K1 Visa - immigration attorney or not?

[ch3john 308]

Get three quotes from attorney's and I will do it for half the price of your cheapest quote. (i'm kidding of course)

 

[natenoeyes 0]

54 minutes ago, stacyt said:

In short, I would put it this way.

 

Lawyer

 

pros:

• save time on research, package assembly and filling your forms
• have evidence reviewed and evaluated prior to submission
• eliminate chances to make errors when filling the form
• have questions/concerns answered by a pro
• have an additional person to stay on track of status updates and USCIS letters

cons:

• chances to get an underqualified or incompetent lawyer which will affect your case
•  additional cost
• potential delays at the initial stage due to an additional layer of bureaucracy 

 

No lawyer

 

pros:

• you're in control of filling the forms and including evidence
• no delays at the initial stage, you control the timeline
• no additional cost

cons:

• a possibility of misunderstanding the forms or instructions and therefore making mistakes in your package
• the time-consuming process of research and proofreading your forms
• a possibility of following bad advice from an online forum or blog

That's how I see it.

 

This sums everything up pretty nicely, thank you! 

[natenoeyes 0]

5 hours ago, stacyt said:

a lot of members of the forum are against lawyers. It's understandable, as we're reading the forum we see crucial lawyers ' mistakes all over. I did go for a lawyer (happy to share contacts) and couldn't be happier. If you choose the right one, with a great success record, you will not regret. My main reasons for doing that were saving time - both my fiance and I were working a lot and neither of us had hours per day to do research, collecting evidence was time-consuming enough already. My lawyer also sent me notices and copies of NOA's, and gave me detailed instructions on each step of the process, as well as helped along the way with inquiries and address change. I've successfully got my K-1 with no RFE, and they only asked me 2 basic questions on the interview after looking at my file.

 

The point is, if you're generally paranoid of making mistakes, or have no time to do tons of research and just need this delegated and off your plate, lawyers are the best way to go. I know people will disagree and there will be a lot of examples shown how lawyers get people into AP and RFE...but people do it themselves as well, and way more often than with lawyers. When you have questions or uncertain of how to do it on your own, finding answers online on forums and not going to the lawyer first, it's like googling your symptoms and not consulting a doctor.

It's refreshing to hear positive input from the lawyer side of the fence. This is what we're mostly worried about - the paperwork and time needed to do this whilst maintaining day jobs, where a small mistake could lead to months in delays. Anyway, thanks for this input!

[natenoeyes 0]

I'm slightly overwhelmed with the response this thread has gotten, and I do appreciate all your input. These will definitely help with our decision - we will do more research and decide then. Thank you so much again, everyone!

[ch3john 308]

Just now, natenoeyes said:

I'm slightly overwhelmed with the response this thread has gotten, and I do appreciate all your input. These will definitely help with our decision - we will do more research and decide then. Thank you so much again, everyone!

Check out visacoach.com

A lot cheaper than lawyer

[Paul & Marina 53]

21 hours ago, payxibka said:

This is a DIY website,  what do you think the overwhelming response will be?

DYI VisaJourney, Damn, I would have never known. The vast amount of people here are not  Pro -Attorney. I really have no dog in this this fight. For me I hired an attorney and would do so again. I had none of the problems that perhaps 90% of the people asks about.

 

There is no right or wrong answer to this. One, can only do what is best for them.

[Kowatti 189]

23 hours ago, natenoeyes said:

Yes, she’s a US Citizen. Sorry for leaving out that info.

You can do it yourself.  To be honest, you will get more specific info from using the various forums, portals, & etc.  I didn't know such a thing as K-1 existed before getting on this site.  Got approved on 1/2019 from simply using the valuable information that is posted here & help from VJ members.  Good luck on your journey.   

[Tinman71 42]

It's all pretty straight forward. From my time on here the last 14 months lawyers tend to be the cause of paperwork problems. Read things research do it yourself and save the money for starting your new lives together in the U.S