Applying for a green card, an employment based visa, or seeking another immigration benefit in the United States can be a stressful time in ones life. If you are without citizenship, trying to gain a better understanding of the U.S. immigration and its many subtleties can be difficult, especially if you are not a native English speaker and are having difficulty interpreting legal-type documents.
In addition, there are also many supporting documents that need to be attached to every USCIS application, and if you are going through any application process, you are bound to have questions along the way for how to answer on certain forms and sections. Further, you might be worried about eligibility requirements, such as how long your application will take to process, what to do if you are issued a denial, or what to do when issued an RFE—Request for Evidence.
For all of these reasons, and also because your immigration status will dictate the coming years for you and your families lives, that is why there are many organizations, as well as law firms, that are designed to help immigrants and non-immigrants with their needs when filing applications with the USCIS. However, online legal document service platforms, like our very own VISA2US have different functionalities than traditional law firms. That is the focus of this blog.
In this post, we will cover what some of these main differences are, and the benefits of choosing one service over the other. Some immigrants might be perfectly content with using VISA2US, while others might specifically request the assistance of a law firm. Cases always vary, so lets unpack this issue further.
Retainer Fees and Basic Help
First off, if you are seeking help with an immigration application, and need someone to guide you through the process, you might consider VISA2US. This is because, price wise, you will be saving a decent amount of money by using an online application service (such as VISA2US). If your form is pretty straightforward, you might consider VISA2US over a law firm because the initial retainer fee will be approximately $1500. This does not include the actual hourly fees that lawyers charge. Therefore, if you are looking for assistance in de-coding forms, knowing which supplementary documents to send the USCIS, and step by step guides, it is advantageous to use an online application service. Many clients simply can’t afford what some lawyers are charging.
Personal Relationships
Another issue with online legal service platforms vs. traditional law firms is how comfortable clients feel with each respective business. Anytime you are looking to hire a lawyer, it is generally a mild to moderately stressful situation. I have personally had a friend who unfortunately received a DUI, and although this individual decided to hire a lawyer to have the case expunged from her record, the amount of personability and face to face interaction from the lawyer she chose to hire was not great.
In other words, even if you do decide to go with a traditional law firm, be aware that the caseload of the lawyer you hire might be heavy, and they might also opt for emailing/phone consultations vs. in person meetings (especially with how the world of work has changed due to Covid-19).
Thus the personal relationship aspect in terms of cost effectiveness should absolutely be considered. While having an online relationship with an organization like VISA2US might not be your first option, you’ll find that our service team and lawyers will help clients through every step of the process. In addition, you can access all of our resources and self-help guides on the website for additional support.
The VISA2US platform also has an online messaging system that works quite well in this domain, available here: https://www.visa2us.com/contact-us. Versus possibly having to wait weeks to deal with a law office and their centralized system of having a secretary that re-directs calls, the VISA2US experienced legal team will get back to you within a business day. Just make sure to fill out the form and highlight what your question pertains to (green card, NIW application, Replacement, citizenship, fiancé visa, etc.).
Navigation
For Internet-savvy researchers, navigating the VISA2US site might be the most helpful way to go about seeking immigration help. In this respect, age can absolutely be a factor. Some prospective clients might choose to go with a law firm for the basis of not having to interact with web-based material, and simply taking their matters to phone consultations, albeit a higher retaining fee and overall cost to submit their application. This could very well be the case for older applicants who have less time/relationship with a smart device or laptop.
Conclusion
Overall, VISA2US has many benefits, such as user-friendliness, accurate and reliable information regarding the way the USCIS works and adjudicates applications, step by step guides, as well as curated surveys that can pinpoint a prospective applicants’ situation with regards to seeking an immigration benefit. These options will remain attractive for those who can make the most out of the information provided on the site. The switch to a law firm, however, has some benefits in that clients might feel safer, or might it be closer aligned with their belief system, to go through a traditional law firm.
