Should I use an Immigratio Lawyer?

[Am I Myrna's Man? 0]

Hi all,

Well the time has finally come (well almost!!) for My baby and I to get the visa ball rolling. My divorce will be through in the next week or so and we want to get going as soon as I have the piece of paper in my hand.

So my question is: Should we use an immigration lawyer?

Will it speed the process up or can we get everything sorted just as quickly on our own?

The money is not the issue here, we both just want to get everything done as quickly as possible.

Any feedback or experience in this matter would be gratefully received

Thanks

Andrew

Edited March 4, 2007 by Myrna's Man

[~Chad~ 0]

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Edited March 4, 2007 by Chad+Lira

[JoeMama 0]

This post is from today when someone asked the same question. It should help give you answers to what you're looking for http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=57254

[ken and mintra 0]

Hi all,

Well the time has finally come (well almost!!) for My baby and I to get the visa ball rolling. My divorce will be through in the next week or so and we want to get going as soon as I have the piece of paper in my hand.

So my question is: Should we use an immigration lawyer?

Will it speed the process up or can we get everything sorted just as quickly on our own?

The money is not the issue here, we both just want to get everything done as quickly as possible.

Any feedback or experience in this matter would be gratefully received

Thanks

Andrew

It can speed up the process only in that the attorney will have all the forms filled out quicker, let you know what you need to get, and may have connections at the embassy for the interview. I hired an attorney for mine but only because my fiance has not yet mastered the English language and our forms can be quite confusing. They are also going to take her to get her criminal background checks and medical checkups. I hired an immigration attorney that had an office in HER country. I can handle the US forms myself. I was lucky however that the attorney also has offices in the USA. So, in short, if both of you feel comfortable with the English language, don't need any translations done, and can fill out forms with no problem, you can do it on your own. I think I hired mine, in her country, so she would feel more at ease and it would give me peace of mind. Good luck on your journey. I started mine 46 days ago but who's counting. Ken

[rebeccajo 14]

We did not use a lawyer for the visa.

We have consulted with lawyers since for the AOS process.

I've read many stories here of people who used attorneys and were happy they did.

I've read many stories here of people who used attorneys and were extremely dissatisfied.

What one person considers 'straightforward' may not really be such. A consult is wise but choose a lawyer experienced with FAMILY BASED PETITIONS.

[msu17 0]

First off, if you go with a lawyer, MAKE SURE you know they are credible, trustworthy and have a great track record. SO many stories on here of incompitent lawyers totally making a mess of the application and others who just wont give their clients any answers to this VERY stressful procedure. Lawyers cant make the process go any faster, however an experienced one *SHOULD* be able to deal with any craziness that happens. They should know which papers to send, what to sign etc. All of which you can find out on your own if you have the patience to do the research. If you have a complicated case then a lawyer may be the way to go. All in all, if you have a strait forward case, you do not need a lawyer and they will not speed the process up. If it makes you feel better etc. then thats most important. However most of us dont use anything other than the government websites, VJ etc and get through it just fine. Good luck on whatever you decide and hope you get through this and get to be together ASAP!

[ding 1]

I would say it can help, especially if the beneficiary is not proficient in English.

Be 100% sure to check the work, just as if you were doing ALL of it. There are usually mistakes even from attorneys who do this all the time.

Also, depends on the fee amount. You can buy a LOT of translation and FedEx for $3,000US.

[Detty2809 0]

Hmm... unless there's a significant reason why you would need a lawyer, I would do it myself if I were you. But then again, it's your choice good luck.

[1HappyGuy 45]

You should decide if you want to handle everything yourself or let an experience person organize it. If you choose to use an attorney, definitely get one that specializes in this. Attorneys will all say they know how to do visas, but the laws and regulations of the USCIS are constantly changing so you should only use one that specializes in this.

As for speeding up the process, well the fact is, the attorneys don't have an inside track. Once your paperwork is in the pipeline it goes the same speed as everyone else. The advantage of an experienced attorney is he will assemble what is needed while you might not know you must submit something.

However, this site "VJ" is very good at explaining everything and all the documents needed will be the same the attorney asks for. So, it comes down to convenience versus cost. I've used an attorney but many have done it on their own and were just as successful.

I didn't mind the cost, but the convenience was what I wanted.

By the way, you don't need to use a lawyer that is close by. I'm in California and my attorney was in Illinois. So, cost can also be determined from a distance. The cost difference is basically gasoline versus Fed Ex.

[antda 13]

Hi Andrew,

Good luck on your immigration journey! Yes, I think that it is a good idea to hire a lawyer, regardless of the situation, as you never know what might happen during the immigration process. Believe me, with something as important as immigration, hiring a lawyer is a wise investment! As well, if there are any complicated issues, or you make mistakes along the way, then the lawyer can help you out with the legal paperwork to make things easier paper-wise and time-wise. Also, the lawyer might be help you with the interview process, by attending the interview with you if need be.

For me, I did hire a lawyer for my situation, and I know it definately helped. If you need a recommendation for a good immigration lawyer, feel free to PM me and I'll be glad to give you more info about the lawyer we hired.

Hope this helps.

Ant

Hi all,

Well the time has finally come (well almost!!) for My baby and I to get the visa ball rolling. My divorce will be through in the next week or so and we want to get going as soon as I have the piece of paper in my hand.

So my question is: Should we use an immigration lawyer?

Will it speed the process up or can we get everything sorted just as quickly on our own?

The money is not the issue here, we both just want to get everything done as quickly as possible.

Any feedback or experience in this matter would be gratefully received

Thanks

Andrew

Edited March 4, 2007 by AntandD

[Am I Myrna's Man? 0]

Wow......Thanks to all that have responded to my question.

From the replies it seems the general opinion is that if the application is going to be complicated or the applicants don't have a basic grasp of the english language then a lawyer is a good idea.

I do not believe that our application is not complicated at all, we are both divorced and have the relevant paperwork to prove so, i do not have any skeletons in my closet (I know this as I had to be screened when I moved to Canada in 2002 and my work dictates that I am screened every 12 months) so I am confident that we can get through this without a lawyer.

I must say that we are comforted that we have a community such as this to look too for help and support as we start our journey. We both feel as if our lives have been on hold for the last 18 months, just waiting for our lives to restart when we are finally together.

We know that this is going to be sometimes hard, sometimes frustrating, sometimes upsetting, but the prize at the end of the road is a life of never being apart and that will make everything we are about to go through seem trivial.

We are on our marks, get set........LET'S GO!!!!

[Turboguy 6]

This is interesting. This is about the 100th time I have read a similar question and the first time I have seen the respondants lean far more (or more at all) to using a lawyer.

A few comments that I would like to make. All the lawyers good and bad advertise a 100% success rate. They don't talk about the problems that go on in between.

A lawyer will slow down the process over doing it yourself if you are careful. It adds one more link to the chain. In other words instead of sending the information to the visa center you send it to the lawyer where it lays on his desk till he gets to it then he sends it in. You can't add links without making the chain longer.

Contrary to some of the advice above I have never heard of a consulate that will allow the lawyer to attend the interview.

Lawyers seem to do so many of these that they get sloppy. Doing our own we worry so much that we do it right more often.

You have less communication and are more in the dark. The communication about your case goes to the lawyer. Without a lawyer you have much more of a feel for what is happening.

I have heard some real horror stories about using lawyers. If you go that way be sure you have a good one.

On my first K-1 I had a friend go through a lawyer and apply the same day. I gained 3 weeks on him between the application and the Embassy. We both used Vermont.

If you don't have complications and are even a bit careful you don't need a lawyer. If it makes you feel better and you are not in a hurry then it is nice to not have to fool with it as much. You have to come up with the same info one way or the other.

[Nanusia & Lukaszek 0]

I'm surprised to read everyone recommending getting an attorney. From what I read on VJ, most people only had more delays, more problems with their attorney messing up paperwork. From not sending all the required forms, to having them send the wrong $$ amount, to not communicating any info on the case. I think if you meet the requirements of your petition, meeting in 2 yrs and showing a relationship, you should be fine on your own. Even if your fiance doesnt understand fluent English, you can help them out with the forms later in the process.

The VJ community is an awesome help! Everytime I wanted to freak out about something along the process, they were here to help. THANKS!

[CanuckmeetsYank 0]

We hired an immigration lawyer just to help make sure all our forms were in order t's crossed, i's dotted that sort of thing.

Best advice I can give, get a credable lawyer, one who deals only in immigration law. My fiance interviewed a few and narrowed it down to one. We for the most part a happy with the work, particularly now that we are starting the AOS process.Not that its so complicated cause I know there are a lot on Vj that do it all themselves. But it is overwhelming after a while.

It will not speed the process up. That is a common misconception. It is just someone really to hold your hand through the legal process. You go through the same channels at the sametime as everyone else, if all is done correctly.

Just our experience.

[joeyjoey 1]

Hi all,

Well the time has finally come (well almost!!) for My baby and I to get the visa ball rolling. My divorce will be through in the next week or so and we want to get going as soon as I have the piece of paper in my hand.

So my question is: Should we use an immigration lawyer?

Will it speed the process up or can we get everything sorted just as quickly on our own?

The money is not the issue here, we both just want to get everything done as quickly as possible.

Any feedback or experience in this matter would be gratefully received

Thanks

Andrew

Unless you have some legal issues that can complicate things, "No" you do not need a lawyer. You can do this yourself. The lawyer does not make the process faster! Actually, they become a middle man in the process and they can actually slow things down.