hcj1440

Hi, we're in San Francisco too. I don't think you're necessarily looking for recommendations but I figured I'll post them anyway, just ignore this if it's not useful to you.

A San Francisco firm called Fallon, Bixby, Cheng & Lee handled our paperwork and we were pretty satisfied with their service. Specifically, they answered/returned our calls promptly, filed everything correctly, seemed to be quite knowledgeable about not just immigration in general but also the SF district office, and forwarded any correspondence from the USCIS to us in a timely manner. They do seem to charge a bit more than a lot of others though. The lawyer who handled our case has since moved onto being a trial lawyer for the USCIS, otherwise I would give you his name as well.

http://www.fbcl-visa.com/

Ms. Charina Garcia of Cornerstone Law Group was also recommended to us, though I have not personally met or worked with her. She used to work at Fallon Bixby et al.

http://www.cornerlaw.com/garcia.html

Folinskyinla

Hi:

You said you wanted to adjust "from F-1 student status." You wouldn't happen to be in removal proceedings before the Immigration Court?

I did NOT say you would not have a "fraud interview" -- assuming you are not in removal proceedings, you would have ONE interview for the combined AOS/I-130 and if they were not satisified, THEN you might have a fraud interview.

If you are in removal proceedings, then its a different ball game.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

The person I call for advice on San Francisco CIS is Angela Bean at www.beancard.com.

For certified specialists you can look at http://www.calsb.org/ls/lscounty.htm.

Remember to look at counties other than San Francisco -- e.g. Alameda, Marin, San Mateo and Santa Clara.

Good luck.

ChrisHM

He did have a sign saying "Enviar dinero a Mexico", apparently charging people $10 for sending $1000 to Mexico. All the customers were Mexicans who barely spoke English and the lawyer's 2 secretaries were Mexicans. One of the girls got my name misspelled 3 times, as incredible as this sounds. This lawyer charges about 20% less than the ones I'm sure will do a great job. I guess I have to hire one of the other guys, otherwise I risk having my case messed up big time.

I found the following link on the web:

http://www.immiseek.com/empty2.php?content=f12aos

Does this describe more closely the actual process of adjusting status from F-1 to permanent residency?

Chris

ChrisHM

I'm not in "removal proceedings" or anything of the sort. I've never violated any US laws and I've been a law-abiding citizen not only here but back home as well. I'm a full time student and I have a valid student visa until August 2006. However, my I-94 says "D/S" which means I'm legal as long as I'm a full-time student. So, since I'm graduating in March 2005, I'll be out of status very soon after my graduation date. I think USCIS gives 1 month or so grace period after the student has graduated.

So that's why I was very shocked when the lawyer told me that the "fraud interview" is before the AOS interview. I've read lots of posts here and I never saw anything confirming what this guy told me. Maybe he's not really specializing in marriage-based immigration and that's why he provided me with the wrong info? Who knows... I'm glad I got my money back and I plan on hiring someone else to process my paperwork.

Chris

Folinskyinla

Hi:

The grace period for D/S F-1's is 60 days FWIW.

Andrew DeFaria

ChrisHM wrote:

    > So that's why I was very shocked when the lawyer told me that the
    > "fraud interview" is before the AOS interview. I've read lots of posts
    > here and I never saw anything confirming what this guy told me. Maybe
    > he's not really specializing in marriage-based immigration and that's
    > why he provided me with the wrong info? Who knows... I'm glad I got my
    > money back and I plan on hiring someone else to process my paperwork.

It's not called a fraud interview it's called an adjustment of status
interview and everybody adjusting status through a marriage based visa
goes through it. One of the things it is designed for it to insure the
marriage is bona fide. 200 questions? No. Just as many questions are
they need.

--
I'm as confused as a baby in a topless bar.

Maryanne Kehoe

SIskind Susser sounds familiar....wern't they receently in the news for
something? Or an article in Forbes within the past several weeks?




Re: Marriage Fraud interview - questions

Group: alt.visa.us.marriage-based Date: Mon, Nov 29, 2004, 2:14am
(EST+5) From: member32685@british_expats.com (ChrisHM)
Hi:
You don't say where you are. I'm an immigration lawyer who has been
doing this stuff for longer that I care to state and I'm scratching my
head.
You may want to consult with another lawyer.
As a side thought -- are you sure the person you talked to is a licensed
attorney? All too often, when I hear things like this, the "lawyer"
turns out to be a "broker", "notario", "consultant" or some such ilk.
Good luck.
I'm in the Bay Area and the lawyer who told me this has his bio at the
following website: http://www.visalaw.com/lubarsky.html
He looks legit and he has a certificate from AILA, I think he's a member
of AILA. I just fired him today and had him refund my money. I'll hire
another lawyer in San Francisco, he'll charge me more but I think he's
more reliable.
So, no "fraud interview", eh?
Chris
--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com

CaliforniaBride

I just checked out the link and found this guy http://www.eimmigration.org/successes.html

Not a recommendation, just an observation. Sounds like a miracle worker!