Immigration lawyer

[positivity]

Hello everyone,

I found all your posts very informative and helpful and it encouraged me to join the forum.
So here is my story and a few questions I have that I hope some of you may be able to answer. I am a Canadian citizen and I recently returned from Afghanistan after getting married to my husband.
-I have hired a lawyer and was wondering if that will help speed up the sponsorship process?
-Can anyone share their experience with an immigration lawyer? How did it effect your case?

Thank you for your help!

 

[MRS SAM]

Hello everyone,

I found all your posts very informative and helpful and it encouraged me to join the forum.
So here is my story and a few questions I have that I hope some of you may be able to answer. I am a Canadian citizen and I recently returned from Afghanistan after getting married to my husband.
-I have hired a lawyer and was wondering if that will help speed up the sponsorship process?
-Can anyone share their experience with an immigration lawyer? How did it effect your case?

Thank you for your help!

it wont speed up ur process,,,,but afganistan's applications is going to islamabad visa office ...we r hoping that and everyone is saying islamabad will speed up in 2013

 

[frege]

I haven't dealt with an immigration lawyer before, but I think they can be useful if you have a tricky case.

I've read a lot of stories of people on this forum who made mistakes they wouldn't have made if they'd had good advice.

CIC makes sure on their website that everybody knows a lawyer won't speed up the process or get them special treatment. That's true. But in many cases, they can help you improve your application and avoid mistakes.

 

[positivity]

Yes it takes 2 years because it goes through Pakistan, it's ridiculous! I heard that they're working on getting an office in Afghanistan soon. I pray they do cause all this is VERY frustrating.

 

[MRS SAM]

Yes it takes 2 years because it goes through Pakistan, it's ridiculous! I heard that they're working on getting an office in Afghanistan soon. I pray they do cause all this is VERY frustrating.

yaa its good if the open office in afghanistan..it will reduce waiting time for pakistani applicants good for us

 

[positivity]

so no one else has any input in regards to immigration lawyers?

 

[Sweden]

so no one else has any input in regards to immigration lawyers?

A lot of people on the forum have both good and bad experiences. So i'm not sure you will have "one voice". From reading different threads, I would say: if you have a complicated case, then getting a lawyer is a good idea, IF it's a good lawyer. Complicated case could be: second marriage or previous sponsorship, short history as a couple, or "non-typical marriage" ( against the values and practices of your own culture etc).
If you have a "normal case" ( you got married according to your tradition, your husband and yourself are from a fairly similar background etc), then a lawyer won't add anything to your application. It certainly won't speed up the process. The lawyer can only complete the application according to the elements that you give him, so you will have to do the whole process by yourself, he can only "double check" after you.

A lot of lawyers are quite expensive, and quite a few people (me included) have chosen to do the application by ourselves, with the help of people on the forum if needed.

Make sure that your lawyer is good, read everything that he makes you sign (including your own application, some lawyers have changed some data and its' complicated - even if it's a lawyer, you're the final responsible for every information in your application), and make sure that you have a good communication with him, if you make him your "representative" - if you do that all communications will go to him and not to you.

Good luck with your application,
Sweden

 

[positivity]

Thank you for ur response Sweden..we already paid the deposit for the lawyer so it's too late to back out now..our lawyer is too "busy" to respond to any of my questions that i have asked so far..everything goes through his secretary..of course that's not a surprise though..he hasn't officially started my case because he needs an employment offer letter from me and my husband's police certificate..our case looks fairly normal..the lawyer reviewed all the documents i gave (e-mails, cell invoices, lots of pics, receipt of the hotel we got married in from Aghanistan..etc) and the secretary said we have more than enough info needed..plus we have a 6 year history..
its just those 2 documents mentioned above that's missing..I'm in the process of applying to jobs but haven't received any positive responses yet..and its taking time for my husband to get a police certificate..so it's all getting very frustrating..and we have just been separated for a month and few days..i don't know how we will handle the next year or 2
let's see what the lawyer does for me..

well good luck to all of us!

 

[Sweden]

Thank you for ur response Sweden..we already paid the deposit for the lawyer so it's too late to back out now..our lawyer is too "busy" to respond to any of my questions that i have asked so far..everything goes through his secretary..of course that's not a surprise though..he hasn't officially started my case because he needs an employment offer letter from me and my husband's police certificate..our case looks fairly normal..the lawyer reviewed all the documents i gave (e-mails, cell invoices, lots of pics, receipt of the hotel we got married in from Aghanistan..etc) and the secretary said we have more than enough info needed..plus we have a 6 year history..
its just those 2 documents mentioned above that's missing..I'm in the process of applying to jobs but haven't received any positive responses yet..and its taking time for my husband to get a police certificate..so it's all getting very frustrating..and we have just been separated for a month and few days..i don't know how we will handle the next year or 2
let's see what the lawyer does for me..

well good luck to all of us!

Just for you to know - as a sponsor for your spouse there is no minimum income required. So you don't NEED absolutely a job to be able to apply. You need to make sure that you have a way to support you and your husband while you are sponsoring him, so you don't go on welfare ( and neither does he) but it's not a requirement.... if you have family that can support you and you have your own savings, a job is not a requirement.
Good luck - I hope it is a good lawyer. If you feel it isn't - it's never too late to withdraw. ( I'm not pushing you, but trying to give you as much information as possible).

Sweden

 

[gsize]

Yes it takes 2 years because it goes through Pakistan, it's ridiculous! I heard that they're working on getting an office in Afghanistan soon. I pray they do cause all this is VERY frustrating.

if you think thats ridiculous, if you are denied, you have the option to Appeal. the problem is, depending on where it will be heard, the waiting time will be another 2 years.

Since all your paperwork needs to be done correctly, I would highly advise an Imm consultant or lawyer to, at least, look everything over. Dont expect much else from them......they will gladly take your money and tell you about their high success rates. They have no control over CIC

 

[davek1979]

We used an immigration lawyer and I think that it has been a big help. For us it has been a voice of reason and been very reassuing for my wife.

While they don't speed up the case per se, I think it does help because they know what CIC is looking for and they can advise accordingly to have less hiccups, and so the overall speed it faster.

 

[positivity]

Thanks guys..that helped..yea my husband wanted a lawyer for that sole purpose..i'm just so anxious to start my case..

@Sweden: in my case i need a job..and the minimum income one has to earn is $15, 000...but the job hunt is going well..and i might finally confirm with a position tomorrow

 

[Sweden]

Thanks guys..that helped..yea my husband wanted a lawyer for that sole purpose..i'm just so anxious to start my case..

@ Sweden: in my case i need a job..and the minimum income one has to earn is $15, 000...but the job hunt is going well..and i might finally confirm with a position tomorrow

Well good luck with the job then, that's great! hope it works out for you.
Sweden