Lawyer or No?

[useful89 692]

Sorry if this has been posted before, I've searched but can't find a thread of someone asking the same question. Basically, what is your advice on a lawyer, is it needed or not necessarily? I was resigned to spending $2,000 on one, but after finding this site and talking with some people it sounds like it's not very necessary. I plan on being very thorough with my stuff so don't want to pay extra money unless necessary.

 

Thanks

[Dashinka 24,512]

This question if often asked here.  It really depends on your situation and desires.  VJ is a self-help site with members willing to share advice and experiences to help other members, so if your case is fairly simple, I would say a lawyer is not necessary.  Some people feel having a lawyer will give them peace of mind while going through the process, so it is really up to you.  If you have questions while filling out your application, don't hesitate to ask them in the appropriate forums, and I am sure there are members that will be willing to give you advice.  If you have a difficult case, then you might want to hire a lawyer (criminal history of either party, previous overstays, or other red flags).

 

Good Luck!

 

 

[A'n'L 735]

A lawyer is not needed unless you have complicating circumstances or a debilitating fear of paperwork.

[useful89 692]

12 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

This question if often asked here.  It really depends on your situation and desires.  VJ is a self-help site with members willing to share advice and experiences to help other members, so if your case is fairly simple, I would say a lawyer is not necessary.  Some people feel having a lawyer will give them peace of mind while going through the process, so it is really up to you.  If you have questions while filling out your application, don't hesitate to ask them in the appropriate forums, and I am sure there are members that will be willing to give you advice.  If you have a difficult case, then you might want to hire a lawyer (criminal history of either party, previous overstays, or other red flags).

 

Good Luck!

 

 

 

I assumed it was, just couldn't find a thread for it! I think ours will be a pretty straightforward case (lots of face time, I meet the financial requirements, she's not a murderer lol) but not sure if there really were any advantages to having a lawyer.

[Dashinka 24,512]

Just now, useful89 said:

 

I assumed it was, just couldn't find a thread for it! I think ours will be a pretty straightforward case (lots of face time, I meet the financial requirements, she's not a murderer lol) but not sure if there really were any advantages to having a lawyer.

You will only get anecdotal stories here.  Sometimes lawyers are helpful, and sometimes they can do more harm than good.  When I did my wife's (fiancé at the time) K1, we also had a very straightforward application and I actually had a lawyer look over the package before I sent it in.  He was a friend of my cousin and he told me there was no reason to use him or his firm for this application as it is simple.  I appreciated that as it saved me a lot of cash, and with the help of the VJ community, we have gone through the AOS and now ROC steps with little difficulty.

 

Good Luck!

[C-ma'am 684]

If you are good at following directions, all you need is listed in the guide. It's overwhelming at times, so take a deep breath and come back with questions if you have any.

 

Here's the K1 guide http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

 

All guides are located at the top of this page, on the menu underneath the logo. 

[millefleur 5,046]

I've read multiple incidents here on VJ where lawyers actually made mistakes that ended up setting back the whole processing and resulting in more time and money. So, ironically sometimes having a lawyer ends up being a negative and not a benefit.

 

If your case isn't complicated and you have enough time to deal with the paperwork/research involved, it's worth doing it yourself. If you do go with a lawyer, make sure it's someone experienced and trustworthy.

[KimchiLumpia 315]

We did not use a lawyer either, and got approved for my fiance's K1 Visa last month.

With that being said, our case was very easy: never married previously, no dependents, no criminal records, plenty of in-person meetings with proof, plenty of finances, and a low immigration risk country in Canada.

I think using a lawyer for immigration would be akin to using a CPA to file your US taxes.  If you have one job, not many assets or dependents: filing your taxes on your own is pretty easy.  Conversely, if you own a business, have employees, have rental properties, a house, an ex-spouse - it would be wise to use a CPA.

If you would consider your relationship with your fiance pretty straight forward, by all means, you can do it on your own.
 

[geowrian 22,337]

If your case is simple (and it sounds that way), then a lawyer isn't needed and may be more hard than good. You would just be telling them information that they then fill into the forms...it's just one more spot for things to go wrong. If there were some concerns/complexities with your case, then having a lawyer can come come in handy.

[Scandi 4,166]

If your case isn't complicated by a criminal past etc I see absolutely zero reasons to put your future in the hands of someone else.

 

Most often people who hire lawyers end up not understanding the immigration process at all, they just put everything on the lawyer and when the lawyer fucks up they don't realize until it's too late. "Oops, we got denied. Our lawyer received an RFE letter and never mentioned it to us!", it happens more often than you'd think. 

 

Know the whole process yourself, do everything yourself, you're safer that way.

[useful89 692]

17 minutes ago, Scandi said:

If your case isn't complicated by a criminal past etc I see absolutely zero reasons to put your future in the hands of someone else.

 

Most often people who hire lawyers end up not understanding the immigration process at all, they just put everything on the lawyer and when the lawyer fucks up they don't realize until it's too late. "Oops, we got denied. Our lawyer received an RFE letter and never mentioned it to us!", it happens more often than you'd think. 

 

Know the whole process yourself, do everything yourself, you're safer that way.

Yeah I certainly prefer entering info myself on forms rather than someone else who isn't really connected emotionally. My case should be straightforward so shouldn't really need a lawyer

[useful89 692]

3 hours ago, KimchiLumpia said:

We did not use a lawyer either, and got approved for my fiance's K1 Visa last month.

With that being said, our case was very easy: never married previously, no dependents, no criminal records, plenty of in-person meetings with proof, plenty of finances, and a low immigration risk country in Canada.

I think using a lawyer for immigration would be akin to using a CPA to file your US taxes.  If you have one job, not many assets or dependents: filing your taxes on your own is pretty easy.  Conversely, if you own a business, have employees, have rental properties, a house, an ex-spouse - it would be wise to use a CPA.

If you would consider your relationship with your fiance pretty straight forward, by all means, you can do it on your own.
 

Congrats on your K1 visa! Hopefully we're there at that stage someday hehe. Our situation should be like yours afa overall factors, except she's from a bit of a high-risk country but that should be mitigated because she's the she not a he (the country has a high instance of love rat men but not women). Thanks for the input

[thatsmygsp 48]

I got through the entire process using this website and google -  and without hiring a lawyer. That being said, I am a lawyer. Ha.  

 

But seriously, a good lawyer may make a difference if you are in a hurry and want to make sure you dont make any mistakes and delay your application in any way. But I really dont think a lawyer will make or break your application (meaning, be the difference between acceptance and denial), if you are a semi-meticulous person and not trying to perpetrate a fraud. And its true, some lawyers suck. So try to get one who knows what he/she is doing.  

 

Good luck!

[Limey 551]

If you are capable of following relatively simple instructions, then you don't need a lawyer.

 

The process can seem daunting, but it really isn't too difficult. The most time consuming part is getting all the information together, and documents (birth certificate, divorce certificates, etc, passport stamps etc to show meetings). Even if you go via a lawyer, he/she is going to ask for all of that, and it'll still be down to you to provide it.

 

We got through the k1, and later AOS (green card) without having a lawyer. We didn't have any RFEs (requests for further evidence) as we double and triple checked that we'd sent everything they asked for in the forms etc. Just fill in the forms, and ask here if you get stuck. Not only will you save 2000 bucks but you'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

Edited May 17, 2017 by Limey

[TriloByte 1,818]

I sometimes wonder if a psychiatrist might be needed more than a lawyer, for us that have been waiting 4 months just for NOA2.