Let me apologize first . I am a newbie to the board . I have been reading last few days , and got nerve to post . Let me thank any who read this first .

I have been married to Indonesian citizen for almost 2 years. I have been taking care of personal financial and tax issues . I am now ready to start process for K 3 visa . I am bit lost.

I understand the i-130 route , and such. I am afraid , I may need to splurge for lawyer , to not further fall behind. can anyone recommend where to find good immigration lawyer in New York city area ?? I see many advertised , but prices and advertising mean little to me . is there a board here discussing lawyers ? , i havent seen .

Or does anyone have any reccomendations of lawyers firsthand .

thanks for any time and help .

and yes I do understand that this board is made of do it your selfers !!



I unfortunately am not an Ivy leage grad . ( at least it seems like u must be to complete this )

If my question is inappropriate , i apologize .

pfffffffft, I didn't got to university either, you don't need a diploma or degree to fill in a bunch of papers. And honestly, the 2 dimwits that my husband insisted on hiring to do our paperwork before I did it, who DID have univerity degrees totally messed it up and delayed us 9 months

Have a read thru the FAQ and the Guides here, and any specific questions you have just ask. Its really not that hard. Follow the instructions and look at the example forms here and you should be fine.

The ony reason you should need a lawyer would be if your foreign spouse has a criminal record, and you'd need a waiver. Even then, others have done it without the expensive lawyer.

I understand the frustration and confusion believe me! But save your money for other more fun things!

I felt the same way... I was going to hire a lawyer, but then I found a great site where I downloaded a K3 Visa kit for $49.95 US and OMG it totally saved my life....

Here is the webite if you want to check it out....

http://www.usavisanow.com/k3k4visakit.html

Honestly, you really don't need a lawyer...you're in a great site that has full of people who undergo the same journey as you are taking. We had a lawyer but fired her due to her incompetent service with regards to immigration process... visajourney is what you have. Just follow the forms and examples in this site. They are great. We are also here the members who's got an open hand to help you throughout the process. I've also heard and read about people having a lawyer but had headache because their case was messed up. So good luck and god bless

The best advice I got before starting this process was to stay organized...........the second best was to dig deep into your soul and find patience. Don't ever forget that there are people less intelligent than yourself who have done it on their own successfully and others possibly more intelligent who have screwed it up...we call them lawyers ........KIDDING!!

Good Luck

LMAO @ CutienPurg -- I wouldn't have put the kidding at the end though !

LOLOLOLOL well I dont wanna offend anyone .........and ........I have a sneaking suspiscion that our Master Yodrak may be a lawyer in disguise and I wanna remain in his good books cuz I kinda respect and value his guidance<tee hee>

maspablo,

The AILA has a directory of member immigration lawyers that you can search here.

Having a consultation with an experienced lawyer is a good idea. After having discussed the immigration process and the specifics of your case you'll be in a better position to decide if you want to go it alone or retain an attorney to work with you.

Yodrak

Welcome to VJ!

These guys are right - you probably don't need a lawyer. However, if you're not comfortable with the process and you don't have the time or energy to do the amount of research others do, then by all means look into it! There's nothing wrong with asking for help though, be it from us or a lawyer.

My advice, for what it's worth, would be to have a read of the guides and if you're still not sure or comfortable, find a lawyer that will offer you a free (or low charge) consulatation. Just remember that they want your business, so listen carefully to what they say! I don't have the name of a lawyer to recommend to you, but I wish you luck in your new journey.

This is a referral service from the American Immigration Lawyers Assn: http://www.ailalawyer.com/

Did you ever live in Indonesia? You might also want to investigate this method instead of the K-3: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=dcf

It's OK (good even) to keep reading and keep reading for a week or two before you do anything. This is a lot of new info to take in all at once. A couple of weeks spent learning will not adversly affect your visa outcome--it might just help!

Yes , ( deep breath) patience would help ! believe it or not, I have a bachelor degree from a SUNY ( 7 years of college) lol !

I do have some specific questions I need to ask a lawyer , specifically my past employment and tax issues .
and how that affects the process.

and I have had my share of experiences w/ lawyers !! , ( NY lawyers) or whereever I do know the drill, and that is why I'm looking for advice .

Thanks for all input , and any more that will come . I do see how this board would be extremely helpfull.

regarding a DCF .

I have never lived in Indonesia , but I do spend at least 30 days a year there . 150 days or so last 5 years


I am reading up on DCF ! Is it possible to file a DCF , or wrong track for me since i live in USA.

thanks
I am in USA now , heading to INDO in a month .

I believe you may file in Jakarta without living there, which is why I brought it up. I'll PM someone to the thread who has some personal experience there.

Read + re-read the Guide---see what you will need to take there with you.

You can DCF in Indonesia, provided you were married in Indonesia. You do not necessarily need to live there. However, you will need to be there for the processing.

If you were married there, only two Marriages will be recognized:

Moslem Ceremony: generally at the Kantor Urusan Agama (KUA) AKA The Office of Religious Affairs
(Their is an expectation that both parties are Muslim or are willing to convert.)

Alternatively, you were married and registered the ceremony at the Civil Registry (all other denominations).

DCF in Jakarta is lightning fast, if you have the appropriate documentation validating your marriage.

Lightning fast = 1 week for Visa in hand.

So OP, were you married in Indonesia?

I am planning to head to Indonesia in next month or so , and hope to get this right either way here or there .ASAP

I have emailed US consulate in Jakarta for DCF information . and I am reading all , and every thing i can find

You guys are awesome ! quick


yes , I was married in Indonesia , (Bali) Tabanan . It was a muslem ceremony . we do have documentation.

i

How cool---thanks William!!

maspablo, please read, re-read and then read the DCF Guide again, and pleeeease tell me you didn't write to Jakarta and ask about "DCF"???
Slow down, make a list and you can knock this thing out in no time. OK, make two lists. There's always something extra.

Here, you answered your very first question yourself. A lawyer wouldn't have given you all that attention and answers in so much detail and in so little time, even after charging you $$$$$.
Best of Luck everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I emailed Jakarta office of US embassy and was told I am allowed to file for a DCF . The marriage took place in Indonesia , making me eligible.

I also consulted w/ a lawyer . ( for i-864 and and employment questions) .
The main issue my consul said I will have is " why have I waited almost 2 years to file?" .( married 11/4)

He recommended copies of all correspondence , phone bills and such . etc. Also , have a decent reason why waited for 2 years. employment issues and such ??

Does , anyone have any experience w/ problem waiting 2 years ?. We have spent well over 150 days together , and know each other pretty good . I know it will show .

I am not absolutely sure how useful this is as you are now considering doing DCF rather than K3/IR-1, however my USC and I were married 1 year before we filed and it had no bearing on our journey at all.

Good luck to you and hope you have a fast and smooth journey

mas, great news!

fyi consul=the guy/gal who works at the consulate. Also known as a Consular Officer or CO.
Counsel = your lawyer. Is it your lawyer who said there might be an issue with your filing delay?

I would not make a big thing of it. Lotso f people file later than sooner... there IS a big world out there!

I am finally getting things done , thanks to this board . and especially a few of you !!

this might belong on DCF board , but i started it here.

I got to Jakarta Oct 10th went straight to embassy with my I-130 and my wife was granted a interview the following week , which will be next thursday Oct 19th .

Right now I am completing 864 and DS-230 .

As i was told by lawyer consulted with , the US officer @ embassy did ask why we waited to file for so long , we told combination of her job , my travel(work) and financial reasons . he didnt seem bothered by it

He also asked if when she was granted visa , if she wanted to wait until after 2 year anniversary of marriage , she would be granted permanet visa , instead of temporary visa if we (she) wanted to
travel immediately . With out saying it , I got the point it would be less complicated if we waited to travel until after the 2 year date from the wedding . ???

the interview is next week , the "official " anniversary date is Jan 5 2007 . so I guess, if interview goes well we could get visa after Jan 5th for travel to US.

Great news, maspablo--glad to hear it is all working out!

You can get the same benefit, if you choose, by interviewing and accepting a visa now, but traveling after your 2nd wedding anniversary.

The primary benefit to skipping ahead to the 10 year card vs the 2 year one is the (current) cost of $205. It's really not a big deal otherwise.

Chug along and see how it goes. The visa will be valid for 6 months from issue date; you can travel any time in that 6 months.

Dont bother in wasting your money. I wish I would not have bothered as the lawyer was a waste of our hard earned dollars. They will charge you just to fill in paper work that you can do your self. Best of luck to you and your SO on your journey and welcome to VJ.

i am putting finishing touches on I 864 (affadavid of support ) that I am handing in tommorow . I havent yet filed taxes for one of the previous 2 years , i am worried if I put down income that is not up to 125 % of poverty level , it will affect me negatively on visa decision .? any thoughts ?

for 05 and 04 i made over 125 % , 03 would be less .( when i file taxes) and when i put down on I 864

i have talked to my accountant , and he is worried whatever number i put down for 03 i must stick with when i file taxes .

I know this is short notice , but all happened so fast.... doing DCF in Indonesia . interview is thursday Oct 19th . in 3 days

I -130 to interview in a week .

mp,
There is no requirement that all three years of returns be at/above 125%. Mine certainly weren't--I had been on a break for a couple of years when I filed. they are most interested in what you are doing now, and what you'll be doing next month (if you have any evidence to support that).

Take your accountant's advice on this one; file your return truthfully and don't pay Uncle Sam more than you need to.

maspablo,

Which year, of the last two years have you not filed taxes?

If you have not filed your 2005 taxes, the Consular Officer will want to know why. Be prepared to provide a written statement, explaining legitimately, why you are not required to file yet. They are most interested in the 2005 tax filing, that meets or exceeds the 125% level. Do you have a current letter from your employer and pay statements with you? These will help to satisfy this requirement.

BTW, I told you Jakarta was lightning fast with DCF.

I have filed 05 and i have the return , i am fine there . I havent filed 03 . and they are asking for 2 previous years 's #'s. So it looks like i have to commit to a number for 03 . they dont want return , they want income . hope i am clearer .

thanks