A good lawyer does help in the greencard process

Z

Zadex

Registered Users (C)
So I have to argue that having a good lawyer does help out, or at least it did in my case in applying for a GC for my wife who overstayed her tourist visa. There has been some talk on this forum that a lawyer would actually hinder you or cause problems in the process. I did not find that to be the case.

My lawyer filed all of my wife's papers in late June, and she did her biometrics in mid July. She then received her EAD in mid August. Next, she received the interview invitation around late October scheduled for early December.

A few days before the interview we met with our lawyer for about an hour prepping us and giving us a checklist of all the supporting documents we needed.

We recently had the interview and our lawyer was there. The questions were pretty easy just mostly factual stuff. Our name, birthdate, place of birth, where did we marry, when, how did we meet, etc. The interviewer asked to see our joint supporting documents and our photo album. She also asked us who some of the people were in our pictures.

Then she took my wife's EAD and gave her an approval letter for a 2 year GC. She said the GC will be coming in a few days. It was a pleasant interview and not much trouble.

So, the whole process took under 6 months to get her GC. I would say that hiring a good lawyer will help out if you don't know what you're doing as was the case in our situation.
 
Zadex said:
So I have to argue that having a good lawyer does help out, - it depends. or at least it did in my case in applying for a GC for my wife who overstayed her tourist visa. There has been some talk on this forum that a lawyer would actually hinder you or cause problems in the process - very true.
So, the whole process took under 6 months to get her GC. I would say that hiring a good lawyer will help out if you don't know what you're doing - if you know what you are doing...no need.
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PraetorianXI said:
Translation: If you are stupid and can not figure out immigration forms on your own, get a good lawyer. To whom you will pay $2000-5000. Period.
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it doesn't take $2000-5000 ,,,so much!!!!!!!!!!!

i paid 500-600 hundred(whole process) for lawyer who really did help !
 
I actually hired a lawyer and fired him like a week after. He was not helpful at all and really slow. He also requested $2,300.
I knew the process was simple and easy and I could do it myself. At the time, I didn't have school or work, so I spent about 3-4 hours doing research and fill out applications.
I mailed them in September. And got interview letter in 3 months.
No lawyers needed.

PS. I'm an overstayed B2 too
 
I had this biggest dilemma weather to hire a lawyer or not? finally took a chance and filed my paper work without one, I learned a lot doing that, I felt like I had total control of my process and not be waiting for some lawyer to communicate my next step and communication from the USCIS. I did get my GC very quick and glad I did, but again hiring a lawyer gives some a peace of mind and opportunity to finger point someone if things go south....in my humble opinion :)
 
beemer8 said:
I had this biggest dilemma weather to hire a lawyer or not? finally took a chance and filed my paper work without one, I learned a lot doing that, I felt like I had total control of my process and not be waiting for some lawyer to communicate my next step and communication from the USCIS. I did get my GC very quick and glad I did, but again hiring a lawyer gives some a peace of mind and opportunity to finger point someone if things go south....in my humble opinion :)
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I've never used a lawyer either. But then again, I LOVE TO READ, and I'm a sucker for details. I've filed a ton of paperwork over the years (since 1998):

1. my then boyfriend's (now my husband) and mine's B1/B2 extension
2. then boyfriend's change to M1
3. my first H1B, my 2 H1B extensions
4. my sister's PERM, H1B, employment-based I-140 and I-485
5. then-boyfriend's family-based I-485
6. my labor certification, employment-based I-140 and I-485 (denied due to sponsor's inability to pay - NOT MY FAULT :)
7. my family-based I-130 (thru my husband)
8. husband's citizenship application
9. my I-485 as spouse of a US citizen

So yeah, I should look into a paralegal career, or even better, law school :)
 
ilovethe80s said:
I've never used a lawyer either. But then again, I LOVE TO READ, and I'm a sucker for details. I've filed a ton of paperwork over the years (since 1998) :)
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Me, too, I love to read! I love to learn. I learned by myself how to do taxes, file AOS, etc. and I do any paperwork that comes my way by myself. I never even think about a lawyer or service from anyone when it requires just reading and filing.
 
I don't see the point of this thread.
It is obvious that getting professional advices always helps in every business if you are willing to pay. Whether you wanna pay is just up to you.

Some people hires CPA, though some do tax by themselves.
Some people takes their cars to repair shop, though some fix by themselves.
Some people hires contractors to mow the lawn , though some do it by themselves.
Some poeple buy weed from drug dealers, though some people grow it at home. lol
 
Zadex said:
So I have to argue that having a good lawyer does help out, or at least it did in my case in applying for a GC for my wife who overstayed her tourist visa. There has been some talk on this forum that a lawyer would actually hinder you or cause problems in the process. I did not find that to be the case.
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For anyone who makes a generalization that lawyers do help, read the post below. Yes, they can help but they can also totally screw your life.

Urgent motion to reopen any experience
Hi,
I am working with my congressional office to see if U.S. immigration will reopen an old sponsorspip case.
Some details. A daughter was sponsored by her mother in 1990. The I-130 was approved but the lawyer did not complete the instructional packet so the case was terminated. So the family was not aware this had happened until this year.
The congressionial office has been able to locate the original I-130 (mircle).
They are going to send the request to the California processing center along with a letter and additional submissions from family members.
Anyone with any experience in having motions to reopen under humanitarian grounds (i know this is an oxymoron)?
 
Back to topic, I believe that whoever is confident enough to file immigration papers themselves, they should do so. Like other members here, I LOVE to read and to document myself on anything I find useful, and my own immigration papers fell into this category so I worked months and months to get everything straight for my own immigration process. So far, it also seems like everything is going smoothly, without a lawyer.
However, not everybody is the same, and if someone is lucky enough to find a really helpful lawyer and can afford to do so, then I don't see what the problem is. I am glad the OP was able to find a lawyer that helped him/her though the case, and I wish there would more lawyers that actually know what they're doing, since it seems a lot of them are causing more problems than they should.
Good luck to all with this stressful process.
 
I am agreed, if you can afford and feel more confident hiring an attorney just do it, but be sure to find a GOOD ONE. I have been in USA since 1998 always legal with different processes some of them with attorneys, personally I believe I-130/I-485/-I751 based in marriage it is a pretty easy forms to file specially with the new Adobe that allows to fill out these forms by computer once you download them, if you are married in a good faith with an American Citizen, I don not see the reason to hire an attorney for this but If you have previous issues like deportations, previous processes denied, differences between your partner and you that can make a prejudge from Immigration officers, or other issues that make you feel unconfident hire an attorney just a GOOD ONE.

My experience with Attorneys is the following:

1. L2 – Approved - Attorney #1 Hired
2. M1 – Approved - Attorney #2 Hired
3. B1/B2 Extension – Approved - Attorney #2 Hired
4. H1B (First Company) – Approved - Attorney #2 Hired
5. H1B (Second Company) –Approved - Attorney #3 Hired
6. H1B (First Extension same second company) – Approved - Attorney #3 Hired
7. Labor Certification (Based on Employment with second company) – Approved - Attorney #4 Hired
8. I-140/I485 (Based on Employment with second company) – Denied - Attorney #4 Hired

This process was denied because the sponsor did not qualify because of tax return of the company. A good Attorney don’t get this kind of mistakes, I learn after 4 years of waste of time and money with this process that a good attorney never stole your money in that way, because accordingly with the Immigration law at that time, the mentioned issue was cause of deny this kind of process. A good attorney make his/her job, in other words is continuously updated with the new laws.

9. I-130/485 (Based on Marriage) – Approved – No Attorney, We filed by ourselves my Husband and I, after previous experience, who was going to trust an attorney?

Obviously we got mistakes with this process, we sent the application with just One (1) check for the total amount, and at that time you had to send separate checks, what frustration when I got my papers back, my husband insisted hire an Attorney and I said no, we send the package back, this time with the appropriate separate checks (be careful with this info, I think this changed again please check by yourself). It took only 25 days between the First package and the second package to get a receipt notice. My process was behind like 3 months according to processing times, I just wrote a letter informing this, and they send me a letter stating they were going to review it, finally I got my 2 year GC 1 year later after interview.

10. I-751 (Remove Temporary GC Conditions) - Still Pending- No attorney, Filed by ourselves. It is into the processing times, so no worry about it, just playing the waiting time.

Remember if you decide to hire an Attorney don’t be afraid to ask how many cases he/she has solved with the same issues like yours, you are going to hire an attorney to represent to you in case any complication no just to file some forms, he must to be knowledgeable and updated with the law. Most of the attorneys charge a fee that only cover to file the forms, if it is any complication it is extra money, remember to ask this before taking a decision.
Hope it helps.
 
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Unless you have a serious problem like a deportation hearing, usually the best use of an attorney is for consultation only, not for handling the actual processing.

Explain all the details of your situation (preferably in writing), and prepare a list of questions asking about the various options and strategies available and the pros and cons of each, pitfalls you need to be aware of, the documents you need to gather and why each is required, and the approximate time and fees to be expected for each stage of the immigration process.

Then meet with them once or twice or thrice to discuss the details and have them review drafts of the immigration forms that you have filled out, having them back up their answers with pointing to actual laws or court precedents if you aren't comfortable with any answer. You should also expect them to ask you questions in order to uncover any relevant details you haven't thought of. That should take just 1 to 4 hours of the lawyer's time, which should cost $1000 or less (somewhat more if you seek a second opinion from another attorney). Then you proceed to file the paperwork on your own and maintain control of the process, seeking an additional one-off consultation if you run into any snags during the process.
 
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Of course in a litigacious society like the USA having a good lawyer by your side is always a plus. Whether it costs money or not is irrelevant.

Here is what I am interested in. How do you ban someone from a forum like this? I guess by taking away a person's ability to login right? BUt couldn't they re-invent themselves and show up under another name? Well I guess you are going to tell me that a newer name might not have the same luster, and it might take a while to build up another bad reputation. All which is true.

Ok keep banning them, you have my support.
 
myredskins said:
Of course in a litigacious society like the USA having a good lawyer by your side is always a plus. Whether it costs money or not is irrelevant.

Here is what I am interested in. How do you ban someone from a forum like this? I guess by taking away a person's ability to login right? BUt couldn't they re-invent themselves and show up under another name? Well I guess you are going to tell me that a newer name might not have the same luster, and it might take a while to build up another bad reputation. All which is true.

Ok keep banning them, you have my support.
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Of course in a litigacious society like the USA having a good lawyer by your side is always a plus- Absolutely false. People on this forum have had their lives screwed up. Just do some reading on this forum and you will not make that statement again.

Whether it costs money or not is irrelevant. False again. It is very relevant.

How do you ban someone from a forum like this? It's more about the ISP than the name. You can use another computer and another and another, but won't you get tired? I personally have only one in my hse. I could use sch ones, which are 1000+ but I cannot get the comfort of being on my computer at 1am in my hse.
:):):)
 
Jackolantern said:
Unless you have a serious problem like a deportation hearing, usually the best use of an attorney is for consultation only, not for handling the actual processing.

Explain all the details of your situation (preferably in writing), and prepare a list of questions asking about the various options and strategies available and the pros and cons of each, pitfalls you need to be aware of, the documents you need to gather and why each is required, and the approximate time and fees to be expected for each stage of the immigration process.

Then meet with them once or twice or thrice to discuss the details and have them review drafts of the immigration forms that you have filled out, having them back up their answers with pointing to actual laws or court precedents if you aren't comfortable with any answer. You should also expect them to ask you questions in order to uncover any relevant details you haven't thought of. That should take just 1 to 4 hours of the lawyer's time, which should cost $1000 or less (somewhat more if you seek a second opinion from another attorney). Then you proceed to file the paperwork on your own and maintain control of the process, seeking an additional one-off consultation if you run into any snags during the process.
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I approve this message!
 
Help2008 said:
My experience with Attorneys is the following:

1. L2 – Approved - Attorney #1 Hired
2. M1 – Approved - Attorney #2 Hired
3. B1/B2 Extension – Approved - Attorney #2 Hired
4. H1B (First Company) – Approved - Attorney #2 Hired
5. H1B (Second Company) –Approved - Attorney #3 Hired
6. H1B (First Extension same second company) – Approved - Attorney #3 Hired
7. Labor Certification (Based on Employment with second company) – Approved - Attorney #4 Hired
8. I-140/I485 (Based on Employment with second company) – Denied - Attorney #4 Hired

9. I-130/485 (Based on Marriage) – Approved – No Attorney, We filed by ourselves my Husband and I, after previous experience, who was going to trust an attorney?

10. I-751 (Remove Temporary GC Conditions) - Still Pending- No attorney, Filed by ourselves. It is into the processing times, so no worry about it, just playing the waiting time.
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For some categories e.g. H1B, a lawyer is really important. Some companies will not let you touch their financial docs. But for family-based green card - the basis of this thread - I will agree with what someone posted earlier, unless your situation is complicated, it is not crucial. And if you do find one, be proactive about your case. At least know what is done when and what is required. But then if you know all these, what's the point of hiring the attorney- unless the situation is complex. There is a chance that the lawyer is not very familiar with different types of GCs.
 
jupiter07 said:
Of course in a litigacious society like the USA having a good lawyer by your side is always a plus- Absolutely false. People on this forum have had their lives screwed up.
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Note that the phrase "a good lawyer" was used. Not just "a lawyer". A good lawyer is a plus (although they aren't always worth paying for). A bad lawyer often makes things worse.
 
A good immigration lawyer streamlines the green card process by ensuring accurate documentation, addressing inadmissibility issues (e.g., medical/legal barriers), and preparing for interviews. They navigate complex eligibility criteria, prevent RFEs/denials, and expedite family or employment-based applications. Lawyers also resolve delays, handle appeals, and ensure employer compliance (if applicable). While self-filing risks costly errors, professional guidance minimizes stress and maximizes approval odds. Secure your status: Partner with a trusted immigration lawyer near me for end-to-end support, turning bureaucratic hurdles into a successful green card outcome.
 
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