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| Subject: Need some answers please |
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I hire a Lawyer in July 09 to represent my H & C grounds application he charge me $2800 I paid him $1400 the only thing he did was sending in application to the cic office. He is never in office whenever I call to get some update the secretary keeps on asking me for money. Now I want to change my lawyer so what do I do should I pay him off first?
The reason why I want to change my Lawyer its because I called the office twice and ask about work permit the secretary told me that am the one who should call the cic office, so I go ahead and call the cic office asking about work permit. Isn´t they suppose to know that I cannot apply for work permit?
[04-03-2011,18:01]
[**.245.194.172]
Ava |
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(in reply to: Need some answers please)
What does it say in the contract between you and the lawyer?
People need to understand that lawyers are not trained to deal with immigration and even if they claim they are then check on what area of immigration. Family applications, H&C cases or border crossings require three different skill sets and knowledge about the current legislation. If you can verify it with recommendation letters, articles etc then you are probably good to go, if you can´t or in this case you didn´t then say bye bye to those $1400 and send a letter to CIC with the proper form removing the lawyer as the person who is representing you.
Check the contract though. See what they promised and see if you expectations are realistic.
[04-03-2011,18:49]
[***.115.153.178]
DocD |
need some answers pls (in reply to: Need some answers please)
That´s the saddest part of putting your trust and ocnfidence to people who they call "lawyers." I myself had a bad experience too (different kind of application) and from then on, I trust my intuition/common sense more than these occupational suckers. Research through internet is the way to go now and it will even provide you with better and unselfish info than paying somebody who might just go after your money. If you still decide to proceed w/ a lawyer, make sure you´re not naive with what´s going on the circle of your interest/concern, that may somehow, deter his prospect of hanging you dry later.
[04-03-2011,21:16]
[**.169.17.126]
smile |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
True smile. But not everyone has require language skill to write letter for H&C;let alone eloquently. I myself come from non English speaking background, and I´m not equipped with this level of language to do for myself. So I had to turn to lawyer.
Op, your lawyer is a shoddy one. Fire him! Like DocD said, read the retainer and act accordingly;if it stipulates that the rest of the money must be paid when your application get certain level of approval(first stage/second stage), then it is clear-cut and you don´t need to pay the rest. If it stipulates otherwise(regardless of approval), I don´t know how you can get out of this without losing more money. Before you do anything, ask for copy of your file if you don´t have it;that way, you don´t give your lawyer a chance to procrastinate the file transfer when you decide to retain a new lawyer. Otherwise, you´d have to request it from CIC. I´m not sure if CIC has such procedure.
If you decide to get a new lawyer, my suggestion to you would be, just like “smile” said, do your research and be familiar yourself with the whole procedure. This would also help you from being duped or lied by lawyer. Ask these questions –
1) Whether he/she has prior experience with your kind of application
2) What are the success rate
3) How long he/she has been working in this field
4) If he/she has web site (so that you could check what he/she said is true or not. It’s easier to lie in person than posting false claim on official website. If you can get handout, it’s better)
5) Negotiate to split the payments instead of all in one lump. (I negotiated mine to separate three payments – one after receiving application received notification, another after first stage approval, the rest after final decision)
6) Ask to send the draft first and review thoroughly rather than signing right away.
Most important of all, shop around and make comparisons. This would not only help you choose better lawyer, but also give you a sense of retainer fee, and as a result, give yourself better footing on negotiation.
[05-03-2011,00:06]
[***.51.175.161]
Joe |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
...trust my intuition/common sense....
[05-03-2011,01:24]
[**.233.201.58]
Anonymous |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
Ava
This Lawyer charged you $2,800.00 and you ONLY paid half - consider yourself lucky that anything at all was submitted. I charge $5,000.00 up front but I only take H&C applicants with a better than 80% chance of success based on my vast experience in this area.
Why would the secretary NOT keep asking for money - you owe tham money! She wants to be paid for her work and if the Boss is not getting paid as AGREED that affects her/him.
I have a client who is Sponsoring his wife who has not paid 1/4 the agreed upon amount yet we submitted believing his word and hard luck story. He calls three times a week to ask what is happening with his wife´s file, and can not understand why I keep asking for the money he swore he would pay and yet has not in three months since we submitted her application.
He sounds like you frustrated because things are not moving as fast as he likes even though he has not paid. I suggest make your Lawyer (care about your file) by meeting your obligations you agreed to!
Remember, Compassion is common sense so why is your situation so Unusual, Undeserved or contains such Disproportionate Hardship compared to others?
DocD is so right about experience regarding the Immigration Act/Regulations and it various departments. Lawyers in general are very limited in their experience for issues within Canada especially if they have just been called to the Bar.
Most Immigration Consultants tend to deal with their own personal niche market and also can not be clear on all the areas as well. Too much knowledge to retain for the chance of having one client in that particular area once every three years.
That is why I am forming a mega Immigration Firm in Toronto where various representatives who focus on one a particular area will be joining. That way (we) as a group of quality representatives will be better able to serve our clients.
Roy
cvimmigration.com
[05-03-2011,10:57]
[***.88.53.251]
Roy |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
Someone charges 3000 $ for the family of four (H&C) up front and another 3000$ upon the approval principle.
It´s about $ 1500 for each.
[05-03-2011,12:27]
[**.233.201.58]
Anonymous |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
^^I don´t think you would get that price if it is just for one person. When I was shopping around, the highest one was $4500, and the lowest was $2000. But I went with $2500 one;although she wasn´t the most experience one of all, she wasn´t opinionated and pushy like some I had met. One even said, with no slightest of reservation, that I would never get my application approved; he said this without listening to the whole story. Anyway, best of luck OP.
[05-03-2011,13:59]
[**.142.248.68]
Joe |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
Thanks to everyone who give their honest thoughts they means alot.
Paying the money is not an issue its is lack of service, they told me that I should be able to get work permit and I must call the cic office, which Lawyer in their right mind wouldn´t know that you cannot apply for a work permit until you get the approval letter. I didn´t know that´s the reason why I ask about work permit.
[05-03-2011,21:56]
[**.245.194.172]
Ava |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
If a work permit is approved during the H&C process (presumably after being approved in principle), Vegreville CIC will mail it either to your home or to the lawyer´s office depending on what the mailing address is.
[06-03-2011,00:34]
[**.233.201.58]
Anonymous |
(in reply to: Need some answers please)
There is nothing you can do but wait.
You´re not getting it now because you are not in the right time. You will get it when you get it.
Meantime, you can check your application status on CIC website requiring some personal information such as client number. You might at least be able to see if your file is received and in process. If so, you should consider yourself lucky that you paid your half due to your legal counsel and that you´re waiting for the first stage of process.
[06-03-2011,00:40]
[**.233.201.58]
Anonymous |
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