Before You hire an Attorney Consider This...

[Howie2011 2]

Dear VJ Members:

My wife and I found Visa Journey about 2 years ago right before my wife and I got married in December of 2011. My wife is from the Philippines and like many of you we met online and began a whirlwind romance and now marriage.

We had heard many horror stories, and read a few here at VJ, how couples had filed paperwork incorrectly and how the immigration was delayed months and in some cases years. Our money situation was tight so we debated whether or not to hire an attorney or go it alone and file the paperwork ourselves. I could not stand the thought that my error might delay the process so we sought out the best attorney we could find… What I thought was a wise decision turned out to be a nightmare.

Despite the attorney being recognized as an expert in immigration law I found that I had to routinely review and correct the immigration documents and had we followed his advice in filing for a HK police clearance my wife may not be here today.

My advice is… Read everything you can about the immigration process then file your own paperwork and seek the advice of Visa Journey. We found the information on this site and the advice of the members to be spot on target.

If you do decide to hire an attorney do not assume his advice is correct or that the documents are filed correctly. Review every document before it is filed and ask a lot of questions of the attorney and his/her staff. Remember this--- the attorney does not care about your case(you are only $$$$ to him or her)… Only you care about your case and it’s up to you to stay on top of it.

Thanks Visa Journey we will forever be thankful for this site and for its members.

Sincerely,

Mark and Ruth

[Natsukiii 35]

I filed through an attorney and have had nothing but good experience. Sorry about your experience.

[lierre 224]

I think it depends on how complicated your case is. If your non-USC spouse was deported or had a ton of visa refusals before, you may need a lawyer.

As for ours, I only had one US visa denial before and that was way before I even met my husband. It was also not for immigration, but for a work visa. Hence, ours was still not complicated. So, I did the legwork on my own.

Glad to say that 11 months and more than a thousand bucks later, we never got RFEs and I now have a visa!

So, definitely don't always go with a lawyer if you think your case doesn't need one.

[Ryan H 3,801]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to General Immigration-Related Discussion; topic is applicable to more than one process.

[NickD 202]

Also can't share with your bad experience, with extremely complex projects to work on, and looking over that extremely long list of forms, was too much to learn.

But I also have dealt with many different attorneys and the vast majority of them are crooks. Actually taught how to lie and cheat in the guise of defending a client.

What you have to do is search for a good one, and with immigration, not isolated to find one in your state that he/she is only licensed to practice in. The entire USA of open to you. And have to do a complete background check and agree to a contract with a flat fee. Also define your responsibilities. With the aid of the internet, this only took a few hours and was given very accurate descriptions exactly what had to be done. Including all the evidence my intended and I had to provide.

In my view as to what the USCIC charges for fees, they should call you in with a very professional interviewer to tell you what forms you need, ask questions, and fill out these forms for you. But it is not done this way, many make up their own rules as the game is played. With a powerful name on your G-28's, they don't do this. With a good attorney, they will correct any errors you made on the form, not the other way around. Check your state bar first.

DOS agent in town was wonderful for getting that US passport, check very carefully our form and required evidence before even taking a dime from us and no faster way to get a US passport. Tons of phoney people on the web for this same issue, should be tossed in prison for life. If only the USCIS operated this way. But they don't.

I was very pleased with my attorney, didn't pay him until my wife and stepdaughter received their green cards. And for the help he provided, was very happy to pay his bill. And he sure taught me a lot.