Should I Use an American Attorney for My Thailand K1 Visa?
Yes. If you are at all unsure about the K1 visa application process you should use a qualified U.S. attorney experienced with immigration law, and K1 visas in particular. While you can get translation help or help writing the answers on immigration forms from anyone, only certain authorized immigration service providers can provide more extensive help. There a numerous reasons to hire an American attorney to help you with your K1 visa application in Thailand.
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Licensed American attorneys and certain representatives accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals are qualified to represent you before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). As the USCIS website says “the wrong help can hurt.” American attorneys can communicate with the USCIS for you, explain your immigration options, and advise you on which forms to submit. Notaries public, immigration consultants or other immigration businesses cannot communicate with the USCIS for you and may give you inaccurate explanations or advice.
While you can also use a Thai attorney to represent you if you are filing forms with the USCIS office in Bangkok, this office is closing soon. You can also use certain representatives accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) who are working at BIA approved organizations. A list of BIA accredited organizations and representatives is available at The United States Department of Justice.
- Using an experienced American attorney will make the application process easier. Because an American attorney can explain the law and give you legal advise, you won’t have to do as much research to understand the process. American attorneys can communicate with the USCIS for you, so you won’t have to spend your time calling call centers or filing official paperwork.
- Using an experienced American attorney can make the application process cheaper and faster. Because an experienced American attorney knows the law and is familiar with common mistakes, he or she can help you avoid them when filing your K1 visa application. This will avoid having to file multiple applications or responding to requests for additional documents.
- An American attorney has completed extensive training and rigorous testing in U.S. law. Because an American attorney is familiar with more than just immigration law, he or she will be able to give you good advice even if your case is complicated. In addition, he or she may be able to interpret U.S. immigration law better than a lawyer trained in Thailand.
- An American attorney is held to strict ethical standards. American attorneys are regulated by the state bar(s) to which they belong. If an American attorney does not meet these standards, you can notify the state bar(s) and their license will be suspended or revoked. You can also check with the state bar to determine if their license has been suspended or revoked.
- Incompetent immigration help can result in denied visa applications, make you ineligible for a visa, or result in identity theft. Always make sure that you deal with accredited representatives if you want immigration help.
Category: US Fiancee Visa, US Immigration
About the Author (Author Profile)
Siam Legal is a full service law firm but it has an extensive range of immigration, corporate, and real estate experience accessible to clients both domestically and internationally. It has offices strategically located throughout the major cities in Thailand including Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Samui and Phuket along with international representative offices in Australia, London and Las Vegas.
