Glasgow Girl

Another +1 for doing it yourself. It is very straightforward.

bigdreamslittledreams

Thanks guys, I actually have never hired an attorney for my entire immigration journey! Saved so much money but the stress was insane the form sounds easy enough.

S Folinsky

When I was in practice, I was sometimes asked if it was necessary to hire me. I would say that most people file their own applications with no problems, that I was a convenience with elements of insurance. My fees were more a matter of time spent which often exceeded perceived value. On occasion there would be issues where an attorney was a damn good idea.

By way of example, although not of record, as a military vet, I was involved in Gallarde v. INS.

bigdreamslittledreams

Good to know! We own property and have a couple of businesses, would that warrant having to hire an attorney?

Pulaski

IMO, for this purpose, and as you said you have gone through the rest of the process without using a lawyer (as did I), I would say "absolutely not".

If you ask a lawyer the same question, I think you will find a bias towards recommending use of a lawyer.

For what it's worth, and without in any way attempting to impugn the knowledge and experience of Mr Folinsky, I would point out that over the years I have been posting on BE, there have been a small number of cases of a lawyer lousing up what should have been a straightforward matter. As with other things in life, I would suggest that there is only one person alive today who is 100% invested in your health, well-being, and personal matters, and taking care of all the details.

S Folinsky

If perchance, the non-citizen registered to vote or voted, very definitely consult with an attorney. This became an important issue upon enactment in September 1996 of extensive amendments to the Immigration & Nationality Act. The first published case was McDonald v Gonzales. By the way, McDonald must be very narrowly interpreted when it comes to removal defense. DHS has discretion to not institute removal and allow naturalization to proceed. (It was former INS who defined the issue as one of Hawaii state law. Although I briefed from narrow to broad, I was asked ONE question at oral argument - can the case be decided on state law. Although I had 17 minutes left, the Court thanked me and wanted to talk to the Government).

S Folinsky

The day after I argued McDonald, I argued Bona v Gonzales. Had two published cases.

PetrifiedExPat

Once again, fully agree. Taxes are secondary to me sharing the exact same citizenship as my child.

Dizzyp

Good advice Durham_Lad! We had a phone appointment with the Social Security last week as we'd applied for Medicare but we were in their system as Non-Citizens. She just asked us to scan our passports and email them to her as proof of Citizenship. Thank goodness we didn’t have to post the passports or the Naturalization Certificate to the States since we’re in the Netherlands!

durham_lad

That was fortunate. We applied through the federal benefits bureau in the US Embassy in London and they did insist on us sending in our passports. At least that was in-country and they were actually very quick, passports returned within a week. Some weeks later we got new SS cards issued from the USA which confirmed that the SSA now had us registered in their system as US citizens.

We had similar problems while in the USA and applied for health insurance under the ACA. Even though policies are available to legal residents, regardless of citizenship, they would not proceed until we had uploaded our Naturalization certificates (US passports not acceptable) and had them verified by a person. Another different government department and another unnecessary process.

Steerpike

I paid an attorney to help me complete my application because I was too busy and never made it a priority. I downloaded the form numerous times, but never finished filling it out. On the advice of a friend, after being here for over 25 years, I ponied up the fee for an attorney and it was the fact that I'd paid the fee that motivated me to actually complete the form! I was a bit overwhelmed by the reporting requirements back in the day; I had made dozens and dozens of overseas business trips back when I first arrived, and in those days, I had to piece it together from passport stamps (often not present), credit card receipts, expense reports, etc. I was paranoid about making a mistake, and having the attorney helped calm my fears on that front! She did practically nothing, other than providing motivation and encouragment!

PetrifiedExPat

For the N400, it was so laughably easy, with no skeletons in the closet, this was one of the few forms I comfortably filed without an attorney. We used one for the GC app (my app, through marriage), and he was great (actively tried to get us not to hire him!). But, he gave us piece of mind, and that you can put no price on. The price was about ~5k inclusive of filing fees from USCIS.

Steerpike

My records suggest I paid $595 to USCIS for the citizenship application, and $1,000 to the attorney, back in 2008.

PetrifiedExPat

Mine was ~2016 (wow its been that long), I think the legal fees were ~3500, and the app ~1500. But the latter could well be a little off

bigdreamslittledreams

I have been off of here for a while! Wow! So much good information, thank you guys. One more thing, I guess if I obtain US Citizenship through naturalization am I giving up my British Citizenship? I know the U.K. recognizes dual nationality but I would the same apply here in the USA?