mcwales

Hi all,

I'm new to all this but have been reading a number of posts and found it very useful!!

My Fiancee (a US citizen) and I (British Citizen) are about to start looking into the K1 Visa process as we feel now is the right time.

Can anyone from past experiences recommend a good attorney who helped them with the process?

I have read a number of webpages that say having an attorney is a better way of completing the application and making sure everything is correct. is this true?

Many thanks and any help would be greatly received!!

Noorah101

Hi and welcome to BE!

The choice is really yours whether to hire an attorney or not. If you have a very straightforward case (i.e., no criminal past, no visa overstay issues, etc), then it's possible to do the process yourself without an attorney, but you have to be diligent, focused, committed to following through on every detail, willing to read a lot of forms, instructions, websites, and you have to be very organized. If forms and the process intimidate you, or if you are generally unsure of things, having an attorney is helpful as a security measure. The attorney will help you get the forms together, he'll do the filing, he'll keep track of your case, etc. The one thing an attorney can't do is speed up the process.

Some folks used an attorney, some didn't....just really depends on your own comfort level, and whether you have any skeletons in your closet (regarding the criminal or other visa issues).

Best Wishes,
Rene

mcwales

We both have no past criminal convictions or anything like that but we liked the idea of an attorney as, as you say they can help with filing and forms etc.

Was asking as not sure whether to go down that route or not?

Have any BE users used an attorney - if so would you recommend it?

Thanks for the advice!

Noorah101

You can take a look here and make some initial contact with a few, to inquire about rates and such...

www.ailalawyer.com.

Way back when I was a newbie, I didn't even know which visa to go for. I had a consultation with an immigration attorney to guide me. She suggested the K-1 route, and I went ahead and hired her. However, I found out the fee I paid was ONLY for the filing of the I-129F, and it was going to cost more to use her for the rest of the process. By that time, I had done more research and found this forum, and figured I can get through the rest on my own....which I did. So the lawyer filed the initial I-129F, but I did the rest of the K-1 process, his AOS, his removal of conditional, and his citizenship (in process now) all on my own.

Rene

jeffreyhy

mcw,

What's "better" is very subjective, depending on each individual's abilities, personality, and situation.

Having a consultation with an attorney to review the 'rules of the game' and the details of one's own particular situation is always a good idea and will help them to decide what's better for them.

Regards, JEff

ian-mstm

Be sure that when it comes to filling out forms, the attorney does it... not her/his paralegal assistant. You'll be paying big bucks... make sure it gets done right.

Regardless of whether or not you use an attorney, *you* are the one responsible for filing the right forms, on time, and completely, with all the required backup documentation. To do that properly, *you* need to know what forms to file, and when, and to have all the appropriate documentation in your hands! Your attorney isn't going to get that stuff for you.

Think about it for a moment... *you* are responsible, *you* need to get all the stuff beforehand anyway, and if the attorney makes a mistake, *you* are the one who will suffer the consequences. Sort of makes you want to do it yourself, eh?

Ian

fatbrit

Disagree! If the attorney has crappy paralegals, he'll be a crappy attorney. If the attorney has good paralegals, he'll probably be a good-un, too.

It's like insisting ONLY the doctor gives you injections for your hospital stay -- you'll be bruised all over!

jeffreyhy

fb,

I agree. You've got me thinking of our own Mr.F. If I needed an immigration attorney he's one I'd try to retain. But based on the spelling and syntax exhibited in his posts, I'd want his paralegals to be the ones who do the paperwork.

On a more serious note, I would expect my attorney to base their fee on how much time they expect to spend at the attorney rate and how much time they expect a paralegal to spend at a (lower) paralegal rate. An attorney, or any other professional service provider, who bases their fee wholly on the professional rate with the knowledge that some of the work will be performed by lower level staff is a shyster.

Regards, JEff

Rete

If the legal firm is more than just the attorney and has a paralegal on staff, then the paralegal is the one that will complete the forms from the information received from the client. The client may give that info to the atty who passes it on or give it to the paralegal during a session with the attorney. Any attorney with 1/2 a brain will hire a competent paralegal, especially if the atty only have 1/2 a brain or has a busy practice. The paralegal will cover their mistakes or point out areas that need clarification, etc.

rgnscot

hi..

i have pm'd you.. hope this helps..

aggy x

fatbrit

It certainly didn't help anyone else, did it?

Folinskyinla

Hi:

Matt Udall [email protected], sometimes participant in this forum, does nothing but marriage visas, his charges are quite reasonable, and he is a "hands on" guy -- e.g. he personally does the work.

Ray

And Prod Matt to get a web site back up again ...

fatbrit

It was probably bought by a museum.

meauxna

Too bad you already got karma'd today