Immigration specialist to file a K1 petition

[one...two...tree 2,762]

In the process of VJ Moderation's having removed several purportedly off-topic posts (the reasons behind which are acknowledged), an unverifiable claim has been allowed to remain unchallenged in this thread:

Sometimes people do need advice about immigration matters. I've always felt EVERYONE should seek professional advice before they start down this road. We did. And we consulted with two other attorneys during my husband's AOS.

Just make sure you seek a licensed attorney who specializes in family cases. Don't use your family lawyer. Don't use an immigration lawyer that practices employment based law. Use a family specialist.

And don't use a service that fishes for customers off of DIY sites. It's not just about their dirty tactics. They aren't licensed and you have no recourse if they screw up your case.

No one can paint an entire industry with this broad a brush. There are certainly as many excellent, capable visa firms as there are incapable or incompetent ones. Potential customers should trust their gut feelings when reading these firms' claims and when interacting with the firms' personnel during the process of initial contact. Outrageous promises and careless or incomplete responses should be one warning sign.

Any VJ member's claim that all services like this are 100% bad (or "good") should be viewed with a very dubious eye. Some members should know better.

This post is 100% pertinent to the OP's OP (meaning "on-topic").

I've included RJ's entire post because context matters here. She wasn't implying that all immigration services are bad, just ones that fish for customers off of DIY sites. She expressed her opinion that doing so is dirty. We are allowed to express our opinions about such matters here, aren't we?

[TBoneTX 43,290]

She wasn't implying that all immigration services are bad, just ones that fish for customers off of DIY sites. She expressed her opinion that doing so is dirty. We are allowed to express our opinions about such matters here, aren't we?

Yes, we are, and you can't speak for what that poster "implies" or not. Words mean things, and you're paraphrasing that poster's statement. Read accurately and interpret literally. What "dirty tactics"? What other "do-it-yourself" sites (plural) are they advertising on, and why would that poster care?

I've hammered people for saying that "all attorneys are worthless" when there are indeed some very worthy ones out there -- or they'd all have been out of business long ago.

Similar comments about immigration-service firms (or segments thereof) or any other related or unrelated industry ("they're ALL good" or "they're ALL worthless if they advertise someplace or other") are equally indefensible, unless one has had personal experience with each and every such firm plus enough information by which to make an informed decision.

Obviously, advertisers (in any industry) are smart to target their advertising much as a fisherman casts his line where the fish most likely are. Finally, last time I checked, people were free to hire whomever they want, or not. That's the American way.

The OP has received some realistic advice along with the outrageous. In reading her two threads, I believe that she'll either need a lot of hand-holding here (with uncertain results) or professional assistance, either from a good family-immigration attorney or a good visa-services firm.

[tmma 467]

OP- It's up to you wethar you use a service or an attorney or DIY.

I just have a question about the ' immigration specialists'.

Do they get ' certified' or ' board certified' similar to an attorney? What I mean is , is there a governing body that standardizes that part of the industry? Are 'Immigration Specialists Services' even allowed to accept money for what is essentially a legal service they provide without some sort of documentation stating that they meet standards of knowledge? I really don't know and these are questions I have had for a long time with regards to the ' Immigration filing' service businesses I've seen pop up repeatedly now.

Also an important question is- is there any liability on the service if they ' mess up' the case? Is there a controlling body that the customer can go to for recourse?

OP- Just like when you are choosing any person ( doctor, lawyer or whatever) check credentials! Most of us here on VJ didn't use an attorney, but if you think you need one , then get one. A credentialed one. IMO.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Yes, we are, and you can't speak for what that poster "implies" or not. Words mean things, and you're paraphrasing that poster's statement. Read accurately and interpret literally. What "dirty tactics"? What other "do-it-yourself" sites (plural) are they advertising on, and why would that poster care?

Really? So, back in college, after reading a piece of literature when the professor asked us students what the author meant, instead of writing a two page synopsis, we should have written, "Sorry professor, we can't speak for the author beyond a literal interpretation of his or her words?" Hmmm...that's quite an interesting way of approaching language and communication. If language were only that simple, we wouldn't need lawyers and judges to interpret law, we could simply understand them based on the literal meaning of words. Sorry, but not only do I disagree with that viewpoint, but you'd be hard pressed to find any experts who adhere to such a rigid approach to language.

We should then only have one single authority on immigration law here and that would be the law itself. No need for immigration lawyers or so-called immigration specialists. The language of the laws are plainly written and require no interpretation. I think we've answered the OP's question then.

Edited September 3, 2011 by DFH

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Dear All,

I have a question regarding the necessity to use the services of an immigration lawyer to file a K1 petition. My fiance and I were told that it can cost us up to 5,000-7,000$ to hire a lawyer. It sounds way too expensive for us. Is it possible for a regular person to file for a K1 visa petition without paying a lawyer for that? Some friends advise us to use an immigration specialist, while others say to do it on our own. What is the safest and easiest way? How much can a lawyer cost just to file the petition? If my fiance files everything on his own, will it take us more time to get the petition approved? Thanks in advance for your reply~

Hi Memmy. Can you tell us what country your fiance is from? A few countries have very difficult embassies such as Vietnam, China, Morocco etc where a family immigration lawyer probably would not hurt. The initial K1 process is more straight forward than a 1040 tax form if that helps you gauge the process. Just make sure you are 100% accurate about names etc. What gets dicey is if your fiance has any unusual situations that require waivers. Things like overstays or a criminal record etc.

So assess your situation - make sure your fiance is 100% honest about the past - look at the K1 guide and then make your decision. If you do feel you need a lawyer then seek out a family immigration lawyer, ignore banners or other offers over the internet.

----

I filed by myself but........USCIS misplaced my first application and I couldn't get it confirmed for nearly 4 months. Realizing that lawyers have certain ways of contacting the service centers, I did hire one for the K1 (I did AOS and ROC on my own) I paid about 1300 for the service (they sent my application in exactly as I had sent it). At the time my service center was backlogged about 4 months, but my lawyer was able to get my application processed in one month by showing the USCIS errors and chasing them.

So basically I paid 1300 to make up for lost time.

[David79 7]

You can probably do all the paperwork yourself so long as you don't mind taking a little time to read up on the process (especially on this site).

I hired a lawyer only because I knew I would be out of the country for several months during the process. The main difference between hiring a lawyer or just a "visa service" is both can fill out the paperwork and give you advice, but only a lawyer can actually call the USCIS, NVC, or embassy and speak on your behalf to correct problems, etc. A visa service cannot talk to any government agency for you and really you are just paying them to fill out the paperwork. As far as cost, my lawyer (who strictly has practiced immigration law for 20 years) was about $1500. I've seen some less experienced lawyers for less than $1000. This includes everything from the initial application to actually getting the visa. If I was not going to be overseas I probably would not have done it, but since they could actually talk to the government agencies for me I decided to do it.

*edited to clarify some info

Edited September 5, 2011 by David79

[The_Dude 1,142]

Yes, we are, and you can't speak for what that poster "implies" or not. Words mean things, and you're paraphrasing that poster's statement. Read accurately and interpret literally. What "dirty tactics"? What other "do-it-yourself" sites (plural) are they advertising on, and why would that poster care?

I've hammered people for saying that "all attorneys are worthless" when there are indeed some very worthy ones out there -- or they'd all have been out of business long ago.

Similar comments about immigration-service firms (or segments thereof) or any other related or unrelated industry ("they're ALL good" or "they're ALL worthless if they advertise someplace or other") are equally indefensible, unless one has had personal experience with each and every such firm plus enough information by which to make an informed decision.

Obviously, advertisers (in any industry) are smart to target their advertising much as a fisherman casts his line where the fish most likely are. Finally, last time I checked, people were free to hire whomever they want, or not. That's the American way.

The OP has received some realistic advice along with the outrageous. In reading her two threads, I believe that she'll either need a lot of hand-holding here (with uncertain results) or professional assistance, either from a good family-immigration attorney or a good visa-services firm.

TBone, you keep dragging this topic off course with your absurd demands for proof. She expressed her opinion that people who breach a forum TOS by using it to troll for clients for their business are using dirty tactics. You seem to think that she has some duty to prove her opinion based on a legal standard. She is not. Please get back on topic.

OP, I filed myself, and it wasn't very difficult, but my case was rather straight forward. Take a look at the documents as well as the samples on this website and reard the guides. I think that will give you a good idea whether or not you can do it on your own. If you think that you can't, then contact an immigration attorney, not an "immigration service" which are unregulated.