Should I hire a lawyer and other questions.

[usmsbow 802]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I just got an email from a lawyer who said they would charge me $2500 for the K1 visa with one child plus all the filing fees. Does this sound reasonable if I were to hire a lawyer (I am not sure if I would or not at this point)?

I'll do it all for you for $1000 and guarantee you'll get a NOA2 (at least) or your money back

(In other words, I think there is no reason whatsoever to pay even close to $2500 to do it)

[Limey 551]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I just got an email from a lawyer who said they would charge me $2500 for the K1 visa with one child plus all the filing fees. Does this sound reasonable if I were to hire a lawyer (I am not sure if I would or not at this point)?

The k1 visa process involves filling in several forms with information about you and your fiance, and gathering lots of evidence (photos of meetings, boarding passes, birth certificates, etc). Your lawyer can't provide all this personal info, or get the evidence together. He's going to ask you for all that. You're going to be doing pretty much all the work.

I've done it (have interview next week) and many others do on these forums. In fact we often get people turn up here when their lawyer has let them down and they've been rejected or got a delay.

Unless you have a problem with you or your fiancees past (eg criminal convictions) you don't require a lawyer, would be wasting your money as you'll still have to do all the work, and you might well find they don't do the job as well as you would.

[jg121783 3,920]

Unless you have a problem with you or your fiancees past (eg criminal convictions) you don't require a lawyer, would be wasting your money as you'll still have to do all the work, and you might well find they don't do the job as well as you would.

I do have a marijuana possession charge from when I was younger. It was only a city ordinance violation though and and only a fine and is off my record now so I don't know if that will affect anything or not. She does not have a criminal record but has worked abroad and if I understand correctly she needs police records from the countries she worked in.

[mallafri76 1,012]

I do have a marijuana possession charge from when I was younger. It was only a city ordinance violation though and and only a fine and is off my record now so I don't know if that will affect anything or not. She does not have a criminal record but has worked abroad and if I understand correctly she needs police records from the countries she worked in.

Not a problem! My husband and I are doing an IR-1 visa with him, the USC, in federal prison and we did the process ourselves and got our petition approved within the normal time frame. As long as there's no sex convictions or domestic violence, it shouldn't have an impact on a petition.

If K-1 is the same as CR/IR-1, then she needs police certs from any country she's lived in for more than a year after her 16th birthday plus from her country of nationality and residence, if she's lived there for at least six months.

[Elle&Kyle 10]

Hi!

I think depending on your case, you might not need a lawyer. I realized that the process could be fairly easy if you researched and read about it. You can also use government websites for reference and can always ask or post your questions here on VJ, the people here are very helpful. When we first started the process we didnt know when or how to start, we just read,. asked and researched.

I am not sure about what documents you should get now as its too early, and some documents like CENOMAR, they require it to be at least 6 months old, and I think NBI is only valid for a year. Maybe she can get her NSO birth certificate? or if she plans to study or work here, maybe she can start gathering her school stuff? Transcript of records, diploma or stuff like that. I think, since you have time you can start reading more about the process, and maybe she can do it too, So that both of you will have an idea

Emails, chat logs, (for us we used print screens of us talking on skype, messsages on viber, and few emails from each month), you can also send greeting cards to each other, or if you send money, you can keep the remittance receipts, or gifts and stuff. When you come visit her, make sure you keep passes, plane tickets, receipts,. and make copies (thats what we did, thought we didnt have to submit all receipts, just in case). And lots of pictures together! Pictures together, with family, with friends if possible..

I believe she will need a tourist visa for her to be able to come here in the US and visit you, I apologize I am not so familiar with that..

I think the visa for the child is called K2. I apologize again, I am not so familiar with that.

I understand the "plan ahead", I am like you!

good luck and keep us posted

Take plenty of pics, keep all your receipts, enjoy the trip.

I would visit different parts of the Philippines and travel alone for a while, It's a great place to enjoy yourself

Agree!

El Nido, Palawan is really worth visitng

[jg121783 3,920]

Ok here is another curve ball. I owe some back taxes and just spoke with my tax attorney. I brought this issue up and it turns out he is familiar with the immigration process (his wife is from the Ukraine). He told me that my tax situation might complicate things a bit and i should speak with an immigration attorney. What do you guys think about that? He also mentioned the process for a fiance visa is currently taking 10-12 months but because my girl i is from the Philippines it might go quicker. He also recommended that i get my marijuana possession charge expunged before I apply for a passport.

[Dashinka 24,649]

Ok here is another curve ball. I owe some back taxes and just spoke with my tax attorney. I brought this issue up and it turns out he is familiar with the immigration process (his wife is from the Ukraine). He told me that my tax situation might complicate things a bit and i should speak with an immigration attorney. What do you guys think about that? He also mentioned the process for a fiance visa is currently taking 10-12 months but because my girl i is from the Philippines it might go quicker. He also recommended that i get my marijuana possession charge expunged before I apply for a passport.

I am not sure if this would be a problem that an attorney can work out. I recommend you take care of the tax issue as soon as possible. As to the 10-12 months comment, that depends on where you live. There are many stories of those that get routed to Texas taking that long, but California is quite fast right now. Since you don't have a location listed it is hard to say. Also, an attorney cannot speed things up no matter what they tell you.

Good Luck!

[southcoast 27]

I don't know where you are from, but around here the going rate for a consular processing case is $1000.00. The question of whether it is worth it is really something you need to assess for yourself. Its not rocket science, but many people are either intimidated by it, or their time is simply better spent elsewhere.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Before I ask my questions let me explain my situation. I am an American who is dating a Filipino woman and we are seriously discussing getting married. I plan on going to visit her by the end of the year or early next year and if all goes well hopefully apply for a fiance visa after the visit. She also has a son that that will be coming with her if she decides to marry me and move here. Because of my work schedule I will only be able to spend two weeks or less in the Philippines. I hope that is long enough for the visa process. I have read a little about the fiance visa process but i still have many questions.

Should I hire a lawyer or is this something that is straightforward that I could do on my own?

I have a while before we have to worry about applying for the visa. Is there anything we should be doing right now to get ready for it?

What type of evidence should we gather that shows we are in a relationship and plan on getting married?

I would like to have her come here and visit for a week or so after i visit her before or during the fiance visa process so she can see if she will like it here. Is this possible?

What is the process for obtaining a visa for her son and can he come here right away when she comes for the fiance visa?

That is all I can think of for now. I know I might be getting a little ahead of myself here but I am the type of person who likes to plan ahead. Any advice would be appreciated.

Honestly you have to gather everything that is needed to complete the process, whomever you hire only completes a few forms using the info you provided. If you know how to file out a form you can do this yourself.

When you go to visit your future bride in the Philippines, have her complete a G-325A, an Intent to Marry letter, get 2X2 passport photos (U.S. style), and it wouldn't hurt to get a copy of her NSO birth certificate and CENOMAR (won't need they to file the petition, but they will help with completing the I-129F). For the son you simply add his name to the I-129F where asked and once the petition is approved they both can apply for their visa.

As for your future bride coming to visit... don't hold your breath on that one, 99% it ain't happening, not from the Philippines.

When you get time pop over to the Philippines forum, say HI and check things out: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/129-philippines/

[Hank_ 9,174]

Ok here is another curve ball. I owe some back taxes and just spoke with my tax attorney. I brought this issue up and it turns out he is familiar with the immigration process (his wife is from the Ukraine). He told me that my tax situation might complicate things a bit and i should speak with an immigration attorney. What do you guys think about that? He also mentioned the process for a fiance visa is currently taking 10-12 months but because my girl i is from the Philippines it might go quicker. He also recommended that i get my marijuana possession charge expunged before I apply for a passport.

Fiancee visa are taking 3-6 months for the petition to be approved, then once your case file moves on to USEM in the Philippines you can be done with the interview in about 5 weeks.

As back taxes I don't know on that, as long as you have something worked out with the IRS I don't see it being an issue. The embassy wants to see adequate income to meet the poverty guidelines, don't rightly know if they care about your issues with the IRS unless the IRS garnish your wages

[Gosia & Tito 199]

No I do not believe it is. I never said I have decided on anything yet. Just that we have discussed it and we might decide when I meet her or we might decide afterwords. I am simply trying to gather information about the process so I know what to prepare for ahead of time. This is something I take seriously and I don't want to be figuring out everything at the last minute. I did not ask for any relationship advice. Only for advice on the fiance visa process.

The reason it is being asked is because for a fiance visa, it is a mandatory requisite to have met in person; before that happens you could get info and that be done here. Read the guides and the cases of others. That the main requisite and outside of being able to marry (that is, being single; both) and later on some financial requirements; that is about it really

Most important, this is not a 10-day process. Maybe I'm reading wrong your post, but it seems you are thinking on the visit and arranging the visa there; not the case at all...you want to think in months, as in more than 5-6 a minimum.

[Enigma11561 336]

First, unless you find you have some red flags, all a lawyer is going to do is take all your info and just fill in the lines. You are still going to do all the work. $2500 is just plain stupid. Secondly, it never hurts to do some reading to know what is in front of you...should you finally decide to move forward. But until you actually meet in person, I would not get too worked up on this. Emails, skype, phone calls are all nice. Looking into each others eyes, interacting in various situations, getting to REALLY know someone can be very different. Some people can get very lucky here, but we have all read about horror stories as well. And as far as a child is concerned, not knowing your ages, just remember the "child" MUST be on U.S. soil before turning 21.

[jg121783 3,920]

First, unless you find you have some red flags, all a lawyer is going to do is take all your info and just fill in the lines. You are still going to do all the work. $2500 is just plain stupid. Secondly, it never hurts to do some reading to know what is in front of you...should you finally decide to move forward. But until you actually meet in person, I would not get too worked up on this. Emails, skype, phone calls are all nice. Looking into each others eyes, interacting in various situations, getting to REALLY know someone can be very different. Some people can get very lucky here, but we have all read about horror stories as well. And as far as a child is concerned, not knowing your ages, just remember the "child" MUST be on U.S. soil before turning 21.

I agree with you that it is way to early to make a decision but it is never a bad idea to plan ahead. And I will certainly be proceding with caution. The child by the way is well under the age of 21. Also for those who were wondering I live in Wisconsin.

[love4life09 15]

Before I ask my questions let me explain my situation. I am an American who is dating a Filipino woman and we are seriously discussing getting married. I plan on going to visit her by the end of the year or early next year and if all goes well hopefully apply for a fiance visa after the visit. She also has a son that that will be coming with her if she decides to marry me and move here. Because of my work schedule I will only be able to spend two weeks or less in the Philippines. I hope that is long enough for the visa process. I have read a little about the fiance visa process but i still have many questions.

Should I hire a lawyer or is this something that is straightforward that I could do on my own?

I have a while before we have to worry about applying for the visa. Is there anything we should be doing right now to get ready for it?

What type of evidence should we gather that shows we are in a relationship and plan on getting married?

I would like to have her come here and visit for a week or so after i visit her before or during the fiance visa process so she can see if she will like it here. Is this possible?

What is the process for obtaining a visa for her son and can he come here right away when she comes for the fiance visa?

That is all I can think of for now. I know I might be getting a little ahead of myself here but I am the type of person who likes to plan ahead. Any advice would be appreciated.

[love4life09 15]

Lawyers sometimes do more harm than good . The process is straightforward and easy to do yourself if you don't mind paper work . It can even be exciting and satisfying to accomplish this life changing event yourself .To know exactly what you will need to file the fiancé visa log on to the USCIS website click on Forms , and print the instructions for I 129f. . Read and follow to the letter and you will have no problems . Also follow the checklist on this site to double check before mailing. ALWAYS include her son on forms throughout this process . Keep all boarding passes and receipts on your visit there, take lots of pictures ( I even had my wife and daughters first passport photos made during my first visit ) Best of luck