The Immigration Law Office of Andrew Bartlett

San Rafael Palo Alto and Oakland

This is a community law office
Low fees, good advice and teamwork.
Evening and Weekend Appointments available

See reviews on Google+, Yelp and Avvo.

And the Marriage Green Card Checklist


Ask Me Anything Consultation, $80

Email
help@law191.org The consultation is a full hour over zoom. No issue too small (or large).

These sessions have proved very popular. They are also really important. Whatever you are considering, you will get the best outcome if you are fully informed. Brainstorming and considering all options is always the best way to start.



Covid-19 and beyond

While the pandemic is behind us, Covid is still here, and I regularly see people who have or are recovering from the virus. That is why I continue to do meetings over Zoom. They are very effective and convenient. No-one has to travel to an office. And we can schedule meetings late afternoon and evenings, so no-one has to take time off work to get advice.

I help many people in other states and in other countries, and I find that internet working and phone consultations are very effective.

Stay safe, everyone.

DACA/TPS

I charge $140 for DACA renewals. We do them online these days, and it takes a couple of zoom sessions. We will need a digital passport image as well as a copy of your work permit.
I also will help with DACA advance parole applications and my fee is $240. This includes a preliminary meeting to talk with you about all the evidence that you need.



Parole in Place

I currently charge $300 for Parole in Place for the Keeping Families Together program. As you probably know, the application is filed online. You should already have created a personal accoount on uscis.gov.

Please note that you need to able to work with a computer, and over Zoom.


Citizenship

$240

Is it time to take the final step and become a United States citizen?

I check you are safe to apply, help with the N-400 form, and prepare you with a practice interview. If you qualify for a fee waiver, we prepare the application on paper and mail it to USCIS. For everyone else we now file online. It takes a couple of 40 minute zoom sessions, and it is done.


Marriage
Green Card
$650 - $900

We work together to prepare safe and complete applications for Adjustment of Status or Consular Processing.

I have always tried to keep this fee low, as the best applications are real team work.

If you are low income and need a joint sponsor, I give you a full discount and the fee is $650. If your I-864 income is less than $100k, the fee is $750.


Fiance Visa

$530

A good fiance visa application usually leads to a gentler interview at the embassy.

Be careful with the fiance visa. It is sometime still appropriate But it is no longer fast - and takes almost the same amount of time as the consular marriage green card. And then you still have to apply for the green card once you are married.



Family
Green Cards
$400 (adjustment)
$500 (consular)

Adjustment of Status or Consular Processing for parents, children and step-children of US Citizens and children of permanent residents.

I will usually discount multiple applications.






I-130

$300

Stand-alone I-130s (i.e not immediate relatives or category F2A).

These applications usually take years to become "current."

NVC Processing

$350

Preparing the Affidavit of Support and Civil Documents packets for the National Visa Center.


If I need to work directly with a joint sponsor, please add $100

Joint Removal of Conditions
$450

Working with a couple on their joint I-751 application (or RFE) and the detailed evidence packet to lift the conditions on their two-year conditional green card.



Waiver Removal of Conditions
$700

Preparing an I-751 application with a divorce or abuse waiver(or RFE) and its detailed evidence packet. The evidence requirement is significantly higher than for joint applications.


National Interest Waiver

I mentor postdocs and researchers who are applying for the EB2 NIW

E2 and business

I also mentor those who wish to establish their business in the United States.

VAWA and U Visas

A psychological evaluation will be required. It is usually expensive. Also U Visa applications are taking years as they are heavily over-subscribed.





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What Immigration Help?

 

I help with many immigration issues and my fees are low. This is because my private practice is an extension of my nonprofit work, just available to everyone. Below, you will find some examples of areas I can help with, and the fees I charge.

Citizenship/Naturalization

I check that it is really safe for you to apply to become a US citizen, help with the N-400 naturalization form, include an attorney G-28 so I can be with you through the process, and give you a "practice interview" to make sure you are ready. I naturalized a few years ago, so I know first-hand about the experience.

Whatever you decide, please consult with a lawyer before applying. You don't want to find yourself going to Immigration Court instead of an Oath Ceremony.


Fiance Visas/Marriage Green Cards

For the marriage I-485 Adjustment of Status or the two-stage Consular Processing applications and I-129F fiance visa we prepare a full packet with good evidence giving the adjudicating officers exactly what they need from you. And guide you through a stressful time.

Here is my Marriage Adjustment of Status checklist

Family Immigration and NVC

For Adjustment of Status or Consular Processing applications for parents (IR), under-21 children (IR and F2A), adult unmarried sons and daughters (F1 and F2B) married adult sons and daughters (F3) and siblings (F4).


DACA

I believe in you. The DACA recipients I have met and helped are wonderful, inspiring people. Your families are brave. Please continue to believe in yourselves. The best advice I can give is in this blog post

no tenemos miedo

VAWA/U Visa

If I can help, I will. Victims of crime don't need the added stress of an immigration crisis. Because these cases require intensive effort, I only accept a few at any time.



Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions

Your criminal defense attorney or the public defender is welcome to contact me for a written analysis of your case and whether a plea deal or the likely outcome is safe or puts you at risk of removal.

Plea deals are usually designed for citizens. And the DA is not interested in your immigration status. Never accept a deal without taking advice on the immigration consequences of the conviction.


The J-1 Visa

The state department's J-1 exchange program works through agencies. But whether you are looking to spend time here either as an au-pair or through your profession, or you are trying to decide how to move to the next step once the program is over, my input can help.


F-1 Students and OPT

The F-1/OPT path can go very well, but it can also go disastrously wrong. Don't confide in your international student advisor. Confide, and discuss your plans and your issues only with a lawyer who will keep the confidence and work in your best interest, not the school's/


Business Immigration

I came to the US through the business route. And I understand that you often need more advice than you can get from an emmployer's attorney.

Also entrepreneurs (and students with dreams) find it very useful to discuss their plans and get a reality check about their concerns. Often this can take just a single consultation.

Check to see if your country has an investment or trade treaty with the US.

A Bay Area Immigration Lawyer can help Immigration Clients Worldwide



Traditionally, Most people came to the office. But Zoom has changed everything. I cannot attend an interview with you, but most other tasks are possible. More than that, online working makes it far easier to work together on a document, and to share resources and information

Immigration is Federal Law. That means you can get advice from any immigration lawyer who is licensed in the United States. I give consultations over Skype to clients across the United States and beyond. From Europe through the Middle East to Hong Kong.

Full "ask me anything" Skype consultations can be just like coming to the office

Email help@law191.org




Frequently Asked Questions

My marriage is real, not a fraud

Of course it is. And the best way to show that is to involve family at every stage. At the wedding, with letters of support, and in the photographs you include with your application. Moms and dads, uncles and aunts don't get involved in immigration fraud.

Check my case status?

If you have a receipt number, then the status check tool on the USCIS home page should be your first destination. Sometimes it is not accurate - INFOPASS can help. And if everything seems lost, then you can make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Have I aged-out at 21?

If a "child" in your application has reached 21, all may not be lost. The CSPA may help. If you are a citizen, then a child immediate relative's age is frozen as soon as your application is in the system. Otherwise, work out how many days USCIS took to approve your case. Then add those days to the child's date of birth. And that gives you the "adjusted" birth date to use.

The Affidavit of Support

This requirement causes most people problems. You have to have income higher than the Federal Poverty Guidelines. If you need a joint-sponsor this explanation of the consequences of being a sponsor in California will probably help.

I have a Court hearing soon

If you (or the person with the hearing) is a child, feel free to call. Otherwise I'm sorry but I cannot help. You can check when your hearing is and your status by calling the EOIR hotline.

Can you help with my asylum or withholding?

I will talk with you about the merits of your case and whether you have other options. If you are in the Bay Area, your destination should be the Asylum Program at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco.

Filing an I-130 for a family member

Before you pay money, either to the government or to a lawyer, be warned that some of the categories have long wait lists, and for some oversubscribed countries, that wait time is impossibly long. You need to consider both the date published in the Visa Bulletin, and how fast the date is moving forward. Here is one good online tool for checking when your date might become current.

I am a citizen. My spouse needs papers

If your spouse originally came on a visa, then you may be able to fix things in a few months and help him/her adjust status. If your spouse came across the border without inspection (EWI) then a waiver will be needed - and this is difficult but can be done. If your EWI spouse came here before age 16, then DACA and advance parole might let them adjust.

My EAD is expiring and my DACA renewal hasn't arrived

This is a diffcult and uncertain time. We have come a long way. Stay safe.




About Me

I am a San Francisco Bay Area Immigration Lawyer - an attorney based in San Rafael, California. And I am an immigrant. I came to the United States in 2000. 13 years later I became a citizen. I am licensed to practice law in California. And I am a member of the American Immigration Lawyers' Association (AILA).

I speak fluent French, a little Spanish and Portuguese, and even less Kreyol.

law191.org is my private practice. I believe in access to law for everyone, so my fee scale is carefully designed to reach everyone. Think of me as a legal GP.

I am also the immigration attorney at the Brazilian Alliance in San Rafael. You are welcome to work with me through them if you prefer. The fee structure is the same. The quality of the service is the same.


I graduated with a JD from King Hall, UC Davis School of Law in 2012 and passed the California Bar later that year. At law school I was nominated for the Martin Luther King Jr Service Award for my work with long-term women prisoners in Chowchilla. My blog is here. I am also the creator of a web version of the Immigration and Nationality Act and of the ill-fated Senate bill for Comprehensive Immigration Reform..

Disclaimer: The information on this site is not legal advice. Before applying for any immigration benefit, you should take advice from an immigration attorney. I am only your lawyer after we have met, discussed your case and agreed to the representation in writing.