i really need help so confused

[vickylicious 1]

ok i got married to my husband last year april,, been together for 6yrs... so i want to start his visa in order for him to come to us... so many pple been telling me if i want it approve on time,, i should hired a lawyer,,, that is better than to do it myself...... im thinking of filling the paper myself,,, can anyone pls tell me if i should use a lawyer or i can do it myself and there will be no problem... also what are the requirements,, what do i need to send in first,,, etc....

[UK-USA-K1 128]

I think if there no underlying issues such as deportations, overstays or serious criminal history, it's best to just file yourself. Any lawyer is going to ask you to provide all the information so they fill out the forms, then you sign them and send them back and they send them in. It's just faster to fill the forms in yourself following the guides here.

You said you were married, so I am linking you to the guide for married couples. Everything is fairly self explanatory, but for any questions, there are always people in the proper forums that will be more than helpful.

Link to the Spousal Visa Guide:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

Link to the IR-1/CR-1 Spousal Visa Forum:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/110-ir-1-cr-1-spouse-visa-process-procedures/

Best of luck to you

Edited June 3, 2013 by UK-USA-K1

[JohnR! 5,495]

ok i got married to my husband last year april,, been together for 6yrs... so i want to start his visa in order for him to come to us... so many pple been telling me if i want it approve on time,, i should hired a lawyer,,, that is better than to do it myself...... im thinking of filling the paper myself,,, can anyone pls tell me if i should use a lawyer or i can do it myself and there will be no problem... also what are the requirements,, what do i need to send in first,,, etc....

Only you can answer that question. You can do it all yourself without the need for a lawyer. Read this, and it will give you an idea of what lies ahead:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/guides

Good luck!

[Ning 619]

ok i got married to my husband last year april,, been together for 6yrs... so i want to start his visa in order for him to come to us... so many pple been telling me if i want it approve on time,, i should hired a lawyer,,, that is better than to do it myself...... im thinking of filling the paper myself,,, can anyone pls tell me if i should use a lawyer or i can do it myself and there will be no problem... also what are the requirements,, what do i need to send in first,,, etc....

The decision about the lawyer is really about your ability to deal with the process and forms. Lawyers are a filter for info. They tell you what to provide so they can fill out the exact same forms that you would use anyway. Most of the time this slows down the process because of the time it takes to transfer the info back and forth.

See the guides here on V J. This is a self help site that many of us used to do what you want to do.

[Olakunle39 11]

I recommend a lawyer if you really don't want to make any mistake, they are professionals and this is what they do everyday, the whole process may look easy but sensitive, think about this...any single mistake that you make on your application will delay your application and approval, because the USCIS will always send your documents back to you for proper filing. Just imagine the immigration lawyers do help people without taking any money, i can promise you that all these people who advised you to do it yourself will prefer the immigration lawyer because it was free, the only reason why some people don't wanna use immigration lawyer is the money which involved but what i can tell you is " what worths doing, worths doing well" if you do not mind spending some money and you really want to do this at once please use a lawyer, i used a lawyer i started my Cr-1 in December 2012 and got approval in February 2013. i am almost done now, the lawyer worked for me and all i do is signing i will always prefer to go through the experts.

[UK-USA-K1 128]

I recommend a lawyer if you really don't want to make any mistake, they are professionals and this is what they do everyday, the whole process may look easy but sensitive, think about this...any single mistake that you make on your application will delay your application and approval, because the USCIS will always send your documents back to you for proper filing. Just imagine the immigration lawyers do help people without taking any money, i can promise you that all these people who advised you to do it yourself will prefer the immigration lawyer because it was free, the only reason why some people don't wanna use immigration lawyer is the money which involved but what i can tell you is " what worths doing, worths doing well" if you do not mind spending some money and you really want to do this at once please use a lawyer, i used a lawyer i started my Cr-1 in December 2012 and got approval in February 2013. i am almost done now, the lawyer worked for me and all i do is signing i will always prefer to go through the experts.

Lawyers make mistakes all the time. I've only started browsing these forums late last year, and I've seen many posters with issues of RFEs and such that had lawyer. Even if the lawyer fills it all out properly, they still rely on YOU to give them all the proper information. The lawyer will ask for the same information the guides here on VJ tell you to provide. Reading the guides is basically the same thing as getting a lawyer without the fees. Now, if the petitioner isn't comfortable reading the guides, they should feel free to pay the money to hire an attorney, but they do take longer because you have to realize you are not their only priority. To them you are just another client. There will be a back and forth with information gathering and since signatures have to be original documentation, that means taking the time to either drive to the lawyers office to sign them or to deal with postal delays. If you fill out the forms yourself, you get them done, you print, sign and mail without delay. To those who choose a lawyer, that is a fine choice, but for those who do not, more often than not, their cases are filed without delays and issues. Sure some people may forget a document and get an RFE that may take a few weeks, but you run that risk with a lawyer, and you are GUARANTEED a delay of some time because it takes time for you to get them the information, and for them to go through it all and transfer it onto the documents for your signature. If you have to gather it all anyway, why not just fill in your own forms? They really aren't that complex if you follow the guides and don't have any underlying issues as I mentioned earlier in the thread.

[stevie b 141]

ok i got married to my husband last year april,, been together for 6yrs... so i want to start his visa in order for him to come to us... so many pple been telling me if i want it approve on time,, i should hired a lawyer,,, that is better than to do it myself...... im thinking of filling the paper myself,,, can anyone pls tell me if i should use a lawyer or i can do it myself and there will be no problem... also what are the requirements,, what do i need to send in first,,, etc....

ditch the lawyer for sure

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

I recommend a lawyer if you really don't want to make any mistake, they are professionals and this is what they do everyday, the whole process may look easy but sensitive, think about this...any single mistake that you make on your application will delay your application and approval, because the USCIS will always send your documents back to you for proper filing. Just imagine the immigration lawyers do help people without taking any money, i can promise you that all these people who advised you to do it yourself will prefer the immigration lawyer because it was free, the only reason why some people don't wanna use immigration lawyer is the money which involved but what i can tell you is " what worths doing, worths doing well" if you do not mind spending some money and you really want to do this at once please use a lawyer, i used a lawyer i started my Cr-1 in December 2012 and got approval in February 2013. i am almost done now, the lawyer worked for me and all i do is signing i will always prefer to go through the experts.

I have seen too many posts to count that have been about lawyers making mistake and causing RFEs and delays in people's cases. Using a lawyer did not affect your approval time. Lawyers cannot speed up processing. If you had done it all yourself correctly, your approval would have been the same.

If your case is straightforward without any known complications, then a lawyer is not needed. If you simply want to choose a lawyer anyway, then that is your choice. Choosing a lawyer over doing it yourself does not mean you 'did it right/well'. They are not personally invested in your case. No one cares about your case and doing it right more than you. I do not think it is only about money. I still would not have used a lawyer, even if they said they would do it for free. I can post a saying too, "If you want something done right, do it yourself."