this particular issue with a grain of salt.