BexandAlan

Hello Everyone

Thank you in advance for any support or advice you can offer us, we appreciate as much help as possible.

I am a Uk citizen and my fiancé is an American, we have recently gotten engaged and plan to start the K1 visa process as soon as possible. The process is so daunting and although I have read just about everything I can find on the matter, I've only managed to confuse myself further. I'm due to graduate in 5 months time so have a lot of work to do - including my 12,000 word dissertation.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend an attorney that they have had a good experience with. I understand that it wont make the process any faster but it might take a lot of the weight off my shoulders. Plus I don't fancy having to fill the same forms out time after time because I've made silly mistakes from being so nervous. There are plenty of firms that come up on Google but I don't know who I can trust and would be much happier using a firm that have been tried and recommended.

We might decide that we can go it alone but I'm totally stressed already and we haven't sent anything in yet!!!

Thanks again to anyone who can shed some light on this for us.

Becky and Alan

ian-mstm

Slow down... take one step at a time and get a handle on what you need to do *first*. Don't worry about what comes afterwards until you've tackled the first step in the process.

Perhaps this will set your mind at ease... *you* don't send in anything yet. To get the ball rolling, your USC fiance submits form I-129F and some other stuff. Eventually, it makes its way to London... and then you complete a short checklist and have an interview.

Getting the K-1 is the easiest part of the process... and you really don't have much work to do with this part of it. Once you're in the US (having graduated) you'll have the time and wherewithal to help your (then) USC husband to complete the more important/stringent part of the process as you adjust your status from K-1 beneficiary to Permanent Resident.

That said, many of us here - me included - successfully navigated the immigration process with no help from an attorney. By all means, if using an attorney will help you sleep better at night, go for it. Start at www.aila.org if you want to start... but be prepared to pay!

Ian

BexandAlan

Thanks for your reply Ian. Your right I am Bex - Alan doesn't get stressed about anything, which means I have to do enough for the both of us. I had convinced myself that together we could probably get through the process but then we hear horror stories about forms being repeatedly sent back, its hard to know exactly what they want you to send until they write back to you and tell you its missing.

I think maybe i need to spend a little more time reading about success stories such as your own on here to get an idea of all the additional things we need to send. I'm waiting back on quotes from some local attorneys but the process is so expensive already I think it would be better if we can just gain the confidence to tackle it ourselves. Congrats on doing it yourselves. It just seems like such a big mission at the moment.

Thanx again,

Bex

ian-mstm

For every horror story you hear about, there are literally thousands of success stories. They, however, are not newsworthy... so the media doesn't bother with them.


Let me make note of the fact that you now have the help of the good people in this forum... and we know exactly what you're going through. Feel free to ask for help if you have any questions or concerns... we also benefit from an experienced immigration attorney who posts here on a regular basis. His responses are very general in nature... but the rest of us can help interpret his (sometimes) cryptic responses!

Ian

Folinskyinla

Hi:

Your reason for having an attorney is just fine. I'm amused that no one seems to object to people going to tax preparers to do their income tax when all they have is wage earner [W-2] income and no real deductions. But when it comes to immigration, people will advise "do not get an attorney."


You may want to contact Matt Udall -- [email protected]

Marriage based visas are all he does and he is quite reasonable.

Rete

You can contact the American Immigration Lawyers Association for a referral in your area. Their site is: www.aila.org

unicorndreams

Good Luck. Im just another who successfully managed the paperwork without any lawyer.
Like someone else said, one step at a time.
It goes fast and I am now a US citizen ( 1 1/2 years ) after beginning the K1 in Nov 2001
Take care.

Just Jenney

Bex, I can totally relate to your situation. You sound very much like I was/am in regards to Mark's immigration: If I didn't do it, it would eventually get done, but not without a lot of foot-dragging on his part and major stress on my part! Even now, Mark's in the processing of obtaining his US citizenship, but I prepared his entire application for him; all he did was sign the forms and get his photos taken, and only after A LOT of prodding!

So when we were going through the K1 process (2002-03), I joined this group here and learned as much as I could. Some of the people who helped me back there are still here now, responding to your thread. We couldn't afford a lawyer but ultimately it worked out fine. Mark and I had a straightforward case -- no criminal records, no medical issues, no previous immigration violations, no children involved, etc. -- so with the help of these fine people here, I was able to navigate everything without the use of a lawyer.

I suggest doing what you can now in advance to help smooth along the process later -- not only with your K1 but also later on as well:

• Purchase an expanding file case to keep all of your immigration-related documents in, like this one. You might encourage Alan to buy one as well.
  
• Obtain 2-3 official copies (2-3) of your long-form birth certificate now. Alan won't need one for the I-129F petition but should you need them for something else later, you'll be glad you obtained them in the UK before emigrating to the States!
  
• Send away for your police certificate now (it takes about 6 weeks to process, and is good for one year -- unless someone else can correct me on that). If you've lived in any other countries after the age of 16, you'll need police certificates from those countries as well.
  
• Go to your GP and get all of your vaccinations updated before your visa medical exam, and/or a letter or something signed by your doctor which indicates your vaccination history. This can possibly save you $$$ down the road.
  
• Get a bunch of passport photos taken now; these are more expensive to get in the US, so if you don't change your appearance much, it's worth getting them now.
  
• Collect photos, boarding passes, receipts, etc that Alan can submit with the I-129F petition which prove that you have been together in person within the past two years. He does NOT have to submit originals, so I recommend making two photocopies of each item and sending both photocopies to Alan. He'll submit one photocopy with the petition, and keep one as a back-up.
  
• Complete and sign your G325A form and send to Alan to submit with the I-129F petition. Since this is an original document, it's a good idea to do two of them and send both to Alan, just in case.
  
• Create your "Statement of Intent to Marry" and sign it, and create one for Alan to sign as well, then send both to him. (Again, I recommend sending Alan two originals.)
• Do a Google search and give Alan the link to where he can obtain certified copies of his birth certificate from the state he was born in; it's good to have 2-3 of these on hand. If either of you has previously been divorced, you'll need your divorce decree as well, FYI.

I'm sure there are some other things to mention but my brain hasn't finished waking up yet today. My major point is, DON'T FRET! The London Embassy is known for being a good one to go through, and if you have a straightforward case you should be fine.

~ Jenney

meauxna

Why can't Alan be the lead person on the paperwork? *Because* he doesn't get stressed?
Being stressed over the visa process is not a requirement.

The expense isn't really the issue. If you find someone to work with in whom you have confidence, and you have other things to devote yourselves to, then it's paying for a service like any other. I think the problems that a lot of people have with "immigration" attorneys is that they don't hire someone who specializes in the right type of case. You got a really good recommendation here for someone who does this type of case almost exclusively and doesn't have the track record of the kinds of errors you're concerned about.

Most of us here did it ourselves, but we're clearly a personality 'type' and we have other qualities in common that led us there. The people who hire a lawyer to do their paperwork are obviously busy elsewhere!

BexandAlan

Thank you so much to everyone who has replied to my post. I think we are going to give it a shot ourselves and see how it goes. I just need to get myself organised, I'm never going to be less 'stressy' but it doesn't have to be completely a bad thing. Plus it does seem like a lot of waiting around so I can get on with my papers then

Take care everyone and thanks again.

Bex

meauxna

Whether or not you use a lawyer, you should be familiar with the process so you can keep tabs on your own case as well.
These two links might be useful to you; they provide links to the relevant USCIS and DOS pages you'll be using.

K1 Visa Flowchart

GUIDELINES FOR THE FILING OF THE 1-129F PETITION FOR A FIANCE(E) BY A US CITIZEN

SueM

Hi Bex
There is a lot of good advise here from people. I did use an Attorney infact my hubby retained one before I arrived in the USA.
It cost us roughly about $6000 (3000 quid) from start to finish and I obtained my green card in about 9 months.
If you do use the Attorney route please do use the referral service because you can check references from actual clients. Jim, my Attorney retired years ago and sold his practice so I can't vouch for it now.

Hope this helps.
Sue

ian-mstm

All those who are totally anal retentive... raise your hand! <up goes mine>

Ian

Noorah101

*** holding up both hands *** LOL

SueM