My fiance denied tourist visa 2 times...

[meli81 0]

and that scares me lots. I want to do the whole paperwork myself but I have read that it may denied my petition for k1 visa or even delayed...is it true??? He only wanted the visa so he could come and visit me. At that time I was new to the country and did not have money to travel there. Should I hire a lawyer just in case?

[ammike 0]

I was denied for tourist Visa last year and theres no problem with my interview last month, they even not question abotu it..

it wont affect your petition!!

GOODLUCK!!

[BigCityDave 0]

No need to worry everything will be fine.

My fiance was denied a tourist visa and she was asked a few simple questions about it and that was all. Just make sure your fiance answers the questions honestly with nothing to hide and everything will be fine.

[neethope 0]

No need to worry everything will be fine.

My fiance was denied a tourist visa and she was asked a few simple questions about it and that was all. Just make sure your fiance answers the questions honestly with nothing to hide and everything will be fine.

If your case is straight forward DON'T GO TO THE LAWYER. Read up at VJ and other resources available and ask questions at VJ and I would suggest you do it yourself. Going to Lawyer for a straight forward case is not just waste of lots of money, but you end up spending a lot of time waiting for them to react, while you could have very much done yourself, rather than following up with the lawyer to do it. These are my 2 cents.

[Devkpaik 1]

No need to worry everything will be fine.

My fiance was denied a tourist visa and she was asked a few simple questions about it and that was all. Just make sure your fiance answers the questions honestly with nothing to hide and everything will be fine.

If your case is straight forward DON'T GO TO THE LAWYER. Read up at VJ and other resources available and ask questions at VJ and I would suggest you do it yourself. Going to Lawyer for a straight forward case is not just waste of lots of money, but you end up spending a lot of time waiting for them to react, while you could have very much done yourself, rather than following up with the lawyer to do it. These are my 2 cents.

Two things, tourist visa has nothing to do with a K1. So because fiance was denied K1 doesn't mean anything. So don't worry about that, that has no bearing on the K1 visa I believe.

Second thing:

You don't need to have a "complicated" case to hire a lawyer. I hired a lawyer strictly because I am a student, and with all my school work, etc., I felt that it would be best for a "professional" to handle my paperwork. Of course I researched, "interviewed different lawyers", and made sure that I felt a reputable law firm that was legit, etc., before choosing one.

People tend to tell others to "not get a lawyer unless you have a complicated case", but that just isn't true. It's all about personal preference, and what you feel comfortable with.

This isn't to say that doing it yourself would be too difficult, as you can definitely do it yourself without the aid of a lawyer, as most people on here do.

Good luck!!

[tenderheartusa79 14]

tourist visa has nothing to do with a K1. it wont affect it at all .

plus you don't have to hire a lawyer cause he will not do more than you can do your self.

he will just talk your money . read the guides and when you have any questions you can ask people here they are so good helper

good luck

Edited June 4, 2008 by tenderheart197900

[KimandRuss 0]

No, you don't need to have a complicated case to hire an attorney and it is a personal preference but if you've been around here a while you'll notice more lawyer horror stories than anything. Even those who claim to be immigration attorney's often leave important things out of the paperwork delaying the case even more. Sure, there are great lawyers too. But if the case is not complicated (no overstays...legal issues...etc) then you do not need a lawyer to go through the process and the money would be better spent on a visit to your loved one or invested in your new life together.

For an afternoon of work... i'll gladly take your thousands of dollars and prepare your information for you too! It's not that complicated and the guides, examples and faq's here as well as the uscis instructions on filing the forms lead you the entire way.

Even if you do hire a lawyer, you still need to educate yourself if you want to be 100% sure the petition is filed correctly. Afterall, they are not emotionally invested in the outcome... you are. Like doctor's, or anyone else for that matter, just because they have a degree and claim they can do something...doesn't mean they can.

[motu 5]

meli - what consulate are you going through - at some they have started asking for the USC fiance to show up for interviews (they get denied on the first interview; approved at the second interview when the USA fiance shows up) - This has happened to a few people in Colombia, Mexico etc. - so be prepared for that. You don't need the lawyer if you have the time and are able to understand what's already posted in the guides and are willing to ask specific questions when not sure. We are all going through it and many of us can help you with your case, if its not too complicated. Good Luck

[Devkpaik 1]

No, you don't need to have a complicated case to hire an attorney and it is a personal preference but if you've been around here a while you'll notice more lawyer horror stories than anything. Even those who claim to be immigration attorney's often leave important things out of the paperwork delaying the case even more. Sure, there are great lawyers too. But if the case is not complicated (no overstays...legal issues...etc) then you do not need a lawyer to go through the process and the money would be better spent on a visit to your loved one or invested in your new life together.

For an afternoon of work... i'll gladly take your thousands of dollars and prepare your information for you too! It's not that complicated and the guides, examples and faq's here as well as the uscis instructions on filing the forms lead you the entire way.

Even if you do hire a lawyer, you still need to educate yourself if you want to be 100% sure the petition is filed correctly. Afterall, they are not emotionally invested in the outcome... you are. Like doctor's, or anyone else for that matter, just because they have a degree and claim they can do something...doesn't mean they can.

Realistically, you and I BOTH know it's WAY MORE than an afternoon of work, and if it only took you an afternoon of work then you'll probably receive an RFE.

I am somewhat confused. You opened your post by stating, "No, you don't need to have a complicated case to hire an attorney and it is a personal preference", etc. Then in the middle of the paragraph you contradicted yourself by saying "but if the case is not complicated then you do not need a lawyer", etc.

Basically, once again it comes down to whether or not the petitioner feels comfortable with the process, and if they feel comfortable doing it themselves or having an attorney do it. Yes you may get scammed by some idiot who claims he's an attorney, but this is why I stated in my post that I researched, interviewed many attorneys, and asked others on the site. Of course if you hire an attorney who has a horrible track record and who everyone speaks badly about then chances are you'll get screwed. However, that is also why I stated that word of mouth is important, and that if many people are able to recommend a certain lawyer to you, chances are he's reputable and a good lawyer.

I do agree that you need to educate yourself on the process. I 100% agree with that. And to be honest with you, I feel as though I could have done the process myself, however like I mentioned I am a college student and frankly it was a lot of work for me at the time that we filed. Doesn't mean it's not important, as this is the most important thing in my life. I just didn't want to risk anything.

Also, forgot to mention I've been with my fiance for nine of the past 12 months, which is another reason we hired a lawyer, as I was out of the country and couldn't do a lot of the work such as putting it together, etc.

[meli81 0]

Thank you all so much for the input. In response to Motu, my fiance is form Peru and I am planning going to the interview with him. I will try to do it myself and I will save tons of $$

Thanks again...

[KimandRuss 0]

Realistically, you and I BOTH know it's WAY MORE than an afternoon of work, and if it only took you an afternoon of work then you'll probably receive an RFE.

We have a decade long relationship with about a terabyte of documentation, much of which I scanned and had waiting to print to file the petition. My hard drive crashed two days before I filed, yet... in one afternoon...and even though I had to scan documents and search for other things again, I still managed to put together a 61 page petition which was very well organized and structured to the exact specifications of the uscis as well as incorporating tips I got here at VJ. I do appreciate your concern, though.

Now i'm a pretty educated woman but i'm no rocket scientist. So how is it more than an afternoon of work for a lawyer?

A good lawyer would hopefully give you the correct forms to fill out along with a list of what is required. You do all the leg work as it's you who has the documentation and supporting evidence (ie; passport stamps..etc) to be sent. He/she then receives all paperwork back from you with any and all supporting information. The lawyer basically makes sure you have the right bits and puts it together in a file and sends it off. Even if the office filled out the forms with you there and made copies of all of your originals.... how long do you think that takes?

What takes time is educating yourself to the particulars of the process and learning from those that have been there. If that's not something you want to do then by all means pay a good lawyer! I could care less really. It's not my pocketbook! And I think we'd both agree that there are just some people who probably should.

I am somewhat confused. You opened your post by stating, "No, you don't need to have a complicated case to hire an attorney and it is a personal preference", etc. Then in the middle of the paragraph you contradicted yourself by saying "but if the case is not complicated then you do not need a lawyer", etc.

Now let me clear up your confusion...

"No, you dont NEED to have a complicated case to hire an attorney and it is a personal preference"

This means that having a difficult case is not a prerequisite for hiring an attorney and if you want to hire an attorney you can. Simple really.

"..but if the case is not complicated then you do not need a lawyer"

This means just what it says. No contradiction.

I'm sorry if you're upset with something that I said as that certainly wasn't my intention.... or if you're just bothered by the fact that you hired a lawyer when so many others here seem to have a certain opinion about doing so. Regardless, the OP's concern was that NOT having a lawyer would delay his/her case and that is simply not true. As even you stated, you could have done it yourself.

[Devkpaik 1]

Realistically, you and I BOTH know it's WAY MORE than an afternoon of work, and if it only took you an afternoon of work then you'll probably receive an RFE.

We have a decade long relationship with about a terabyte of documentation, much of which I scanned and had waiting to print to file the petition. My hard drive crashed two days before I filed, yet... in one afternoon...and even though I had to scan documents and search for other things again, I still managed to put together a 61 page petition which was very well organized and structured to the exact specifications of the uscis as well as incorporating tips I got here at VJ. I do appreciate your concern, though.

Now i'm a pretty educated woman but i'm no rocket scientist. So how is it more than an afternoon of work for a lawyer?

A good lawyer would hopefully give you the correct forms to fill out along with a list of what is required. You do all the leg work as it's you who has the documentation and supporting evidence (ie; passport stamps..etc) to be sent. He/she then receives all paperwork back from you with any and all supporting information. The lawyer basically makes sure you have the right bits and puts it together in a file and sends it off. Even if the office filled out the forms with you there and made copies of all of your originals.... how long do you think that takes?

What takes time is educating yourself to the particulars of the process and learning from those that have been there. If that's not something you want to do then by all means pay a good lawyer! I could care less really. It's not my pocketbook! And I think we'd both agree that there are just some people who probably should.

I am somewhat confused. You opened your post by stating, "No, you don't need to have a complicated case to hire an attorney and it is a personal preference", etc. Then in the middle of the paragraph you contradicted yourself by saying "but if the case is not complicated then you do not need a lawyer", etc.

Now let me clear up your confusion...

"No, you dont NEED to have a complicated case to hire an attorney and it is a personal preference"

This means that having a difficult case is not a prerequisite for hiring an attorney and if you want to hire an attorney you can. Simple really.

"..but if the case is not complicated then you do not need a lawyer"

This means just what it says. No contradiction.

I'm sorry if you're upset with something that I said as that certainly wasn't my intention.... or if you're just bothered by the fact that you hired a lawyer when so many others here seem to have a certain opinion about doing so. Regardless, the OP's concern was that NOT having a lawyer would delay his/her case and that is simply not true. As even you stated, you could have done it yourself.

Jim and Russ,

Absolutely not upset one bit, sorry if you perceived it that way. However, you have to take into acct. we are chatting on a message board, which makes it easy to misconstrue what one is truly saying and the tone of voice in which they are saying it.

Kim, about you completing your I-129f petition in one afternoon exactly, I must applaud you, as that is very quick. However, when you say you completed it in one afternoon, that means you gathered all the evidence, all the necessary information, etc., and organized it into a 61 page petition packet in one afternoon. That is very quick, and once again this is not sarcasm I am speaking with, this is amazement.

However, many people will take longer to gather all information, gather all evidence, organize it, assemble it, etc.

Me personally with school, etc., it would have taken me longer, as it would be the equivalent of having another college project to work on, but obviously what's at stake here is way more important than a single school project, for, say, business class.

About educating ones self about the visa process, like I mentioned earlier, I couldn't agree more. I think it's vital to educate yourself on this process, just as it's imperative to educate yourself on any endeavor you set out to do in life.

Once again, I want to reiterate that there is no bad blood here, no tension, on my end at least. We are both here posting on VJ to try to help one another out, I don't take offense to anyones opinion, and I hope you don't as well.

I am sorry you felt as though I was upset in any way.

Sorry meant KIM and Russ!