Immigration specialist to file a K1 petition

[Bryan and Isabel 29]

Dear All,

I have a question regarding the necessity to use the services of an immigration lawyer to file a K1 petition. My fiance and I were told that it can cost us up to 5,000-7,000$ to hire a lawyer. It sounds way too expensive for us. Is it possible for a regular person to file for a K1 visa petition without paying a lawyer for that? Some friends advise us to use an immigration specialist, while others say to do it on our own. What is the safest and easiest way? How much can a lawyer cost just to file the petition? If my fiance files everything on his own, will it take us more time to get the petition approved? Thanks in advance for your reply~

I am a immigration lawyer and I still had my papers reviewed, when its your own personal life in the picture you want to make double extra triple sure. Theres nothing wrong with having them checked by a proffesional but don't pay so much money for something you can do yourself.

bg

[Jamie and Shirley 2]

We are one of the couples that decided to hire an immigration attorney... supposedly one of the best. We had a special circumstance, as my fiance overstayed her visa in the USA back in 97. Even though the ten year ban has been lifted, I felt it was better to pay the $2000 to have representation as well as someone making sure everything was in order with our paperwork. There was a sense of peace seeing the entry form notifying the government that we had legal representation.

That being said, if I had to do it all over again and had no "issues" that worried me, I would have definitely attacked this on my own.

[Leatherneck 693]

My response was to those who were speculating on the abilities of the OP by saying "you can" when they have no clue whether "you can" or not. Enough. Point is made. I get that you don't like it. That is not my concern.

Speculation from the one about that which was not being speculated. Ok, point is made.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Respectfully, what was the purpose of your comment? Considering the nature of which was less than positive and uplifting.

Of course, "There's more to obtaining a visa than filing a petition and there's more to filing a petition than filing in the blanks." the information

relevant to a visa petition is far more important than who fills in the blanks.

I think the OP was served well by the more encouraging comments and hopefully the OP feels a bit more confident with the idea

of doing it herself/himself.

Sometimes people do need advice about immigration matters. I've always felt EVERYONE should seek professional advice before they start down this road. We did. And we consulted with two other attorneys during my husband's AOS.

Just make sure you seek a licensed attorney who specializes in family cases. Don't use your family lawyer. Don't use an immigration lawyer that practices employment based law. Use a family specialist.

And don't use a service that fishes for customers off of DIY sites. It's not just about their dirty tactics. They aren't licensed and you have no recourse if they screw up your case.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Again, none of us knows what any other CAN do. We only know what WE can do, and sometimes don't even know that. Folk, please realize this. Do it yourself is NOT for EVERYBODY. It takes good language skills, attention to detail, confidence and diligent study to manage a visa process. Not everybody has those in sufficient measure. Others would simply rather spend their time doing other things and leave the study and details to others.

I've never tried garlic ice cream, but the amazing thing about the human brain is that we can get a pretty good idea what garlic ice cream might taste like without actually tasting it. Also, I enjoy a good meal and know how to cook, but maybe I'd rather go some place where they'd cook my food for me. Then it comes down to what you consider good value. For some, that means they'll happily spend $30 a plate for a decent meal, while others think the $7 value meals at McDonald's provides them the most bang for their buck. I personally prefer my ice cream without garlic and my meals to taste like a real chef prepared them and not some pimple-headed teenager with bad hygiene who thinks it's funny to spit on my patty.

[Leatherneck 693]

Brother Leatherneck: This ain't pushbrk's first rodeo. People here would be very well-advised to follow his advice.

Out of curiosity, where's your own timeline?

Brother TBone TX, I know pushbrk has been around the block a few times, I know he has a wealth of knowledge about this process. I acknowledge that and respect the fact that he's still here to offer such. So I agree with you and thank you for the input.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Leatherneck

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Brother TBone TX, I know pushbrk has been around the block a few times, I know he has a wealth of knowledge about this process. I acknowledge that and respect the fact that he's still here to offer such. So I agree with you and thank you for the input.

[TBoneTX 45,155]

And don't use a service that fishes for customers off of DIY sites. It's not just about their dirty tactics.

Please name three such services and provide verifiable evidence to support your statement. If you don't or can't, then withdraw your statement, as would a person who has shreds of honor and fairness.

Brother TBone TX, I know pushbrk has been around the block a few times, I know he has a wealth of knowledge about this process. I acknowledge that and respect the fact that he's still here to offer such. So I agree with you and thank you for the input.

Thank you in return, Brother Leatherneck-Bone. You're more gracious and circumspect than certain other posters in this thread.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Please name three such services and provide verifiable evidence to support your statement. If you don't or can't, then withdraw your statement, as would a person who has shreds of honor and fairness.

Thank you in return, Brother Leatherneck-Bone. You're more gracious and circumspect than certain other posters in this thread.

Why do you care?

[Ban Hammer 13,293]

don't use this thread to bash other members and get a dig in at someone you don't like. i'm sure all can agree to disagree.

one member thread banned from this thread.

[memmy 3]

I am a immigration lawyer and I still had my papers reviewed, when its your own personal life in the picture you want to make double extra triple sure. Theres nothing wrong with having them checked by a proffesional but don't pay so much money for something you can do yourself.

bg

Thanks for your advice! Do you have any idea of the charges a lawyer may have for reviewing out papers?

[memmy 3]

Sometimes people do need advice about immigration matters. I've always felt EVERYONE should seek professional advice before they start down this road. We did. And we consulted with two other attorneys during my husband's AOS.

Just make sure you seek a licensed attorney who specializes in family cases. Don't use your family lawyer. Don't use an immigration lawyer that practices employment based law. Use a family specialist.

And don't use a service that fishes for customers off of DIY sites. It's not just about their dirty tactics. They aren't licensed and you have no recourse if they screw up your case.

Ok, thanks!

[Ban Hammer 13,293]

about half a dozen posts removed that were off topic. one returned below that is on topic, minus the off topic portion.

As to the OP, if your case is straight forward and you are a detail oriented person, then the visa process should not be a problem for you. If you either don't feel capable of doing the paperwork, or your case requires a legal profesional, then you should seek the advice of an attorney. However, you should be careful that there are many services out there that claim to be legal professionals but are nothing more than a former paralegal. So take a hard look at yourself, and read up on some of the guides on this site. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or even send someone a PM. Most people are nice, and more than willing to help.

back to topic please. further off topic posts may result in the post's removal and thread bans.

Edited September 3, 2011 by charles!

[웃 910]

Here's what I tell people that ask this question:

Do you know your name? Your partner's name? Your and her birth dates? Addresses?

Do you have a copy of a recent itinerary. Hotel receipt. And a couple pictures?

Do you have 30 minutes of spare time to answer simple questions like: What is your name? What is your address? What is your birth date?

If you answered yes to these questions then you are a big boy and capable of filing on your own.

[TBoneTX 45,155]

In the process of VJ Moderation's having removed several purportedly off-topic posts (the reasons behind which are acknowledged), an unverifiable claim has been allowed to remain unchallenged in this thread:

And don't use a service that fishes for customers off of DIY sites. It's not just about their dirty tactics.

No one can paint an entire industry with this broad a brush. There are certainly as many excellent, capable visa firms as there are incapable or incompetent ones. Potential customers should trust their gut feelings when reading these firms' claims and when interacting with the firms' personnel during the process of initial contact. Outrageous promises and careless or incomplete responses should be one warning sign.

Any VJ member's claim that all services like this are 100% bad (or "good") should be viewed with a very dubious eye. Some members should know better.

This post is 100% pertinent to the OP's OP (meaning "on-topic").