Immigration Lawyers

[sylinchinastill]

My lawyer was a piece of &*^$- then she moved to another firm and someone else took over our case. Maybe it's better now- but I don't know- immigration lawyers are not paid very much- probably the least for lawyers except for DAs or something- so maybe that is why- but I have heard there are some good ones- I just wasn't fortunate enough to pick the right one.

[hayuesen]

I'm happy to hear that many of you have found success with a lawyer. All I got for my money was a bunch of BS and a 3-4 month delay because she didnt know what she was talking about. I will deal with her after I get my SO over here. As far as the lawyer is concerned, she hasnt even contacted me in 4 months. The last contact I had with her, she said she didnt know what the problem was and said she couldnt help me anymore. She said that only my Senator could help me. I'll be sure to post her name AFTER my SO is over here. Then I will report her to every possible venue. I cant even think about it.......to think there are so many willing to exploit our situation just pisses me off. I lived in China for long enough to know I dont have any recourse when it comes to being wronged over there, but I will have the last word on this side of the pond!

[cosmiclobster]

Cosmiclobster

I consider $1500.00 a small expense to insure that the process is completed professionally without any oversights on my part. That is true many people get white slips without using an attorney, but how many of the few that are having problems that I read about on CFL could have been avoided. If it is even one out of one hundred then that is sufificient for me to go the extra step, It doesn't hurt.  Getting Li Lei to the USA has been a big investment of time and money for me. I don't consider another $1500 to be out of line considering how important she is to me.

Roger and Trigg - Thanks for your comments. I did not mean to be offensive, only helpful.

 

My point was that it doesn't matter if you spent $1500 or $15,000. As you say, you might be the "one in a hundred" case where the lawyer catches something you've missed. OR, you could be like sylinchinastill or hayuesen or many other lawyer horror stories from CFL where their case was hindered and delayed by their lawyer.

 

My recommendation is to find out as much as you can about the visa process and stay on top of your case, lawyer or not!

[perryf]

I'm extremely happy I spent the money. I'm not even sure if the folks I've used are lawyers. But they are Chinese and they have helped me numerous times.

 

Whenever Fanny needed to do something, Jessie called her and stepped her thru the process. Jessie also talked to Fanny several times on personal issues with Fanny to reassure her. That alone was incredibly helpful. It meant a lot from Fanny to hear some things from another Chinese person.

 

PF

[tonado]

I'm extremely happy I spent the money.  I'm not even sure if the folks I've used are lawyers.  But they are Chinese and they have helped me numerous times.  

 

Whenever Fanny needed to do something, Jessie called her and stepped her thru the process.  Jessie also talked to Fanny several times on personal issues with Fanny to reassure her.  That alone was incredibly helpful.  It meant a lot from Fanny to hear some things from another Chinese person.

 

PF

When I was starting the K1 process, there were some Chinese-Americans (who were not lawyers working in Boston Chinatown) who offered to do the paperwork for $300. At that time, I thought that was a lot of money. And now I find out that lawyers charge 5 times as much. It is definitely easier a few years ago to do the K1 visa (reading about the blue slips lately).

[david_dawei]

I used a VISA service (K1K3 Visas) to prepare my I-129F submission... at the time, I did not know CFL or anything. I'm glad I did it. Although their work very hard, I did get an RFE and then I caught a problem this was going to raise (which they did not pick up on).

 

But again, they worked quickly and efficiently with me. Also, they offer to help you through the process and also offer services for the Adjustment of status. I figured that if anyone is willing to help out through the process that far, then they are not going to duck out at any point.

 

Also, I've asked them questions for a friends visa and they answer promptly.

[warpedbored]

About 83% do the paperwork themselves without the aid of a lawyer. The vast majority get visas. I don't believe having a lawyer reduces your chances of getting a blue slip. It could however reduce the chances of getting a RFE. It is a shame that the USCIS or whatever they call themselves this month have made the process of such a simple thing complicated that anyone feels the need for a lawyer. Generally I don't recommend a lawyer unless there are extenuating circumstances. In GZ I recommend King. Matt Udal does know his stuff. He is a little full of himself but I doubt anyone knows the K-visa process better. The choice is yours but as others have said hiring a lawyer should"t buy you complacency. You still need to watch over their shoulder for mistakes. I have read of several cases where incompetent lawyers have cost petitioners months of delay.

[jgrier5]

We didn't spring for an attorney. The visa process is administrative/procedural and does not require any knowledge of substantive immigration law, unless you have unique circumstances.

 

Save your money for your honeymoon! Take it from me as an attorney-in-training.

[James]

Vivan Wang in California was able to help me in a paid telephone consultation -- $75 I think it was -- regarding a specific issue I needed help with. Well worth it -- her knowledge of China-specific issues seems to be impressive.

And she can speak Mandarin, so I had her talk to my wife, too. So I think she would be good for anyone with a Chinese SO.

I think a lot of immigration lawyers only know about Mexico. Vivian Wang's Web site says one of her specialties, or sub-specialties, is K1 visas involving Chinese people.

[Jason+Joanna]

Vivan Wang in California was able to help me in a paid telephone consultation -- $75 I think it was -- regarding a specific issue I needed help with.  Well worth it -- her knowledge of China-specific issues seems to be impressive. 

And she can speak Mandarin, so I had her talk to my wife, too.  So I think she would be good for anyone with a Chinese SO. 

I think a lot of immigration lawyers only know about Mexico.  Vivian Wang's Web site says one of her specialties, or sub-specialties, is K1 visas involving Chinese people.

That is who I am using. I am very impressed. The petition is chugging along at a very nice rate, and I owe it to her.