IR1/CR1/f2a: lawyer or self?

[Aty92 0]

Hi,

 

Do most people applying for their spouse do the process themselves or through a attorney. I believe me and my wife have a fairly simple case and I’m leaning towards doing it ourselves.
 

Furthermore, I see a lot of posts talking about proof of a bona fide marraige. Does that mean sending our wedding pictures and any other pictures of us together and screenshots of our calls/messages, time frame etc.? What else would/do they require?
 

Thanks in advance!

[Verrou 1,899]

if its simple case. just do it yourself 

bonafide marriage : beside pictures, flight, ticket, screen shot chats, they more into financially joint account, lease, rent, credit card anything that link both of you as couple, same address, etc 

[aaron2020 11,651]

Don't know if most people file with a lawyer or not.

Most people on VJ file without a lawyer since this is a DIY website.

If you are willing to invest time and effort into researching how to file correctly, then you can do it yourself.  If you don't want to put in the work to educate yourself, then get a lawyer.

Pictures are not required.  They can be helpful to show the evolution of your relationship.  Evidence of a bona fide relationship involves showing plane tickets of visits, evidence of how you communicate, joint financial accounts, etc.  Include a cover letter explaining how you met, how many times you visited, how you met each other's families and friends, etc.  Anything that would let other people know your history as a couple.

[SamarAndrew 0]

The process may seem confusing and overwhelming but you can do it all yourself. Between Facebook groups and this forum there is enough guides to get you started and rolling while saving you money.

[davemcphe 22]

I found the process to be fairly straight forward and it saved us a lot of money.  I would just file online yourself.  As a side note I have a friend that married the day before I did, both Thai women and married in Thailand November 2019.  He started his paperwork with a lawyer Jan 2020, I filed my paperwork in July 2020 online, no lawyer.  My wife and daughter's visas have been approved and my friend and his wife are still waiting.  He spent more money and is waiting longer.  If I had to do it again I would not use a lawyer it just adds another layer of complexity.  When docs needed to be turned in I was able to respond immediately, he has had to wait for a lawyer to notify him of the need, respond then wait for the lawyer to pass it on.  Lots of delays.   Do it yourself.

 

Dave 

[INF 96]

8 hours ago, davemcphe said:

I found the process to be fairly straight forward and it saved us a lot of money.  I would just file online yourself.  As a side note I have a friend that married the day before I did, both Thai women and married in Thailand November 2019.  He started his paperwork with a lawyer Jan 2020, I filed my paperwork in July 2020 online, no lawyer.  My wife and daughter's visas have been approved and my friend and his wife are still waiting.  He spent more money and is waiting longer.  If I had to do it again I would not use a lawyer it just adds another layer of complexity.  When docs needed to be turned in I was able to respond immediately, he has had to wait for a lawyer to notify him of the need, respond then wait for the lawyer to pass it on.  Lots of delays.   Do it yourself.

 

Dave 

This reason exactly. I am glad I did not use a lawyer! 

[INF 96]

I do want to add. You absolutely need a lawyer if you get an RFE at the interview, they sit on your case for a long time after the interview, you get denied. There’s specific reasons you will need a lawyer. Filing for a straightforward case is not one of them. 

[payxibka 10,044]

39 minutes ago, INF said:

I do want to add. You absolutely need a lawyer if you get an RFE at the interview, they sit on your case for a long time after the interview, you get denied. There’s specific reasons you will need a lawyer. Filing for a straightforward case is not one of them. 

RFEs are a USCIS thing.  Consulate issues 221g and most instances you do NOT need a lawyer 

[Wouter 141]

I did decide to hire a lawyer and this was my thinking:

Doing something complex for the first time without experience, for something that is very important in your life and that has little margin for error, is a considerable risk. Yes you can research everything yourself and there is some good information out there, but you will also encounter conflicting, outdated, and sometimes even plain wrong information. It takes a lot of time and in the end nobody will take responsibility for the advice they give you (nor should you expect them to). By hiring a lawyer you have somebody with a fiduciary obligation to help you and properly advise you, someone who has done this many times before and knows the landscape, the pitfalls, the "do"s and "don't"s. Hiring a lawyer does not prevent you from learning and educating yourself on this topic too so you can still be very much involved and on top of everything that is going on, ask good questions, make informed decisions, and even possibly catch mistakes. And one last consideration; a lawyer is someone you can confide in and discuss all options with no matter how crazy because your communication is confidential and protected,, while whatever you write on a message board is public information and can always be discovered.

Of course a lawyer costs money and some immigration lawyers are better than others, but if you can afford it and you do some due diligence on selecting a reputable and experienced lawyer, I believe it is worth it and will reduce your risk and stress.

In the end I just thought: if I do it all myself it may work out and then I would have saved myself some money, but if I mess it up because of my inexperience and my wife's immigration gets delayed or even derailed because of a mistake or lack of knowledge, how angry would I be with myself? How much I would then be willing to pay to fix the problem I would have created but then it may be too late, or much harder to fix.

So I did both: hired a lawyer AND spend my time researching and educating myself. It is just that important to me.

 

[HKS 169]

You havent filled out any information on what country the beneficiary is from. That also makes a difference in how hard it will be to petition. I do agree with @Wouter  for peace of mind hiring lawyer and educating yourself is best; however, this is your visa journey. Only you can determine what is best for your particular situation.