Lawyer or No Lawyer?

[KarenCee 3]

Wow....I certainly hope something breaks for you and Holly soon, you and everyone else waiting in MTL.

[Jaylen Brit 1]

I would have to agree with this thread and I am a lawyer.

How cool is that

I would say the same as others - use a lawyer if u a.have a complex issue that is beyond the 'norm' or b.Feel unable to do the forms yourself and prefer to use a third, educated in the subject, party, and can afford it!

Anyone that tells you they can fast-track your case, providing his name isn't George W Bush, and his address doesn't have the words 'WhiteHouse' in the first line, is not being truthful with you.

[Yodrak 7]

Sacha,

No, lawyers cannot jump the queue. But they can often straighten out any problems that may arise much more effectively than you can.

Note that there are two ways to use a lawyer:

- have a consultation to discuss the facts of your particular case, get advice based on those facts, and get your questions answered by a professional.

- hire a lawyer to help you if you decide that you want help based on what you learn from the consultation.

A consultation should be relatively inexpensive and is always a good investment.

The usual story you'll read is that you don't need a lawyer if you have a simple case. Two observations about that theory:

- Many people think they have a simple case until some detail about their situation turns out to be a complication that they never dreamed of. Many people cannot recognize a problem issue until it smacks them in the face. Numerous such situation here on VJ. Have that consultation.

- USCIS or DoS actions can turn what should have been a simple case into a complicated case. Numerous stories of this here on VJ also.

As for lawyes who make mistakes and mess up what should have been a simple case, why is it that people select their laundry detergent with more care than they select their attorney?

Yodrak

Apart from the fact that lawyers know how to process the K1 application accurately, what other benefits do do they have over you applying for the visa yourself? i.e. time, can lawyers actually work miracles by jumping the queue to get your application approved asap?

Edited May 9, 2006 by Yodrak

[KarenCee 3]

Sacha,

No, lawyers cannot jump the queue. But they can often straighten out any problems that may arise much more effectively than you can.

Note that there are two ways to use a lawyer:

- have a consultation to discuss the facts of your particular case, get advice based on those facts, and get your questions answered by a professional.

- hire a lawyer to help you if you decide that you want help based on what you learn from the consultation.

A consultation should be relatively inexpensive and is always a good investment.

The usual story you'll read is that you don't need a lawyer if you have a simple case. Two observations about that theory:

- Many people think they have a simple case until some detail about their situation turns out to be a complication that they never dreamed of. Many people cannot recognize a problem issue until it smacks them in the face. Numerous such situation here on VJ. Have that consultation.

- USCIS or DoS actions can turn what should have been a simple case into a complicated case. Numerous stories of this here on VJ also.

Yodrak

Apart from the fact that lawyers know how to process the K1 application accurately, what other benefits do do they have over you applying for the visa yourself? i.e. time, can lawyers actually work miracles by jumping the queue to get your application approved asap?

That's a good point Yodrak...one that I didnt think of.

[mrswooten4ever 0]

Ditto don't bother with lawyers unless you have a complicted case

Adele

[giraffemd 0]

we used a lawyer...we didn't find that we NEEDED him, but he was alwlays helpful with our questions and saved us the stress of wondering if we had all things filled out properly. As Yodrak suggests, a consultation is a great idea, and if you decide to get a lawyer, make sure you know that they will do a good job for you..make sure they have experience in family immigration cases...perhaps ask for some references etc. perhaps if you did it yourself you might not be as accurate...(but you might be more accurate..who knows)...but after a being on VJ for awhile I'm sure you will know everything a lawyer knows about filling out forms.......only exception is if there is some issue that might prevent you from obtaining your visa such as criminal history, overstays, etc...if this is the case I believe a lawyer is the way to go....IMHO

[sukie175 1]

No benefits, no lawyer

Unless that is your fiance is from Iraq et al and you have odd circumstances!

[Sacha 0]

I would have to agree with this thread and I am a lawyer.

That just says it all!!

I haven't used lawyers for my visa application, I'm already two months into the process.

My fiance said it would probably be faster if we used a lawyer but I was being a cheapskate and wanted to do my own application.

We are not in any unusual circumstances so I think it should be quite straight forward.

[Larry and Maria 0]

I contemplated it and spoke to others who either had been through the process or were in the process.

I found a man who assists for a very modest fee.

So you can get some assistance without a down payment on the lawyers new Ferrari, Maserati, or Lamborghini!

[skemper19 0]

Ditto, ditto, ditto.... ax the lawyer and save yourself some money... use it towards your wedding, honeymoon, whatever!!!

[MrsDarby 0]

No, a lawyer can not make the process go faster for you...

That being said, we had/have a lawyer. I didn't know about this website back when we started the process, and I didn't know anyone who had gone through it either. I went online to look for information (including the USCIS site and US Embassy in London), but I felt overwhelmed. I DID NOT want to make any mistakes. We didn't want this process to take any longer than it absolutely had to.

Yes, a lawyer can make mistakes, but he did a lot of the "leg" work that I just didn't feel comfortable doing on my own. Also I would proof read all paperwork before it was sent in. Therefore if there were any mistakes, I was able to notify him.

We found a very small law firm (he works out of his home-and way less expensive), and he has personal experience with immigration. His wife immigrated from Canada, and they had run into some problems when coming back to the States from Canada. I liked the idea that he had personal experience with it. It made us feel like he was in his job to truly help others who were in the same situation.

I know a lot of people are/can do it on their own, but I found that having a lawyer put me at ease. For that reason it was worth the money!

Good luck

Edited May 9, 2006 by MrsDarby

[simple_male 1]

If your case is straight forward, if you dont have any unusuak circumstances, then you should be able to do the whole process by yourself. Lawyers would take your money up front and then they have other priorities than yours. I did the whole immigration process by myself and now doing it for my wife.

This is a great site with lot of knowledgeable people. If you have questions about the process and filling out something, you can ask here.

[Karen_L 1]

I agree -- getting a lawyer is a waste of money, which you could use to pay the petition filing fee, for plane tickets, honeymoon, etc. Also, the K-1 visa forms are VERY readable and straightforward, so you can probably fill everything out by yourself. Just follow all the instructions and consult this website and a few others, which are helpful. Also, I may be wrong, but I don't think the lawyer can give everything the personal touch the way you can.

Good luck!

[esperando 1]

I use a lawyer and did everything for him and paid him

$3,000 plus filing fees! So if that is something you are interested in use a lawyer!

Allison