Self Filing or Immigration Lawyer

[ConnerVT]

Don't judge how fast and easy things will be by how quickly you receive your first NOA from Vermont.  All it means is they opened your envelope, assigned the application in it a registration (tracking) number, and deposited your check (probably their most important reason).

My experiences with the Vermont Service Center (and the St. Albans sub-district office) have been good.  And I imagine the opening of the Missouri Service Center, now a nation clearing house for many types of applications, has certainly helped.

It's when things got into the State Dept.'s hands that everything came to a stop, making our less than 3 month trip through VCS take almost exactly one year to get my wife and son here to the US.  And I had the most powerful lawyer in Vt helping me -- Sen. Pat Leahy, ranking member of the US. Senate's Judiciary Sub-committee on Immigration.  State basically said, "Up your's... It's not late until it has sat here, untouched, for five months..."

[Son of Clyde]

One day a man (who hates lawyers) found a lamp along the beach. He rubbed it and a genie popped out. She said, "I will give you three wishes, but there is a catch!" The man said, "A catch?" The genie said,"Yes, whatever you wish for, every lawyer gets double. He said," Ok, my first wish will be a Ferrari!" Poof! Now every lawyer has 2 Ferrari's" "I have always wanted to
have a million dollars!" Poof! Now every lawyer has 2 million dollars. "Ummmm, I have always wanted to donate a kidney? Poof!

[anono]

i was able to obtain a k-1 three months from the date of filing. this was through nebraska, i think. reputation of being a slow office.

i did not use an attorney, even though they are available to me for free. i followed the instructions, made certified translated copies of everything, submitted everything they asked.

i received two notices, maybe three. one was a receipt for the application and fee, the other was the visa acceptance notice, three months to the day, later.