RapidVisa VS Attorney Review

[greg1984 19]

So I know VisaJourney is a wonderful resource for DIY immigration help.  So perhaps this is not the perfect place to ask but I decided that because I am a worrier mostly and absolutely do not want to send this K1 off without a set of trained eyes looking at it.  Because my case is fairly simple I couldn't justify THOUSANDS on an attorney.  The immigration attorney I had a free consult with just emailed me back to see if I would like a visa review for 500.  He described it basically just what I would get from RapidVisa in that he will review my packet...tell me if I have any corrections or additions to it for as many times as necessary until he blesses off on it.  No more.  No less.  I really can't decide which option would be better!  Any opinions appreciated except the ones that simply say DIY because I will be choosing one of these options just am very legally inexperienced and really don't know!

 

Thanks friends!

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

Well RapidVisa technically has no legal representation as they are not really a legal aid site or anything.

 

Attorney's want a lot I know.

 

Honestly just double check your paperwork. Maybe provide a list of items you're sending with your petition here and let people give you feed back of comments on more things to add or things not to put in.

[greg1984 19]

Thanks!  Yeah...well I don't think I will be "represented" by him but just have him approve of my packet before sending it in.  So it seems sort of identical to RapidVisa...perhaps better dealing with a flesh and blood person but the RapidVisa stats are pretty impressive...

[geowrian 22,335]

It all really depends on your circumstances. We've seen RapidVisa and professional attorneys miss very basic things and had it result in RFEs (unsigned forms, missing forms, and even outright bad advice). I am not trying to give them a bad name in any way, but just want to point out that going with them does not necessarily mean the case will be handled optimally. A well informed individual is best. Neither an attorney nor RapidVisa is ultimately responsible for the paperwork you submit. If you do choose to go with either of them, then my recommendation is for you to review their work.

 

Personally, I'd say DIY. I know that's not what you want to hear (and asking for people to not reply is against the TOS), but I really think that is the best option for most people to ensure success. That said, it also depends on the circumstances of your individual case.

[pantonia 39]

I think paying 500 for someone to double check your paperwork seems unnecessary. I definitely understand the fear of messing up and just wanting to do it right the first time though and if that to you is worth the lawyer, then go ahead. At this point, all you'll get is peace of mind, so whatever makes you feel better is the best choice. Still, like most people here on VJ, I of course think that there's no need for that at all. Comparing with the checklists available here should be more than enough. I also recommend http://www.mrspresson.com/ . For compiling my packages I only used her blog and checklists, since her organizing system is just as annoyingly detailed as I like it to be. You can also post your list on VJ and have people here check it out. Personally, I thought the most invested person in my case working out was myself and my husband, so I didn't want to leave it to someone else for review...too controlling for that

 

good luck!

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

I can't see spending $500 for a second pair of eyes.
Why not slow down and take your time step by step follow the guides and see if you have everything together.
It is not hard, you just can't rush through it. If something is unclear just ask here for clarification.
I have seen lawyers and visa "helper" agencies mess up and there are no guarantees that they get it right.

Really, just following this list http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide and checking it several times and re checking all your forms is no big deal even if you are  worried.
Trust yourself, you can do this. If you have a complicated case then I recommend the lawyer.
 

[Mamed 18]

I haven't and wouldn't waste money on them. Just follow the guide and when you have all the papers that are mentioned there come back and let "us" see the list of what you have. We all been there and done that, and I'm sure if your case is simple as you say you'll get best possible help here

[Lemonslice 4,553]

Many attorneys in husband's family, so we prepared everything and had one of their Immigration attorney friends review what we did - said it was better than what they would have done and to stop worrying; using his firm services as an outsider would have been more than $5K... and we still would have had to gather all the paperwork - we went on a month-long honeymoon instead.  We had no RFE and all went smoothly (if you forget the delays in Montreal back then).

 

If you absolutely want to spend $500, then go with the attorney.  

Edited February 18, 2017 by Lemonslice

[Vengatore 53]

Don't pay them!

[Maagiclady 29]

If these are your only two options then at least rapid Visa offers a refund if you do not get approved.

[Stevephoto 224]

To be honest, I hired an attorney for a 1 hour consult ($200.00) which wound up being a little more than an hour. .She reviewed my packet and suggested changes to my cover letter. I felt that I received good advice and it was worth the fee. $500.00?? Maybe not. Every other step of the way has been DIY with the help of VJ. No problems so far and the end is in sight. Find out what the hourly rate is for your attorney and consider a one hour consult if you are unsure. Good luck.

[Nick_kk26 0]

SCAM ALERT! RapidVisa and its employees were totally incompetent in delivering Green Card/AOS application filing services. No customer service after payment    

 

I purchased Rapid Visa's services for assistance in preparation of my application for US Green Card and Adjustment of Status.

To start with they have obsolete software that makes you fill information exactly how it is required in the various USICS forms required for the application. The software is so poorly built that you will have to fill the same information multiple times just like you would do it in different forms in the Green Card Application package from USICS. At this point it came to my mind if I need to do this exercise then why not I fill the actual forms and complete the application but then thought never mind Rapid Visa will use its expertise in reviewing my forms and that will be helpful. Rapid Visa builds my application based on the information that I entered in their software and surprisingly these applications have most of the fields blank or have incorrect information. At this stage I felt very furious that I am paying them and filling all the information in their software as well and then the prepared applications are useless then what value is my money getting me here. Since. I was in a highly time sensitive situation w.r.t to my green card application procedure, I decided to resolve these issues and spent 3 hours on the phone on my working day with one of the agents named 'Princess' explaining each and every field of the form that was incorrectly filled or left blank by Rapid Visa. I was promised that these errors will be corrected and forms with complete and accurate information will be delivered to me soon. A few days pass and another set of forms are sent to me that are again incorrectly and inaccurately filled. I called an agent at Rapid Visa who tells me to go over all the error ones again since they do not have the notes from the previous agent whom I spent 3 hours on the phone earlier explaining each and every correction required. At this point, I decide that I will not be wasting my time again as this is what they charged me $500 for and claim to be an equal expert to an immigration attorney. I request them to speak to a manager and I am told that the manger is in a meeting and will call me back in couple of hours. When I did not get a call from the manager I called back Raid Visa and was told that the manager has left for the day so I cannot be helped. Helpless and frustrated I sent the following email to Rapid Visa, "From the very start the form I-130 still does not look complete (1, 4, 9, 10c, 12b, 14b, 17, 26, 32, 36, 37, 38, 39 etc) and I have not even looked at the other pages and forms yet. This is even after the fact that I have spent 3 hours on the phone the other day telling you every single correction in each and every form, which I believe, is not what I signed up for. I cannot trust your company anymore with this process as such mistakes can do very serious damage to my career and immigration status in the US. Neither do I have the time to review these forms over and over again nor can I be sure about your advice on supporting documents and the process that will happen in the backend such as arranging my application etc. Considering the above mentioned, I would request you to stop working on my case and refund me the fees I paid in the amount of $500 so that I can seek the help of a professional immigration attorney for handling my case."

To this I get a response from Rapid Visa that your complaints are half empty (exact words!) and we have expertise with figures mentioned (similar to ones of their website) prodding to have handled these many case. At this point I realize they are incompetent to deliver the services they claim to be experts in on their website and complaints won't be heard since I have already made the payment. I decide that I will take care of the forms myself since I have already gone through them multiple times and get my moneys worth in resolving issues where I need help from an expert.

 

Also, from the very beginning I was very confident about doing the whole process myself (which I ended up doing myself anyways) but had some doubts about the forms and documents related to financial support and this was the whole reason I thought of getting help. Over multiple calls and with multiple agents I tried to convince them that they are advising me to attach incorrect forms along with I-864 but they did not agree so in the end I decided to trust myself and did a consultation call with an immigration attorney to discuss specifically about the I-864 form requirement. No very surprisingly, Rapid Visa was giving me wrong advice (mind you that this advise was after looking at me and my spouse’s salary and tax return etc.) and the forms they were asking me to attach along with I-864 were not relevant (or could harm my case) as per my situation.

 

I would like to conclude by saying that I have become a US Green Card holder based on the petition I filed without using Rapid Visa’s help. As expected, they never even called me back ever to inquire about my pending case with them since they already got their fees which is where they stop communicating with the customer.

 

I am very sure that they will respond to this in a very negative tone that you will notice with any post from a customer with a negative feedback. I decided to wait longer to write this post till I have my Green Card in hand as was I afraid that they might try to sabotage my case since they are bunch of scammers and can go to any limit. Also, please pay attention to look at the pictures of their customers writing positive reviews and you will see a pattern to understand what kind of cases they specialize in.

 

Stay away from them as ultimately you wont save money but loose the money you paid to them in return of useless/no service. TOTALLY INCOMPETENT FOR AOS/GC FILLING CASES.

 

[Jabberwocky1969 126]

Rapid Visa caused my RFE. I sent in the wrong divorce paper work, they caught the error but I think they failed to upload the corrected decree before shipping it off to USCIS. So I get this RFE asking or a Certificate of Divorce Absolute not a NISI Certificate.  Proof they sent the wrong one .. so their Quality Control did not catch up to their Processor. 

 

This is what I paid them to do and they failed.

[cywrainide 21]

On 2/19/2017 at 12:55 PM, Stevephoto said:

To be honest, I hired an attorney for a 1 hour consult ($200.00) which wound up being a little more than an hour. .She reviewed my packet and suggested changes to my cover letter. I felt that I received good advice and it was worth the fee. $500.00?? Maybe not. Every other step of the way has been DIY with the help of VJ. No problems so far and the end is in sight. Find out what the hourly rate is for your attorney and consider a one hour consult if you are unsure. Good luck.

 

Hi, did you use Margaret W Wong and associates? Just curious because fiance and I are going back and forth with this lawyer thing, and coincidentally her consultation fees are $200 too.

[Valmabe 249]

Hi, I believe that as long as you follow the instructions on the instruction file you will be fine, it was easier than I though, like someone said before, if in doubt, just ask people here, very helpful and willing to help. There is no need to pay third parties to do something that you are perfectly able to do, not rocket science. 

Edited August 24, 2018 by Valmabe