I recently found a lawyer on the internet, we spoke on the phone and he suggested me that I have a good possibility to be granted a waiver.
He asked me to send him US$5,000.00 for retainer fee.

1) Does anyone know a lawyer and how to get in touch by phone, so I can call him (just to get a second opinion)

2) Is US%5,000.00 an appropriate amount?

The lawyers info is:

William OLTARSH & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
494 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1704
New York NY 10001
Tel: 212-944-9420
Fax: 212-944-9120
www.oltarsh.com

A good immigration lawyer is worth his weight on gold, but I'll be a tad warry if the person comes by without being recommended by at least someone who has used them in the past.

Why not venture to Immigrate2us.net and compare your situation with those who've undergone the process? They seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the subject.

quote:

he suggested me that I have a good possibility to be granted a waiver.

quote:

He asked me to send him US$5,000.00 for retainer fee.

Ain't that a surprise?
Always good news before you pay.

You should contact at least 10 lawyers and see if they have the same opinions before you pay a retainer.

http://www.visacentral.net/services.html

This lady is highly thought of and $5,000 would be a flat fee.

The other one is probably just for starters.

before I would part with 5Gs, I would want to know, with a certainty,that I would get what I wanted....and NO immigration attorney, no matter how much they charge, can guarantee $hit....they have zero power or authority over the waiver process....but please...go ahead and spend $5000 for nothing but a letter....that's all attorneys can do....write overpriced letters that aren't fit to line a cat box with...

quote:

Originally posted by Someone12:
before I would part with 5Gs, I would want to know, with a certainty,that I would get what I wanted....and NO immigration attorney, no matter how much they charge, can guarantee $hit....they have zero power or authority over the waiver process....but please...go ahead and spend $5000 for nothing but a letter....that's all attorneys can do....write overpriced letters that aren't fit to line a cat box with...

Mr. Doofus, you're doing much better.

quote:

Originally posted by bsanchez:
I recently found a lawyer on the internet, we spoke on the phone and he suggested me that I have a good possibility to be granted a waiver.
He asked me to send him US$5,000.00 for retainer fee.

1) Does anyone know a lawyer and how to get in touch by phone, so I can call him (just to get a second opinion)

2) Is US%5,000.00 an appropriate amount?

The lawyers info is:

William OLTARSH & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
494 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1704
New York NY 10001
Tel: 212-944-9420
Fax: 212-944-9120
www.oltarsh.com

Don't rush to pay! There are A LOT of scamming lawyers or wanna be lawyers, especially in immigration field in New York.

Laurel is highly regarded, I wouldnt pay the 5G's but the $125 dollar phone consoltation is on par with what other lawyers charge.

And S12 is correct, there will be NO guarentee.

At least you can find out what your chances are with Laurel, she wont BS you from what others who have retained her have told me. Most immigration lawyers try and make you like them and make you feel comfortable with them, so you will retain them. That doesnt mean they actually know what they are doing on your particular problem though.

Finding Immigration Lawyers who actualy know anything about the 601/212 process is tough. Most only know H1B stuff, at least in my neck of the woods.

jeff rubin,in boston ma,

The only guarantees I know of is Death and Taxes.

I would diy, but not everybody's cup of tea.

ask yourself what your own time is worth....how long could it take you to write some weeping whining letter claiming "extreme hardship?" 1 hour? 2? 3? OK, say 4....is your time worth $1250 an hour? Because if you shell out $5000 to some attorney, he or she will bat out a letter in record time ( a boilerplate model with your name and other bio data inserted) in about 30 minutes...and you'll be staring at a bill for 5 large.....

quote:

Originally posted by Someone12:
ask yourself what your own time is worth....how long could it take you to write some weeping whining letter claiming "extreme hardship?" 1 hour? 2? 3? OK, say 4....is your time worth $1250 an hour? Because if you shell out $5000 to some attorney, he or she will bat out a letter in record time ( a boilerplate model with your name and other bio data inserted) in about 30 minutes...and you'll be staring at a bill for 5 large.....

Actually pretty good advice. I'm impressed, S12.

I seen some immigration attorneys spend a couple of weeks or more to put together a waiver packet, well documented, a brief setting out the law in that particular case, etc. Someone12 might had work with an attorney that wanted easy money then.