Re: Our Newest U.S. Citizen - Mrs. Kick Back
Hearty congratulations to both of you.
I work with a lady from South Africa (CEO of her American company). Brilliant woman and a great person - a joy to work with. Coincidentally, your wife's picture resembles her.
I am curious about something you posted. With all respect, why did the process cost you "tens of thousands" of dollars...? I don't understand that.
That is a good question. Before I met her she had been working with several lawyers, each giving her bad advice or just not caring other than to get her money. I have talked with a lot of people since and I've come to the conclusion many immigration lawyers know their clients have no alternative and they don't have to work hard on their behalf.
Once I got involved with her, I met with her lawyers several times and finally their big boss from out of town. He admitted they got things all screwed up. But nothing much happened on their part. We ended up filing a complaint to the Florida Bar, but they weren't all that interested in investigating it.
Finally we did meet a guy new to the immigration area, so he worked cheap to get some experience. His inexperience meant he hadn't learned yet to take advantage of his clients. Anyway, he got the paperwork headed in the right direction, which led to her getting her residency. From that point on, we did all of the filings ourselves. Lot of work, but doable.
Added to these costs was the crazy high tuition for non-residents for her son's education (on student visas). Adding it all up, lots of money.
Sea ya...
