A good Visa company or Law Firm recommendations

[DavidandIrina 1]

I think I understand now. Thank you everyone for your input.

The basic rule of thumb I think is that the lawyers want all of these affidavits and other things because it is a CYA (cover your dupa) tactic. If you send EVERY piece of evidence that the government could possibly want, then it ensures that they have no RFEs. (They can't say "100% success" without doing so.) Anyways I've gone ahead with getting affidavits and just got a letter today from my priest of my church who will marry us, because as they say "it can't hurt" and I've done a few already.

I won't use the attorney, I think that the instructions are pretty straightforward and we don't have any complex issues (no criminal history, she has no children (other than the one in her womb), etc)

QUESTION:

How many emails and skype information should I give? We literally IM each other at least 10 hours a day. If I were to print it all it would be literally over 1000 pages. For emails, we stopped writing emails about 4 months ago because we literally talk all day long. I don't have any phone calls directly since we use skype, is there a way to print out the history of calls?

[amykathleen2005 441]

As of now just worry about proving that you have met in person within the last two years. A plane ticket, passport stamp, and picture would be great. You don't' have to bring evidence of your continuing relationship until the interview.

[AlinaH 38]

I did the package myself....no RFEs, we had our NOA2 in 146 days and its all gone speedy since. Just start reading LOTS. Have a friend or family member go over your forms and the rest of the package before you send it off just to make sure they can't think of more evidence, find spelling errors, or anything else wrong. You should have no problems. Just double check everything. Lawyers, and others working in their office can make the same mistakes as you. Better to save the money towards her plane ticket for POE

[DavidandIrina 1]

haha... actually I just checked. From December 15th 2010 to today, our Skype IM history is 1710 pages of text in a Word document :-D

So for the entire year, easily over 5000 pages of IM messages :-D

So... the question remains.. what exactly to give the USICS if even necessary?

[AmyWrites 593]

Don't get a lawyer... the K-1 process is an expensive visa, with the AOS and everything.

Save the money for later on in the process, because it will get complicated. The first part is easy as pie.

Read the guides 15 times and then do this yourself. Save the lawyer money for after she comes over.

And frankly, a lawyer can't (at least to my knowledge) go to law school to specialize in immigration law. It's not like a lawyer would have access to secret information you don't know.

[AmyWrites 593]

haha... actually I just checked. From December 15th 2010 to today, our Skype IM history is 1710 pages of text in a Word document :-D

So for the entire year, easily over 5000 pages of IM messages :-D

So... the question remains.. what exactly to give the USICS if even necessary?

The first time I did the K-1 (which I had to cancel as we broke up, sadly), I sent in copies of plane tickets, pictures, copies of birthday cards I gave him/he gave me, and about Skype, I took a screen shot (of the clean oens ) and printed it out.

[san diego 407]

As someone pretty far down the "journey road" I can tell you this is correct. The I-129f is the beginning, the start, the EASY part. This process is going to be a big part of your life for at least the next 4 years. Because of a K-2 to follow, our journey started in March 2008 and will not end until late 2013. The other parts are more complicated, more expensive and require far more documentation than the I-129f. This is something you had better be getting comfortable with. You will have to do the AOS, then the Removal of Conditions (RoC) and each requires much more documentation than the I-129f. In between you have to live your life with a foreign spouse and help her adjust to a new country, new language...just some minor things. Dude, you are gonna be busy! Super busy! Learn it, live it, keep up with it, keep ahead of it.

I cannot begin to tell you that USCIS and this paperwork, as much as there is of it, over and over and over...is not even a gnat's eyelash in the things you have to do with a family of new residents to America.

If you need an attorney now, even if just to "boost your confidence" you are in deep do-do.

I agree. However, do not forget that K1 visa step is the most important.. for me.. I am planning on filing AOS on my own. If there is an RFE on this step it does not matter: she is already with me and extra month or so does not matter. However, every single day during K1 process, when she is not with me.. it is like lifetime..

[baron555 934]

haha... actually I just checked. From December 15th 2010 to today, our Skype IM history is 1710 pages of text in a Word document :-D

So for the entire year, easily over 5000 pages of IM messages :-D

So... the question remains.. what exactly to give the USICS if even necessary?

You obviously haven't read the Guides. You do not need to send in any evidence of your relationship with the petition; only the proof of meeting in person within the last two years.

The relationship evidence is brought to the interview.

[DavidandIrina 1]

You obviously haven't read the Guides. You do not need to send in any evidence of your relationship with the petition; only the proof of meeting in person within the last two years.

The relationship evidence is brought to the interview.

How odd... The sample "How we met statement" says things like "I'm enclosing phone bills and emails to show that we have communicated" and "I've inclosed photos of us together and our wedding invitations".

So this is unnecessary? I understand the meeting part, I already have my airline tickets and passport ready to go, but am not sure why this example letter has evidence of a relationship too.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I agree with you that maybe it is not necessary. However, I was impressed how my package was organized. I used a very good lawyer that does everything herself. Very accurately. You just need to make sure that all the information is correct. In fact, while this site is very helpful, you cannot always easily find all the information. In addition, you will never organize in the order which completely reflects your relationship. I am well educated, have PhD, etc. However, I would not be able to gather all the information necessary and organize everything the way she did. In addition, if there is a problem I would not know what to do. I understand that the value of the lawyer is marginal. I am just saying that if you have money to do it without stratching and your personality is like mine when you constantly worry about everything, it is worth it. This is just my opinion. I may not understand the process, you are right. However, it does give me a peace of mind.

You undersatnd that your impressive package ws dismanteled by a clerk in the mail room at the service center and placed in a folder that looks like everyone else's, right? Or did you think they do art project contests?

A package that is paper clipped together is just as impressive to USCIS. If everything is in there, you get approved. If it is not, you get an RFE

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

How odd... The sample "How we met statement" says things like "I'm enclosing phone bills and emails to show that we have communicated" and "I've inclosed photos of us together and our wedding invitations".

So this is unnecessary? I understand the meeting part, I already have my airline tickets and passport ready to go, but am not sure why this example letter has evidence of a relationship too.

Unnecessary.

My statement?

"While returning from a trip to Odessa, Ukraine, I had a layover in Prague, CZ. I met Alla while standing in line for to buy bus tickets to the city" That's it. I included ONE photo of us together in a restaraunt in Prague.

we brought a lot more evidence to the interview, most of which they did not look at. They looked at four photos. I sent -0- photos for the AOS and -0- photos for the Removal of Conditions. Approved at all without a question asked.

VJ tends to be conservative in their advice. Not a bad thing as extra stuff is not bad, but it is not necessary.

How odd... The sample "How we met statement" says things like "I'm enclosing phone bills and emails to show that we have communicated" and "I've inclosed photos of us together and our wedding invitations".

So this is unnecessary? I understand the meeting part, I already have my airline tickets and passport ready to go, but am not sure why this example letter has evidence of a relationship too.

If you made wedding plans bvefore the visa was issued, I would reject the petition on the grounds of "Too stupid to get married to another human"

haha... actually I just checked. From December 15th 2010 to today, our Skype IM history is 1710 pages of text in a Word document :-D

So for the entire year, easily over 5000 pages of IM messages :-D

So... the question remains.. what exactly to give the USICS if even necessary?

For the petition?

What they ask for. Nothing else is needed. Read the instructions.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I think I understand now. Thank you everyone for your input.

The basic rule of thumb I think is that the lawyers want all of these affidavits and other things because it is a CYA (cover your dupa) tactic. If you send EVERY piece of evidence that the government could possibly want, then it ensures that they have no RFEs. (They can't say "100% success" without doing so.) Anyways I've gone ahead with getting affidavits and just got a letter today from my priest of my church who will marry us, because as they say "it can't hurt" and I've done a few already.

I won't use the attorney, I think that the instructions are pretty straightforward and we don't have any complex issues (no criminal history, she has no children (other than the one in her womb), etc)

QUESTION:

How many emails and skype information should I give? We literally IM each other at least 10 hours a day. If I were to print it all it would be literally over 1000 pages. For emails, we stopped writing emails about 4 months ago because we literally talk all day long. I don't have any phone calls directly since we use skype, is there a way to print out the history of calls?

"Dupa" does not begin with "A".

Nice analogy but wrong. Unless the lawyer is ignorant and then you don;t want him.

Any knowledgeable person knows that sending extra, unneeded, stuff does not cover anyone's "A". it is just a waste pf paper. You can send your 1710000 million, gazillion pages of skype text...but if you forget to send a copy of your birth certificate, you will get an RFE for the birth certificate. You will NOT get an RFE for skype pages. Alla and I never used skype before we were married so that would have disqualified us.

Attorneys do this to make YOU think THEY are smart and important and worth the thousands of dollars you pay them. What about the AOS? Who will do that? At what price? Removal of conditions? Who? How much?

This is not only like asking an attoreney to fill out a job application, but then asking him to go to work with you everyday. This IS a lifetime endeavor. Handing it off to an attorney for a fee is a mistake and should give NO ONE "peace of mind" Who is going to make the copies of the permission slips and report cards from the child's school? Who makes copies and keeps the "RoC file" in the desk? Ignorance in this matter is no reason for peace of mind. I have boxes full of documents in the closet, all organized, neatly filed and paper clipped. THAT is peace of mind. I have every piece of paper we have filed thus far. Next year she will get her citizenship and THEN we will burn the boxes in the backyard in a bonfire.

And do you not think it is peace of mind to my WIFE and FAMILY that I know about this stuff? Do you think she notices we have received a visa, conditional green cards and now unconditional green cards without even a single question asked at any point? what do you think it does for THEIR peace of mind? Who is most important? When my wife has a question about her immigration status or the children's she asks ME and I answer. She has peace of mind.

Study it, live it, learn it. Youa re going to have an immigrant wife, it is a lot of responsibility and she depends on YOU to know about it and keep her safe.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I think I understand now. Thank you everyone for your input.

The basic rule of thumb I think is that the lawyers want all of these affidavits and other things because it is a CYA (cover your dupa) tactic. If you send EVERY piece of evidence that the government could possibly want, then it ensures that they have no RFEs. (They can't say "100% success" without doing so.) Anyways I've gone ahead with getting affidavits and just got a letter today from my priest of my church who will marry us, because as they say "it can't hurt" and I've done a few already.

I won't use the attorney, I think that the instructions are pretty straightforward and we don't have any complex issues (no criminal history, she has no children (other than the one in her womb), etc)

QUESTION:

How many emails and skype information should I give? We literally IM each other at least 10 hours a day. If I were to print it all it would be literally over 1000 pages. For emails, we stopped writing emails about 4 months ago because we literally talk all day long. I don't have any phone calls directly since we use skype, is there a way to print out the history of calls?

100% success means everyone got an approved petition, NOT that there were no RFE's. Don't be silly. Getting a petition approved is as difficult as falling off a log.

I would say send -0- emails or skype logs with the petition.

If you are IMing each other 10 hours a day, you will never be ready for her when she arrives.

[Nath & Jordan 1]

We have been using a lawyer and have so far spent $1800, and we don't even have a NOA2 yet. If you feel you need help them by all means do what makes you feel comfortable, but other than that just use this site to help you a long, they have everything covered and people are always willing to help. As soon as my NOA2 arrives my lawyer is getting the boot

Good Luck

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I agree. However, do not forget that K1 visa step is the most important.. for me.. I am planning on filing AOS on my own. If there is an RFE on this step it does not matter: she is already with me and extra month or so does not matter. However, every single day during K1 process, when she is not with me.. it is like lifetime..

Please, spare me the dramatics. Been there, done that. You are going to be together a long time, this petition thing is nothing. Use the time to prepare for her arrival, you will need it. If you want to speed up the petition process then stay up late tonight, put away your texting device and study how to send the petition. All you need is right here at this site. Then get it ready and send it, it will save you 2-3 weeks at least over using an attorney and you will be much better off in the long run. Stop thinking that "she has to get here ASAP" and start thinking about the WHOLE picture and doing it right and being a resource for your wife. She will need it.