I130 paperwork,approval time frame etc

[Coolbreese 0]

Hello everyone

I have been researching alot about this i-130,my wife is from Russia, weve been married 1 year now, weve waited some time because we wanted to have her daughter sonia 6 y.o.a. to learn english. My question is,

Is it better to hire a lawyer for the i-130 process? Or go at it alone? Also am concerned about paperwork...do i submit notarized photocopies (translated ofcourse) or do i submit original? Skeptical about that due to the fact that uscis may misplace the paperwork..and how long is the approval time frame for i-130. Thanks to all in advance. Am new at all this process. Again thank you in advance fir your cooperation and advice 

[julieascott 19]

Hey,

I'd suggest you do it by yourself. Lawyers may be helpful if you think there's complexity in your case. Filling out forms and trying to figure out stuff could be a pain in the butt but that's pretty much the only thing your lawyer will do for you anyways aside from sending you a hefty bill. As far as I know, USCIS only requires photocopies as they don't automatically return original copies. Instructions wouldn't normally specifically state that the documents should be notarized so I am not sure about it.

Timeframe is kinda hard to say, could range from 9-12 months from the USCIS to Consular processing. It also depends on which service center your case will go to. Some are a little faster than the others. It kinda sucks sometimes. Wish you well.

[florida racer 73 200]

Hello, 

 

I can only offer you advise based on my own experience, my wife is from Ukraine, I filed our I-130 petition back in November, we received our NOA1 on December 2nd, we just received our NOA2 on August 15th, I submitted our paperwork myself. I would recommend to you that you do the paperwork yourself but I also strongly recommend that you double and triple check yourself and have someone else review yhour paperwork before you send it, also I would recommend that you follow the guides posted here on the proper way to send and label your petition. The current time for approval is hard to say, it took us 8 1/2 months for our NOA2 and we do not know how long for NVC or the embassy.

 

We submitted photocopies of our marriage certificate, my wife's birth certificate and other documents, we did not need an apostle stamp, I submitted the original documents in Russian and the translated documents in English with the notarized stamps.

 

A lawyer is not needed, you can do it yourself, just be very diligent and follow the guides, you will do just fine!

 

Good luck to you! I hope this helps you.

Edited August 17, 2017 by florida racer 73

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

***** Moving from K3 forum, as that visa is obsolete, to the CR-1 spousal visa forum. *******

[Lee & Lei 42]

Unless you have a particularly complicated case (i.e. one or both of you has had criminal problems, or multiple divorces, or something of that nature that is a red flag), a lawyer is unnecessary. 

 

Lawyers are NOT infallible either, and you are basically paying a few thousand dollars to introduce a sort-of "middle man" into the process, which adds extra weeks onto an already tedious and time-consuming process. Instead of mailing your stuff directly to where it needs to go, you have to mail it to the lawyer, wait for him/her to get it, and then wait for the lawyer to mail it to where it needs to go. 

 

For my case, I paid for a visa service to help me fill out the forms, but it wasn't a lawyer. Basically I input all the pertinent information on their website and then it generated the filled-out I-130 for us to print and sign. This ensured everything was properly filled and all the right boxes were checked. They also provided e-mail support for questions. This really only helped me with the I-130 and supporting documents for that... The NVC stage is more streamlined and simple anyway, and they have outstanding phone support for questions. 

[Ryan H 3,790]

Familiarize yourself with the forms you need to complete and the instructions that go with them and determine what your own personal comfort level is in completing said forms.  As others have alluded to, if there are issues in your or your spouse's background that may complicate things or you are simply not comfortable completing the forms, legal or professional assistance may be for you.  Otherwise, gather the documents you need (you will need to do this regardless of whether you DIY or hire someone), complete the forms, and submit them.  Don't be afraid to ask questions here on things you may not understand after reading the instructions.

[stephanie918 46]

Good luck.  I have submitted the initial I-130 forms in December 2016 and got a note saying they received it about a week later.  Since then, I've heard nothing...so I would assume it's still sitting in line to be processed.  From there I'm not sure what the time frame is for the rest of it, but I have heard that once you have an interview, you have 6 months to actually enter the US....

[stephanie918 46]

I've also heard that you can take up to a year to return all the paperwork after the I-130 is approved...so sounds like you must step foot in the US 18 months after the initial approval.  Someone might be able to correct me?