Lawyer vs. Self file K1

[M & J 5]

I thought about hiring an attorney, but I had an opportunity to speak to a lady that went through the K-1 process who recommended against it. She stated the process itself is already expensive so I might as well save the money and do it myself. She also referred me to this invaluable website.

[Wayne-Rachel 8]

My Fiancee wanted to hire a lawyer to do the paperwork for us, wich was going to cost us $1900 plus the I-129F filing fee... After finding VJ, I convinced her to let me do everything up for us, and we are now anxiously awaiting our NOA1

Best of luck in your journey

[Messybrownhair 251]

Can I just add that we actually went for a free consultation with an immigration lawyer and she was the one who said "You don't need me, you guys can do it on your own" She's pretty awesome coz at that time I havent heard of VJ and we did it all on our own just basing it on the guide on the USCIS site! And we got our noa2 in a month! You'll be fine!

[Angelheart1962 6]

As other people have said, if your case is fairly simple DO IT YOURSELF!

We are using a lawyer who have caused us NOTHING but trouble and expense. They cost us a month at the start of the process because they sent us wrong forms, we got an RFE which meant our NOA2 was delayed by a month, and when the info got to NVC they have now cost us at least another month because we got another RFE. This is all because of wrong information they put on the forms. Also, they dont give a stuff about you once they have your money, which has to be paid upfront of course, and they have no incentive whatsoever to chase your case up because its just another hassle for them.

Sorry if I sound bitter...I AM!! Will be reporting them and asking for a full refund when all this is over. All in all they have delayed us by about 3 months.

You can easily do the whole process yourself with the help of the excellent people on this site. Good luck! x

[bestofboston 36]

Just like others have said, if you can read and write, do it yourself. It is faster and cheaper.

I-129F is easy to fill out. Just answer all questions honestly.

It is actually easier dealing with the Philippines because all legal documents are in english. No translation required.

Your future spouse will just need to get all documents from tne NTS and the NBI.

Birth certificate from NTS

Cenomar certificate from NTS (Proof of not being married)

Police Record from NBI (Philippines version of the FBI)

get 3 of each (original copies) In case they lose one or two at the NVC like they did for my case.

You also need certified copies of your previous divorce/s if it applies to you for the I-129.

Do not send original copies to the USCIS. Save them for the NVC process.

You can also prepare for the embassy process while waiting on the USCIS approval by getting all documents for proof of support, etc together. K1 process uses a different form for proof of income than the IR1/CR1 process which uses the I-864 forms. I believe you use the I-134.

Good luck.

Edited January 31, 2011 by bestofboston

[san diego 407]

I used lawyer and highly satisfied. If you are not constrained on financial resources it is worth it. You just need to make sure you get a good lawyer. It accomplishes several objectives:

1) If you have a good case you are assured (more or less) that you will not receive RFE on the first stage due to incorrect filing, etc. (less delays).

2) If the lawyer is good they will arrange documents in order that is most convenient for USCIS AND consulate officers, which makes them less annoyed with your case.

3) Usually good lawyers are well-known at USCIS and have good reputation

4) If any complications arise they will know how to handle it.

Overall, they pretty much give you peace of mind. I paid $1,500 and think it is well-worth it. Real challenge is to find a good one. It is almost impossible to know in advance and web search does not help. The best way would be to find lawyer through your friend's references (like I did).

[bestofboston 36]

I used that $1,500 the last guy spent on an attorney on a trip at Thanksgiving time to see my wife. It gets down to how you want to spend your money. On a lawyer or a vacation to see your future spouse.

[new1 2]

We are newbies to filing a K1. I have read alot of posts and different websites. By far this has been the best website for information and we are really getting excited to submit the K1 documents. The question I have is how many people are using a lawyer to submit the documents and how many are going at it by themselves? Also I am curious to know the sucess rate for each. My gal is in the Philippines if that helps out which I have heard is a little tougher.

Thanks all for your help.

Chris and Joyce

hi! welcome to VJ! im from the philippines as well..its not that tough here, if you have all the requirements and documents, then you will be okay..just try to read about filing K1 as much as you can, research about it, thats what we did.. we were gonna get a lawyer but decided we do it ourselves..as one of the member here said, if you can read and write, then you will be fine..all forms here in the philippines are in english..if you need any help, just ask..also, alot of Vj members will be more than willing to help you..

goodluck on your journey!

[new1 2]

Are you sure? I put it my zip code and it showed Nebraska as my service center. I was surprised by this as well. So I could be wrong.

Do you have the California service center address?

Thanks.

If you live in the United States or abroad and are filing Form I-129F, then file your petition at:

The USCIS Dallas Lockbox

For U.S. Postal Service:

USCIS

P.O. Box 660151

Dallas, TX 75266

For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS

Attn: I-129F

2501 South State Highway 121 Business

Suite 400

Lewisville, TX 75067

they will forward your petition to the service center themselves, you will know when you get your notification on where they sent it..

[minkthecat 6]

We are currently using a lawyer. If anything, the lawyers have added stress to the situation because one is always concerned about whether they have done their job properly. All of the calm, sound and most importantly REALISTIC advice has come from this website.

I think a lawyer can really help at the beginning with making sure everything on the initial application is perfect. However, this is obviously not that difficult a job. The key thing, is that a lawyer cannot speed up the process. It will take as long as it takes.

Good luck.

[LongRX7 6]

I concur with the consensus of doing it yourself. Especially if you are just two people in love without drama VJ resource has all the help you need. With a lawyer..you have to provide him with all the information and he fills out the forms...that you can get yourself. If you have the information already..might as well do it yourself. A lawyer can't make the process go any faster than you can or anyone else can. Good luck on your journey...

[pursegal21 0]

The paperwork for the I129F is very extensive, but it can most definitely be done without the assistance of a lawyer. I don't know your financial situation but with all the fees involved if u can save on a lawyer that would be my suggestion. My best friend happens to be an attorney and I did not need her assistance at all. Download a guide and take it portion by portion and u will be just fine. Develop a checklist and refer to this site for any questions you may have. Good Luck!

name='Joyce and Chris' timestamp='1296415511' post='4442679']

We are newbies to filing a K1. I have read alot of posts and different websites. By far this has been the best website for information and we are really getting excited to submit the K1 documents. The question I have is how many people are using a lawyer to submit the documents and how many are going at it by themselves? Also I am curious to know the sucess rate for each. My gal is in the Philippines if that helps out which I have heard is a little tougher.

Thanks all for your help.

Chris and Joyce

[san diego 407]

I used that $1,500 the last guy spent on an attorney on a trip at Thanksgiving time to see my wife. It gets down to how you want to spend your money. On a lawyer or a vacation to see your future spouse.

I do both. I just went to visit my fiancee in November over Thanksgiving AND for 2 weeks in January. As I mentioned, it depends on everyone's financial position.

[KemalTuanaYalcin 16]

Yes, I have definitely heard that filing with a fiance/spouse in the Philipines can be a little more difficult. I think it really all has to do with your comfort level of filing alone vs. using a lawyer. I personally filed mine myself and chose not to use a lawyer. The main thing you have to remember if you chose to file yourself is that you have to be very careful when reading the paperwork and do everything exactly as it states. Skipping any steps could only delay your timeline or result in an RFE when your file is finally reviewed.

Hope this helps

[chrisindy 0]

We hired a lawyer... after a month of waiting for them to actually do anything, I got the paperwork back, and they had left tons of critical information out. I read through the petition instructions, and realized they had no idea what they were doing. We ended up firing them, and doing it on our own. We have done well so far, and we like that the process is at our pace (we honestly care about our case) instead of a lawyers pace (they have lots of cases, and you are just a money paying number). I wouldn't recommend a lawyer until you REALLY need one. A lawyer will mostly likely slow your case, and cost you a lot more. We would probably have our NOA2 by now if it weren't for the mistake of hiring a lawyer.