About_Advice_given here ....

[DakotaK1 1]

I have noticed that many of the advice that is given on this site by people are often not true

at all. I would urge people to do a lot of research themselves into their issues and not believe blindly

in what is told here. I have myself gone through the k3/k4 process for

my wife and step daughter and I have found that many statements, even guides are completely wrong.

Example . I had problems with my wifes/daughters i-94 cards where they put the wrong date stamp, They had put 3 months expirations (as if it was k1 and not k3/k4) on the cards. Here I was given the advice that the only way to solve it was to for my wife to leave the country and come back.

I solved the problem myself by making an appointment at the customs and border patrol office in San Francisco. There they corrected the problem.

Another issue I have been given the wrong answer for is the adjustment of status process and work permit. It's not true at all like it says on here that you have to adjust status and then get the work permit. NO it's quite the opposite in some situations it's better to get the work permit before applying for AOS, otherwise it will take longer time to get work permit and social sec number. For my step daughter especially it was urgent to get ssn number as soon as possible because of her medical

condition. I did not even have to file for work permit. All I had to do was to go to the nearest ssn

office and they took care of it.

Bottom line ... Do research yourself, don't believe what they say. Read the documents carefully

and be persistent when you believe you are right.

Ok first of all I myself have asked tons of things and never had any problems ,I was always thankful for the answers.

Second if you got a wrong answer then I think that it was more of a miss knowledge from somebody thats all,we are all human and mistakes can happen.

Third if you are not happy with this forum then go like USCIS.gov all the info you need you will find on there

[Steph0814 1]

I for one and SO THANKFUL for VJ...I am OCD about research and to me what better research to add to this extensive journey but the actual experiences of all going through it.

Like others mentioned, this is just another helpful avenue NOT the law so read this, ask questions and take what may be helpful and discard what is not.

This is a difficult journey to go through alone, so think of VJ as a sort of support system rather than the cold hard law.

P.S: I have a friend that had a lawyer and he TOTALLY screwed up the paperwork in more than one avenue and hers was an easy case....

[motu 5]

I would rather pay VJ $1,000 than a lawyer $10,000. The advice here has to be understood correctly - so if your question is ambiguous you may get an answer that may seem to be wrong - try and ask your question 'correctly' and many times people will tell you from their personal experience what they did and what worked for them. That said, an examiner or border patrol person can make a judgment based on what they see as enough or not enough evidence and can create problems for you - so nothing is 'fool proof'. Good luck

[DanielParul 50]

While filing for my K1 visa, we made the mistake of hiring a lawyer who not only charged us a huge amount of money but also did not help at all (not answering to phone calls, not helping with the ppwk). We still wonder why we even hired him..... And then I found VJ and it was godsent for me. I have found advice on every question I had (not all correct but they still got me thinking and do my research). Now we have filed for AOS and look at VJ for any possible questions and get all the help...

Lawyer VS VJ - VJ wins for us definately

[carpe diem 2]

I second those who say VJ is useful-- I'm incredibly grateful I found it. Others are right-- don't come here expecting free legal advice. But there are some little things that you cannot really find anywhere and where it's very helpful to know what others have done. Things like: "What do you put as the date of departure on the AP form if you don't have any specific plans?" Or: "Can you walk in early for a biometrics appointment?" If I had encountered any complications I would have hired a lawyer but for those of us with straightforward cases this forum and the guides are great. And what's nicer than obsessing over your case with folks who came here from all over the world obsessing over the exact same thing?

[pcana 0]

I second those who say VJ is useful-- I'm incredibly grateful I found it. Others are right-- don't come here expecting free legal advice. But there are some little things that you cannot really find anywhere and where it's very helpful to know what others have done. Things like: "What do you put as the date of departure on the AP form if you don't have any specific plans?" Or: "Can you walk in early for a biometrics appointment?" If I had encountered any complications I would have hired a lawyer but for those of us with straightforward cases this forum and the guides are great. And what's nicer than obsessing over your case with folks who came here from all over the world obsessing over the exact same thing?

VJ has been extremely helpful and I'll always be grateful I found this site..

Abby

[patriciaofoz 0]

Personally, I found the VJ forum a great avenue for support and it also urges you to do your own research and look for your own answers. Even when I give "advice" (aka support) to people on here I always remind them not to take my word as gospel because different people have completely different situations and I am by NO MEANS an expert on all things US Immigration. YOU have to make your own decisions (NEVER let others make it for you) and use your common sense about things.

When we were filing our AOS, the application forms had different instructions to the guides that were written in the Guides. Who did we follow? The AOS application forms, of course - not the VJ Guides. It's always your call and don't blame others for giving your misguided information - it was your choice to take their advice. Deal with it.

[tkmarlow 0]

I found VJ on the web and I couldn't have found anything more useful for info on immigration! It has helped relieve me of so much stress. Two thumbs up for VJ!! :thumbs:

Edited May 15, 2008 by tkmarlow

[sj5 4]

perhaps we have different way of processing?

Edited May 15, 2008 by SJ