Do We Need A Lawyer for spousal sponsorship application ?

[moti]

Is hiring a lawyer beneficial in spousal sponsorship application ? or I can just do that myself and there ll be no affect on the processing time ? How many of the applicants hire a lawyer ?

 

[FiveO]

Is hiring a lawyer beneficial in spousal sponsorship application ? or I can just do that myself and there ll be no affect on the processing time ? How many of the applicants hire a lawyer ?

I know people who hired a lawyer and they recommended it to us as well (they were very happy with the lawyer's work). But we felt like our case was pretty straight forward, and we felt that we were able to write a strong application without an official help. This forum is also very helpful for solving problems with the application. So I would say if you don't mind spending extra money on somebody who's going to help you through the process I don't see why you wouldn't use one. But usually, if your case doesn't involve complicated immigration law issues, you can definitely do it yourself and for my understand there's no difference in processing times.

 

[CDNPR2014]

save your money. immigration lawyers are known to be wrong about a lot of things. this forum will give you more knowledge and accurate information than any lawyer will. unless you have a significant criminal or dependent custody issue, this can be done by yourself.

 

[CDNPR2014]

for my understand there's no difference in processing times.

there are many cases where those who have used lawyers actually took longer than those who did it themselves. while there are good ones out there, they are not cheap nor are they plentiful. if there's a lawyer, they receive all communication from cic first. they can sometimes be slow in forwarding that information on. if you don't have a lawyer, all communicaiton goes to the sponsor and applicant directly.

 

[FiveO]

there are many cases where those who have used lawyers actually took longer than those who did it themselves. while there are good ones out there, they are not cheap nor are they plentiful. if there's a lawyer, they receive all communication from cic first. they can sometimes be slow in forwarding that information on. if you don't have a lawyer, all communicaiton goes to the sponsor and applicant directly.

Thanks for the info! My experience was just from one case where the application process went very smoothly and the PR was granted in very short time so it seems this couple got lucky finding a good lawyer. It will be interesting to hear people's experience on having a lawyer.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thanks for the info! My experience was just from one case where the application process went very smoothly and the PR was granted in very short time so it seems this couple got lucky finding a good lawyer. It will be interesting to hear people's experience on having a lawyer.

one of the biggest issues i think is that most lawyers don't understand that a person can apply "outland" while being IN canada as a worker, student or visitor, and pushes applicants to apply inland when they were much better off applying outland. that alone suggests they don't know the process like a person going through it would...

 

[kbrar2727]

Lawyer can be useful if ur case is complicated or 2nd marriage. But if you do go with a lawyer go for the good one even if it costs more.

Few of my friends has used a lawyer and it did work well for them.

 

[mikeymyke]

Lawyers are only useful if you have a very complicated case, otherwise they're not necessary. There have been many stories of lawyers screwing up people's applications so be wary about that.

 

[FiveO]

If you decide on hiring a lawyer make sure they're practicing as an immigration lawyer. We did a one hour consultation (via Skype) with one at the beginning of the process and at least they were well aware of the options (eg. outland/inland) and had many useful tips. On the other hand there are not many issues that people at this forum don't know about (unless, like other people here mentioned, you have a complicated case). At least you could start without one and if the process becomes overwhelming you can always hire help later on.

 

[confusedhusband]

Well ... We did research online mostly and consulted one of the immigration consultants , might sound weird but he did not have any more information than what we gathered online or through this forum. But he was a kind man, he took out time and went through all the papers and was very positive. *He did not charge us * he called us couple of times to even check on the status of my application, which I thought was a very nice gesture. So it's for certain that once we get the pr done , we will visit his office just to personally thank him for his time and the positivity.
All I can say is if you follow the guide line of the application, you can do it yourself, it took time for us though to put everything together , probably 2 months I guess to gather documents and put together our life story since we have known each other way too long, were engaged also for way too long.
All the best and i must say when I can do it , anyone can hehe since I am very impatient, and very Un organized

 

[Regina]

Thanks for the info! My experience was just from one case where the application process went very smoothly and the PR was granted in very short time so it seems this couple got lucky finding a good lawyer. It will be interesting to hear people's experience on having a lawyer.

This is nothing to do with a lawyer. If the case was simple - it went smoothly because of that. Neither lawyer nor any representative could speed up the process.

 

[FiveO]

This is nothing to do with a lawyer. If the case was simple - it went smoothly because of that. Neither lawyer nor any representative could speed up the process.

By application process I meant gathering the application package (you know, no sleepless nights thinking about question number 728 or refreshing canadavisa for hopefully fast answers). Like I said before, I don't think having a lawyer speeds the process once it's up to CIC.

 

[happydayagain]

You may need a lawyer if you have a complicated case. But keep in mind it can be expensive.
Be careful too about the lawyer you choose as you will have to deal with him/her for the duration of the process.
In general, the application is not complicated and can be filled in relatively easily.
The one problem I think that applicants and sponsors need to understand is that many of the forms are generic and therefore
confusing at times.
I found the process straightforward. The helpline meaning the 1_800 number for use in Canada is not reliable because
you are posing general and not specific questions.
Support from a local MP can be useful but it depends on your MP.
Whether you get a lawyer should depend on your own assessment of whether you expect any complications.
My case was simple but I did use a lawyer at one point as my wife had request for additional information and we sent it but there was no reply on what we sent. Following this we received a second request for the same information.
I went to a lawyer and had him send the information which was simply a minor correction in terms of work history (we had made a mistake on dates). Once he sent the information as my representative the process went quickly.

So in conclusion, if your application is straight forward dont get a lawyer. If you expect complications from the outset then get legal advice from a competent lawyer. Remember competency varies.

If you encounter difficulty such as I did hiring a lawyer to send one document can be a useful strategy.

All the best

 

[AG15]

Is hiring a lawyer beneficial in spousal sponsorship application ? or I can just do that myself and there ll be no affect on the processing time ? How many of the applicants hire a lawyer ?

Doing it on your own is better option than hiringa lawyer

Thanks

 

[JJ416]

Having a lawyer will not have any influence on CIC decision making process.

All lawyers do is to have their assistants fill the application and mail out. If you can do that, do it.

Lawyers may also write an email asking the status of the application. Again, anyone can write the same email and get the same response.

My experience is that you don't need to pay $3000 to $8000 just to fill forms.