Immigration Attorneys

[bags]

Can anyone recommend an immigration attorney for a fiancee visa?

 

Thanks!!!

[Guest DragonFlower]

Be very,very careful!!!!!!!

 

Get references.

 

Find somebody who mainly works in China.

 

Somebody Chinese or with Chinese staff.

 

DECIDE--Do I really NEED a lawyer?

 

 

Been there,not a happy camper.

 

long

[se_lang]

Ask questions here about how to do stuff an save your money for an extra trip to visit.

[Mengxin]

Unless you absolutely need one, don't do it. You have got all the support and guidance you need right here at Candle. ....Welcome.

Little did I know when I hired him, that he didn't know much more than I did about the immigration proccess. There is years and years of experiance on this board from many members sharing information.

 

You start by filling out the I-129F.

 

Here's some information to get you started.

 

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-129f.htm

 

http://www.visajourney.com/faq/k1faq.htm

 

http://www.visajourney.com/faq/index.htm#step%201

 

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/ty...es_1315.html#4a

 

There is a lot of information about putting the I-129F package together and the whole process can be intimidating when you get started. After you get started you'll see what I mean.

 

Or get a quote from a lawyer and I'll help you do it for the half price.... kidding.

[Carl]

This is an outstanding forum that can answer any questions you might ask a lawyer, and the answers you get all come from practical experience and actual results. You can save yourself a large amount of money better spent on you and your SO instead of lining the pocket of a lawyer who could really care less if it is approved or not

[Phil & Ningning]

Ditto the other's replies. The money I wasted on a lawyer before I found the candle could easily have funded another trip to see my girl during the long, long wait.

The whole thing has gone smoothly so far, so I cannot say that he did anything wrong, but I also cannot say he has been any benefit either. Every time I call his office, I already know more than he does about my case.

Consider yourself lucky. This is the best information for k1-4 visas out there, and you found it before wasting your money.

[kfman]

Can I send you a complete copy of my case... put the initials esq after my name, and charge a couple of grand? Seems easy enough for me...

[johnxiaoying]

DITTO, DITTO, DITTO.......................Unless you have money to burn and can find the best forgot the attorney.

[bobmal99]

I agree, If you can read and write you do not need a Lawyer. It is a pretty easy process, although at first it does not seem so. Save your money, DIY!!!

[lele]

I would ONLY recommend obtaining a lawyer if there is a KNOWN problem. If she, for example, has been in prison before, or if you were involved in moral turpitude, or something like that. Or, if the case is rejected and sent back to the US. In these cases and a few other distinct ones (previously in the states, say on an F1 student visa, but overstayed), it is worthwhile obtaining a lawyer. However, in general, I would save the money and not do it.

 

Good Luck!

[Jim - Portland, USA]

Regarding immigration lawyers for K-1 visas, it seems to me that lawyers are more than a waste of money. They are also a waste of time. I've read lots of posts about lawyers sitting on paperwork for long periods of time, making mistakes on the paperwork which later has to be corrected (or cause problems if already submitted), even stories of lawyers giving flat out wrong answers. Lawyers are great for confirming with you that you indeed spelled your name correctly. Beyond that??

 

We never hired a lawyer, and we never had any problems of any kind. Doing it yourself saves money and perhaps more preciously, saves time.

 

As mentioned above, if you can read and write, and if you want it done right, then do it yourself (if you are just starting out). If you run into any huge problems along the way, then maybe a lawyer might be necessary.

[frank1538]

I would ONLY recommend obtaining a lawyer if there is a KNOWN problem.  If she, for example, has been in prison before, or if you were involved in moral turpitude, or something like that.  Or, if the case is rejected and sent back to the US.  In these cases and a few other distinct ones (previously in the states, say on an F1 student visa, but overstayed), it is worthwhile obtaining a lawyer.  However, in general, I would save the money and not do it.

 

Good Luck!

lele has it right. If you hire a lawyer for the "normal" processing, you'll end up gathering all the information anyway, giving it to the lawyer who will have an assistant type it on the forms for you to sign. Of course, before you sign, you'll have to double check everything, including typos. Why pay someone to do this? You might as well just go ahead and put the information on the forms yourself. I think there's enough expertise here at CFL to put most lawyers to shame.

 

Having said that, I will tell you that I hired a lawyer from China and practicing in Atlanta. Her prices were reasonable, and she was helpful in advising me on what documentation to include with the I-129f. Of course, this was before I joined CFL where I could have gotten the information for free. My thinking at the time was also that she could be helpful if I had a problem with GZ. Turns out I didn't really need her services.

[Jeikun]

I hired a lawyer just before I found CFL. Looking back, he was helpful, but any thing he told me I could have found by scouring posts here.

 

One thing that still makes me cling to being glad I did: I and my father (cosponsor) Sponsored and cosponsored the I-864 for my ex wife. We divorced before the interview, she moved on to apply for and recieve a work visa and has since returned to Japan. The I-864 never went into effect, and we are under no obligation... BUT the I-134 doesn't ask that! It only asks "Have you ever, who, and when"? I can see a VO looking at that and thinking "Oh, they are also still obligated to someone else." From the financial perspective, even if we were our income is more than sufficient... as a matter of fact, if the interview had come in February, I wouldn't even need a co-sponsor. But the interview is so subjective... who knows what the VO will think/do? I like having the lawyer in the wings just in case an appeal needs to be filed ASAP.

 

If it turns out I hired him for nothing... GOOD. But if I do need him, he's there, already up on my case, etc etc...

[yyp]

I used an attorney office which deals primarily with Chinese visas and they provide excellent services.

 

I highly recommend this office for anyone who needs an attorney familiar with the visa process from China.

 

P.S. They speak Chinese which would come in handy ff they need to speak with anyone in China who does not have a command of English.

 

http://www.peterchu.com/

[carhil24]

If it turns out I hired him for nothing... GOOD.  But if I do need him, he's there, already up on my case, etc etc...

Hello all,

I usually don't have much time to respond to posts, but I thought I would weigh in on this one and one other as well. Hiring a lawyer for this process is a lot like having enough life, home, or car insurance. If you have enough money and can afford it, why not have the extra, JUST IN CASE! Why not have the peace of mind if you can afford it? I hired an immigration attorney for this very reason (also, Candle was not around when I began the process), and I was very satisfied with the results. In hindsight, is it necessary? Of course not, but if I were to do it again, I would do it exactly the same way. Here are the reasons why:

 

1. Unless you have a lot of free time, it takes a lot of your time (either on your own, or asking questions at Candle), trying to make heads and tails out of all of the required Forms. It is true that you still have to collect the necessary information, but for me the process was so much smoother and easier because my attorney told me exactly what to collect and how to organize it.

 

2. I still believe to this day, that there is a credibility factor involved when a VO at GZ sees the Power of Attorney Form on the very top of the stack of forms during the interview. And although hiring an attorney does not necessarily mean that the application is a fraud or sham, it does lessen the chances of it being so, as not very many people want to shell out an additional $2000 for a sham.

 

3. Now, what I am going to say next, I have absolutely no proof for, other than the word of a DOS employee, who, if I even gave you his initials, would be remembered by those of us who were around during the Black Hole days. I believe I was one of the first people to come in contact with him during those days, and he wasn't actually even supposed to be involved with this process, but was temporarily assigned due to the overwhelming backlog of applications due to the newly-enacted Security Check requirement. And because GZ screwed up and had never forwarded my fiancee's name for 4 months, it was this DOS employee who single-handedly helped us correct the problem, and actually complete the process in approximately 11 months, even though we had lost 4 months. And remember, this was during the time of the Black Hole when it wasn't uncommon for applications to take well over a year to process. It was through my lawyer that I was able to contact this gentleman, and this gentleman in turn had a "friend" who just happened to be a VO in GZ. And through the efforts of these three individuals, we had the visa less than 6 weeks after the problem was solved. That was 6 weeks from the beginning of the Security Check to receiving the Visa, which was extremely fast at that time. And I was told during a phone call with the DOS person involved, was that by having an immigration attorney, they would be able to expedite the process, "because the VO's don't look at the applications as thoroughly if an immigration attorney is being used, as opposed to none." Is this true? No one can say for sure, and no one will even admit to this if you asked them, especially anyone at DOS. However, I have been noticing a few posts stating that some of you believe that the decision has already been made before the interview, which may or may not be true. But if it is true, this could be the one item that swings the determination in your favor. Again, it is just extra insurance.

 

4. Also, I may be wrong, but I don't ever remember seeing a post from someone who has been "blue-slipped" by GZ, and had used an Immigration Attorney for the process. It may have happened, but I don't remember it. And if it did, it was not with the Attorneys that I used. Before I give you their names, I also want to mention that one of the partners (there are two) has a Chinese wife, and went through the process several years ago, and is well aware of all of the challenges involved with GZ. In fact, he recently informed me that out of all of the Consulates they deal with, GZ is the only Consulate that still routinely turns down K-3 visa requests. He said that most other Consulates really try not to turn down the marriage visas, but that GZ doesn't have a problem doing so. Also, the VO's in GZ are aware of these attorneys (this according to both my attorney and the "friend" of the DOS employee I mentioned above), and occasionally even refer clients to them from the consulate. That being said, I would also like to inform you that I have spoken with one of the partners today, and through today, they have yet to have a single K-1 or K-3 visa turned down. Again, insurance! When the other partner told me that almost 3 years ago, that sealed the deal for me, because I just didn't want the headaches and uncertainties that were part of the process during those times. I wanted it done, and done accurately and quickly!

 

5. So, if you have the money, and can afford to do so, I would highly recommend you contact them. Their website can be found at www.fianceevisas.com. Their phone number is 858-483-0300. They are located in So. Calif. And maybe after the process is over, you might feel that it was a waste of money, but you know what, I feel that way quite often when I pay my house, car or life insurance bills, and have yet to collect anything from them. But they do give you a feeling of security, and speaking of security, it might even help your fiancee feel more secure about the fact that you are serious about this process, and are not just playing games with her (or him). I have read many posts regarding our own insecurities with this process, but you need to realize that they, too have their own insecurities as well, and if you know anything about the Chinese culture, you will realize that most Chinese women value security above love when it comes to relationships. But that's another whole discussion.

 

6. In addition to that, they will help you all the way through the AOS process up to and including the Citizenship requirements, if necessary. And although I have only called them once or twice since my wife arrived, they have always been more than willing to answer any questions I had. Again, just an additional benefit that you may or may not be interested in.

 

7. Now, one other thing I would like to say. If finances are tight, and it is a choice between using an Immigration Attorney, or you being present at the interview (in GZ at least), then by all means, make the trip to the interview. I have mentioned this a long time ago, but the questions posed to my fiancee came to a complete stop when after asking her if I had ever been to China, she replied, "Yes, 3 times before, and he is here now?" The VO replied, "He is here now?" She said, "Yes, and here is his passport." The VO said, "OK, case approved. You can pick up your visa tomorrow afternoon," and proceeded to stamp the paperwork. This is no exaggeration. He did not look at any of the supporting evidence she had brought, and she had literally brought a bag full. So, the question remains, did we have no problems with the interview because of the Power of Attorney on the first page of the paperwork (the decision was pre-determined) or was it because I was waiting there for her outside of the Consulate. We will never know, but if I had to choose, it would be to be present at the interview. If you can afford to do both, and it make you feel a lot more comfortable about doing it, by all means do so. But if you have to choose, I would recommend being there with your fiancee/wife.

 

I apologize for being so long-winded, that's why I don't post much anymore. If they would give us blue thinggies for the amount of words per post, I would probably be up their near the top!

 

BTW, I just want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and for those of you who are in the same boat as the person who just returned back to the States without his fiancee, we were that couple several times, a couple of years ago, but it is all a distant memory now, and we are together and loving life, and looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together!

 

Also, I just want to ensure that everyone knows that I am not an Immigration Attorney, nor will I receive any kickback from this post!