Very Frustrated

[golfguy78 0]

Hi everybody,

Just joined this site. Here's my story. May 24/06 filled all papers with lawyer for a k1 visa application. Lawyer finally sends papers to INS March 15/07. Waiting on the reciept date from Vermont. Haven't recieved it yet. Call'n the lawyer she said theres nothing she can do. I was told I should get a receipt date within 4-6 weeks. Well, it's work'n on like 10 weeks now. haven't heard nothing. How long should I wait, is there anything I can do? Is my lawyer totally screwing me around? I have been reading all kinds of stuff on immagration and I just get dumb founded. Has anybody on this site filled at vermont lately? Could someone please help me

[Randy + Maggie 0]

Hi!!, welcome to the club. I just want to say, slow down. It will seem like forever to see any action but the end will be worth it. You are just going to have to grin and bare it. If you look at some of the storys on here, you will see there are a few that wait a very long time. It's hard, very hard, I know, but it WILL be worth it. Just "hang in there"

Randy

[NealandCari 0]

It shouldn't take that long. Call USCIS and ask if they've received it. Perhaps your notice was never sent or lost in the mail...it's happened before.

[msu17 0]

Hi!!, welcome to the club. I just want to say, slow down. It will seem like forever to see any action but the end will be worth it. You are just going to have to grin and bare it. If you look at some of the storys on here, you will see there are a few that wait a very long time. It's hard, very hard, I know, but it WILL be worth it. Just "hang in there"

Randy

There is being patient and then there is being neglectful. You need to call USCIS tomorrow and find out if they have the petition. Their # is 1-800-375-5283. Being a march filer through Vermont, you should already have been approved. Has your check been cashed? Now for my burning question... Why the HECK did it take your lawyer that long to file the petition in the first place? I would definitly demand answers from them, as this is ridiculously out of what should happen. There is NO reason it should take 10 months for them to fill out a few forms and mail that in. It took me 2 nights of copying and writing to do that. Time to take things into your own hands as your lawyer clearly can't do that. Call, give them your names and birthdates and ask if they have recieved your petition. Get that sorted and then demand answers out of your lawyer. Good luck and let us know what happens!

[island_princess 2]

You can verify if USCIS indeed receive your petition by:

1. If you use USPS priority mail or any other courier with tracking number, go and track your package. If it is receive, then just wait for NOA1.

2. Checking if your check or money order was already encashed, if it is, look for the receipt number at the back of the check/money order.

Last resort is...(like what we did after 4 weeks of waiting)..send another package to the same addressee and make a "stop payment" for your check if it is not yet encashed. 10 weeks i no joke, and is somewhat beyond normal processing time.

Hi everybody,

Just joined this site. Here's my story. May 24/06 filled all papers with lawyer for a k1 visa application. Lawyer finally sends papers to INS March 15/07. Waiting on the reciept date from Vermont. Haven't recieved it yet. Call'n the lawyer she said theres nothing she can do. I was told I should get a receipt date within 4-6 weeks. Well, it's work'n on like 10 weeks now. haven't heard nothing. How long should I wait, is there anything I can do? Is my lawyer totally screwing me around? I have been reading all kinds of stuff on immagration and I just get dumb founded. Has anybody on this site filled at vermont lately? Could someone please help me

[~Nini~ 2]

Wow, definitely check with VSC and see if they've received your application. There's no reason that you shouldn't have received your NOA1 in the mail already.

Also, was there a particular reason for the delay in filing your petition? Waiting 10 months for your lawyer to file is just unacceptable if it was just a few forms and gathering evidence.

[golfguy78 0]

Thanks for the reply. I called the number but for some reason I can't call it from Canada. Well, alberta anyway. See the lawyer asked for money up front and when this hole think happened, they said 4-6months from may 24/06. Well, I don't know why it's taken so long. I called every week. I don't think it is a very good lawyer. They say just be patient. I've just been so frustrated. It's a very long story, just like everybody else's here on this site. It's always a gamble with an INS inspector. I tried to get my fiance to move to canada, temporary, until I go back down there but she got rejected from canada because they didn't believe we were coming back to the US. Some inspectors are just ####### and are powerhappy. Some are really nice and do a great job but others just take advantage of their power. Hopefully something good will happen soon. Thanks for the help and could always use somemore.

[msu17 0]

Get rid of the lawyer and call the bar... Demand a refund for service not rendered... That is 100% unacceptable behavior from them. Can you have your SO call from the US? Another option would be to put a stop payment on the previous check and refile.

[golfguy78 0]

I wish I would've found this site earlier. This is some good stuff. Thanks.

[~Nini~ 2]

Maybe 4-6 months from start to finish, maybe. *skeptical*

I would definitely file a complaint with the head of the firm, or the bar. That kind of timeframe is unacceptable, especially compared to some of the speedy approvals that we've seen from people that don't use lawyers. Sorry to hear about your trouble, and hope things work out speedier now.

I believe there's a way to call USCIS through Skype, but maybe someone else can fill in on this part.

[ncblonde26 0]

I wish I would've found this site earlier. This is some good stuff. Thanks.

This is golfguy78's fiance. Has anyone gone through vermont and had any luck? Has anyone had a canadian/us relationship that worked out through the visa process? This has been going on for over a year. There has to be something that can be done. Thanks for the advice.

[TracyTN 237]

Look at some of the threads in this forum! There have been TONS of US/Canada people have goint through Vermont!

Why this would be taking over a year is beyond me - although I don't understand why the USC would fill out the forms in May of 06 and the lawyer didn't send them in until some 10 months later. ???? Something is certainly not right here.

How did you pay the fee, by check?

Edited June 14, 2007 by TracyTN

[TimsDaisy 0]

Based on the facts you've given here, and they are far from complete, it sounds like you have a potentially excellent malpractice claim against the attorney. You need now to give yourself a crash-course in the visa process and figure out exactly how/if/when the lawyer was screwing you over so that you can a ) get your visa taken care of and b ) go after your lawyer.

In what state does the lawyer practice? Call and make a complaint to the state bar there (just google "State Bar of ______" and you'll likely find a website.

A lawyer categorically and without exception has no right to withhold client material - if that's what was going on - in demand of payment. A laywer has other ways of getting payment, but holding case materials hostage is NEVER EVER one of them.

btw: There's no "INS" anymore and hasn't been for several years. Also, I am hoping that the forms mailed weren't filled out back when you contact the lawyer (was it really May of 2006?) because they would be expired, bad forms now, and may have been returned to your lawyers office.

And seriously - do call and complain about this guy, ask the state bar for a referral for a malpractice attorney and go after him. Think about what he could be out there doing to other couples or visa applicants? If he's a scammer he is praying on people at one of their most vulnerable times in life. You need to step up and help protect others, if in fact, that's what is happening.

[~Nini~ 2]

This is golfguy78's fiance. Has anyone gone through vermont and had any luck? Has anyone had a canadian/us relationship that worked out through the visa process? This has been going on for over a year. There has to be something that can be done. Thanks for the advice.

As TracyTN mentioned, there are lots of USC/Canadian couples that have gone through Vermont Service Center successfully. I can only tell you through my own experiences that it takes between 3-6 months through VSC and the Vancouver consulate. Petitions will not take over a year unless there is something out of the ordinary.

TimsDaisy has given some great advice and I would suggest that you nail this lawyer's ###. I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles, but if this guy is really scamming you, something has to be done.

[JoeMama 0]

That time frame of the lawyer having your paperwork is absolutely ridiculous! If making a complaint doesn't work against him, I would waiting for a good heart-to-heart talk with him in the parking lot!

But then, most people aren't as nutzo as I am