Hi!

Someone please tell me why I discovered this site only after having hired an expensive immigration attorney to help me through the whole K1 visa process?!?!?!?!
I'm getting so pissed off at them those days....It took them only a couple of days to charge my credit card with the nice 1800$ amount back in november....and the more the process goes the longer it takes them to reply to my emails and phone calls....
Several times at the begining of the process they have emailed me questions to which I had already sent them all the answers.
I called them as soon as I learned that our petition had been forwarded to the Montreal embassy by the NVC, just to tell them that I was expecting to receive packet 3 anytime soon....you know, just so that they can get their #### together and email me those 2 crazy complicated ( ) forms (DS230 & 156) already filled in with our information (because I learned that it's basically all they do: complete the forms with all the information that you gave them. Zero service part from that).

Sorry....I juste needed to vent

Basically, I've told them on March 3 that our petition was approved and asked them if they could get ready to send me forms DS-230 and DS-156 already filled in for me, so that I could turn them in as soon as I receive packet 3 from Montreal. They said "We're crazy busy with the Vermont service center approving petitions so fast, so give us until the end of next week" (so that would be March 14). I called them back on March 18 to have a status.....they told me "give us until friday" (should be March 21)....Still no news from them on Friday March 21....I called them again on tuesday this week (March 25) and they told me "we'll send you the completed forms by friday this week" (March 28).....AND GUESS WHAT?!%?! Still nothing!!!!
WTF?!?!?!?!
I paid 1800$ basically because I love my girlfriend and I want to be with her as soon as possible and because I didn't want to do anything wrong that could possibly slow down this (already) long process.
Today I feel totally ripped off and slowed down by them. My packet 3 is waiting on my desk and I'm loosing time.
What do you guys think I should do? I feel kind of uneasy about ignoring them from now on and just going on through the rest of the process alone (ie. filling forms DS-230 and DS-156 myself and sending them back to the Montreal embassy)....Maybe i'm paranoid but I'm thinking "what happens if something goes wrong in the rest of the process and I didn't keep using their service? I won't be able to complain or say anything to them....

My friday sucks

Most of us go at it without a lawyer --- unless your case is particularly complex. Fire his/her sorry azz; and ask for a refund, if at all possible.

Wow, that sucks, I am sorry Yomtl. I also am using a lawyer, and though I walked into all of this knowing very little, I feel lucky that it turns out she bills us in installments, and we won't be fully paid up till the green card interview.
That doesn't help you, so I'm sorry. Since you have already paid them, I would demand immediate service. Call them and do not let them get you off the phone until they have promised that your paperwork will be Fedexed to you THAT DAY (Monday?). If another day goes by, call them again. Call them and call them. People don't like to be hounded.
But, unfortunately, that's about all the advice I can give. They've kinda got you by the balls, pardon my French. But you *have* paid them for a service, and they are not providing it. Remind them of this, and the fact that this paperwork will not take much of their time. Lawyers work long hour all the time; there should be no reason why someone can't stay an extra hour to get your paperwork done.

Stay calm on the phone, but be insistent. Or if their office is near you, go in personally.

I wish more lawyers did better jobs with this stuff. Seems like so many people are unhappy they used them.

Good luck.

well is it you directly who will send the packet 3 back to montreal ?

btw how was ur medical !!

damn i think i m confused... it's next week if i remember well !

Yes, the lawyer's firm was supposed to email me the forms already completed so that I would just have to verify if everything is correct, print them and mail them to the Montreal embassy myself.

My medical is on tuesday next week (April 1 )

I have been here for awhile now, don't recall anyone having anything good to say about lawyers service. Maybe it will all be over soon!!

i would be you i would send it directly if your case is easy. (no overstay etc)

then call the lawyer to fire them as they should

I guess our case is easy....The only "particular" point that I could see would be that my girlfriend was married before and got her divorce final just before we started the K1 process (although I don't see it as something that special....What do you think?)

As long as your girlfriend is divorced and you have the documentation that won't be a problem. Read over the guides here, download the forms and fill them in as a test and see if you are able to gather together all of the documents - if, after taking that careful look you feel comfortable handling it on your own, go ahead and fire your lawyer - he is not providing the service he promised. Good luck.

I feel ya. We just got had our interview yesterday & were approved-so I'm RELIEVED to be as done with the lawyer we have as possible.

Our lawyer was nice-but lets just say it took over 4 months to get Packet 3 back to Montreal because they wouldn't get back to me in a timely manner.

I was just as frustrated with you. I'm sorry you're having to go through this. If I could take it all back now, I would-and I would NOT have hired a lawyer.

We used a lawyer--$2500 plus filing fees!! Nice lawyer, was great, BUT not worth it!! We had not com upon VJ, actually didnt till just before our interview,lol Fire the lawyer and use VJ, OR use VJ to educate yourself, so the lawyer cant pull any fast ones on ya!!

The best was just before I had to file the I-751. lawyer contacted us and said for just a $1000 she would do the 751 for us!! Hmm, no thanks. Took me al of 5 minutes to fill in the form!! and maybe 15 min to gather up the evidence (which I would have had to do anyways!!) Best of luck

Wow, I saw that in your timeline and wondered what took so long (mine also took a long time but was not due to our lawyer). Gosh, 4 months because of them?! That's awful. But now you are approved, congratulations!!

Wasn't a problem for my husband and I, we were in the same situation as you. Didn't get questioned about it at the interview or anything.

I am sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your lawyer. We too used a lawyer, she is good, I didn't think so at first but she did respond to my emails quickly and was only $1,000 plus filing fees (to do paperwork for both the K-1, EAD and AOS) which she charged in 2 payments 1 for the visa and one for the AOS & EAD. Had we have found VJ before not sure we would have gone the route of a lawyer, but by husband wanted to do it to make sure all was done properly. I guess we are lucky (knocking on wood). I agree with phoning and emailing them constantly which should help even if it is just to get you to stop. Good luck, if you still don't have your papers towards the middle of the week next week I would download them and fill them out so you can send your packet back.

I believe if one fires their lawyer, there is a form to fill out????

I was very unhappy with our lawyers services... total waste of money... I had to keep emailing him with mistakes he had made... like when he partially filled out the DS-230... it was full of mistakes... I had to fill out a brand new one... or when he insisted that NVC only wanted photocopies and not original documents and got us a RFE.... even after we got the RFE he was still pretty adamant that they only wanted photocopies...

if you are going to use a lawyer I would suggest doing a tonne of research and find the best lawyer who has full knowledge of the system.....

Go the lawyer's office personally, get your file from them, and fire them. In writing! If you keep phoning them they may charge you for the time spent on the phone.

The forms are really easy to fill out, and only you will take the time needed to ensure they're filled in correctly. Its your lives at stake, to a lawyer, you're just another file and a pay cheque.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. My fiancee and I couldn't afford a lawyer so we bought the "Do-It-Yourself" Immigration kit online and it has really assisted. It gives you step by step instructions and details about what to expect. It was the best $50 ever spent, and the process so far has not been too bad. I would suggest speaking calmly to the lawyer and asking for at least a partial refund, you are a customer and you are unhappy with their services. It's only fair, you can do this on your own.

We have a lawyer for the K1. It will be 10 months from the day we sent out our paperwork to getting our interview on March 31st. Of course, who knows why it takes that long for us. Could be the lawyer? Could be our background checks? Could be the adjudicator was on a long vacation? Could be anything. But anyway, we paid over $3k for their services. The main thing was they assembled the one inch thick paperwork for the I-129F. All nicely photocopied and hole punched, etc.

Assembling all the paperwork for the interview was all OUR own work. Getting in touch with USCIS and the consulate was all OUR own work. With the help from this forum, I can easily say we won't be requiring the services of our lawyer for the AOS and beyond.

We, like many, did not know this forum existed till after our lawyer was hired and paid in full.

I have heard so many horror stories about Lawyers and how they hinder a case more than help. I was so happy to find VJ and not have to use a Lawyer- although Mel did pay to have a consult with one who was supposedly "the best" and he was just an idiot- waste of time and money.

Generally we tell people to use a lawyer if their case is complicated- but in all honesty- if most lawyers can't seem to handle a simple straight forward case, how will they handle a complicated one?

My father-in-law tried to convince us to hire a lawyer for our application. I figured, how hard can it be to fill out a few forms and pay some money. I am still of that opinion. Our case isn't complicated at all. I was actually insulted that he even suggested it.

I think a lawyer is useful in case where there are factors making the application more likely to be refused, where there has already been a refusal, or where there are language barriers. Other than that, there are so many resources available for people to do it on their own. Its more cost effective and can be more timely.

Sorry to hear that you are not happy with the services of your lawyer. If you think you can handle the rest of the application on your own, you can certainly cancel your lawyer's services. If he has missed things, and caused unreasonable delays on your file, then discuss those with him directly. A lot of times, lawyers have no idea what is going on with files, most things are handled by their assistants and paralegals. If the services have been really bad, you can always register a complaint with a provincial Law Society or US Bar Association. Depends if the lawyer is in Canada or US.

yes, take care of it on your own yomtl.
And fire thoses lawyer !

Note on he topic, i also got the 50$ do it yourself kit for the start. Right after we sent the I129 forms, i found vj wich answered even more of my questions.
i do not plan to get the do it yourself kit for the aos etc....
I think i'm old enough to know my name, my birthdate and any old marriage and divorce lol

There is such a wealth of info on VJ!! many don't really use VJ to its full advantage. There are examples of already filled out forms, reviews of consulates, etc etc. Dont forget the "links" at the top of the pages ( ie example forms, processing times, embassy info, etc) and the stickies at the top of each forum!! There are step by step maps showing one what to do!! One just needs to sit back with a case of beer/wine and go over the site,its pretty much all here. The search feature is a bit lacking, but one just has to rearrange how they ask the question to get better results!! Best of luck

After you fill out the forms of course! On second thought..... Lawyers by and large do not justify their cost. They are not living the experience, you are. As Mom says, it's not their stomach ache." If you have a very messy case that requires appearance before an immigration judge, then hire one. For 99.95% of all cases you will find the answers on the web and especially on this site. There are many filled out forms for your perusal and caring and helpful folks who want to see you accomplish your mission objective.