Do i need a lawyer?

[lesleysizeland 0]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Most folks go at it on their own, but everyone's case is different. I suggest you and ask as many questions as possible before deciding. Good luck!

[Otto 83]

• Is a lawyer required? No.
• Do most folks complete the process without the aid of an attorney? Yes.
• Can an attorney save you time/make-the-process-faster? Nope (not usually).
• Are there folks who do/should use an attorney? Absolutely.

• Do YOU need one? That is unknown - not certain anyone here (or anywhere) can tell you that.

Edited April 6, 2009 by Karin und Otto

[YuAndDan 153]

You may want to search VJ for the "Do I need a Lawyer" question, you will get feel that for MOST it is a resounding NO! However if you do have some issues that need to be handled like an overstay then a lawyer may be helpful.

But for the most part the majority do this them selves, that is what the guides here are for.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

If you found this site and can post that question, the answer is NO. Read the guides and instructions. If you will qualify for the visa, you will know. If you do not qualify, you will know, and an attorney can't change it.

Attorneys always add to the cost and slow the case down 4-6 weeks, minimum. As you read the guides you will understand exactly why.

You will get the answers to your questions here, faster and more accurate than any attorney (unless he is also a VJ member and gets his advice here)

[lesleysizeland 0]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

If you found this site and can post that question, the answer is NO. Read the guides and instructions. If you will qualify for the visa, you will know. If you do not qualify, you will know, and an attorney can't change it.

Attorneys always add to the cost and slow the case down 4-6 weeks, minimum. As you read the guides you will understand exactly why.

You will get the answers to your questions here, faster and more accurate than any attorney (unless he is also a VJ member and gets his advice here)

I am going to stay with my fiance for 5 weeks in the summer and i am the organised one so i will kick his butt into gear and sort all of this out. I personally think a lawyer will be a pain in the ####! This site has given me so much info and everyone is so helpful! Patrick and i have nothing hanging over us so it should be pretty simple.

[Anh map 2,098]

Welcome to the VJ family. Do some reading and then fire away with the questions.

[ally and moh 3]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

After I found this site, I decided to fire my attorney!

Wish I had found this site before I spent over $2000 for something I could have done on my own!

[TBoneTX 47,131]

If you found this site and can post that question, the answer is NO.

Not necessarily true. We do not know the circumstances of this couple.

[sara..... 371]

this site is great and gives most of the information anyone could need, if i had found it before hiring an attorney i would not have.

now with that being said we cant tell anyone to not hire an attorney because we are not lawyers and sometimes there are issues that are not available on this site. or they maybe the type of person that is not comfortable doing it on their own.........so is not a good idea to ever tell anyone NOT to hire an attorney.

just my opinion

sara

[Chica Yeyé 41]

If you found this site and can post that question, the answer is NO.

Not necessarily true. We do not know the circumstances of this couple.

Exactly. We are not attorneys, after all.

[daboyz 36]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

If you found this site and can post that question, the answer is NO. Read the guides and instructions. If you will qualify for the visa, you will know. If you do not qualify, you will know, and an attorney can't change it.

Attorneys always add to the cost and slow the case down 4-6 weeks, minimum. As you read the guides you will understand exactly why.

You will get the answers to your questions here, faster and more accurate than any attorney (unless he is also a VJ member and gets his advice here)

I swear we had the same lawyer!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

If you found this site and can post that question, the answer is NO. Read the guides and instructions. If you will qualify for the visa, you will know. If you do not qualify, you will know, and an attorney can't change it.

Attorneys always add to the cost and slow the case down 4-6 weeks, minimum. As you read the guides you will understand exactly why.

You will get the answers to your questions here, faster and more accurate than any attorney (unless he is also a VJ member and gets his advice here)

I am going to stay with my fiance for 5 weeks in the summer and i am the organised one so i will kick his butt into gear and sort all of this out. I personally think a lawyer will be a pain in the ####! This site has given me so much info and everyone is so helpful! Patrick and i have nothing hanging over us so it should be pretty simple.

Despite the attorney apologists, here is how it works....

I-129f: Simple form. You should be able to fill it out off the top of your head, look in your little phone book if you must. An attorney cannot fill it out at all unless you give him all the information. You can complete the I-129f 10-15 minutes from NOW. How long to get an appointment with an attorney? How long until the attorney begins to fill out the I-129f with the information you provide them? 2 weeks? Wow, that's fast. 2 weeks lost.

G-325a: About as difficult as the job application my teenage son filled out (all by himself) for Pizza Hut. Names of mother and father and where you lived and worked last 5 years. Tough one. The attorney cannot do it at all unless you tell them what to fill in the blanks.

Letters of Intent: Perfectly good examples right here on this site. Change the names, print, sign. What will an attorney do? Use his form letter, change the names, print and wait for you to come back to his office to sign. You can have this part done in the next 5 minutes using the computer you are reading this on.

Documents? Attorney doesn't have them. You do. He cannot do anything until you bring them. Maybe he will copy them maybe he will chareg you to copy and maybe he will say bring copies.

Tranlsations. Well, OK you probably don't need it. They speak a passable sort of English in GB anyway.

Explanation of how you met? The attorney knows? No, but you do. How long would it take you to describe this? C'mon, do up one of those mushy love stories. 20 minutes? Can you even drive to the attormey's office in 20 minutes? How long to get an appointment and tell an attorney? How long until the draft is ready for you to check? 2 weeks? Another two weeks lost...we are up to four weeks delayed now, and that's if everything goes really fast and he drops everything every tie a notice comes in and handles ONLY your case.

Do you get the picture? For the $700-2000 the attorney will charge he will have his secretary do a little clerical work with you, pretty expensive typist. I'll come over and do it for half. Make the check payable to "Cash". There is no part of this process that is tricky. It is filling out forms with personal information and providing documents you already have or can get. The attorney cannot get them. They will not go to the interview with you.

The attorney cannot speed your case, he can ONLY slow it down. If he even suggests he can speed along, walk out, he is lying and that is no way to start an attorney/client relationship. They like to show the USCSI timelines which list the oldest case in the sysytem and then show you cases which they handled that went faster. Hint: Thay ALL go faster than the oldest case in the system.

For those who say, "we do not know the circumstances", I say "what are the circumstances an attorney would be needed"? If they will tell you, then you can decide if it includes you. I have a difficult time thinking of a need.

Now, if you are one to take you 1040EZ to H&R Block for preparation, then consider an attorney or SOMEONE to help you. You need it. If you can read the guides here, spend some time studying (you will be amazed how many people WITH attorneys are asking questions here) you will do perfectly well all by yourselves. You will also discover, early on, that this is in no way "legal" work. This is filling out forms and copying documents. If you forget to copy a document, YOU will have to do it over. If your attorney forgets to copy a document, YOU will have to do it over, but with thousands less in your pocket.

[daboyz 36]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

If you found this site and can post that question, the answer is NO. Read the guides and instructions. If you will qualify for the visa, you will know. If you do not qualify, you will know, and an attorney can't change it.

Attorneys always add to the cost and slow the case down 4-6 weeks, minimum. As you read the guides you will understand exactly why.

You will get the answers to your questions here, faster and more accurate than any attorney (unless he is also a VJ member and gets his advice here)

I am going to stay with my fiance for 5 weeks in the summer and i am the organised one so i will kick his butt into gear and sort all of this out. I personally think a lawyer will be a pain in the ####! This site has given me so much info and everyone is so helpful! Patrick and i have nothing hanging over us so it should be pretty simple.

Despite the attorney apologists, here is how it works....

I-129f: Simple form. You should be able to fill it out off the top of your head, look in your little phone book if you must. An attorney cannot fill it out at all unless you give him all the information. You can complete the I-129f 10-15 minutes from NOW. How long to get an appointment with an attorney? How long until the attorney begins to fill out the I-129f with the information you provide them? 2 weeks? Wow, that's fast. 2 weeks lost.

G-325a: About as difficult as the job application my teenage son filled out (all by himself) for Pizza Hut. Names of mother and father and where you lived and worked last 5 years. Tough one. The attorney cannot do it at all unless you tell them what to fill in the blanks.

Letters of Intent: Perfectly good examples right here on this site. Change the names, print, sign. What will an attorney do? Use his form letter, change the names, print and wait for you to come back to his office to sign. You can have this part done in the next 5 minutes using the computer you are reading this on.

Documents? Attorney doesn't have them. You do. He cannot do anything until you bring them. Maybe he will copy them maybe he will chareg you to copy and maybe he will say bring copies.

Tranlsations. Well, OK you probably don't need it. They speak a passable sort of English in GB anyway.

Explanation of how you met? The attorney knows? No, but you do. How long would it take you to describe this? C'mon, do up one of those mushy love stories. 20 minutes? Can you even drive to the attormey's office in 20 minutes? How long to get an appointment and tell an attorney? How long until the draft is ready for you to check? 2 weeks? Another two weeks lost...we are up to four weeks delayed now, and that's if everything goes really fast and he drops everything every tie a notice comes in and handles ONLY your case.

Do you get the picture? For the $700-2000 the attorney will charge he will have his secretary do a little clerical work with you, pretty expensive typist. I'll come over and do it for half. Make the check payable to "Cash". There is no part of this process that is tricky. It is filling out forms with personal information and providing documents you already have or can get. The attorney cannot get them. They will not go to the interview with you.

The attorney cannot speed your case, he can ONLY slow it down. If he even suggests he can speed along, walk out, he is lying and that is no way to start an attorney/client relationship. They like to show the USCSI timelines which list the oldest case in the sysytem and then show you cases which they handled that went faster. Hint: Thay ALL go faster than the oldest case in the system.

For those who say, "we do not know the circumstances", I say "what are the circumstances an attorney would be needed"? If they will tell you, then you can decide if it includes you. I have a difficult time thinking of a need.

Now, if you are one to take you 1040EZ to H&R Block for preparation, then consider an attorney or SOMEONE to help you. You need it. If you can read the guides here, spend some time studying (you will be amazed how many people WITH attorneys are asking questions here) you will do perfectly well all by yourselves. You will also discover, early on, that this is in no way "legal" work. This is filling out forms and copying documents. If you forget to copy a document, YOU will have to do it over. If your attorney forgets to copy a document, YOU will have to do it over, but with thousands less in your pocket.

100% Agree!!

[scotty's girl 1]

Hello all, i am new to this site and trying to find out as much information as possible before my fiance and i start the K1 visa process in June. Now, did you all go with a lawyer or have you done this process on your own? Looking over it i think i could do it alone but just wanted to get views on what to do, id really rather save the money and spend it on the visa than pay a lawyer.

My fiance and I planned to hire a lawyer, but a friend recommended this site. It has been very helpful to us. Just try to read the guides and everything will be fine. If you've got questions, post them here. There will be a lot who will help you.

Good luck to you