Getting Started

[jamin55]

Hi anyone.

I have a fiance in ShenZhen, China. We just met in early November.

We would like to be together.

We don't care where we get married in China or the U.S.A. Whatever process is easyiest, fastest and most efficent.

I am very good at filling out forms and such. I can be very miticulus.

I reside in Washington State. But am now in California.

In anyone's opinion should I hire an immigration attorney?

I have heard alot of horrible stories about trying this process yourself. Especially in China.

I've been spending alot of money over this. But more would not bother me if it is "Really worth it" to hire an immigration attorney to be united with my fiance. ------Thank you very much for any opinions---Ben S.

[yuehan123]

Yes, you can do it yourself.

Welcome to Candle!

 

In fact, you and your SO will fill out all the forms anyway and then give them to the lawyer who may process them ever so slowly. Finally, in a lot of cases, the lawyer can not help you so much. The government holds all the cards. Save your money, read all the FAQs and forums here and do it yourself.

 

If you go the other route, consider a Chinese speaking lawyer who can help your SO directly.

Edited January 11, 2006 by yuehan123 (see edit history)

[jamin55]

Yes, you can do it yourself. 

Welcome to Candle! 

 

In fact, you and your SO will fill out all the forms anyway and then give them to the lawyer who may process them ever so slowly.  Finally, in a lot of cases, the lawyer can not help you so much.  The government holds all the cards.  Save your money, read all the FAQs and forums here and do it yourself. 

 

If you go the other route, consider a Chinese speaking lawyer who can help your SO directly.

181332[/snapback]

Thank you, YUEHEN for your reply and welcome.

I hear the K1 fiance visa will get her here faster than the K3 process.

Yet my fiance in ShenZhen is worried. She heard that it is difficult for a Chinese lady to get a fiance visa. Since we don't want to fail she suggeset we get married when I go back to China in early March.

Any opinions on that?

Thanks a million again-----------Ben

[Randy W]

It seems to me that about half the people here who have hired lawyers swear buy them. The other half swear at them.

 

The K1 and K3 processes are similar, but the K3 application tends to get more scrutiny, and so take longer on average. Check out various timelines here.

 

Good luck and welcome to candle.

[ameriken]

For me, the money I saved by NOT getting an attorney paid for another trip to visit my SO, which was more important.

 

As far as the process, K1 all the way, and yes, absolutely you can do it yourself. There is enough information on CFL that you really do not need an attorney, and can do the entire process yourself.

 

Welcome to CFL and good luck !

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

Welcome to Candle. First and foremost, be patient. Well, at least try. Then, consider going K1. That is a fiance visa:

 

see...

 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?pg=k1guide

 

and...

 

Marriage and Fiance Visa

[johnxiaoying]

If you have plenty of time to engulf yourself in this process before and after you go to China then an attorney is a waste of money. As previously stated you will end up filling out all the forms yourself. The attorney will (maybe) check that everything needed is there, assemble the packet in order and put a cover letter on top of it. That's about all my attorney did and he made one screw up which I caught while proof reading my copy at his office.

 

All the information you need is available here on CFL.

 

K1 is faster over a K3 in China. You have another option that is fairly quick, get married in Hong Kong and the Visa process will go through the US Embassy in Hong Kong. Quite a bit faster than the K3 process through Guangzhou.

 

Good luck and welcome to Candle.

[chef4u]

Jamin55...First and foremost welcome to CFL!! In reference to your question should I or should I not hire an attorney. I first hire an attorney and later found out that I was educating them. Examples statement from the attorney was, "We will file at the American Embassy in Beijing and you will be with your love one in about 4-6 months. If you spend any time on this site, you will learn thsat those are inaccurate statements. However, there are good lawyers and bad ones. So I suggest research very carefully the lawyer you hire. Be sure thay have done immigration work in China, - not Russia, South America, Thailand or any other country other than China experiences. What I did is I found a paralegal in Nanning, China who came highly recommended. He was hired by several American immigration lawyers to assist in their clients cases. These cases were for K-1 and K-3 with or with out children. Anyway, I think he has been on his own now for about five years helping westerners and Chinese womaen with the whole visa process from start to finish. We are going the K-1 route and he charges $300.00 for that visa and $100.00 for a child. A K-3 visa he charges $500.00 and the same for a minor. We like him because he is very honest, sincere and hard working. Most important he gets the job done. Finally, if my SO or I have any questions he is always available by email or phone. He is Chinese so he understands obviously the culture and most important putting your SO at ease. Although he lives in Nanning, he does work through out China for the same prices. If you or your SO are interested in him, his contact info is as follows: Mr. Roger Lin email: rogerchina@yahoo.com.cn PH# is in China 13788117988 or calling from the US 011-86-13788117988. Anyway, the other option of course is to do it yourself and as you have already read many members go either way. Good Luck and much happiness to both of you!!

[jemmyell]

Hello,

 

If you hire someone in China, be VERY careful. I personally believe that a large amout of the 'third party' communications are 'visa helpers' (not attorneys) who have not been 'paid enough'

 

-James

[rosyanne]

Of course you can!

Fill out the forms and keep tracking them... thats about it!

[ameriken]

The difficulty with this process has not necessarily been completing the paperwork, it is the waiting and wondering. The wait and wonder can be good or bad no matter who did the paperwork.

Skip the attorney.

[Michael and Manyun]

Hello

 

The first thing I did was to visit an immigration lawyer. I did not hear anything from her that I could not do myself. I put together my packet as suggested both on CFL and VisaJourney. Being the obsessively meticulous sort (read:anal-oriented Engineer), I believe that I put together one heck of a packet, as evidenced by the fact that I received the NOA1 and the NOA2 within the same month.

 

In my humble opinion, if you become familiar with the procedures, read everything on the US Embassy, Homeland Security, USCIS and GUZ sites, you have nothing to fear but fear itself (I think I heard that somewhere).

 

I am confident that we will prevail on our own without lining the pockets of immigration attourneys who are going to take what I do, and drop everything in the mail themselves. Again, my opinion. The important thing is that you feel comfortable with what you believe is the best route for you.

 

I have decided to "split the difference" between the submission of the K-1 application and the "anticipated" interview by visiting my SO during late April/early May. I understand that Nanning weather is ideal during this time. When I was there late September/early October last year, I never stopped sweating. Perhaps being from Michigan had something to do with that, huh?

 

Mike

[david_dawei]

Welcome to CFL...

 

Do it yourself.. you'll get all the free advice you need here...

[frank1538]

Welcome to CFL, your one-stop shop for all your Chinese visa needs. The collective wisdom on this board will rival any lawyer, provided you know how to sift through the information. Whether to hire a lawyer turns on on comfortable you are with doing the process yourself (most people can do it) and how comfortable you are with the lawyer. The consulate, more so than USCIS, tends to change its procedures, and the current posts here at CFL often give a heads up in advance. Besides. if you hire a lawyer, you'll have to provide all the factual information and documents anyway, so you're really paying for a second set of eyes unless something out of the ordinary pops up.

 

I agree with jemmyell that using a Chinese service to help with the process is fraught with danger unless you or your SO personally knows the reputation of the individual.

 

Good luck with the process and glad to have you aboard for the next year or so.

[m-coon]

Welcome........

 

In my case I hired an attorney (in California - I'm in Florida) because in the beginning I did not know CFL existed - and I had been told by many people this was strongly advised.

 

Anyway, I found that I seemed to know more about the process than he did! Plus he made one huge mistake that cost my wife and extra trip to GUZ and cost me about $500!

 

Use an atorney if you do not feel comfortable with doing this yourself or if it makes you feel better having somebody else responsible. But check around and use one that has a good reputation and success rate.

 

An attorney will be an asset if you run into problems - so keep this in mind also when you make the decision. You never know how your individual case will go in the later stages.

 

And no matter how good CFL members are - they are not attorneys (except King) so they cannot give you legal advise. If you ever need the legal advise - it will be there for your asking.

 

If I did this again - I think I still would use an attorney - just a different one!!!

 

Scott