Mongui

I was wondering, Would you guys reccomend that I get an
attorney/immigration certified specialist to file all my applications
for a green card through marriage, or should I get one of those do it
yourself packets with all the forms and instructions? Like the
immigration attorney is asking for about $1500 as his fee plus all of
the INS fee's and stuff. If I did it myself I would just pay for the INS
fee's/medical exams etc. but bypass the immigration attorney fee. Is it
worth it to get a lawyer to do it or should I do it myself? And are
there benefits (faster processing/interview time) If I get a lawyer to
do it? I also have another question. My parents will be our co-sponsors
and will sign the affadavit of support. Is that a form? The immigration
attorney told us we needed to submit my parents taxes for the past 3
years etc. to them but I am wondering if we do it ourselves, do we send
the tax info to INS or does my dad just sign the affadavit and send the
employment verification letter?
Long question but I really appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Mongui

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Rete

You'll find for the most part that those of us on these types of forums are do-it-yourself petitioners. Fortunately for the majority of us we have had other people on these forums who were able to help us with forms and questions through their collective experiences. The process is long and tedious and emotionally draining what with its uncertainty and the enormity of life changing decisions that are being made by others on your life.

The price you quote for an attorney to do your marriage based adjustment is actually quite a good price for the services to be rendered depending on your agreement with him/her and the scope of their involvement from start to finish. There are many reasons why having a good ALIA member attorney is a good thing. Petitions should be completed fully and as accurately as possible. Having someone else do it for you does not eliminate your need to proof the documents before they are filed, however, and you should be diligent in your reading of everything that is to be signed by you and your spouse. An attorney can offer a multitude of services that a layperson cannot do on their own and if a snag occurs in your processing, the ALIA attorney will have numbers and/or ways to contact personnel at CIS to attempt to unravel the snag. This should be discussed with the attorney before retaining their services. Find out exactly what the fee includes in the event of problems or issues with your processing.

For myself, I've lived in the same apartment for nearly 30 years. However, others tend to move from apartment to apartment or from apartments to houses or from the family home to their own home during the course of the process. You are to notify DHS and CIS of all moves within 10 days of moving. The problem is that this new address is seldom entered into your file and notices for additional materials, biometrics, and interviews are sent to the old address and not the new. The CIS will send a copy of all notifications to the attorney as well as to you so you always receive the information since it is also going to a second person who should notify you asa it is received.

An ALIA attorney cannot make the process faster (although in LA that seems to be the case), but they can help ensure that your filing is complete and accurate and that there will be no RFE or return of documents which will cause a delay in processing.

These are not all the reasons for an attorney but to list them all would make for a long post.

As for your question on the affidavit of support for your father, he has to submit everything that is asked for on the I-864. That would include the employment letter and the tax returns and the banking statements. This goes for you as well even if you don't have the required income to be sole sponsor.

Good luck and welcome aboard.