Need Help on problem

[kyle100 0]

I need some help. I was told to use this really good lawyer in CA for a k1 visa. well they filled out all the papers and said they sent it out in july and charge me $1000

Well for 4 months i have not hear anything, no check cash from INS no info on anything in-till 11/9. I got the packet back from the INS. The lawyer used the outdated I 129 F forms and to update the form and mail it back. So the lawyer is going to mail me a new form filled out so i can re-mail it, Also i found some other info errors like wrong address, wrong ex wife last name which the lawer fixed but its got me thinking.

So i called another lawyer that my friend used and she said she would charge me $2500 to redo the paper work to make it sure it done right, I have called more lawyers and gotten so many different answers i don't know who to believe. One lawyer said the only way to bring a girl back from colombia was to married her there and fill out the forms for a wife. Another one said that colombia is the hardest place to get a K1 visa. I am not sure if they are trying to scare me to pay them $2500 to have it done.

So my question is. Do i check the new form over and put the packet together again and mail it out my self or should i pay a lawyer $2500 which i really don't have to have a piece of mine and make sure there will be no more problems? I wasted 4 months and already really mad about it, Everything i read i line i have in packet,

pictures, phone calls airline tickets,

I 129F

G325A

both birth certificates. her baptismal certificate

I-134 affidavit of support

three years of tax forms

Please let me know if i need a lawer or i can do this without anouther one. Thanks. Kyle

[dougyceci 0]

You have all the forms filled out, so you know what you need to send. The package is ready to go but to fill out the new form and you know the mistakes. You can do this yourself and save the money. People here are always willing to help as well. Anwer is pretty clear to me. As for the comment on the difficulty of getting someone here from Colombia? Many of us have Colombian girlfriends or wives. I have seen no mention of this before and seen several approvals of K-1, K-3, and CR-1 approvals. I have not seen any evidence of this or even delays in processing these applications. Decision is yours.

[AndyMisiu 0]

I'm not sure which countries are more difficult than the next. I have heard that Columbia takes a little longer due to waiting lines, name checks, and a tougher interview experience. Other than that it's the same process as anywhere else and a lawyer can't change the process to make it easier for you. All a lawyer can due is look over your situation for complications such as USC convictions, Beneficiary convictions, prior marriage complications, overstays, past immigration violations, waiver requests, etc...

If you have a pretty straight forward case I would send it in myself, as I did, and so many others here on VJ. VJ can be your lawyer!! all a lawyer is, is someone who is more knowligable and studied in a certain field. I assure you that some VJ members no more than the lawyers do, I found that when I was researching the new IMBRA laws. I was always one step ahead of any lawyer I called.

So, in closing it's totally up to you and your comfort level, but I prefer to do it myself. You can put the time and effort to double check, learn, and prepare the package yourself so you know it's right.

Search this site under "lawyer" and you will see many threads just like your thread here. This will give you a good read on others opinion!!

Good Luck and it sucks you got ripped off!!

[YuAndDan 153]

Why are lawyers so damn expensive? All they do is fill in the forms for you and send them in, my brother in-law is a tax accountant who dose more for his customers for far less $$, than what this lawyer did for you.

The lawyer should have known about the IMBRA law, and made sure to use the newest forms. I did my own petition in July and sent it off and it had no problems or RFEs.

I guess I prefer to be in control. And am of the opinion if I want it done right I need to do it my self.

[payxibka 10,045]

I need some help. I was told to use this really good lawyer in CA for a k1 visa. well they filled out all the papers and said they sent it out in july and charge me $1000

Well for 4 months i have not hear anything, no check cash from INS no info on anything in-till 11/9. I got the packet back from the INS. The lawyer used the outdated I 129 F forms and to update the form and mail it back. So the lawyer is going to mail me a new form filled out so i can re-mail it, Also i found some other info errors like wrong address, wrong ex wife last name which the lawer fixed but its got me thinking.

So i called another lawyer that my friend used and she said she would charge me $2500 to redo the paper work to make it sure it done right, I have called more lawyers and gotten so many different answers i don't know who to believe. One lawyer said the only way to bring a girl back from colombia was to married her there and fill out the forms for a wife. Another one said that colombia is the hardest place to get a K1 visa. I am not sure if they are trying to scare me to pay them $2500 to have it done.

So my question is. Do i check the new form over and put the packet together again and mail it out my self or should i pay a lawyer $2500 which i really don't have to have a piece of mine and make sure there will be no more problems? I wasted 4 months and already really mad about it, Everything i read i line i have in packet,

pictures, phone calls airline tickets,

I 129F

G325A

both birth certificates. her baptismal certificate

I-134 affidavit of support

three years of tax forms

Please let me know if i need a lawer or i can do this without anouther one. Thanks. Kyle

You received the entire packet back? No check was cashed? Something is strange...

[rebeccajo 14]

Why are lawyers so damn expensive? All they do is fill in the forms for you and send them in......

Because they have rent, utilities, staff and taxes to pay. Paper-pushing costs money.

And because they are supposed to have knowledge of the area they specialize - far more knowledge than a layperson. Knowledge from experience, study of the law, and knowledge you can't pick up on a website.

The onus is on you to select one who does and gives you your moneys worth.

Edited November 21, 2006 by rebeccajo

[SoL. 0]

I think that if you want to have your peace of mind, it's better if you do it yourself and don't rely on a lawyer. (Look what the first lawyer you hired did!) Unless you have some kind of problems you may need one. But if your case if pretty much straight forward, you can do it yourself (with the help of this site, which helps A LOT).

If you have all your evidence documents, you can download the current forms in here. Please read the guides, I submitted my packet reading from here and asking the other VJers and didn't get a RFE, and my case it's already @ the Embassy in just a few months.

Good luck and, before you contact another lawyer, please read through the guides here at the site, you'll find some answers!

wishing you luck,

edi

Edited November 21, 2006 by Sol-de-Verano

[heishe 2]

Make sure you send an official copy of your divorce decree.

And I wonder if you can get some of that $1000 back. That lawyer screwed you over.

Edited November 21, 2006 by heishe

[kyle100 0]

Thank you for all your help, The lawer has mail me the new forms already printed out plus a new mailer to put it in. I am just really bum out i wasted 4 months but i do know more now than i did 4 months ago .

I think i am going to check it over and read the post and do it on my own since that is what seems most people do here, Any help is great, Kyle

[kitkat1 5]

Thank you for all your help, The lawer has mail me the new forms already printed out plus a new mailer to put it in. I am just really bum out i wasted 4 months but i do know more now than i did 4 months ago .

I think i am going to check it over and read the post and do it on my own since that is what seems most people do here, Any help is great, Kyle

It does not normally take four months for the service center to return a package due to an outdated form. My guess is the lawyer didn't send it until about 3 weeks ago. I would ask for a full refund and dump him.

Skip the lawyer - there is no reason to pay $1000 or $2500 for a lawyer to do this unless you don't feel comfortable following the directions on the forms or posting questions here.

BTW, her baptismal certificate, I-134 affidavit of support, three years of tax forms are NOT included in the I-129F package. Your birth certificate or copies of all pages of your passport are necessary to prove your US citizenship. The other items come into play at the interview in Colombia. There is no reason to think a fiance visa is any different in Colombia than other country. But it would be worth it for you to read through the experiences of other filers there in the regional forum to get well educated on the intricacies of the consulate there.

Start by reading the USCIS site regarding Fiance visas - there is a wealth of information as well as the guides here.

http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrant...es_1315.html#3d

[Mephys 2]

me and my fiance thought about hiring a lawyer to do it for us......for around 1700$-2500$.

Thats before I found VJ

We finally took care of it ourselves and got a K-1 petition approved without any RFE and my petition is on its way to the embassy as we speak.

Save yourself a lot of worries and money by sending it. And I wish you success with the process

Mephys

[aj1 1]

me and my fiance thought about hiring a lawyer to do it for us......for around 1700$-2500$.

Thats before I found VJ

We finally took care of it ourselves and got a K-1 petition approved without any RFE and my petition is on its way to the embassy as we speak.

Save yourself a lot of worries and money by sending it. And I wish you success with the process

Mephys

Just a F.Y.I. we have a lawyer and i tell you what my fiance is from Egypt which is one of the most difficult embassies to go through and up until this point i have done everything myself. This lawyer has been FOR SURE a waist of our time. He has slowed us down tremendously. I also had alot of typo's in our G325A and our I129F forms so i just did them myself. If i could have done this all over i would have NEVER had a lawyer. And ours is from CA also. I think you will be fine on your own if you do it yourself. You will save ALOT of TIME and MONEY. I hope everything works out with your decision. I wish you all the best with your journey.

AJ1

[kyle100 0]

well i got the new I 134 and got the packet in the mail on wed 11/22. Lets see what happens this time. Kyle

[edsperfect 25]

I need some help. I was told to use this really good lawyer in CA for a k1 visa. well they filled out all the papers and said they sent it out in july and charge me $1000

Well for 4 months i have not hear anything, no check cash from INS no info on anything in-till 11/9. I got the packet back from the INS. The lawyer used the outdated I 129 F forms and to update the form and mail it back. So the lawyer is going to mail me a new form filled out so i can re-mail it, Also i found some other info errors like wrong address, wrong ex wife last name which the lawer fixed but its got me thinking.

So i called another lawyer that my friend used and she said she would charge me $2500 to redo the paper work to make it sure it done right, I have called more lawyers and gotten so many different answers i don't know who to believe. One lawyer said the only way to bring a girl back from colombia was to married her there and fill out the forms for a wife. Another one said that colombia is the hardest place to get a K1 visa. I am not sure if they are trying to scare me to pay them $2500 to have it done.

So my question is. Do i check the new form over and put the packet together again and mail it out my self or should i pay a lawyer $2500 which i really don't have to have a piece of mine and make sure there will be no more problems? I wasted 4 months and already really mad about it, Everything i read i line i have in packet,

pictures, phone calls airline tickets,

I 129F

G325A

both birth certificates. her baptismal certificate

I-134 affidavit of support

three years of tax forms

Please let me know if i need a lawer or i can do this without anouther one. Thanks. Kyle

I am a lawyer and have been for longer than i care to remember. i do not sdpecialize in immigration work but have talked to some that do. I agree that if it is a straight case and you have all the inof then send it in yourself. You vcan learn more on this site than any lawyer can learn going to a seminar on immigration law.

Remember a lawyer can call himself an expert, in most states, when he knows diddly about the subject.

[Turboguy 6]

I hope a joke won't bother you Ed,

I see you are a lawyer and you got 2 separate RFE's on your own K-1. Perhaps you should have asked one of us to do it for you so it would be quicker!!!!!!1