K-1 process how difficult is the process without a lawyer?

[zuzie 3]

I initially went to a Lawyer for information. I was told $5000 and 8 months to a year to finish everything. I would say that I did it myself but that would not be true. I did not use the lawyer and the help I got from VJ was invaluable! People on this site know there stuff for sure. Knowing what I know now, no way the Lawyer could have done it any faster.

[Carrie7003 7]

I saw somewhere a senior member from here posted an interview with a former USCIS officer. (I don't remember for sure if that was it, but it was someone with experience in reviewing these applications) He was asked "Do you recommend hiring a lawyer?" and his response was "For what?" It's not needed. Neither is a Visa agency.

Edited March 30, 2016 by dana7207

[catlover31 8]

My now husband and I used a lawyer. It took off a lot of stress. Possibly the best decision we made.

[TheResistance 6]

I don't think there would be any complications aside from the fact that I have a bit of debt but have a payment plan in place. My fiancee is meticulous with money though.

Thank you though, this site is truly a blessing

As far as debt, I will say this... I am tens of thousands in defaulted school loans (blame the 2011 layoff and no real living wage jobs since), owing in taxes a couple of thousand dollars (due to emptying 401k to survive since layoff). And other stuff. But, I got no credit card debt or auto payments, or a home anymore. Still, my fiancee, of the Philippines, was approved this week. So, yes, was shocked myself. Thank Jesus though this is almost over.... now have to find a way to get a plane ticket.

Be thorough with all needed proof, and honest. Stay organized of everything you do, all useful links, etc. Have digital and/or hard copies of everything you send out for 129F, since you be sending your beneficiary most of your originals and such, plus some. So make sure everything you send out, you have copies of.

[baron555 934]

Hello,

As like many people here, my fiancee and I are undergoing this process for the first time. We're both in our early to mid 20's and all the information and steps to this process are a little intimidating. Up until now, we've sent in the I-129F and have received back the NOA1, however we have been contemplating whether or not it would be in our best interests to get a lawyer for future steps.

Neither one of us can afford to spend hundreds on a lawyer, however we don't want to risk somehow delaying the process or getting declined.

For those who have completed the process, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

It's really not that hard. IMO a lawyer is not needed for your case. Your Embassies are easy.

[Limey 551]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that we sent the whole I-129f package. We sat in front of that guideline for hours making sure we had everything done.

As far as I can tell the CSC has a 5 months processing time, and as we received the NOA1 on Feb 22, there is still a while to go.

Thank you for that feedback, it's greatly appreciated! We had been worried that we were making a mistake by not continuing with a lawyer, so knowing its possible is a big relief.

If you've followed the guidelines you should be fine. We did the same, no RFEs at any point during the process. It helps to read ahead a little so that you can prepare things like police certificates that you'll need later.

Most of the people here will tell you the same thing, because most of us are here because we didn't use lawyers. You'll also see a fair few people asking questions here because their lawyer screwed something up, or told them something that was incorrect.

From my experience the I-129F and the rest of the first package was the most time consuming thing. Filling in the online forms etc for the interview were not too bad (I had most of the info already from having done the initial paperwork) and the interview itself was no problem at all. Even filing for AoS was simple by comparison. So you've completed the hardest part already!

At every stage just take your time, google for answers if you have questions and if you can't find the answer ask on the forums here. The combined experience here is better than most lawyers will have. We lived and breathed the process because it meant everything to us - it wasn't just a small job among lots of cases for us.

Edited March 30, 2016 by Limey

[PickleChips 56]

Having a lawyer slowed us down because we weren't her only clients and she worked on the cases on the order that she received them. So when it came time to do our DS160 for the consulate interview, she took over a month to get to it. I had to raise hell and contact her boss in order to get it done (it worked though!).

Edited March 31, 2016 by Katmedic