Agency or lawyer in CR1, does it help?

[LaVegano 12]

Hi guys!!

I just wanted to ask if having an Agency or a lawyer will help you to be approved faster than having none or if you just self applied. Im on CR1 Spouse Visa process.

Thank you for your inputs

I used RAPIDVISA it does help with the process. As far as speed it has no bearing on speed.

[Chez&Rick 11]

I used RAPIDVISA it does help with the process. As far as speed it has no bearing on speed.

How many days is your NOA1 to NOA2?

[pushbrk 13,172]

Hi guys!!

I just wanted to ask if having an Agency or a lawyer will help you to be approved faster than having none or if you just self applied. Im on CR1 Spouse Visa process.

Thank you for your inputs

Professional assistance cannot speed the petition approval process but for some, it may help avoid delays caused by errors. Not all people have the same aptitude for or ability to deal with the process on their own. If you don't feel confident in doing it yourself, and getting it right the first time, you would be wise to seek professional assistance.

[indiana_sweetie 120]

long time lurker, first time poster. We used a lawyer, mainly because each of of our travel schedules for work, we wanted to make sure there was one place the paperwork was being sent to where it wouldn't be missed and someone was sure to act on it. If I had to do it over again, I probably wouldn't have used a lawyer. We hired a really reputable lawyer and he did an ok job, but the NVC lost one of our forms he'd submitted, and I was the one who caught it, because of the knowledge I'd gained here on VJ. From looking at the guides and reading the forums, I knew exactly how long it should have taken from the date the DS230 was sent until our case completed, and when 2 months had passed with no word, I got all over our lawyer to follow up. Lo and behold, the NVC didn't have a record of it being received. (and I know he'd sent it, he copied us on all tracking numbers, etc) He re-submitted it and within 14 days our case completed. So having a lawyer doesn't mean it's going to be any faster. They can't fast track things, they can only make sure it's done correctly and that someone is keeping on top of your stuff. And the NVC misplacing paperwork somewhere in the shuffle doesn't happen every day, but isn't completely unheard of. Doesn't matter who files it if that happens.

If you have a straight forward case, have clean police records, have a good co-sponsor (or make enough to do the I-864 yourself) and are a detail oriented person, it should be really easy to do it yourself following the guides here and asking questions of the people on the forums to make sure you're doing it correctly. I think you certainly will feel like you have more control over the process if you do it yourself.

It does seem to take forever and there is a lot of luck involved on how fast things get processed. I would look at some of the timelines on here with similar filing dates or NOA2 dates to ours and want to beat my head against the wall. But you just have to take it one day at a time and roll with it. it's a pain in the ####, but you can totally do it yourself. That's my .02 cents anyway.

Your story is almost the same as our's. Hiring a lawyer did not speed things up. We also filed before finding VJ, so we felt lost. We have a very reasonably priced immigration lawyer and she has done a good job with some delays and a mistake on one form which I caught. If we had to do it over we would have filed with the help of VJ and saved the money.

[indiana_sweetie 120]

Professional assistance cannot speed the petition approval process but for some, it may help avoid delays caused by errors. Not all people have the same aptitude for or ability to deal with the process on their own. If you don't feel confident in doing it yourself, and getting it right the first time, you would be wise to seek professional assistance.

I know I'm contradicting myself but I agree with your statement as well.

[NikLR 13,232]

Sweetie, you just filed in January. The NOA2 normally takes 5-6 months. Anything faster than that was fast, the recent 1 month ones are very rare. Relax, get out and do some stuff. trust me, it drove me batty too and finally I said, it'll come when it comes, I have no control and such is life.

[LaVegano 12]

Rickandchez, only have NOA1. Still waiting for approval

[jdba 22]

Yeah, i hope we could do it that fast too.

I hope i could be with my husband tonight!

Buu u know when u check USCIS every day, it seems like it has been years since we filed the NOA1.

I used a lawyer just because I work 7 days a week. I wanted someone to check all the paper work for me. You know to dot all the i's and cross all the t's as they say. even with a lawyer you have to do all the leg work yourself.

I will say that with lawyer you get your bills faster at the NVC. Because you already have a lawyer on file and you don't have to do the Ds-230. And you get both your AOS and IV bill at the same time. But if your lawyer is like mine he will wait till the bills show paid before sending anything.

[Cathi 5,795]

I agree, having a simple case with no criminal record, no children, no prior marriages and are very detailed in how you organize and present everything it will be easier and straigh forward. Detail is KEY...

having children and prior marriages does not in any way slow things down. It took my husband from filing of the i-130 to interview at the embassy 7 months from start to finish. I was previously married and I have children, our process was quite fast,and we did it all on our own. As long as you follow the directions and do everything correctly there is no reason you cannot do it on your own, without rfe's or delays. We are proof of it. The only delay we had was AP, but that is because he is from a middle eastern country and AP is pretty standard for males in their 20's.

[christeen 966]

My personal experience is that I believe that having control over my own case gave me a sense of understanding and control over the situation. I also know that I cared about my own case more than any lawyer ever would so i had motivation to get everything done as fast as possible. Luckily, I found this site early in my process so I was aware of the process (sort of) and I did a lot of research. I think mine moved faster than with a lawyer as I could respond immediately to paperwork requests etc... And did not have to wait for a lawyer to get around to it.

Tomorrow hubby takes his oath and becomes a us citizen and I owe so much to VJ for getting us through this!

[indiana_sweetie 120]

Tomorrow hubby takes his oath and becomes a us citizen and I owe so much to VJ for getting us through this!

Congratulations :dance:

[vegas12 12]

I would recommend you look at this page it was great help for me. I filed three application one for my wife and two for her girls. Like was said before if you have just one should be easy. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/422214-nvc-filers-april-2013/

[Chez&Rick 11]

My personal experience is that I believe that having control over my own case gave me a sense of understanding and control over the situation. I also know that I cared about my own case more than any lawyer ever would so i had motivation to get everything done as fast as possible. Luckily, I found this site early in my process so I was aware of the process (sort of) and I did a lot of research. I think mine moved faster than with a lawyer as I could respond immediately to paperwork requests etc... And did not have to wait for a lawyer to get around to it.

Tomorrow hubby takes his oath and becomes a us citizen and I owe so much to VJ for getting us through this!

Wow! Congratulations!

[Ms Hogan 295]

I have read many examples here on the forums where people using lawyers actually felt their cases took longer because of it. The lawyers don't have the personal interest of being prepared ahead of time and being right on top of things. They'll get to it when it is the next item on their to-do list. The sense of urgency you have to be with your loved one means you will make the extra effort to be prepared with items ready to go when requested. It also means that you are paying closer attention to your progress. It means more to you to get through this quickly than it does to your lawyer. But with that said, do keep in mind that if you have any items that would require the assistance of a lawyer or you are struggling to understand the process clearly, then it might work best for you to pay for the additional support. Good luck!

[immihelp99 21]

Hi guys!!

I just wanted to ask if having an Agency or a lawyer will help you to be approved faster than having none or if you just self applied. Im on CR1 Spouse Visa process.

Thank you for your inputs

It will be 'fast' in that you won't make any mistakes with paperwork.