My husband and I got married a month ago, he is a Kenyan Citizen here on an F-1 Student Visa, I am a US citizen. He has a social security card and drivers liscense. We had a consultation with a lawyer about applying for residency and of course he reccommended we use his services but he wants $1,500 and thats a lot of money for us. He told us many horror stories about people applying on their own. My question is should we use a lawyer? Also, if you send a form in and they send it back because of a mistake, do you have to pay the fee again when you send the corrected form back? Is it really that complicated to do this on our own? Thanks for any help or information you can give me.
2007-03-13 10:01:48 · 6 answers · asked by v_rudacille 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Immigration
I am familiar with attorney's fees for this type of case and $1500 for both a Petition for Alien Relative and an Adjustment of Status is very cheap if it really is an attorney working on the case. So cheap that I would be suspicious.
Technically, you do not need a lawyer for this type of petition/application. It is pretty straighforward and there is lots of information both on the forms themselves and on the USCIS website.
I would definitely get an attorney if either of you has prior marriages and/or children or if he has any kind of criminal record. An attorney will be able to discuss potential issues of inadmissibility and prepare you for a difficult interview.
The fees you pay to USCIS are "used" if the application is adjudicated or withdrawn. If it is merely rejected, they send the fee back.
I hope this answers your questions.
2007-03-13 11:42:18 · answer #1 · answered by Pickles 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can apply for yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it. We have many applicants here (I'm an Immigration Analyst for a hospital) and we still won't do the Permanent Residency paperwork without a lawyer. Actually, $1500 is really cheap for this kind of work. I'd be suspicious of any hidden charges, or the amount of work he was going to do. Is that fee for the entire process or just the I-140? If you do go with a lawyer, double check what he's charging you for because that seems awfully low.
2007-03-14 09:27:25 · answer #2 · answered by hotdoggiegirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thousands of people file every year without the assistance of an attorney - the form really isn't that complicated, and DHS will continue to send it back until you get it right. $1500 is very expensive for this type of service, as well - it shouldn't take a competent attorney more than an hour to put the package together unless there is some complicating factor.
Since your husband is already in the US legally, it should be a pretty straightforward affair. You would just file the form I-130 and form I-485 with immigration and they would eventually get around to giving him his residency.
2007-03-13 14:19:31 · answer #3 · answered by Jeffrey B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fill out the paperwork yourself. If paperwork is lost, it is not lost because you filed it or an attorney filed it. I despise attorneys who use scare tactics to drum up business.
My father applied for his own citizenship and it worked out just fine.
in answer to your question about incorrect paperwork, once you file an application, you are given a case number. If there is additional paperwork that needs to be sent in, they will send you a letter requesting it. If you have an immigration office near to you, you can take it in, if not they provide you an address to send it. All it will cost you is the envelope and the stamp.
You can also keep track of your case on the USCIS website. You don't really need a lawyer, they cannot speed up the process for you.
2007-03-13 10:08:02 · answer #4 · answered by thequeenreigns 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For this kind of situations you should consult an expert, an inmigraton lawyer, they know all the procedures and the latest laws for this kind of problems, although they will charge you a fee for the paperwork but its going to be worth it, less time, no mistakes and you are going to go through the right procedures. Good luck!!!
2007-03-13 10:36:38 · answer #5 · answered by goldeneyegirl32 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An F-a million visa is a nonimmigrant pupil visa. that would not look like the right visa for you. in order to grant you a sturdy answer, it may help to understand which united states you're in now, the U.S. or a overseas united states. in case you want to help your companion to immigrate, start up the technique by ability of filing a form I-one hundred thirty, Petition for Alien Relative. follow the I-one hundred thirty relative petition training and examine the CIS information superhighway website for any updates on training or expenditures. make certain your petition is finished. you'll favor to submit information of your U.S. citizenship, and information proving your qualifying relationship to all and numerous for whom you're filing. in case you'll record on your spouse, and she is already in the U.S. and entered legally, then she may nicely be able to record an application for everlasting position of abode including your relative petition at the same time and position. There are 4 CIS service centers. you want to record your I-one hundred thirty on the single which has jurisdiction over your position of abode, yet you probably did not say the position you stay.
2016-12-01 22:59:06 · answer #6 · answered by meran 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋