Attorney involvement in the AOS interview process

[anx2018]

Has anyone retained an immigration attorney to help prepare for and attend a family-based AOS interview? Can you please share your experiences with your attorney? Did you find him/her helpful? What specifically did they do before, during, and after the interview? For example, how did they prepare for it and what did they do during the actual interview? I’d like to get a sense of what to expect from an attorney in such situations and how to tell whether the attorney is actually doing what they are supposed to be doing and not just collecting your money. I am specifically interested in the role of an attorney as it pertains to interviews, not preparation and submission of I-485 application. Thank you.

[ember]

We had an attorney for the interview only. My husband and I had an hour long prep meeting where he basically did two things: 1. Told us what to expect & logistics (how we would check in, usual delay times, layout of USCIS & the interviewing room, etc.) and 2. Did a mock interview with us. During the interview he sat behind us and took notes, and basically just listened to us and then asked the IO if she needed anything further.

I found the mock interview helpful, because I was a bit nervous and didn't know what kind of questions to expect (we did google search). We answered a few questions differently, so it was helpful in that regard. I also just feel that IOs treat you better if you have a lawyer there.

The biggest benefit in my opinion did not end up happening with us. I wanted the GC to go to the attorney's office because it is more secure but, even though we requested it on the G-28, USCIS screwed up and sent it to our apartment and it ended up getting lost in the mail for a week, it was a nightmare.