Lawyer vs. Self file K1

[Joyce and Chris 1]

We are newbies to filing a K1. I have read alot of posts and different websites. By far this has been the best website for information and we are really getting excited to submit the K1 documents. The question I have is how many people are using a lawyer to submit the documents and how many are going at it by themselves? Also I am curious to know the sucess rate for each. My gal is in the Philippines if that helps out which I have heard is a little tougher.

Thanks all for your help.

Chris and Joyce

[Dave H 12]

We are newbies to filing a K1. I have read alot of posts and different websites. By far this has been the best website for information and we are really getting excited to submit the K1 documents. The question I have is how many people are using a lawyer to submit the documents and how many are going at it by themselves? Also I am curious to know the sucess rate for each. My gal is in the Philippines if that helps out which I have heard is a little tougher.

Thanks all for your help.

Chris and Joyce

Hi and welcome aboad

I don't know the cost of the lawyer route, but I would like to say that personally I would do it yourself. My fiancee is in U.S and I live in U.K, and all my questions were answered on this site. I know there will be times when you question yourself for going it alone with a lawyer, but its worth it. Good luck

[Nath & Jordan 1]

Hi there....We are chose to use a lawyer as we wanted to make sure we got everything done right first time around and hopefully save time. After sorting out the forms and information that needed to be sent to the USCIS we soon realized that we easily could of done the forms ourselves. So far all they have done for us is type up our information onto to the forms from the rough copies (which we filled out ourselves) along with our evidence and sent them off, and then sent us a scanned copy of our hard copy NOA1. for that little piece of work our cost so far have are at a total of $1800. we have since decided to go it alone now so im keeping my fingers crossed we dont encounter any problems. This said it doesn't mean don't get a lawyer as everyone is different and has different needs i just though i would give you my insite.

Good luck and all

[iampatricias 17]

The question I have is how many people are using a lawyer to submit the documents and how many are going at it by themselves?

My fiance and I hired a lawyer because we were afraid we'd screw something up and cost us more time and money.

[CareBear 18]

Unless you have complications in your case (previous overstays or criminal convictions that need a waiver) I honestly don't see the need for the expense of a lawyer. There's example forms on this site that you can follow when filling in the paperwork, there's hundreds of people here who have been the same route before you that can answer your questions and with a little common sense its really not too hard. We did our own and yes we got an RFE (request for further evidence) but it was for something so silly that I laugh about it now (only photocopied front of a document instead of all of it - common sense would have dictated photocopying all of it since the important pages were at the back lol). The RFE delayed us 3 weeks which is nothing in the grand scheme of things Good luck

[Ryan H 3,790]

The question I have is how many people are using a lawyer to submit the documents and how many are going at it by themselves?

I will be self-filing. Thanks to the posters here at VJ and over at CFL, I know I can put a good package together myself.

Best wishes to you!

[EllaC 190]

I saw your post on the other thread. DON'T file at Nebraska Service Center, your correct Service Center is California, but you first need to send the petition to Dallas, TX! I-129F Instructions(where to file & more...)

Edited January 30, 2011 by Ella & Octav

[Al422 221]

Usually, the lawyer will not file as quickly as you would. After all, you have incentive to get it done ASAP, whereas the lawyer sees this as just one piece of work in the bundle that he already has.

It is not hard to do it yourself as long as you follow instructions carefully and take some time to read what other filers have written here. If you are nervous about it or doubt your skill at following very detailed and picky instructions, the lawyer will save you from it. Just keep in mind that he does not have the incentive to do this as quickly as you would, so expect some delays.

If your case is a troublesome one, for example if either one of you has a conviction for drug dealing, then I would go the lawyer route.

[Christine + Blake 18]

I'm in Canada and my fiance is the US and we filed on our own, just being sure to research and double check anything. We filed two months ago and have not heard anything from them about mistakes or RFEs so I think we did alright. I definitely think you can do it on your own.

[Afrikan Queen 11]

We hired an immigration lawyer because Nigeria is a high-risk country. I have heard stories on VJ of petitioners who hired lawyers who don't seem to know what they are doing and giving out wrong information. If you are going to hire a lawyer do your research on the firm, find someone who is successful and experienced. It can also give you peace of mind as AL422 brought out. However, it will cost you several thousand dollars. I probably could have done it w/o the help of my attorney, but I am happy with whom I chose. The paperwork can seem overwhelming but really it's not that difficult to put together yourself. VJ community is very informative and stays up-to-date. You start by going to GUIDES at the top of the page. Best regards on your journey.

[Messybrownhair 251]

I'm from the Philippines and we did it all ourselves without any problems! You can do it

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You might want to take a look at this link. A little while ago another VJer asked the same question but in the Polls section - you can look at the results and the comments here:

http://www.visajourn...e-on-their-own/

I think you will find that the majority of VJers do the paperwork and process on their own. There are several good reasons for doing so. One -as was mentioned above - no one is going to be more invested in getting the work done on time and done completely than you are; Two - you will become familiar with the immigration paperwork and will be in a better position to understand what is happening and recognize when there might be a potential problem. Three - most of the applications are gathering up documents and evidence that you have to do anyway because you have access to them, and then filling out the forms with information that you also have. You have to do the lion's share of the work anyway and all a lawyer really does is provide an expensive copyservice for the work you have prepared. In some cases, lawyers have actually caused errors and delays because they haven't taken the care needed to ensure the applications are correct and complete, thus creating unnecessary delays and in some cases, causing serious harm. Finally, a lawyer is a middleman and with any middleman things can get lost or misplaced or re-directed in the process. Doing it yourself, you will deal directly with USCIS and directly with the consulates involved.

If you have a complication in your circumstances - an existing immigration violation or previous petition, a drug or criminal charge or a severe cultural difference (depending on the cultures involved it could be age, older woman, no proper engagement ceremonies, no evidence of family approval, etc.) you may find the services of a knowledgeable and competent immigration attorney useful, but for an uncomplicated application, this is something you can do yourself

My husband and I went through the whole process from K-1 to Naturalization and never once used a lawyer, nor did we ever receive an RFE (Request for Evidence) at any time in the process.

For dealing with the Philippines, there is also a wealth of information in the Philippines Regional forum here on VJ. You will probably find it very useful to read over that forum as you will find the answers to many of your questions there - probably even before you know to ask them.

Good luck.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Kathryn41

[Yellowhead 12]

Lawyer? Why?

If you can read and write, you can do it yourself. Lawyers cost between $1500 and $6000 just until POE. All they do is photocopy documents, proof documents and write things out for you. A grade 6 student could do the same thing.

A lawyer is necessary if you are petitioning a beneficiary from a high risk country, or if you have special circumstances which complicate your case. Otherwise VJ is all you need. I am a student doing twice as many courses as full time constitutes, I work part-time and I have a social life. My fiance (the US Citizen) is also a student, works full time, and is in a band. We are finding the process easy, despite all of these other responsibilities. Find a family member to help proof your docs and do it yourself. Save a ton of money in the process.

[amykathleen2005 441]

My fiance and I hired a lawyer because we were afraid we'd screw something up and cost us more time and money.

And yet your timeline shows an RFE, which cost you time....

[krissyjoe 3]

I'm also from the Philippines and my fiancee and I hired a lawyer to help us file the K1 but I tell you it's not worth your money!!!!!!!! just log on to this site if you need to ask some questions cause most of the people have gone through the same experience and have the sufficient knowledge to make your K1 journey hassle free What our lawyer did is they just sent us a file of the step by step procedure like on how to arrange the documents (which you can also see in this site if you browse it) then my fiancee send those files to them together with the check of payment, then they recheck it first to make sure everything is properly filled out ( they don't actually allow abbreviations for it will cause delays) then our lawyer send it to the filling Center...but other couple did the same thing and they don't get RFE! all you have to do is ask here if you have any confusion and the GURUS will assist you Our lawyer actually pissed me cause I tend to ask a lot of questions from them (which is normal ) but they sometimes scold me not really patient huh? and when I knew about this site it helped me all through out the process, the only thing that they've been helpful with us is during the filling! and after that we did it ourselves and now I'm approved and will fly to the States soon. They'll just make it look difficult but the truth is...it's not!! you can do it yourself Good luck to both of you!!!!