Green card and lawyer help

[dominicmills]

Hi there,

About to apply for my green card, have applied once before bit they lost the paperwork my wife and I sent through to them first time but was chatting to an English guy who has just got his green card and he advised us to get help from an immigration lawyer because if you try to do it yourself there will be constant delays.

Money is a bit tight but does anyone here have a suggestion as to whether it will be quicker with an immigration lawyer or save $1500 and apply ourselves?

Thanks in advance!

[rayb]

A spousal visa only requires two forms (plus supporting documents) from the petitioner and one form from the applicant. To pay an attorney $1,500 to complete a two-page I-130 and one-page G-325A for each, is just not necessary.

I would recommend, however, that you enlist the help of an experiened person to review your documents before submittal.

--Ray B

Hi there,

About to apply for my green card, have applied once before bit they lost the paperwork my wife and I sent through to them first time but was chatting to an English guy who has just got his green card and he advised us to get help from an immigration lawyer because if you try to do it yourself there will be constant delays.

Money is a bit tight but does anyone here have a suggestion as to whether it will be quicker with an immigration lawyer or save $1500 and apply ourselves?

Thanks in advance!

[dominicmills]

Thanks

A spousal visa only requires two forms (plus supporting documents) from the petitioner and one form from the applicant. To pay an attorney $1,500 to complete a two-page I-130 and one-page G-325A for each, is just not necessary.

I would recommend, however, that you enlist the help of an experiened person to review your documents before submittal.

--Ray B

Thanks for coming back to me Ray.

Do you or have you heard from others whether or not it is quicker through an attorney or send it through ourselves?

We will get an attorney to check through the paper work once filled in though.

Thanks again,
Dominic

[Adrian Gruber]

Hi there,

About to apply for my green card, have applied once before bit they lost the paperwork my wife and I sent through to them first time but was chatting to an English guy who has just got his green card and he advised us to get help from an immigration lawyer because if you try to do it yourself there will be constant delays.

Money is a bit tight but does anyone here have a suggestion as to whether it will be quicker with an immigration lawyer or save $1500 and apply ourselves?

Thanks in advance!

The english guy is not correct, the only "Constant Delays" are usually due to insufficient evidence being presented or forms not being filled out correctly. Usually its Form I-864 that gives most folks problems. An attorney can mitigate some of the errors but its pricey and if you can read and understand the forms and what they are asking you to do it can be done by yourselves.
There are hidden fees you should be aware of:

1) Your "Spouse" being the US Citizen has to establish that you are her relative/Immediate family and to do that you will need her to petition USCIS using the I-130 petition form plus supporting documentation, the cost is $420 for filing. here is the application link: https://www.uscis.gov/i-130
In addition your spouse must have the ability to support you/ or you must have a financial sponsor supporting you the tricky part is that your spouse/sponsor must submit the I-864/ " Affadavit of Support" and here is the link for this form: https://www.uscis.gov/i-864
If you have all your supporting documents and the I-864 is filled out correctly the process usually is about 5 months.

2) You have a choice here because as RayB pointed out there are 2 applications you must file! The I-130 and the "I-485" . I-485 is the form you use to "Adjust your Status" referred here as AOS.
This form can be filed together with the I-130 referred to as concurrently or you can file later on if funding is an issue. The fee for I-485 is $1020, there is also an additional fee for the "Civil Surgeon" because you must submit to a medical exam/chest x-ray and blood work hence these are hidden fees that are not covered here in the US by medical insurance.

So without an attorney who may charge you up to $5000 on top of the filing fees it can be an expensive proposition.

[dominicmills]

The english guy is not correct, the only "Constant Delays" are usually due to insufficient evidence being presented or forms not being filled out correctly. Usually its Form I-864 that gives most folks problems. An attorney can mitigate some of the errors but its pricey and if you can read and understand the forms and what they are asking you to do it can be done by yourselves.
There are hidden fees you should be aware of:

1) Your "Spouse" being the US Citizen has to establish that you are her relative/Immediate family and to do that you will need her to petition USCIS using the I-130 petition form plus supporting documentation, the cost is $420 for filing. here is the application link: https://www.uscis.gov/i-130
In addition your spouse must have the ability to support you/ or you must have a financial sponsor supporting you the tricky part is that your spouse/sponsor must submit the I-864/ " Affadavit of Support" and here is the link for this form: https://www.uscis.gov/i-864
If you have all your supporting documents and the I-864 is filled out correctly the process usually is about 5 months.

2) You have a choice here because as RayB pointed out there are 2 applications you must file! The I-130 and the "I-485" . I-485 is the form you use to "Adjust your Status" referred here as AOS.
This form can be filed together with the I-130 referred to as concurrently or you can file later on if funding is an issue. The fee for I-485 is $1020, there is also an additional fee for the "Civil Surgeon" because you must submit to a medical exam/chest x-ray and blood work hence these are hidden fees that are not covered here in the US by medical insurance.

So without an attorney who may charge you up to $5000 on top of the filing fees it can be an expensive proposition.

Thank you very much both Ray and Adrian, you guys are awesome!