Need help in picking a firm to help prepare K1 VISA

[sakosf 0]

Hello, I am new here. I have been searching the internet trying to chose the right company or law firm to help prepare a K1 VISA application for my fiance in the Philippines. The fees I have encountered range from $250 to $2,500. I live in the United States. I want someboby who really knows what they are doing and has experience dealing with the American Embassy in Manila. My fiance is rather shy in her spoken English (her written English is quite good) and she may need help to prepare for the interview, once we get to that stage of the process. Any comments or first hand experience?

Edited February 2, 2010 by sakosf

[arizreynolds 1]

Hello, I am new here. I have been searching the internet trying to chose the right company or law firm to help prepare a K1 VISA application for my fiance in the Philippines. The fees I have encountered range from $250 to $2,500. I live in the United States. I want someboby who really knows what they are doing and has experience dealing with the American Embassy in Manila. My fiance is rather shy in her spoken English (her written English is quite good) and she may need help to prepare for the interview, once we get to that stage of the process. Any comments or first hand experience?

you do not need a lawyer. this website walkes you through everything you need to do? and if you need specific help just ask and someone will help you. i was thinking about hiring a lawyer but i after finding this site i did it myself.

[soonenough 1]

For the most part going to the guides and looking at the example forms will be all you need.. Unless you have a extraordinary case you can do it all your self and save you the money.. and they VJers on here are always willing to help... about 80 percent if not more are against lawyers anyway... well let me rephrase that, they dont see the need for a lawyer when you can easily do everything yourself... as far as the language barrier that may be something she needs more practice on because a lawyer cant really help you out on what question the consulate is going to ask... just a suggestion.. but feel free to get a lawyer but mostly everyone here has done it alone with now problems... either way good luck.

[sakosf 0]

For the most part going to the guides and looking at the example forms will be all you need.. Unless you have a extraordinary case you can do it all your self and save you the money.. and they VJers on here are always willing to help... about 80 percent if not more are against lawyers anyway... well let me rephrase that, they dont see the need for a lawyer when you can easily do everything yourself... as far as the language barrier that may be something she needs more practice on because a lawyer cant really help you out on what question the consulate is going to ask... just a suggestion.. but feel free to get a lawyer but mostly everyone here has done it alone with now problems... either way good luck.

[sakosf 0]

I was thinking of not using a lawyer but one of these companies that assist with the paper work. They charge from $249 to $495. One is called "Filipina Fiancee Visa Service" and they charge $289. I live in San Francisco, CA

[Mark and Carol 4]

Hello, I am new here. I have been searching the internet trying to chose the right company or law firm to help prepare a K1 VISA application for my fiance in the Philippines. The fees I have encountered range from $250 to $2,500. I live in the United States. I want someboby who really knows what they are doing and has experience dealing with the American Embassy in Manila. My fiance is rather shy in her spoken English (her written English is quite good) and she may need help to prepare for the interview, once we get to that stage of the process. Any comments or first hand experience?

I also prepared our K-1 petition myself. No need for a lawyer unless you have unique circumstances. A lawyer can offer other info that this website does not include, but members of this site are extremely helpful with any of your questions. It would be helpful if you find a thread for Philipino filers, so they can answer specific questions for you.

This link http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...&cty=Manila will provide you with helpful info to prepare for the interview. There is also a link to the US Embassy in Manila on this web page.

Good luck with your journey.

[Anh map 2,098]

Filling in the paperwork is straight forward. If you want someone to help your fiancee prep for the interview a form filler won't help.

There are services out there that can help you with various levels of help. Do some Googling to find the names. Here on VJ the majority are Do It Yourselfers. The PI regional forum is very active with lots of good advice. Do some reading there before spending a lot of money.

[john & jean 37]

I think if you do a search of this site, using the keyword "lawyer", you will discover an alarming commonality.

Most people here have a bad experience, using any type assistance!!!

if you have no red flags, all they are going to do, is transpose the info, given by you, to the forms!!!

this will slow down the process..........

[justashooter 430]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=k1guide

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=k1flow

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;page=k1tips

read these link pages and follow the suggestions. be sure to get any forms you need directly from the USCIS website, as updates do happen from time to time, and most current form is required. hook your sugar up with the phils section of this forum where she can post in native language and get advise directly from other girls who are in process or done with process. their experience will be of great value to her. get her talking.

[Rito 28]

I was thinking of not using a lawyer but one of these companies that assist with the paper work. They charge from $249 to $495. One is called "Filipina Fiancee Visa Service" and they charge $289. I live in San Francisco, CA

My understanding is that these "assist" services don't do anything. They send you one of their forms, you fill it out, and they copy the information over into the actual forms. They probably pay a kid $8/hour to do it. Trust me, you can do it yourself, and the community here is so helpful if you have any questions.

[Guitarlo 2]

Hello, I am new here. I have been searching the internet trying to chose the right company or law firm to help prepare a K1 VISA application for my fiance in the Philippines. The fees I have encountered range from $250 to $2,500. I live in the United States. I want someboby who really knows what they are doing and has experience dealing with the American Embassy in Manila. My fiance is rather shy in her spoken English (her written English is quite good) and she may need help to prepare for the interview, once we get to that stage of the process. Any comments or first hand experience?

Welcome to VJ - you'll learn quickly lawyers aren't a popular choice. I felt robbed by Roth Associates (online Visa law firm). If you need help with the forms and you can't get it here on VJ all you need is possibly the help of a paralegal to check your forms. All they're going to do is take the info you supply and fill in the blanks and charge you a bundle. I suggest to slow down take a deep breath and learn step by step how to do it yourself. The reason I suggest DIY is no one is going to care more than you what's happening with your petition. You need to understand every step. Make Sense?

Good luck.

[UKGirl123 24]

We have used a lawyer due to complications that we expect. Like most people say you do not need a lawyer in most cases.

However if you do want a lawyer to help we used http://www.fianceeimmigrationlawyer.com/ after being recommended by a friend who had used them for his fiance. They have been pretty good and did everything really quickly.

Good luck

[Ellie-and-David 38]

The firm of Y.O.U is recommended on this site.

If you can read, follow instructions and utilize this website.....you can DIY and save yourself some money.

[Bernie C 24]

Dear friend,

Consider this: The initial I129F is very straight forward. Yes you will have questions, but nothing that cannot be answered here by members of the VJ family. There are so many here who have been through the PI and also every other country imaginable. Everyone is willing to help and point you in the right direction.

Factor #1 - A lawyer can only prepare papers for you with the info you provide. If you have to gather and provide this info you might as well complete the forms yourself.

Factor #2 - Anything a lawyer prepares should be reviewed and approved by you. Ultimatley you are responsible, if they make an error the USCIS or Embassy does not care. Its you paperwork, your case, your life.

The guides here are much more informative than what you will get from the USCIS website and there is lots of experience here to point you in the right direction and answer questions.

As far as interview preparation, there are two things. One is again, preparation of documents. As far as interview preparation, you can search here and get examples of questions that may be asked. Then you can do your own mock interviews to ask questions and answers.

For paperwork preparation, have a close friend or family member review and look for questions. Its always good to have a second set of eyes looking things over. Not really necessary to pay someone to do this for you when you should do it again anyway.

As question arise, post them here. The others who have been through the process will gladly help to answer questions.

One other thing, the process is two phases. 1st is your petition for Fiancee Visa. This is the easy part. Follow the guide and requirements and its pretty easy. Proof that you have met within the past two years, some forms (I129F, G325A's, etc...initial proofs of relationship to prove you have met, Letter of Intent from both fiancee and fiance etc ...)

Pleaase review the guides

Then after that is sent you will receive an NOA1 (just a confirmation that the petition was received). The next comes the NOA2, this is when it really gets fun (and stressful!!!) NOA2 signifies that your petition has been approved.

Agter that your fiancee (the beneficiary) will receive a packet of information with many forms to complete. Up to this time you should be compiling all you information to prove bonifide relationship. You will need to convince the embassy that your relationship is real and factual. The more visits and proof you can provide the better your chance for success.

Everything takes time so be prepared and get prepared. If I were you, I'd take the money you would spend for a lawyer and put it towards tickets for another visit to see your loved one. Prepare carefully and you sill be fine.

While this is just a summary, I hope it helps.

Good Luck and Best Wishes

[~happyndinlove~ 540]

Why do you think you need help completing the paperwork?

My wife and I did it all ourselves. Read and follow the instructions and like another post said, it's all straight forward.

I did meet with an immigration attorney but, only to review our completed forms and (later to) get some further insight about the process.

We used him for a sounding board. Met with him 3 times ($75 each) throughout the whole process. He did give us some good ideas regarding prep for the interview but mostly, he just confirmed everything we had read on this site. Did give us a little more peace of mind but our best resource was VJ. Perhaps a visit with an immigration attorney prior to the interview might garner you some good tips. Consider, this process takes time and maybe your fiancee can work on her english and be more prepared to communicate comfortably.?

Another thought, before you spend money on form fillers, there are other costs (nickle and dime and a few good pops at the end) that might encourage you to do the paperwork yourself.

Sorry if your not getting the responses your looking for. I used to change my own oil but now I pay some1 to do it bcoz I have better things to do with my time. Maybe your thinking the same way about this?

Good luck and welcome to vj!

Hang around awhile and you will see that most of your answers can be found here.