J-1 waiver and attorney

[J_1_Holder]

I plan to apply for a no objection waiver and I'm considering hiring an attorney.

Can an attorney increase my chances of getting a waiver? Or is it really dispensable?

Thanks

 

[agron]

Why waste money on an attorney. This is one of the most straightforwarded filings you can have. Read the instructions on the web. See what category best fits your need. Talk to your embassy, since they will be the one dealing with the state department. I am not sure if an attorney will increase your chances. They might help if you're too lazy to do the research yourself.
That's just my 2 cents

 

[ameryki]

I agree with this. Ofcourse I worked on getting a waiver on my own but this was back in 1999. I am not sure how things are different now after 9/11 and immigration changes. It's a relatively simple but time consuming process.

 

[jk0274]

The only thing an attorney can be useful for is to be able to contact the DOS should there be any sort of unusual delay in your case (or if you are in a hurry and you want somebody to be able to harass the visa office at the DOS to speed your case up). Otherwise, it is absolutely a waste of time and money. Attorneys are not going to do anything better or quicker then you would yourself. The one exception may be the statement of reason, but I'm not aware of anybody having ever gotten rejected because of that statement; it's the "no objection" that counts. And you can always post your statement of reason here for feedback. So again, unless you are in a hurry or you have an unusual circumstance where you anticipate delays, don't bother.

 

[bhoray]

I agree, hiring an attorney is a waste of money. The waiver process is pretty much straightforward, just follow the directions on the DOS website. I just recently obtained a waiver, via the TX state conrad 30, with no attorney. Of course, God made it all happen, however, the process is straightforward enough. Sometimes, attorneys could even delay the progress of things, by not following up on your documents or not promptly responding to enquiries made .......