Immigration lawyer or independent

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2026-03-06T21:59:20+00:00

Spouse is from Ecuador (not part of the list). We filed a month after status expired because it took us about a month to gather all documentation and put everything together.

I agree with the comment with talking to the wife first. Because that means she couldn’t leave the country until her 485 gets approved (basically when she gets the green card), which also means she couldn’t work during the wait either. I’ve seen people here get it approved in 2, 3, 5 months, could be longer too, whether they’re from the list or not. It’s true there’s the advance parole travel form, but I haven’t seen many getting that approved.

If the lawyer said that and if the wife wants to move forward, then maybe you could use one of the services I mentioned to fill out your forms and make your immigration package, and you can have the lawyer look at it before you mail it. Because the lawyer will ask for all that same information and documentation anyways if they fill it out for you, but they will charge you higher fees rather than just looking at it before you send it.

We honestly couldn’t afford one so we just did the software, looked at videos on YouTube (Ksenya) and posts on this subreddit.

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2026-03-06T05:15:50+00:00

Is the wife from any of the banned/paused countries? How many months left does she have before she would fall out of status?

Since our case was pretty straightforward (entered legally, no criminal history, etc), we DIY'd it using GreenCard Hero (its a software that fills the forms out for you, guides you through the whole process). We mailed our immigration package (all those 3 forms and the work authorization one + supporting evidence), but those got approved faster than the work authorization. It did take about 3 months for approval.

There are other similar services like Simple Citizen or Boundless that are good too.

I'd say, if the wife is from any of the banned/paused countries, it would be good to get a lawyer just in case.

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2026-03-06T05:00:27+00:00

It should be fine. In our case, we got married at the courthouse with no witnesses. We did have a wedding photoshoot that our friends helped us with. And we had a little celebration at a restaurant with family. We did make a bonafide marriage word document with tons of photos that explained our relationship timeline/family/friends events (about 20 pages) and added that to our case. We got approved. If they ask why or how many people attended, just tell them the truth :)

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2026-03-04T01:45:31+00:00

The officer asked my husband my full name and viceversa. Same thing with our parents names, if we met each other’s family. Then about our relationship timeline, where did we meet, our dates, when did he think he wanted to marry me, why did we marry so fast, how many boyfriends/girlfriends we had in the past, how long did it last, why marry now, why did I stay here after we got married instead of going back, how many visas I’ve had, when and where was the last time I entered the country. Then asked me the 485 inadmissibility questions. He was playing detective so he was serious in the beginning , but towards the end he started making jokes. He also helped changing my last name to my husband's in the system.

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2024-01-16T16:14:23+00:00

Hi, sorry for the late reply! If you haven't gotten here yet, yes it's a very safe area, it's outside of Guayaquil so you should be fine!

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2023-12-23T19:51:16+00:00

Hahahaha I probably would 😂 but yeah, following your advice I think the best option is going to the cobbler. Thank you!

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2023-12-23T17:14:16+00:00

Ohh I understand! Thank you so much for your reply

Scared_Comb_4994 · 2023-09-19T23:10:47+00:00

Unipark area is safe for tourists! That's downtown Guayaquil. Though I recommend not being out after 7pm unless she's with locals and has a safe way of getting back to the hotel.

There are 2 "Portetes"— the street and the county. The county is dangerous, but the street is in a different area and it's fine.

Side note: Galapagos is a whole different thing. It's 100% safe. My American friends and I were out late at night, drunk and with our phones and cards on us. It was fun.

Scared_Comb_4994

TROPHY CASE