Attorney fee for EB1 and EB2

[Question0327]

I am a university professor currently on H1B and want to apply for EB1 Green Card. I consulted with an immigration attorney to who I was referred by an old friend of 12 years.
The attorney was very thorough and professional. I spent double the time allotted for the consultation without asking for extra money.

The paperwork for the EB1 seems to be a tremendous amount of paperwork which I plan to do with self-petition. I do not wish to ask for my employer's sponsorship because I am considering moving to a different university after I get my green card. The attorney confirmed after reviewing my CV that I qualify for both EB1 and EB2 without employer sponsorship.

Given the amount of paperwork needed to be submitted and the limited amount of time that I can spend on such an application, I decided to hire an attorney to complete and submit the application on my behalf to save myself headaches and time I do not have. The attorney asked for a retainer amount to pay half before starting working on the application and then the second half after applying. The attorney sent me an engagement letter that state all the above and also that the attorney will be responsible for following up with all the paperwork and check with the USCIS in case of a delay of any kind, and submit any further paperwork and responses that the USCIS will require in case that happens. The attorney had this in writing and sent it to me to review. Before I sign it, I want to clarify if other hired immigration attorneys paid half up front and the second half upon submitting the application? Should I ask to keep an amount after receiving an initial response from the USCIS first?. Since I was referred to the attorney by a friend, I feel more comfortable proceeding with the attorney, who seems to be very thorough, which makes me feel comfortable.

[rkk09]

Hi,
Most of the Immigration Attorneys will collect full filing fees before filing the petition or once they file the petition. Sometimes, They will charge separately for RFE response. Since you get very good Offer from them, I think you can consider. More over, they offer you for paying fees in two installments.
And also, It seems you are very comfortable working with them .I think you can move forward and make the things happen.
All the best.
Thanks

[Question0327]

Hi,
Most of the Immigration Attorneys will collect full filing fees before filing the petition or once they file the petition. Sometimes, They will charge separately for RFE response. Since you get a very good Offer from them, I think you can consider. More over, they offer you for paying fees in two installments.
And also, It seems you are very comfortable working with them .I think you can move forward and make the things happen.
All the best.
Thanks

Thanks!. I feel comfortable with this attorney who seems to be thorough and well experienced with hundreds of cases submitted for immigration. Just for comparison purposes, I contacted another immigration office from online referral and setting up an appointment with them before I make my decision about which attorney to proceed with.

[rkk09]

Hi,
I think, It is better to compare too.
All the best.
Thanks

[Question0327]

Hi,
I think, It is better to compare too.
All the best.
Thanks

The attorney I hired has been working on my case for a month. I have not seen any draft letters from her and she did not provide me with a timeline for the letters. Her paralegal sent me forms filled out with so many mistakes and incorrect information including the wrong last entry date, missing my parent's names and my correct work address. I wonder if this happened with others at such an early stage in the process of working with an attorney?. She emailed me and said that "they" are working on fixing these mistakes. I am concerned that she has a paralegal who does not know how to fill out paperwork and she obviously did not review the paperwork before he sent me. I can't imagine if these forms were sent to the USCIS it would be a guaranteed rejection of the application.
I have paid her half which is a tremendous amount of 4,500 dollars and suppose to pay her a similar amount when she submits the application on my behalf. I consulted with another office that is the Chen Immigration that so many people here know and they said that my case is likely to be approved or my money back.

What do others think of this. Does this sound normal for an attorney to make these mistakes?. The forms are straightforward and she did not even write one word yet or I have not seen anything yet. Also, she told me to do the medical exam since the first day I hired her and now I found out on my own that it is valid only for 60 days according to the USCIS otherwise the applicant needs to do it again and resubmit.

[S.mir]

It doesn't have to be be half and half. You can negotiate a payment schedule that works for both of you. I paid in 4 installments.

[proSERESe]

Do you have examples of letters that you can point me to?