BigBoss1984

Hey guys,

So just mulling over whether or not we hire a lawyer to do our AOS package for us, we did the I-129F/K-1 ourselves and it went fine, just wondering how paperwork heavy the AOS is compared to the K-1? We don't have anything particularly special about our case, the only thing I can think of is that I'll be working remotely for a UK based company (a US virtual office is set up, however no work will be undertaken until the EAD arrives from the US office) whilst waiting for the EAD, however people have cleared up that that is perfectly legal to do so - so not sure if it's worth hiring a lawyer or if I'd be wasting money?

tom169

No more challenging than self preparing the I-129F pack.

BigBoss1984

Yeah just took a look at everything they need - totally not worth a lawyer, it looks like it's less stuff than the I-129F package

tom169

Yeah, it is less stuff.

Just make sure a lot of attention is paid to I-864. There are quite a lot of numbers to input, and whilst it is basic maths, if one is incorrect then they will RFE.

Also remember to treat each application separately even though they are being sent together (I-485/765/131). They each require copies of things, photos etc.

BigBoss1984

Awesome - I'm sure if I need it all of you wonderful people will point me in the right direction anyhow

S Folinsky

I'm not going to give an opinion one or the other. However, it is not unknown for people to have a certain peace of mind having experienced professional involved. J Fong and I used to joke that the result of our doing our jobs right was to have the client say "what the hell did I need you for?" at the end of the case.

Will things go wrong if you do it yourself? Probably not. Can they go wrong if you do it yourself? Definitely.

In my retirement I volunteer one morning a week at Immigration Legal Assistance Clinic here in L.A. I have observed that there is a palpable fear about in this new era of Trump. There are some assholes in the minions of the dark forces and they feel that have been given a hunting license so to speak.

Good luck and Godspeed.

tom169

I do think that if I had more money than time I would have had an attorney prepare the forms, but whilst unemployed pending my I-765 I had plenty of the latter.

BigBoss1984

I think this is my thinking too, it's a peace of mind thing. I took a look over the package and it's not anything I couldn't do myself, but as you said, it's more a peace of mind thing!

ian-mstm

Many of us have successfully adjusted status without using an attorney. The paperwork is quite straight forward.

Keep in mind that even if you use an attorney you are responsible for gathering all the information submitted, you are responsible for checking the package prior to submission, you have no guarantee at all that the package won't be prepared by a paralegal rather than the actual attorney, and you have no guarantee that you still won't get an RFE... and you get to pay the attorney for the privilege of doing something you can quite easily do yourself.


Well then...


... and this doesn't matter at all.

Ian

BigBoss1984

Yeah, seems like I might be better served to put the money elsewhere - I did take a look at all of the forms required for the AOS package and yeah, it doesn't seem like anything I can't do myself.

Pulaski

In fairness, as Ian said, retaining a lawyer doesn't guarantee that nothing will go wrong.

Rete

We would often hear of attorneys who they, themselves, would mess up an application by not completing it properly or stating incorrect facts, not submit an application in a timely manner or just taking the client's money and not even submit the application.

There are no guarantees in life or in the process of immigrating. If you are organized and thorough, you can do these types of immigration yourself. If you are not, then retain the services of a competent immigration attorney whose reputation speaks for them. Not everyone can go it alone even while many can.

BigBoss1984

Yeah, now that people have mentioned it I think I'd feel more confident doing it myself, checking thoroughly to ensure that no mistakes are made - rather than putting it in the hands of a lawyer who may or may not screw it up.

Rete

If someone has gone through the K-1 process, they will find that the paperwork for the I-485 asks 95% of the same questions as have been asked on the I-129F. That's why it is so important to keep a comprehensive package of everything that was submitted for previous applications. The answers are right there at your finger tips.

S Folinsky

Good lawyers are actually annoyed when clients just sign without reviewing documents. Also, there may very well be that little fact that was not mentioned. There is the old carpenter's adage of "measure twice, cut once."

I agree that there are no guarantees in this world. Also, I have reviewed enough files in my careers to wonder "what was the attorney thinking?"

On the preparation by a paralegal -- many paralegals I have known were better than the attorneys they worked for.

Again, I'm not making a recommendation one way or the other.