Hiring an Immigration Lawyer vs. Not

[cocomtl]

Good afternoon,

Any input on my subject, My husband and I are debating whether we should hire one or process it on our own. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[fhj1203]

it will depend in your case,if your application is very simple and no complicated issues then do it yourself..

 

[sakamath]

A lot of eager applicants have asked this question. The general consensus is that, if what cic asks (its pretty well laid out) and what you have, more than matches that, then you just have to fill out the forms and submit some documents. In most cases, they only ask for copies of documents. So it depends on your particular case, like fhj1203 mentioned, "(if there is) no complicated issues then do it yourself.."

 

[KJG]

A lot of eager applicants have asked this question. The general consensus is that, if what cic asks (its pretty well laid out) and what you have, more than matches that, then you just have to fill out the forms and submit some documents. In most cases, they only ask for copies of documents. So it depends on your particular case, like fhj1203 mentioned, "(if there is) no complicated issues then do it yourself.."

considering you have to fill all the forms out for the lawyer in any event....if your case is uncomplicated and paperwork doesn't scare you......it is just as easy to do yourself.....

 

[Shylox]

We debated using a lawyer as well, but once we saw the HUGE price tag the woman had for filling the forms out for us we decided against it. We weren't doing it for ease of use because we're confident in our ability to fill out the forms correctly but we more so were thinking that maybe we would have an even better chance of getting a yes in the end if the forms were filed by a professional.

But then after reading a while here and seeing how many people do it all on their own and seem to do just fine we were more comfortable taking it on ourselves.

 

[KJG]

We debated using a lawyer as well, but once we saw the HUGE price tag the woman had for filling the forms out for us we decided against it. We weren't doing it for ease of use because we're confident in our ability to fill out the forms correctly but we more so were thinking that maybe we would have an even better chance of getting a yes in the end if the forms were filed by a professional.

But then after reading a while here and seeing how many people do it all on their own and seem to do just fine we were more comfortable taking it on ourselves.

and that is correct because the lawyer only puts together what you provide...he copies word for word what you put in your app and only submits what proof you give him......

 

[Zouk Princesse]

An immigration lawyer for full representation is a complete waste of perfectly good money, unless you have a case that has major red flags or is otherwise very complicated.

If your case is fairly straightforward, I would recommend doing it yourself and then having a qualified immigration consultant look over your completed application and give you their feedback. This service costs about $200-$300, but I think there is value in it. We had it done, and the consultant gave us wonderful feedback and pointed out a couple things we missed. I think this is the best way to get that extra security from having professional assistance, while not breaking the bank.

Also, beware of lawyers/consultants charging ridiculous fees on the basis that it includes representation should you need to appeal. My first response to that was "so...you're planning on my application getting rejected?" Note that they will not refund the additional dollars should you not need an appeal!

 

[CharlieD10]

If either or both of you have the ability to complete and organize fairly detailed work, and your situation is such that you have your every day "boy-meets-girl" scenario, then by all means do it yourself. If you want the added comfort of a professional's eye, Zouk's recommendation is spot on.

If, however, you have a history with immigration (Canadian or otherwise), if you have a history with the long arm of the law (Canadian or otherwise) if you did something in the past that did not result in you brushing up against law enforcement but might have? Bite the bullet and pay for some decent, knowledgeable, trained representation.

I cannot stress the "knowledgeable" and "trained" enough. Inasmuch as not everything that glitters is gold, not everyone who holds themselves out to be an "immigration consultant" is worth the paper their name is printed on. Hire yourself someone certified by the appropriate body (law society or immigration society or both), with experience in the type of situation you are in.

 

[Steph C]

I wish I knew about immigration consultants. I emailed a Lawyer to see if he had experience processing an application like mine and to ask for a phone consultation. His response:
My current billing rate is based on time spent at $275./hour, plus
disbursements, plus 12% HST. I will require a retainer of at least $550.

 

[mobeyk]

Most cases are simple and applicants can do all work by reading this forum, be accurate with documents and following the instructions. I immigrated myself to Canada and wasted $5000 on a lawyer who did nothing but sorting my documents out, which I could have done myself. When I sponsored my parents, I did all myself. Now with sponsoring my wife the same. read this forum and the CIC documents. Ask questions on the forum and you will see that most cases can be dealt with by the applicants themselves. I agree that redflag cases should seek professional help and we all have a feel if our case is complicated or not. This forum is a big help no matter what.

 

[Galip]

It is totally up to you to hire a lawyer or not.

If you decide to hire a lawyer then it's better to hire someone with a flat fee.

Also negotiate with the lawyer for the further process and apeal process and try to include every step in the flat fee.

 

[Fencesitter]

Filling out the IMM forms and organizing the supporting documents is easy. It is not complicated to do it yourself. There is a wealthy of information available online...this forum is one of the best resources for Canadian immigration on the web...and it's free.

Even with a complicated case, an immigration lawyer or consultant is not a must. The best thing, IMO, would be to do it all yourself. There is absolutely no obligation to hire an attorney. All the information is available online or in the library. The most troublesome part about doing it yourself would be the time it would take, but think about all that money you would save, not to mention you would learn a lot! As long as you know how to gather relevant information and present it in a logical way, you're good to go.

FS

 

[JimM]

If you have any issues that might complicate things, or aren't comfortable with official paperwork, etc I'd consider looking into it. In our case it was primarily due to an brush with the law 20 years ago that caused me a problem at the border on one of my visits, (after several border crossings with no trouble). While it was cleared up and I didn't have a problem on subsequent visits there was the worry there might be stricter standards for immigrating.

My wife and I went with the firm that sponsors this forum and they've caught a few things that might have delayed our application and cleared up a few things we were wrong about as well as making sure that wouldn't be an issue. Was it worth the money? To us yes it was.

 

[cocomtl]

Thank you all for your responses. We've decided to not hire a lawyer and we feel more confident in our decision.

Big up the Immigartion Forum.

 

[raptorsfan]

I got it done by an Immigration lawyer.

My case got delayed by 4 months and I am still waiting. It happened just because of one e-mail sent out by my lawyer in which he asked for an extension to submit ReMed + PPR. In the e-mail he did not provide a date, till what date the extention is needed. Hence, my file became inactive.

My wife is still waiting for her visa, the passport was submitted in April. Lawyer screwed me.