advice on looking for a good immigration lawyer

[rini 0]

Hi, Rini here,

My US fiance is about to start the petition for the fiance visa. I know that this is the first step in a lotof paperwork and being very patient. I want to ask people's advice about whether its worth having a lawyer to help us through teh whole process- My fiance is currently on parole and does not have a good credit record or employment history. He will have a cosponsor who can financially support me well over the required level- however, I wanted to know if it would be wise to have a lawyer and if so, what should we look for when trying to get on-e there are so many on the inernte its hard to know who is really genuine and not about to rip you off with a lot of money. I have no idea even what the current fees on avergae are- so please if there are people out there who have some ideas and advice form experience then I would appreacite it- even to have a few names would be great- my fiance lives in New Orleans, Louisiana

look forward to hearing real soon

thanks

Rini

[randolady 1]

What is he on parole for? I think that will determine whether or not you need a lawyer. Financially, if he has a co-sponsor, I don't think his credit record will be too much of an issue.

[randolady 1]

I meant to say it would NOT be an issue. Where's the edit button on this site?

[meauxna 15]

Rini, there is a third lawyer option that is usually overlooked:

1-Hire a lawyer

2-don't hire a lawyer

3-CONSULT with a lawyer

Given that you have a few questions about whether or not there are complications in your case, spending a couple hundred $$ up front may be a big time and money saver for you.

It's very satisfying to 'do' your own case, but only if you feel you have a grip on what you're doing. You are not yet at that stage.

My usual suggestion is to spend a couple of weeks reading, reading and reading--this stuff eventually starts to make sense. This will give you a context for meeting with a lawyer, and help you ask the right questions.

Filling out forms is not difficult. Knowing which forms and what the 'trick' questions are or the context for the whole thing does take a while to pick up.