Attorney Quote on us getting married on (her) Visitor's Visa

[jptt1239 0]

Not sure if this is the right section for this, if not I apologize and hope I can put this in the right location.

 

My girlfriend is from Chile visiting the US (I'm a US citizen) and we've decided to see if we can make things permanent spontaneously while she's here. We did reach out to an attorney and he gave us a brief discussion and I'm curious to see if it's normal to what other people are quoted. This is her second trip to the US, and she's been here for about 70 days so far. What the attorney suggested is we wait until after her 90 days are up, and instead of her going back to Chile she stays within the US and we get married (after the 90 days) and then start a filing process. He said the filing process is $1700 in total, and he's offering his services for a flat $3000 for the whole duration of our case to assist us with everything from start to finish.

 

I haven't been able to be quoted by other attorneys, he's very friendly and seems very good at what he does as well as having lots of very good reviews, but I'm just curious if this pricing and suggestion is common for our situation.

 

[Ortolan 381]

If there are no oddities or flags in either your or your girlfriend's background (prison, drugs offenses, arrests, huge age difference, etc.) then there's really no reason why you need to use an attorney. You can find all the information you need to file here, on VisaJourney.

 

Questions you have about the process after reading the guides can be posted here and answered by a number of very, very knowledgeable folks. 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

Why does he advise waiting until she has overstayed her visa before marrying? I don’t understand this bit. (From what you said I assume she has an allowed stay of 90 days, not sure if I misunderstood that.)

Edited December 28, 2019 by SusieQQQ

[Dashinka 23,301]

How long is her current authorized stay?  If she has the ability to stay for a period of time without working, or leaving the US for up to five/six months, then get married and file for the AOS.  As to the mythical 90 day rule your attorney seems to be alluding to, that is simply a myth, if you want to get married and adjust status, just do it. 
 

Good Luck!

[Crazy Cat 39,377]

I would not use that attorney.  There is no reason to wait until she has overstayed her visa to file.

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

25 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Why does he advise waiting until she has overstayed her visa before marrying? I don’t understand this bit. (From what you said I assume she has an allowed stay of 90 days, not sure if I misunderstood that.)

You see this type of advice on Reddit alot as well. The rule of thumb is that the 90 day wait is due to not showing immigration intent. 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

12 minutes ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

You see this type of advice on Reddit alot as well. The rule of thumb is that the 90 day wait is due to not showing immigration intent. 

That may be what the lawyer’s advice was intended to convey, but it’s not the way the OP phrased it. Hence my question about whether the 90 days was indeed the authorized stay period, or not.

Edited December 28, 2019 by SusieQQQ

[Dashinka 23,301]

17 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

That may be what the lawyer’s advice was intended to convey, but it’s not the way the OP phrased it. Hence my question about whether the 90 days was indeed the authorized stay period, or not.

I agree, the OP needs to clarify how long her authorized stay is on her current B2 entry.

[geowrian 22,336]

There is nothing to be gained by overstaying. There is nothing to be gained by waiting - except a delay.

 

What exactly does the $3k do for you...? It won't save you time on gathering the documentation or providing the information for the forms. It won't make the process go any faster.

It may or may not provide a peace of mind. That does have value, although it varies from person to person. Personally I would rather use the money to start my new married life, or at least go on a honeymoon.

[Ryan H 3,791]

Moved from Tourist Visas forum to Adjustment of Status from Work, Student, & Tourist Visas forum.

[Boiler 43,593]

If you want to use a Lawyer get one who knows what they are talking about - not this one.

[SalishSea 16,825]

4 hours ago, jptt1239 said:

Not sure if this is the right section for this, if not I apologize and hope I can put this in the right location.

 

My girlfriend is from Chile visiting the US (I'm a US citizen) and we've decided to see if we can make things permanent spontaneously while she's here. We did reach out to an attorney and he gave us a brief discussion and I'm curious to see if it's normal to what other people are quoted. This is her second trip to the US, and she's been here for about 70 days so far. What the attorney suggested is we wait until after her 90 days are up, and instead of her going back to Chile she stays within the US and we get married (after the 90 days) and then start a filing process. He said the filing process is $1700 in total, and he's offering his services for a flat $3000 for the whole duration of our case to assist us with everything from start to finish.

 

I haven't been able to be quoted by other attorneys, he's very friendly and seems very good at what he does as well as having lots of very good reviews, but I'm just curious if this pricing and suggestion is common for our situation.

 

So she has the type of lifestyle where she can just up and move and not go back to Chile or work for 6-8 months?  

[Nitas_man 3,100]

10 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

So she has the type of lifestyle where she can just up and move and not go back to Chile or work for 6-8 months?  

Amazing right?  Absolutely no business to close out back home.

Almost seems.......planned

[Downloader 197]

3 hours ago, Nitas_man said:

Amazing right?  Absolutely no business to close out back home.

Almost seems.......planned

😬😬😬

https://youtu.be/JIN36NweL6I

Edited December 29, 2019 by Downloader

[Eric&Mirella 367]

6 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

I agree, the OP needs to clarify how long her authorized stay is on her current B2 entry.

I have Chilean friends and they don’t need B2 visas to enter the US. They’re part of the ESTA program. That’s why she can only stay for 90 days. Maybe he forgot to mention that.