Immigration consultant

[Ctavarez90 244]

Hello everyone. I would like to know what is the difference between an immigration consult/advisor and an immigration lawyer?are they the same thing? What is the difference?

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

A Lawyer has a law degree, and he/she can legally represent a client in court.  An advisor/consultant can give you info and assist you in a process.  They are not the same.

[Ctavarez90 244]

2 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

A Lawyer has a law degree, and he/she can legally represent a client in court.  An advisor/consultant can give you info and assist you in a process.  They are not the same.

Okay good because I saw where they advised people from the us embassy in the Dominican Republic (my husbands country) for people not to use an immigration advisor/consult. For people to fill their forms out on their own to avoid risk of fraud, misrepresentation and paying excessive amount of money. I’m using an immigration lawyer that’s why I asked the question I asked

Edited July 26, 2022 by Ctavarez90

[arken 4,197]

10 minutes ago, Ctavarez90 said:

Okay good because I saw where they advised people from the us embassy in the Dominican Republic (my husbands country) for people not to use an immigration advisor/consult. For people to fill their forms out on their own to avoid risk of fraud, misrepresentation and paying excessive amount of money. I’m using an immigration lawyer that’s why I asked the question I asked

Using an immigration lawyer doesn't necessarily mean everything will be alright. Make sure you check everything is correct before the lawyer submits or sends out the forms or documents.

[Ctavarez90 244]

2 minutes ago, arken said:

Using an immigration lawyer doesn't necessarily mean everything will be alright. Make sure you check everything is correct before the lawyer submits or sends out the forms or documents.

Yea I know. I was just checking to see what is the difference in the two categories. Because I thought they were both the same

[JeanneAdil 6,498]

there's a big difference 

lawyer spends at least 8 years in college and has the degree and have  a State Bar license to practice (most states)

 

A consultant can hang out a sign to do business

 

There is no degree required to become a consultant; and you also don't need to be a foremost expert to launch your services. Work on identifying areas where you can solve someone else's problems.Oct 7, 2017

[Boiler 45,486]

Everybody who comments on here is a consultant, we however do not charge.

[Family 3,988]

Consultants are strictly authorized to help fill out forms for a process  that YOU tell them you need..NOT tell you what process / forms are required….and there isn’t a single one abiding by those rules.

 

 

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Free-Legal-Information/Unauthorized-Practice-of-Law/Avoiding-Fraud-by-Immigration-Consultants

 

Immigration Consultants Can	Immigration Consultants Cannot
Help fill out paperwork Translate documents Submit forms to government agencies	Select what forms you need Tell you how to fill out forms Give legal advice Represent anyone in Immigration Court

[Pinkrlion 2,719]

8 hours ago, Ctavarez90 said:

Hello everyone. I would like to know what is the difference between an immigration consult/advisor and an immigration lawyer?are they the same thing? What is the difference?

VisaJourney is a immigration consult/advisor.  

[pushbrk 12,882]

There's a difference also between a professional immigration consultant providing legitimate services, and most of the ones hanging out or hanging shingles near US Embassies in countries from which getting a US Visa is very unlikely.  The OP is from the Dominican Republic.  It's THAT Embassy, warning about THOSE "consultants" who are nothing but scammers, even if some of them have attorneys associated with them.  "Attorney" and "honest" are not synonyms.

 

Because this is a spouse visa forum, it's important to note that those scammers are unlikely to know even the first thing about a spouse visa.

Edited July 26, 2022 by pushbrk

[Cathi 5,748]

20 hours ago, Ctavarez90 said:

Okay good because I saw where they advised people from the us embassy in the Dominican Republic (my husbands country) for people not to use an immigration advisor/consult. For people to fill their forms out on their own to avoid risk of fraud, misrepresentation and paying excessive amount of money. I’m using an immigration lawyer that’s why I asked the question I asked

If your case is straightforward there is absolutely no reason to hire an attorney. And just like immigration "consultants" immigration attorneys can and do screw things up all of the time, we see it here every day. If you have a straightforward case you have more control over your case form start to finish, you are not at the mercy of waiting and wondering what the attorney sent and when. Plus you'll save yourself a considerable amount of money if you DIY. This site is a great resource and there are many, many experienced people here who are willing and able to help answer any questions you may have along they way,

My husband and I had several so called red flags and we did everything on our own, up to and including naturalization, and we never even had an RFE(request for evidence)-which is rare. 

[Chancy 6,241]

*** Moved from IR1/CR1 Process & Procedures to General Immigration-Related Discussion ***