Help with idiot proofing my applicaiton without a lawyer's guidance

[demiurgic 0]

Hi folks,

Quick intro - My wife is a US Citizen and my status is of an expired student visa, by 4 years.

We Need some guidance with a few things. Thanks in advance for help with this process.

* I do not intent to take vaccinations and will be filing for I601 along with I693 Has any body had success with this form and line of application? Any tips on how to go about this? Anyone has experience working with - http://www.vaclib.org/links/religion.htm ?

* I have not filed for my taxes for the last 4 years. Does this need to be done before I apply? According to the IRS, I do need to file a 1099

(Independent contractor) job I did in 2005.

* My wife's mother will be her joint sponsor since she does not make a lot of money. Does my mother in law need anything else besides 3 years tax returns, a letter of employment and to fill out the same form my wife has to fill, I 864?

* Has anyone here used a do it yourself Kit?

I did read most of the "Step-by-Step Guide on How to File an I-130 for a Spouse Inside the US" guide that is posted here on this board. It's well done.

However, I am a little worried about leaving important things out, and an hoping that an IN DEPTH kit will cover all the bases that an immigration lawyer would have.

Like things I'll most likely overlook; filling out the forms correctly, cover letters etc, updated list of correct documents needed, etc.

I found a few kits online, and these three seem professional. Any experience with any of these, or are these the same as the guide I mentioned above?

http://www.usavisanow.com/marriagegreencardkit.html

http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/..._marriage.html

http://www.us-immigration.com/catalo...ed44c56923995d

Thanks a lot for your help guys! We really appreciate it!

Demi

[Dakine 26]

Problem with a lot of private immigration sites is if they don't stay on top of what's happening. Their info and forms can be outdated resulting in returned petitions and RFEs.

Things can change fast!

Happens here on VJ also.

Edited December 24, 2008 by Haole

[demiurgic 0]

Problem with a lot of private immigration sites is if they don't stay on top of what's happening. Their info and forms can be outdated resulting in returned petitions and RFEs.

Things can change fast!

Happens here on VJ also.

I never knew the first person to reply would be local! My wife is Haole, from Kauai. We are on the Big Island.

Tell me then, how can I be sure I am up to date without going thru a lawyer I cannot afford anyway?

thanks ! Aloha!

[alexpapa 4]

Problem with a lot of private immigration sites is if they don't stay on top of what's happening. Their info and forms can be outdated resulting in returned petitions and RFEs.

Things can change fast!

Happens here on VJ also.

I never knew the first person to reply would be local! My wife is Haole, from Kauai. We are on the Big Island.

Tell me then, how can I be sure I am up to date without going thru a lawyer I cannot afford anyway?

thanks ! Aloha!

The guides on here are the best I have found. Before finding this site I bought a kit, won't say who from, but the forms were all very old and outdated already and a lot of their information contradicted even the instructions in the official forms. They were very helpful until I paid, then I never heard a thing from them.

Download the forms and the instructions from USCIS, read them carefully and one at a time, familiarize yourself with them first. Then read the guides, it's actually a simple process if you take it slow - it all make sense after a while.

[Rosie74 0]

I did the same thing. I bought a kit online (one of the 3 you posted a link for..) but some of the forms were outdated and I ended up using the information I found on forums and USCIS website anyway.. My advice is to keep reading forums on immigration and look at the USCIS form instructions and you'll see it's not too hard to file on your own!

[Eric-Pris 1,609]

Here is the do-it-yourself kit that I used. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=guides

It was free.

[Mint518 0]

* I have not filed for my taxes for the last 4 years. Does this need to be done before I apply? According to the IRS, I do need to file a 1099 (Independent contractor) job I did in 2005.

For tax law purpose -- absolutely YES. There is no statute of limitation for non-filing of tax return, and your tax liabilities will never magically disappear. To stay away from any future trouble, I would recommend filing tax return ASAP.

For immigration paper purpose -- I do not know. I think unless your couple uses your income to meet poverty line, USCIS might not care about your tax situation. But we never know. At the interview, there is no guarantee that they will not ask you whether you (intending immigrant) have ever worked in the U.S. (and if so, whether you paid tax), and once such question comes up, you do not want to (and should not) lie about it.

* My wife's mother will be her joint sponsor since she does not make a lot of money. Does my mother in law need anything else besides 3 years tax returns, a letter of employment and to fill out the same form my wife has to fill, I 864?

You need to provide a document (birth certificate, etc) that proves your mother in law is a citizen or a permanent resident. (see a line below question 19 of I-864)

* Has anyone here used a do it yourself Kit?

I did read most of the "Step-by-Step Guide on How to File an I-130 for a Spouse Inside the US" guide that is posted here on this board. It's well done.

However, I am a little worried about leaving important things out, and a hoping that an IN DEPTH kit will cover all the bases that an immigration lawyer would have.

We did all the paperwork by ourselves. Until we found this website, I considered buying do-it-yourself kit, but luckily I found this website which contains tons of information. In addition to browsing this site, we read the instruction for each form at least 3 times, so as long as you will carefully read the instruction and stick with this site, I do not think do-it-yourself kit from a third-party vender is necessary.

[demiurgic 0]

fantastic answers! Thanks to all!