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Gents,

I was thinking about filing the paperwork to bring my wife over to the US.  Has anyone done this on their own without the help of a lawyer?  If so, any minefields I should watch for? I'll check the archives but sharing of any recent experiences would be a great help in my decision.  Thanks, Thundernco

... in response to Filing The Paperwork, posted by thundernco on Jun 2, 2003

Seriously, get 2-3 times as many copies of each required document - it will eventually seem like your filing the same paperwork over and over again with different agencies.  Dot the i's and cross the t's - follow the instructions - the paperwork and process is a cakewalk.  The paperwork requirements will surface in the future when processing future residence status changes and citizenship - so anytime you go the the Colombian notary, for example, get several more copies than you think you need.  I did it without a lawyer no problem - I'm not sure that a lawyer could do anything but compile everything for you and put it in a folder - you'll still have to collect the appropriate documents.

... in response to Just get lots of copies, posted by cancunhound on Jun 2, 2003

Thanks, how recently did you do this?

... in response to Re: Just get lots of copies, posted by thundernco on Jun 2, 2003

Initially filed back in '97.  Constantly dealt with INS thru citizenship a year or so ago.  Filing centers and couple of things have changed but process is still basically the same (granted takes longer now).  2 friends of mine have recently filed also - only one had a problem and it was a simple mistake on his part - very stupid (fiance was in the states on tourist visa - he did not say NO to question about if she had been working - she'll be in Colombia for a long time now)!  One little mistake will really setback the process.