Will I be better off hiring a lawyer?

[MollyMargaret 0]

Hi, I’m currently on a B2 visa from Canada, and my boyfriend proposed to me. We are looking to get married in the next couple of weeks. I have been here almost 3 months and was admitted for 6. I have contacted an experienced lawyer who agreed to take on our AOS application for about $7000 (including USCIS fees). My fiancé’s income is low, so we’re not sure it’s worth it for us. I am terrified of doing something wrong and getting denied. I have no criminal record. I am currently disputing a covid fine in Canada but that’s it. The courts have said I can dispute my fine over the phone when a trial date is set, but again this isn’t a criminal matter so I don’t think it can hinder my ability to adjust status. Anyways, I am curious as to what anyone who may have knowledge on any of this thinks. I am very new to this forum, and don’t know much about immigration, so any information is valuable! Thank you 

[Lemonslice 4,886]

Are you comfortable with being unable to work, or travel out of the US, for at least 8-9 months after you submit your AOS?

 

If you're ok with the AOS timeline and limitations, then you can look up the guides here on VJ; a bit of paperwork, but nothing hard.  Make sure that your fiancé's income will be sufficient for the affidavit of support (and obviously supporting you until you can work, that can be a big stress on newlyweds).

 

Best of luck.

[chancecody 125]

2 hours ago, MollyMargaret said:

Hi, I’m currently on a B2 visa from Canada, and my boyfriend proposed to me. We are looking to get married in the next couple of weeks. I have been here almost 3 months and was admitted for 6. I have contacted an experienced lawyer who agreed to take on our AOS application for about $7000 (including USCIS fees). My fiancé’s income is low, so we’re not sure it’s worth it for us. I am terrified of doing something wrong and getting denied. I have no criminal record. I am currently disputing a covid fine in Canada but that’s it. The courts have said I can dispute my fine over the phone when a trial date is set, but again this isn’t a criminal matter so I don’t think it can hinder my ability to adjust status. Anyways, I am curious as to what anyone who may have knowledge on any of this thinks. I am very new to this forum, and don’t know much about immigration, so any information is valuable! Thank you 

Hi there,

 

$7K is very expensive especially if you think your case is straightforward. I consulted three lawyers prior to filing and the cost ranged from $2.5K to $3K. I ended up not using a lawyer and filing by myself. There are usually free consultations so you can ask your Top 3 questions for each of the lawyer.

 

Also, my reco is familiarize yourself with the USCIS Policy Manual as it is the “bible” that USCIS uses when adjudicating your case. Read it and if you think you still need a lawyer, then hire one as each of us are different. The only thing that lawyers do is to handhold you throughout the entire process. 

 

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-7

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

22 hours ago, MollyMargaret said:

Hi, I’m currently on a B2 visa from Canada, and my boyfriend proposed to me. We are looking to get married in the next couple of weeks. I have been here almost 3 months and was admitted for 6. I have contacted an experienced lawyer who agreed to take on our AOS application for about $7000 (including USCIS fees). My fiancé’s income is low, so we’re not sure it’s worth it for us. I am terrified of doing something wrong and getting denied. I have no criminal record. I am currently disputing a covid fine in Canada but that’s it. The courts have said I can dispute my fine over the phone when a trial date is set, but again this isn’t a criminal matter so I don’t think it can hinder my ability to adjust status. Anyways, I am curious as to what anyone who may have knowledge on any of this thinks. I am very new to this forum, and don’t know much about immigration, so any information is valuable! Thank you 

You do not need to pay anyone $7,000 to file for you. You can do this yourself. Just look through the site and familiarize yourself with the process. Save that money for a rainy day. As you may already know, you will not be able to work for a while. Therefore, save that money. 

 

You have to make sure that your fiancé either meets the income requirement or that you have a co-sponsor. That's the basis of everything. But again, just look through the site. You can do this on your own. People do it all the time and just post questions on the forum to asking for clarification if they get stuck on one of the questions on the forms. 

 

All the best!