Can faxed or scanned docs be used by my lawyer for a visa petition?

[xwind 10]

I hired an immigration lawyer that is out of state to help me with my petition to bring my filipino spouse to the US. He gave me a list of documents I need for the petition and gave me the option to either fax, scan and email, or mail them to him.

My question is why would he give me the option to fax or scan the paperwork? To me it feels that an application like this should include original docs or certified copies with original signatures.. Wouldn't faxing or emailing an original or certified copy not be considered as genuine anymore?

[JohnR! 5,495]

I hired an immigration lawyer that is out of state to help me with my petition to bring my filipino spouse to the US. He gave me a list of documents I need for the petition and gave me the option to either fax, scan and email, or mail them to him. My question is why would he give me the option to fax or scan the paperwork? To me it feels that an application like this should include original docs or certified copies with original signatures.. Wouldn't faxing or emailing an original or certified copy not be considered as genuine anymore?

The very fact you doubt the attorney you hired to represent you suggests you might wish to consider hiring another attorney; one you can trust.

To answer your question, do as s/he tells you.

(BTW I don't mean it as a judgment call, so much as an observation, so please take no exception to my words.)

Edited October 23, 2013 by Gegel

[Ketsuban 1,034]

USCIS requires original signatures on forms, not copies. I signed mine then mailed them to my hubby to send off.

Supporting evidence can be photocopies at this stage, but NVC and interview stage will require original or certified copies.

[LoveMyTico 999]

You will need to submit all the originals to the NVC.... USCIS only requires copies... even of the photos. Send a copy, keep a copy of everything you sent ( incase of an RFE) and keep the originals handy because you will need them later. And bring copies of everything you ever sent to you interview also. You can never be too prepared.

GIve a read to the guides at the top of this page. They are super helpful.

[xwind 10]

 

USCIS requires original signatures on forms, not copies. I signed mine then mailed them to my hubby to send off.

Supporting evidence can be photocopies at this stage, but NVC and interview stage will require original or certified copies.

 

I believe my lawyer will be attaching things like divorce certificates and birth certificates to the petition form. Those would be considered as supporting evidence right? Hence the reason why he allows photocopies I guess..

[LoveMyTico 999]

don't forget to have everything translated if it's not in english. If you send your package without it, you will get an RFE.

[losornio 0]

He might be just asking for copies so that when the final packets need to be sent off thats when you put the originals in thats what my lawyer did and during the whole process he just requested copies to be sure i had originals

[ladyblue 11]

I hired an immigration lawyer that is out of state to help me with my petition to bring my filipino spouse to the US. He gave me a list of documents I need for the petition and gave me the option to either fax, scan and email, or mail them to him. My question is why would he give me the option to fax or scan the paperwork? To me it feels that an application like this should include original docs or certified copies with original signatures.. Wouldn't faxing or emailing an original or certified copy not be considered as genuine anymore?

I was going to hire a lawyer at first then mu fiancee fired him when i found this site much cheaper. He wants you to scan of fax the documents so he/ she can have the paper work filled out by one of their staff. Then he will going to have you signed paperwork and send it off and any documents your fiancee needs to sign he will send to them and they will have to send back to you long process using a lawyer glad i found this site it help me all the way through the process.

[xwind 10]

Oh, then that makes sense then. I did wonder why he requested copies of pretty much everything we had.. some were docs not even mentioned on this site nor on the USCIS forms. From what you guys are saying, it's better for me to keep all my original paperwork since he really doesn't need them when we file, I'll just send him copies then.

I was originally going to file by myself with the help of this site, but since there were things unique to our situation, I thought I'd get a lawyer just to make sure I had all the necessary paperwork covered. He is starting to become a hassle though, and is often too busy to contact, so I may consider firing him too...

[JohnR! 5,495]

He is starting to become a hassle though, and is often too busy to contact, so I may consider firing him too...

In most cases a lawyer is not required to deal with immigration. You can get all the answers you need in forum like this and all the forms you need to file with the USCIS in order to bring your spouse to the US can be downloaded from the USCIS website, free of charge. Also without a lawyer the USCIS will communicate directly with you, eliminating the lag of having a middleman. You can do it on your own if you are internet-savvy and keep on top of your affairs.

If you are not a criminal and your spouse is not in trouble with the law in the US of the Philippines it should be a straight shot.

Just an idea.

Good luck!

[Darnell 8,479]

for I-130 intake:

G-325A - original

I-130 - original

everything else can be a scan/photocopy/email attachment/fax.

[camden 20]

I need another passport photo from my husband which will take 3 weeks to receive. I want to file a K3. Can my husband scan me a copy of his passport pic since its going to.the USCIS and they already have an original with our I-130?

[camden 20]

I need another passport photo from my husband which will take 3 weeks to receive. I want to file a K3. Can my husband scan me a copy of his passport pic since its going to.the USCIS and they already have an original with our I-130?

[fcat 79]

Why will it take 3 weeks ? surely they have UPS and DHL there?

[LoveMyTico 999]

I would say you need original passport pictures because they attach the photos to your paperwork.

My husband sent 6 passport pics and a our marriage certificate through FEDEX. It was here the next day..... all the way from Costa Rica. If he sent it regular mail, it would have taken a month... CR has a horrible mail system.

Call Fedex and ask about their services...