Immigration attorney

[FG Ben 0]

Hello, can someone recommend a good attorney in the Texas area. I'm a naturalized US citizen I've been with my fiancee for 4 years. she is from Brazil and I was hoping I could talk to someone with a similar situation. thanks!

[Eric-Pris 1,602]

Hello, can someone recommend a good attorney in the Texas area. I'm a naturalized US citizen I've been with my fiancee for 4 years. she is from Brazil and I was hoping I could talk to someone with a similar situation. thanks!

If you are just looking to get her a K-1 visa, then save the $1500 he will charge you and do it yourself. Use that money to spend some more time with your fiancee.

The K-1 guides and flowcharts are so great, that every dollar spent on a lawyer is a dollar wasted IMO. Unless you have some extremely complex/unusual situation, forget the lawyer.

[FG Ben 0]

I think I'm gonna, I met with an attorney today and he quoted me $3400 including all fees, $1500 upfront flus the $455 initial filing fees and $240 a month. The only thing that I'm trying to figure out is the timeline for filing in Texas - Austin/Dallas area. This guy told me 10-11 months.... thats crazy, I was thinking it was more like 4-6 months total.

[Eric-Pris 1,602]

I think I'm gonna, I met with an attorney today and he quoted me $3400 including all fees, $1500 upfront flus the $455 initial filing fees and $240 a month. The only thing that I'm trying to figure out is the timeline for filing in Texas - Austin/Dallas area. This guy told me 10-11 months.... thats crazy, I was thinking it was more like 4-6 months total.

$3400???? He must be high on something. I've heard $1500-1900, and that's in NYC.

Here are some things I learned about lawyers:

-They have dozens of these cases going at once, so yours will probably not be their main focus.

-The lawyers themselves don't often fill out forms and put things together.

-Paralegals/assistant usually handle the bulk of the work (even temps & interns sometimes do simple tasks).

-They aren't as efficient as you would be handling your own case. (That's why he quoted 11 months, it may take them 3 months to mail it out. That happened to a friend, he gave the lawyer ALL the documents needed in Oct, the case was sent out in January)

-If they are working on several cases at once, there is a chance of one couple's docs ending up in another couple's envelope. It has happened before.

-If there's a delay, they blame the CIS and NVC (happened to my friend).

Obviously, not all lawyers are bad. But the procedure is pretty simple and requires no expertise. Why waste the money... the GUIDES are so good that you really don't need a lawyer.

*Btw, If you're really looking for somebody to do this for ya, I'll do your whole case for $1700. That's a 50% discount from what they quoted you. Just kidding, I'm still dealing with my own headache, don't need yours. LOL

Edited March 11, 2008 by kid brooklyn

[rue2you 0]

I think I'm gonna, I met with an attorney today and he quoted me $3400 including all fees, $1500 upfront flus the $455 initial filing fees and $240 a month. The only thing that I'm trying to figure out is the timeline for filing in Texas - Austin/Dallas area. This guy told me 10-11 months.... thats crazy, I was thinking it was more like 4-6 months total.

Ummm. That guys about right in my opinion. Probably about 6-8 I suppose. Depends on alot of things, if you send your package in correct first time or if you need to fix things. I met with an attorney also, but decided to go with it on my own. The attorney can't speed things up and who knows your history and story better than you? In my opinion an attorney will most likely screw up something.

Unless you are wealty enough and your time is better spent doing other things, I would highly recommend doing it yourself, you will most likely do a better job than your $4K attorney.

I live in Dallas. My application is being processed in Vermont so living in TX does not mean much.

Only way in my opinion to speed it up is to know someone connected in the government that can make a call and make it happen.

Good luck!!

[sunandmoon 450]

I think I'm gonna, I met with an attorney today and he quoted me $3400 including all fees, $1500 upfront flus the $455 initial filing fees and $240 a month. The only thing that I'm trying to figure out is the timeline for filing in Texas - Austin/Dallas area. This guy told me 10-11 months.... thats crazy, I was thinking it was more like 4-6 months total.

take a look at VJ's timeline for Brazil to get an idea of how long will take.

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list...il&dfile=No

[chuck_n_rose 0]

Do it yourself or I can do it for you for a nominal price that will be the lowest in town and I guarantee top results.

[LynnandAhmed 0]

Hello, can someone recommend a good attorney in the Texas area. I'm a naturalized US citizen I've been with my fiancee for 4 years. she is from Brazil and I was hoping I could talk to someone with a similar situation. thanks!

I used a lawyer that charged 1800 before the fees went up in July.

And now I recommend that you can do it yourself and use visajourney. You can get everything you need here to do it yourself.........really.

Plus, you might make less mistakes.

They can't do much for you once the petition goes to the embassy, especially once it gets

into any administrative processing. You have to do most of the work anyway...........trust me. You have to get all the info and documents together and do all the running around. They are

just making money and typing up the form for you. Heck, I figured that some can make over a million a year doing this.

1800 per applicant and just my lawyer has about 10 per month at just the California center. Add the Vermont

one and double that..........plus isn't there a third center?

Anyway..........save yourself the money!!!

[sara..... 371]

good and attorney used in same sentence nope lol dont do it i really wish we had not of

[FG Ben 0]

I think I'm gonna do it myself .. and used the money I save to visit her next month. I really appreciate all of your info. Thank you all!!

[BlakeandOlha 0]

I think I'm gonna, I met with an attorney today and he quoted me $3400 including all fees, $1500 upfront flus the $455 initial filing fees and $240 a month. The only thing that I'm trying to figure out is the timeline for filing in Texas - Austin/Dallas area. This guy told me 10-11 months.... thats crazy, I was thinking it was more like 4-6 months total.

Hellsbells - I'll do it for only $2000 - I take visa and mastercard as well

Long ago, I had a friend, an otherwise intelligent person, who hired an immigration attorney to handle this process from 1-129f through to removal of conditions. His cas was normal, no issues, nothin. His attorney tapped him for over 10 grand by the time this was all done. At the time (long before I even thought about going through this, or new of this site) I thought to myself that this must be a very complicated process - obviously requiring an attorney and lots of payments.

Unless you have very specific and unusual circumstances (convictions, IMBRA issues, etc.) There is absolutely NO NEED to waste your money on an immigration attorney. These guys are no less sharks than the lawyers that hang around hospitals. They tell you how complicated it is, how they have wonderful success rates (we all get adjudicated eventually), and how they can speed up the process (which is also pure hogwash). If they can create fear and doubt in your mind about your ability to handle this, well, they get paid. And you get stuck. Unlike most things in life, filing for the K-1 is a lot easier than it looks - just follow the guides and you'll be fine.

Rant accomplished

[chuck_n_rose 0]

I think I'm gonna do it myself .. and used the money I save to visit her next month. I really appreciate all of your info. Thank you all!!

Smart move.

[Andres and Diana 0]

I used Holmes and Lolly in San Diego. They were really good and on top of everything that I asked of them. The did simplify the process for my fiance and I. They gave us all the paperwork and had us fill in the blanks.

Its good if you want a hassel free process...but get people who are dedicated to only kvisas. If you dont mind the process and rather be a hands on kinda person I would recommend doing it yourself.

If I had to do it over again I would save the 1800...(that I am still paying) and do it myself.

My 2 cents.

Diana

[*julez* 124]

I think I'm gonna do it myself .. and used the money I save to visit her next month. I really appreciate all of your info. Thank you all!!

Good plan. Cos even if you hire an attorney its still up to you to provide all the relevant data and to gather all the evidence required to support the I129f. In hiring an attorney, you're basically paying someone to fill out the forms and mail it in for you.

Just be sure you read the form instructions very carefully since the I129f is no longer processed at Texas Service Center, you'll either be sending it to Vermont or Cali. The guides here are excellent. Keep yourself well organized and you'll do well.