Marrying a US citizen while on E-3 visa - Do I need a lawyer to AOS??

[Cliff J 0]

I am currently in the US working on a valid E3 visa. I am getting married to a American born US citizen in 3 months. I have done a little bit of research and it looks like I need to do an Adjustment of Status (AOS) to obtain a green card.

 

It looks like this is a good step by step guide to the process with all the forms I need to submit - http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide2

 

If someone has been through the process already and is willing to confirm or deny the process listed in the link, it would be appreciated.

 

Assuming I am correct and I need to follow the steps in the link, can I get away without a lawyer? I know it is probably not recommended however with the wedding coming up it would be great to save the $2,500 lawyer fees.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Cliff

[AK_2014 113]

Hi, Cliff.  I can't speak to any specifics about coming from an E3 visa (not familiar with that category), but in general, most of us here on this site who have filed for AOS have done so ourselves following the guides here, searching for answers in the forums, and asking specific questions when we still can't figure something out. It'll take (a lot of!) time, but it's not (usually) all that hard to compile the documents. As long as your case is straightforward, there's no need to hire a lawyer. Best of luck!

[DrEllaNJ 288]

just make sure not to travel between now and when you get your AP document (submit i-131 at the same time as the other petitions).

You may also want to apply for employment authorization, in case if your visa runs out before your green card is approved. It doesn't cost anything if filing is based on pending i-485 petition.