What will an Attorney do for me

[mojorisin 5]

An attorney will take your money and thats about it.

[VOL 425]

but still, that's $2,800 I could've saved in hindsight..

Ouch........

[Mike-eeh and Odie 193]

Your abilities to read accurately, interpret literally, and answer completely and honestly are crucial to your success in a do-it-yourself immigration process. If you lack these, or if you lack the time or organizational skills, or (as stated above) if you have complicating issues, consider seeking the help of a reputable visa-assistance firm or a lawyer.

TBoneTX is correct. I went with a visa service run by a law firm. It was worth every penny. They even guaranteed that if my fiance did not receive her visa, I would get a full refund (sans government fees).

Why was it worth every penny? Because not only did I have the peace of mind that my paperwork was completed and filed correctly, but neither I nor my wife had to think about what to say or write on the forms.

They even spent a few hours the day before and the day of the interview, prepping my wife with a mock visa interview. According to my wife, all the obscure questions the lawyer asked her were the same questions the CO asked her the day of the interview. That prep time alone was worth the money as it eased my wife's nerves knowing that she was prepared for what they would ask her.

In addition, they were available by phone for any questions I would have for them, and took the time on off hours to address my concerns. That said, since they were so precise, thorough, and dedicated to my K-1 case, I hired them for my AOS and haven't regretted it one bit.

So if you have about $200.00 - $800.00 to burn, hire a visa service, you'll get a lot of peace of mind.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Mike-eeh and Odie

[charlieprince 24]

Ouch........

the first atty I met wanted $7,000 for his fees alone!!

[coniefl 28]

Do it yourself and save your money.

Even is a case is "complicated" and has criminal issues, what is a lawyer going to do, fill out the waiver form?

[VOL 425]

the first atty I met wanted $7,000 for his fees alone!!

That would make me want to Throat Punch him for having the nerve to ask that much........ :ranting:

[Bjorn&lyne 20]

I used an attorney for the USCIS part of the K-1 process, which was prior to learning about visajourney.com. Visa Journey members knew more about the K-1 process for the Philippines than my attorney, so in retrospective, had I known about visajourney all along I would not have used the attorney for anything. Once I learned about visajourney, which was right around my USCIS approval, I went through the NVC and embassy process with easy, asking questions on this forum as needed.

[southcoast 27]

the first atty I met wanted $7,000 for his fees alone!!

You certainly need to be careful when hiring an attorney. The going rate in the Boston area is $1000.00 for either a consular processing case or an adjustment case.

[mag2929 68]

Take your money?

lol I have an atty.. honestly speaking, i still did all the work and frankly, now that the I-129F is approved, i even feel that the atty may slow me down!

you pretty much do everything .. the reason i got an atty was so i have someone to talk face to face with "just in case"

but still, that's $2,800 I could've saved in hindsight..

I agree. He has slowed us down and I still do most of my calling myself. I wouldn't do this again, but have to get some worth for the 3 grand. Sigh.

[msbau764 245]

Take your money.

[daviddelen 34]

An attorney will do more than take your money! They will slow down the process by performing as an unnecessary intermediary. Your documents could sit on an attorney's desk for a couple of weeks before he even gets to it. Meanwhile, you could have done everything yourself. Also, if they are incompetent they can make mistakes that further delay your case, or worse. Most questions you have can easily be found on this site. What can't can be answered by our team of free experts! I really appreciate this site!

[sweetgal8 4]

Trust me you can do this on your own (If you have time!).

[Freemind81 1]

In the beginning, I was dead set on having an attorney do this. I was confused about everything.

But as I sat down and took the time out to go through all of this, it became clearer.

You will definitely have a million questions but, that's what this board is for. To help out.