Using an attorney after filing

[ryna 132]

Ok, just looking for some advice here..

I filed our K1 petition back in mid-April (before I found VJ). It was received by VSC and accepted (NOA1) within a week. A couple days after receiving the NOA1, for some reason, I got nervous about filing on our own and wanted to have an attorney review it.

I did, and he looked at what I had filed and told me, "It looks great and is the same as we would have filed. I could take your $$ but, to be honest, you've already done my job." I thanked him for his honesty, took his card for future reference, and left.

Now, I'm starting to wonder if it's getting close to "future reference" time. If our petition passes the 5-month mark, and I have to contact USCIS and/or my Congressman and Senators, is it worth having an attorney do so? Is there any advantage whatsoever? Or, should it be reserved for, God forbid, if the visa is denied (if we ever get to the embassy) and we need to appeal, etc.?

Has anyone ever brought an attorney on-board well after filing with any success?

I'm trying not to run every conceivable scenario through my head but sometimes it's difficult not to...

[Dodi 69]

Honestly, it wouldn't really make much difference. Either you're making the call/writing the letter, or someone else is. It's usually not even the attorney, but a paralegal, etc. It's something you'd be spending $200/hr on that you could do yourself.

[Robert de Bonda 3]

Ok, just looking for some advice here..

I filed our K1 petition back in mid-April (before I found VJ). It was received by VSC and accepted (NOA1) within a week. A couple days after receiving the NOA1, for some reason, I got nervous about filing on our own and wanted to have an attorney review it.

I did, and he looked at what I had filed and told me, "It looks great and is the same as we would have filed. I could take your $$ but, to be honest, you've already done my job." I thanked him for his honesty, took his card for future reference, and left.

Now, I'm starting to wonder if it's getting close to "future reference" time. If our petition passes the 5-month mark, and I have to contact USCIS and/or my Congressman and Senators, is it worth having an attorney do so? Is there any advantage whatsoever? Or, should it be reserved for, God forbid, if the visa is denied (if we ever get to the embassy) and we need to appeal, etc.?

Has anyone ever brought an attorney on-board well after filing with any success?

I'm trying not to run every conceivable scenario through my head but sometimes it's difficult not to...

I know what you mean by running through the scenarios. I'v known my fiancee for over three years now and never had tro question the genuineness of our relationship. Now that I've filed the I-129F, I try to look with the eyes of others (consular officers) and question everything. Sometimes, I just surprise myself with the wild scenarios trhat I come up with.

Drop the scenarios as much as you can and try to give a call to just ensure that your file is in the system. Maybe if there is an inquiry from you, it might prompt them to move on it. Unlikely but you never know. But do call them with regularity if they exceed the 5 month mark.

Good luck.

[Ryan H 3,791]

Has anyone ever brought an attorney on-board well after filing with any success?

Most attorneys would probably tell you they would be the most effective from the outset. However, that's only a guess on my part.

I'm trying not to run every conceivable scenario through my head but sometimes it's difficult not to...

I know how you feel. I have confidence in myself with regards to the inital filing. However, I have recently been looking ahead to the consular phase of this and reading the great advice that people are giving and reading what they have done when they went through this. I've also read about negative experiences that people have had to deal with too (i.e. denials). Thankfully I had the presence of mind to save things such as airline tickets, emails, text messages, etc. However, it did not occur to me to save chat logs until very recently. Based on everything I have been reading about the consular phase of this, the best way to describe how I currently feel about things can best be done with a sports reference, "I'm behind in the game and overmatched; so I'm calling a timeout to determine what kind of reinforcements I need." If that means hiring an attorney, so be it. This is just way too important to leave to chance and hope alone. I will find my own path and make my own decision.

I wish each and every one of you well on your own visa journeys!

Edited August 19, 2010 by Ryan H