@MovingUSA We received a physical letter - I filled out the form for email communication but letter seems to be their process!
We didn’t use a lawyer - our situation is pretty straightforward, married for a long time, no children, no divorces or criminal record so I felt confident filling out the paperwork myself!
The one thing that caught me off guard was the embassy told my husband they need IRS transcripts at his document check which I struggled to get online so had to request a paper copy to be mailed. If you don’t have them already suggest requesting ASAP!