Immigration attorney

[LincKay 13]

Hello all, 

 

Is an immigration attorney worth our while ? 

 

Thank you. 

[beloved_dingo 1,979]

4 minutes ago, Kayesidi said:

Hello all, 

 

Is an immigration attorney worth our while ? 

 

Thank you. 

Do you have a complicated case? If not, generally speaking the answer is no. 

 

Is there a reason you think you need an attorney? If you could provide some info about your case, members here can give better advice on this topic.

[JeanneAdil 6,583]

any issues like arrest or convictions?

 

u r UK / not a high fraud country

 

so,  unless u have red flag issue(s),  then no

some attorney offices have been known to mess up the petition and/or follow up document work 

 

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/red-flags-that-make-uscis-suspect-marriage-fraud.html

 

if u do have to hire one,,  make sure he/she is a good one who knows immigration laws and rules

 

Edited October 6, 2022 by JeanneAdil

[Dashinka 24,651]

Using a lawyer is a personal decision.  Many take that path, and many do not.  If a choice is made to use a lawyer, or a visa service, just make sure you understand the petitioner is still responsible for gathering all the data, making sure the forms they sign are correct, RFEs are responded to, etc.  Lawyers and their staff are not infallible, and as we see here on VJ, often make mistakes.  Also, if you choose to use a lawyer or visa service, do your homework on them, and if they promise to speed anything up with respect to an immigration petition, look elsewhere.

 

All that being said, I agree with @beloved_dingo and @JeanneAdil, if your case is fairly simple, a lawyer is not necessary, and the VJ community is here to help with any specific questions.

 

Good Luck!

Edited October 6, 2022 by Dashinka

[beloved_dingo 1,979]

1 minute ago, Dashinka said:

Using a lawyer is a personal decision.  Many take that path, and many do not.  If a choice is made to use a lawyer, or a visa service, just make sure you understand the petitioner is still responsible for gathering all the data, making sure the forms they sign are correct, RFEs are responded to, etc.  Lawyers and their staff are not infallible, and as we see here on VJ, often make mistakes.  Also, if you choose to use a lawyer or visa service, do your homework on them, and if they promise to speed anything up with respect to an immigration petition, look elsewhere.

 

All that being said, I agree with @beloved_dingo and @JeanneAdil, if your case is fairly simple, a lawyer is not necessary, and the VJ community is here to help with any specific questions.

 

Good Luck!

Absolutely this! Getting professional help can be useful but you must review everything yourself for accuracy. No one cares more about your immigration case than you.

[Chancy 6,243]

17 minutes ago, Kayesidi said:

Is an immigration attorney worth our while ? 

 

Do you have any criminal background?  Do you have any prior visa violations?  If the answer to both of these is "no", then you likely have a straightforward case.

 

Do you have the time, patience, and inclination to do research on the visa process yourself and to follow form instructions carefully?  If you do, then you have good chance to successfully navigate the immigration process without professional help, like many of us here on VJ have done.

 

[mam521 2,113]

Please fill out your timeline: https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=432694

 

The need for a lawyer will depend on how straightforward your case is and how well you navigate forms.  If it's a straightforward case, you're likely to be able to do it yourself.  There are plenty of guides on here and you can always ask questions.  

[LincKay 13]

Thank you everyone. You are all very helpful to us. You guys are the best ! 
Neither of us have any criminal records and I do not have an immigration violations.

[Devarj 45]

NO! I had an attorney and dispatched him and did future work myself. Cost me over $1,000 for helping file K-1. He sent in the application to USCIS unsigned. Had to wait six months to find out there was a mistake. I later cancelled the K1 and by myself, successfully applied for CR1 visa. I did everything without errors and without an attorney. Now spouse in the US with green card. Process not difficult if carefully provide everything required (documents, translations, notarizations etc.). Seems to me that the issue with attorneys is that you have to provide all the information to them; they just package it. Meaning you have to do all the leg work (get all required documents, records etc.) and provide them with the information. 

[LincKay 13]

Thank you Devarj 😃 You are very helpful. 

[pushbrk 13,000]

Questions previous posters neglected to ask are about the capabilities of the person asking the question.  To do this yourself, you must have excellent English language skills, the aptitude to understand technical sentence structure, and the willingness to do lots of detailed homework.  This is all true regardless of any red flags or how simple the case might be.  In all my years here, (17) I've seen scores of members who proved over and over again they had no business attempting this process themselves, EVEN with the help of the other members here.  Only each individual knows their capabilities and priorities.  Please don't assume you know them better than they know themselves.  Good professional help is available for those who prefer to have it.

 

https://www.visajourney.com/partners/

[Calicolom 266]

14 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Using a lawyer is a personal decision.  Many take that path, and many do not.  If a choice is made to use a lawyer, or a visa service, just make sure you understand the petitioner is still responsible for gathering all the data, making sure the forms they sign are correct, RFEs are responded to, etc.  Lawyers and their staff are not infallible, and as we see here on VJ, often make mistakes.  Also, if you choose to use a lawyer or visa service, do your homework on them, and if they promise to speed anything up with respect to an immigration petition, look elsewhere.

 

All that being said, I agree with @beloved_dingo and @JeanneAdil, if your case is fairly simple, a lawyer is not necessary, and the VJ community is here to help with any specific questions.

 

Good Luck!

ALL information is on USCIS website. This is the only information you should follow. I filled the forms, with the information, I easily had. Then I printed the forms, then I highlighted, the fields, that still needed to be filled, and where more difficult to obtain. I did this for 4 weeks. Once my forms where all correct, I went on USCIS website, and pulled up the latest form, copied all the info into that form, and send it off the next day. This is what computers are for. 

[T Town Hombre 7]

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12 hours ago, pushbrk said:

To do this yourself, you must have excellent English language skills, the aptitude to understand technical sentence structure, and the willingness to do lots of detailed homework.  This is all true regardless of any red flags or how simple the case might be. 

 

45 minutes ago, Calicolom said:

I filled the forms, with the information, I easily had. Then I printed the forms, then I highlighted, the fields, that still needed to be filled, and where more difficult to obtain. I did this for 4 weeks. Once my forms where all correct, I went on USCIS website, and pulled up the latest form, copied all the info into that form,

 This is great advice.  When I did my I-130 l learned quickly that pushbrk always has solid advice.

[Dashinka 24,651]

1 hour ago, Calicolom said:

ALL information is on USCIS website. This is the only information you should follow. I filled the forms, with the information, I easily had. Then I printed the forms, then I highlighted, the fields, that still needed to be filled, and where more difficult to obtain. I did this for 4 weeks. Once my forms where all correct, I went on USCIS website, and pulled up the latest form, copied all the info into that form, and send it off the next day. This is what computers are for. 

Yes, we did K1, AOS, ROC, N400, and an F3 I130 ourselves with only one RFE back at the I129F stage before I found VJ.  That being said, some people still like to use a lawyer, and like I said, that is a personal choice, but certainly not needed unless one has a very complicated case.

[pushbrk 13,000]

3 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Yes, we did K1, AOS, ROC, N400, and an F3 I130 ourselves with only one RFE back at the I129F stage before I found VJ.  That being said, some people still like to use a lawyer, and like I said, that is a personal choice, but certainly not needed unless one has a very complicated case.

Or does not have the aptitude, skills, or dedication to do what is needed.  Some hire professionals simply because they have better things to do with their time than the homework involved in the process.  Not everybody has the same skill set or motivation.