Lawyer Costs for Spousal Sponsorship?

[osgoz99]

Hey all, I am just wondering what a typical lawyer charges to submit a spousal sponsorship application from outside of Canada. The spouse is from the USA and there are 2 children from the marriage so it seems like a pretty straightforward sponsorship. I've called 3 Law firms in Toronto that I've found online, all with nice websites. One firm told me $3000-$4000 while the other quoted $5000 (these are on top of the immigration fees charged by Immigration Canada). The third wanted me to come meet with them first.

Any ideas as to what a lower end firm might charge?

As well, do the 2 children need to be sponsored as well? They were born in USA but the father is Canadian. Does this mean they're automatically Canadian? Must they be included in the sponsorship application? My friend told me that I will have to pay more $$$ to sponsor the 2 children. Is this true?

Thanks in advance,

 

[automaton82]

Just out of curiosity, why are you getting a lawyer to prepare the application? You could easily do it yourself, there are a lot of instruction guides and document checklists from Canadian immigration to help you complete it, and combined with this forum (for any extra questions), you should be fine.

As for the children, I believe you do have to sponsor them in as well, assuming your spouse has custody of them, but I'm not entirely familiar with rules regarding children, so perhaps someone more experienced can comment.

 

[QuebecOkie]

As automaton82 mentioned, I personally wouldn't be quick to hire a lawyer (many of whom don't seem as well-informed as some of the more senior members in this forum!) and spend thousands of dollars if you have a relatively straightforward application. You said two children from the marriage - I assume you mean you and your spouse have two children of your own? No custody issues?

If their father was Canadian by birth, I believe the children can obtain Canadian citizenship that way. Here's some information on minor children from CIC's website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0003ETOC.asp. Another member who I remember offhand, Beehivefive, had to apply for citizenship certificates for his kids, I believe. I'll PM him and ask him to take a look here to see if he can offer any advice.

As long as you won't have any difficulty proving that you are in a genuine and continuing relationship, and no one has any criminal record or any other complicating factors, I really don't see ANY reason for a US/Canadian couple to use a lawyer.

 

[bnan]

Agree with automaton82 & QuebecOkie. I have also read somewhere in these forums that in some cases it takes longer time to get approval of your visa when using a lawyer as they take time to verify the need to use representative/lawyer as well and their connection to your case.
However, when I checked around before, I got a price range of $3K to $4K as well. All the best .

 

[Beehivefive]

Hey.

I am a little unclear as to your situation, but I'll try to help. So, you are married to a US citizen who has children who were born to a Canadian father who is not you, correct?

Whatever the case, actually, the kids are Canadian. Now, if they have their Certificates of Citizenship, super. Include copies in your sponsorship of your wife. If they don't, apply for them. You don't have to wait for them to arrive, but getting the process started will look good on your application for your wife. Just include all documentation that you have applied for the Certificates along with the children's birth certificates and their father's birth certificate. You're basically setting up the chain of citizenship. The more documentation, the better.

Aside from that, I agree with everyone else who suggests doing the paperwork on your own. You seem to have a straightforward case. Just get the Certificates started on the kids and get your sponsorship going for your lady and send everything in. Then you basically wait. I sent my daughter's Certificate app in two months ago and only just got confirmation of receipt. No idea how long it takes after that, but I suspect many, many months. Sorry for that news. Good luck!

 

[canadianwoman]

My lawyer would charge $3,000 for a simple case - this is in Saskatoon, a couple of years ago.
If your case is straightforward, you don't really need a lawyer. Americans are rarely suspected of marriage fraud.

 

[ankb2308]

My lawyer would charge $3,000 for a simple case - this is in Saskatoon, a couple of years ago.
If your case is straightforward, you don't really need a lawyer. Americans are rarely suspected of marriage fraud.

This cannot be understated. If you can read & write English/French, you DON'T need a lawyer. They cost a huge amount of money and can't influence/expedite the process in any way. So I don't really see the value. A lot of people think they are professional so they know what they're doing, but frankly they are not doing you any kind of favors. To deal with CIC, you don't need to know a lot, just follow instructions carefully. I consulted with lawyers too before sponsoring my wife after marriage, but the checklist and instruction guides/forms on CIC are easy to follow and I like most others completed them myself. It takes a lot of work & patience but it is well worth it in the end.

Hope that helps

 

[keesio]

I will agree that for straightforward cases, a lawyer is not needed. However a good one can make the process very easy. My employer took care of my PR application. They have a lawyer which they use to handle all their cases. A big firm. So for my case, the lawyer would ask me fro some information, send them some documents and tell me to go here and do this, etc. During the whole process I didn't think or worry at all. I just did what they told me and they took care of it all and after a year, I had my PR in my hand. When it came time to sponsor my wife, I decided to do it on my own (when I found out how much that lawyer cost - ~7K). I must say that it was quite stressful even though we had a straightforward application. Maybe if I had paid attention to my own case when the lawyer was giving me instructions it would have been a smoother ride. Anyway it worked out in the end.

Overall I'd agree with the people here that for standard cases, you can do it yourself. For complicated issues, a lawyer would come in handy.

 

[osgoz99]

Well thanks for all the responses folks! It seems like the majority (ALL?) seem to be saying that a lawyer is not necessary.

First off, These are not my children and it is not my application. A close family friend asked if I would help him with his application since I have experience filling out an application in the past (I submitted a spousal sponsorship application for my sister about 2 years ago). His situation seemed slightly more complicated as his was an application "outside of Canada" while my sister's was "in Canada", and he and his wife have 2 children together and the children are currently living in the USA with his wife. I suggested he try hiring a lawyer as I wanted to be certain his application went smoothly. The lawyer he contacted quoted him a $200 consultation fee and then an additional $4500 for application. This sounded a little steep to me and so I thought I'd put it out to the experts here.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Peachnibbler]

You also have the option of hiring an Immigration Consultant. I contacted both IC's and lawyers in British Columbia and the costs ranged from $5K flat rate (IC) to $8K for a lawyer with 40 years of experience. I honestly don't know who to hire because our case is more complex than yours and I wish we had had someone to coach us before we got refused. But I honestly don't know what they would have done, other than to provide us with advice, and also to do all the paperwork (which frankly one can do themselves). In your case, I would agree with most folks and say, don't bother unless there are any quirks in your relationship.

Peach

Well thanks for all the responses folks! It seems like the majority (ALL?) seem to be saying that a lawyer is not necessary.

First off, These are not my children and it is not my application. A close family friend asked if I would help him with his application since I have experience filling out an application in the past (I submitted a spousal sponsorship application for my sister about 2 years ago). His situation seemed slightly more complicated as his was an application "outside of Canada" while my sister's was "in Canada", and he and his wife have 2 children together and the children are currently living in the USA with his wife. I suggested he try hiring a lawyer as I wanted to be certain his application went smoothly. The lawyer he contacted quoted him a $200 consultation fee and then an additional $4500 for application. This sounded a little steep to me and so I thought I'd put it out to the experts here.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Kiri]

Well thanks for all the responses folks! It seems like the majority (ALL?) seem to be saying that a lawyer is not necessary.

First off, These are not my children and it is not my application. A close family friend asked if I would help him with his application since I have experience filling out an application in the past (I submitted a spousal sponsorship application for my sister about 2 years ago). His situation seemed slightly more complicated as his was an application "outside of Canada" while my sister's was "in Canada", and he and his wife have 2 children together and the children are currently living in the USA with his wife. I suggested he try hiring a lawyer as I wanted to be certain his application went smoothly. The lawyer he contacted quoted him a $200 consultation fee and then an additional $4500 for application. This sounded a little steep to me and so I thought I'd put it out to the experts here.

Thanks for all the help!

The only difference of in Canada application vs. out of Canada application is where you send it to, time frame and status during processing.

Applying outside of Canada as a US citizen, they would get all documentation that the children are citizens of Canada as aforementioned and send that along with the standard application set up (the guide walks you through step by step - and it will have been the same way as you did the in Canada application except it would be under spouse and not family - which means you prove your relationship with proper evidence (marriage certificate, birth records, showing he's been in the children's life despite the living circumstances, photos, letters, life insurance stuff, etc) but all files are sent to Mississagua first, sponsor is approved and then it will be forwarded to Ottawa (that's where outside Canada for US citizens go now - I have one there myself) and it's just a waiting game - and according to the spreadsheets lately it's averaging about 7-8 months).

I'm in agreement with all, a lawyer is not necessary. Following the guide and asking questions here that you don't understand will save you thousands! I was quoted several thousands too and I said forget that and got together about a 9lb package of information for them. Many go this route and if you frequent the Ottawa Pilot thread or US applicants thread you will find LOTS of useful information for outland US citizens applying.

 

[Rob_TO]

His situation seemed slightly more complicated as his was an application "outside of Canada" while my sister's was "in Canada", and he and his wife have 2 children together and the children are currently living in the USA with his wife. I suggested he try hiring a lawyer as I wanted to be certain his application went smoothly. The lawyer he contacted quoted him a $200 consultation fee and then an additional $4500 for application. This sounded a little steep to me and so I thought I'd put it out to the experts here.

An application outland or inland doesn't make much of a difference in the complexity or difficulty or putting the whole thing together. Both are very similar.

And an application involving 2 children actually makes the entire process MUCH simpler in the long run. Yes there are a few more papers to fill out with the kids listed as dependents, but in practically all cases a spousal PR app for for a US citizen with 2 children in common with their wife or husband, is as close as you can get to a 100% guaranteed approval. There would be zero question about authenticity of relationship here, and the only issues preventing approval would be due to criminality or something like that.

I would re-iterate what all others have said... don't even consider a lawyer unless there are other circumstances involved.

 

[Robin_Pandey]

I agree with all those members who are suggesting against the use of lawyers...
I myself went ahead and used the services of famous canadian law firm (the costs are 2k$, on top of all the gov fee ofcourse)...
Turned out to be not a big help, as the forms and instructions are very pretty clear.
Anyone with half decent brain should be able to do their own apps..

On top of it, I had to make them understand about the new rules and regulations that are in place.... esp abt the eMedicals. I underwent this process, but my law firm ket insisting abt some outdated form(apart from receipts and an acknldgmnt lttr) to be submitted abt the medicals, after the docs tests n visits ...I kept telling them that the doc clearly said, everything is being taken care electronically and the reports n stuff are sent to the embassy...I came back to law firm and asked them to contact embassy for this new process. They did and came back to me apologizing that the doctor was right (So dumb!!!!).... These are the things which they should be aware of in first place. I went thru hell n headache to convince these disgusting ppl.....

Someone said, using lawyers delays the process, hope it is not the case :|

So just follow the forums, which are a sea of knowledge, ofcourse after the instructions which by themselves are very informative in first place.

 

[Kiri]

And I'd like to further add...

After reading things people have said in the 2.5 years I've been on these forums I consider myself LUCKY I didn't spend the money on one. You will find lawyers that claim they can speed things up or do this or that and they can't. They are just as bound by CIC's timelines as you are and can't do more for you than you can do yourself with a little research on the forums. I had a lawyer try to sike me out on the phone telling me how complicated the paperwork is... I was freaked out. The paperwork was easy, it's just lots of it.

But I've read people who say the lawyer has been no help, had no information when they wanted updates and sometimes they are forgetful in getting you forms or this that or the other if they are busy.

Why trust your LIFE and FUTURE to someone you don't even know? Something to think about.

 

[nsr]

Lawyers are only worth If you have so many red flags in your case. Or lawyer is required when case is refused for appeal. Otherwise they are not of any much help. I paid 5500 by the way. This forum has helped me 3 times more than my lawyer did.

One more thing if you are not smart enough or not confident enough, then should get someone to file papers for you. Else you will waste your time in filling some wrong forms or missing signature and end up sending it second time.