Should You Hire a Lawyer or do it Yourself?
Having a lawyer can certainly give you a valuable, experienced view point.
And you may decide to hire a lawyer for special circumstances or just for peace of mind-- still...
..a lawyer is not going travel with you to take pictures of the two of you for showing that you have met in person.
..a lawyer is not going to know where you or your fiance(e) have been employed over the last 5 years, or the addresses of your residences for that time.
..a lawyer is not going to know the names of your parents or where and when they were born.
Whether you hire a lawyer or not - ultimately - you end up doing it yourself.
This is going to take effort from both you and your fiance(e).
The tasks are not hard, but there is a hefty ammount of information that needs to be accurately managed and reported.
Once you have the information, filling out the forms, and packaging everything is fairly easy.
Applying for a K1 Visa is like applying for a driver's license.
Nobody gets an attorney to apply for a driver's licence. When you get a driver's license, you are not trying to win a case or defend your innocense. You are simply showing the governmnet that you are qualified and have the ability to drive.
Applying for K1 visa is the similar-- you have to be qualified and you have to demonstrate that you have the ability to support your fiance(e).
To help streamline your K1 visa petition package: Download the I-129F Quick Start PDF for $25.
Can A lawyer get you the visa faster?
Good question. I asked my lawyer the same question after submitting my petition for K1 Visa:
Subject: How to expedite k-1 Visa
Is there a technique, or fee that can be applied to expedite the visa process?
-- Message to my Lawyer: 6/3/09
Subject: RE: How to expedite k-1 Visa
WISH THERE WAS; MANY PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO DO THIS BUT IT IS NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME FOR THIS TYPE VISA.
-- Response from my Lawyer: 6/5/09
Qualify your Lawyer
If you do decide to hire a lawyer, be sure to get someone who will actually be helpfull:
Here are some tips to he;p find a good lawyer
- Decide what you want them to assist you with:
- the petition process only
- the petition processs and the k1 visa application process
- the petition, k1 visa app, and the AOS process.
- Connect with them directly- either on the phone or in person.
- Listen to their "sales" pitch and watch for commitments they can not make:
- Don't hire anyone who claims 100% guarantee that you will get your visa: sorry - that is not possible. You have found an living unethical lawyer who prey on people (what from a lawyer?) who are "vulnerably in love" and will do anything to be together with their partner... Hiring a lawyer is no time to allow your heart to run things- wake your brain up momentarily to get you through this part.
- Don't hire anyonw who suggest they can speed up the process because of some special relationship they have or because they know who to call or have some secret that is not publicly known.
- See if they listen to you:
- Don't hire anyone who does not listen to you: Do they understand your situation - or do they just keep talking?
- Find out what their experience is
- Make sure they have a specialty in K1 Visa - its ok if they do other things as well, but make sure that they have successfull helped clients to get K1 visas before!
- Check them out - visit their website. If they don't have a website- I would venture to guess that they might not even know the latest changes to the process. Don't hire someone who is still stuck in the 80's. (1980's that is)
- how long have they been helping people to get k1?
- how many visa's have they helped to get?
- Ask some informational questions like -
- What can they tell you about the required medical exam?
- Ask if they have ever taken a case with someone from the country where your beneficiary is from. work with someone who has.
- Ask about the logistics of working together:
- Ask who will actually work on your case.
- Ask what the attourney needs from you. They should ask you to gather documents right away..
- Ask them - how you will be able to get a hold of them (e-mail, phone, etc.)? Ask how long should you expect to wait for a response to your questions?
- It is fine to work with someone from remote - someone who's office is not near you. However, in this case, ask them about the logistics of how you will securely transfer your personal information to them and how they will securely get feedback to you. The good lawyers have online mechanisms set up to accept forms and review your info.
- Ask if they will submit your forms on your behalf or if you just want them to review your forms and give you their blessing that everything looks good.
- Work with someoe you like. Ok - and different people connect differently with each other - take your partner for example. The same is true in any business relationship - and in your professional relationship with your lawyer- work with someone you actually like - ans allow them to show you their skills.
- If they charge a lot - and you still want to go for it - ask for 2-3 references. Then call the references and talk to them about their experience! If they charge a lot and can not provide references - dump em. Happy cients will gladly be a willing reference for any business.
The more information you have, the better decision you can make.
