Attorney vs Not?

[William&Emily 36]

Hi everyone

Me and my partner are looking at starting our K1 visa journey in October this year. As some background, I live in the UK and he is in Nevada. We've known each other almost 4 years, met twice and will be twice again this year, Skype everyday. Neither have ever had children, been married or immigrants of other countries.
After a lot of research we both have quite a good idea as to what is required and the process etc.

However, we are a little stuck as to whether to do this with a lawyer or alone (with the research we have and posts on here etc).

Neither of us have anything that sticks out to ever be an issue with our application, it should be quite straight forward.

I just wondered if anyone had any experience regarding doing it either way and if it's worth the extra money?

If you want any extra info let me know!

Thanks

Emily

[Roel 7,192]

Don't waste your money on lawyers. The process is not that complicated.

 

Literally almost everyone here did their visa stuff by themselves.

[Unlockable 7,314]

VJ is a DIY site filled with resources and people to help with the process. A large percentage of members here did it themselves. Unless you are complicated case (criminal history, illegal entries into the US, etc) then there is no need for a lawyer.

[Perfect two 💑 1,147]

Your case is straight forward. No attorney needed. Just follow the guidelines in the VJ and you will be fine. Check your application few times before sending it. Good luck with your Visa journey! 😄

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

No lawyer needed - you are wise & fortunate to have found this site before beginning your journey! We didn't come across it until a little while after we had filed and it's definitely filled with amazing advice and experiences from start to finish. If your situation is straightforward, it is not that difficult to complete this process on your own. Just be patient, take your time, and don't rush any part along the way - you will be fine.

 

Congratulations, and good luck!

[mtempelaar 190]

We used an attorney for our CR-1, but only because there were two questions that I wasn't sure how to respond properly given our specific circumstance.   I wanted a lawyer to handle that one ONLY because of those questions.

For our removal of conditions, it was easy and we did that without a lawyer.

For Naturalization, we did ourselves but I was nervous about that one:  We weren't sure how to properly record a speeding ticket.  Now we are waiting to see if we did it right.  

 

Basically, if you believe you have a straightforward case and can properly answer the questions, skip the lawyer and save the money.     

[Unidentified 2,930]

You don't need a lawyer. You're only paying a guy for looking through paperwork that you would have to fill in yourself anyway. He's just a paid second pair of eyes. And some doesn't even know what they're doing. 

[yuna628 9,677]

There is no need to use a lawyer unless there is something in your backgrounds. Otherwise you should be prepared for a fairly easy but long process of waiting around.  Following the guides here should give you a great overview of what to send into your application, and the UK specific guide in the UK forum should help clarify the rest.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

My thoughts were--Nobody cares about my case more than I do. I will give it my utmost attention. I won't misspell my name, get a date wrong, or fail to act in a timely manner if needed. 

 

It's not rocket science.  It only has to be stressful if you choose to freak out over it and consume yourself with "how much longer" twenty times a day. You will get there. 

[AnaidAaron 42]

Like others have said, you can DIY it, your case doesn't sound complicated at all and you are from a low fraud country. Just make sure the last time you met was less than 2 years before your filing date, otherwise, meet again beforehand. 

Edited June 29, 2018 by AnaidAaron

[Mmagic 127]

Do it on your own and save the money for Vegas. 

[Scottish Mernymph 514]

We've gone with an immigration attorney.

[Diane and Chris 651]

We used an attorney for K-1. Biggest mistake and waste of money!!  We got an RFE (request for evidence) for a small thing that the attorney definitely should have caught. We had to handle the RFE and then did the rest of the process ourselves with no problems. We got all of our questions answered here from some very knowledgeable individuals. We did our own AOS paperwork with no RFEs.  You can do it yourself and we encourage you to do so. Thanks everyone for helping us along the way!  

[William&Emily 36]

Thanks everyone! You've all been super helpful

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

Get a lawyer for a criminal or civil issue, they can be worth every penny.

 

For immigration usually it is a waste of money and time...…….