You have a wedding to plan. Do you really want to spend time learning immigration law?

The answer to this question will help you determine whether you need an immigration lawyer for your fiance visa. There’s a good chance that if you are applying for a fiance visa that you are also trying to plan your wedding. Your fiance will be making plans to move to the United States, and you’ll probably need to help out with that planning as well. Do you really want to spend time learning immigration law when you have these other important issues demanding your time?

If you decide to apply for a fiance visa without the assistance of an immigration lawyer, please make sure that you set aside enough time to really learn about the fiance visa process. You shouldn’t just simply spend a couple of minutes searching online. You’ll need to read the law and regulations related to both fiance visas and the grounds of inadmissibility. You also should take the time to learn about how other couples have run into roadblocks in their journey to get a fiance visa so that you can make sure that you don’t make the same mistakes. Finally, you should make sure that you understand what evidence is really required for your fiance visa to be approved and how to best present that evidence. All of this takes time.

You should keep in mind that there is no requirement to use the services of an immigration lawyer in order to get a fiance visa. But, many people will find the services of an immigration lawyer to be extremely valuable to successfully navigating the fiance visa process. An experienced immigration lawyer can:

• Save you most of the time that you would spend doing research and learing about the details of immigration law
• Provide you with legal advice that will help minimize the time you are separated from your fiance
• Help keep your case on track to avoid unnecessary delays
• Help ensure that your application is submitted correctly and with all of the evidence necessary to help your application get approved as quickly as possible
• Communicate with USCIS and the Department of State on your behalf
• Represent you if the government requests additional information about your case
• Represent you if you need to file an appeal in the event your application is denied
• Provide legal advice and assistance if you need to apply for a waiver

But do you need an Idaho fiance visa lawyer?

If you’ve decided that you’d like to hire an immigration lawyer, the next question you’ll probably have is whether you need an Idahofiance visa lawyer for your case. There is no one right answer to this question because it will depend on your personal preferences. For example:

• After your fiance arrives in the United States and you get married, your fiance will apply for a green card. Depending on where you live in Idaho, the green card interview will be in Boise, Idaho (if one is scheduled). Do you want your immigration lawyer to attend the green card interview with you if an interview is scheduled? If so, the location of your lawyer will be important. After all, it is much easier for a lawyer located near Boise to attend a green card interview in Boise than it is for a lawyer located in Utah or California.
• Do you want to be able to meet with your immigration lawyer face to face during the fiance visa process? If you do and you’re a Idaho resident, then hiring an Idaho fiance visa lawyer may be a better choice than hiring a lawyer from a distant state.
• An Idaho immigration lawyer will likely be more familiar with the local practices of the Boise USCIS office than a lawyer located in a different state. How important is it to you that your lawyer be familiar with your local USCIS office?

In some cases, you may find that the best fiance visa lawyer for you is one that isn’t located close to where you live. This is particularly true if you want your lawyer at your green card interview but you live several hours away. For example, if you live several hours away from Boise, Idaho but your interview is scheduled for Boise, a lawyer close to where you live may not be able to attend the interview with you (or may charge additional fees for the interview that make it cost prohibitive). A lawyer with an office close to the Boise USCIS office may be able to more easily attend your inteview with you. If you are comfortable commucating with your lawyer using email, phone calls, and letters, then you could work with your lawyer long distance on the fiance visa process. You may also want to see if the lawyer can speak with you using Skype or video conference so that you can get closer to the “in office” experience.