Applying For A United States VISA For Permanent Residency.

gocaps16

Well-Known Member
Has anyone ever applied for a US permanent resident (Green Card) for yourself or a family member? I just filed an I-130 Petition few months back to the USCIS for my wife who is still living in Japan. I am in the United States until 2017. Once that is approved, then I would be able to apply for my wife's U.S Green card, which I hope to submit it by early 2015. The process look somewhat complicated and much proof is needed to submit it with the application along with a rip-off fee of $1080. I'm not a guy who enjoys paperwork.

I will be traveling to Japan in mid-January 2015 to visit my wife and we will be traveling to the U.S. Embassy to submit the application forms and hopefully my wife could do her interview there during the 27 days I will be in Japan. We are also waiting on my daughter's U.S. Passport. She will be a dual nationality holder of a US citizen and a Japanese citizen. Just can't wait until this is completed.
 
My wife has done it and also went through the citizenship process, it was before we were married so I'm less familiar but if you want, she'd be happy to answer any question. Just PM me and I'll get you her email.
 
Be interested to know if I end up working in FL, it sounds more complicated than what we need to do flight training.
 
Has anyone ever applied for a US permanent resident (Green Card) for yourself or a family member? I just filed an I-130 Petition few months back to the USCIS for my wife who is still living in Japan. I am in the United States until 2017. Once that is approved, then I would be able to apply for my wife's U.S Green card, which I hope to submit it by early 2015.

This is highly unlikely. I filed i-130 in early June. The website shows it was processed on June 17th. No updates since then. I wouldn't count on getting approval in less than 5 months.
 
I did it 17 years ago, and it was pretty easy. I think in the post 9-11 world it has changed significantly. They now send a State Department representative to the tribal regions of Pakistan with a picture of your wife to make sure she was not actually born there and is some kind of sleeper terrorist who duped you into marriage so you would help get her infiltrated into the USA. Never mind if you can show them proof of her family having lived in Japan for the last 1000 years. :sarcasm:

Seriously, you may want to prepare yourself for a longer timeline than you may have originally hoped for. I'm hearing 6 months to over a year for approval in many cases.


TP
 
I hear it takes about 6-12 months depending on the circumstance. But, being active duty military, I heard there is a way to have it expedited. I'm in no hurry though, it is my mistake that I waited til long but I had no choice going back to the US so quick. It would be nice though.

Does anyone know if the I-130 application is approved, will I be allowed to move my wife to the US and start the process at my local USCIS? Under a JPN passport, she is allowed 90 day stay legally in the US.

Domo!
 
Does anyone know if the I-130 application is approved, will I be allowed to move my wife to the US and start the process at my local USCIS? Under a JPN passport, she is allowed 90 day stay legally in the US.

Domo!

That 90 day stay is a waiver of the requirement for a tourist visa. It is not legal to enter on a tourist visa or waiver with the intent of adjusting status. :(
 
But, being active duty military, I heard there is a way to have it expedited.

That is true but only if the beneficiary is active duty, e.g. if you were not a U.S. Citizen or if she was an active duty.

Does anyone know if the I-130 application is approved, will I be allowed to move my wife to the US and start the process at my local USCIS? Under a JPN passport, she is allowed 90 day stay legally in the US

Generally speaking no, this would be illegal. She has to apply for her visa at the consulate indicated on I-130 form. There is a workaround but it involves lying to the immigration officer.
 
Filed CR-1 October 10, received NOA1 October 14th. They sent to Texas Service Center. tSC is showing its processing I-130s from May 2014 right now. Using the timelines on Visajourney, it will be mid April before we get NOA2, then likely another three months at NVC before we get a MNL case number and the package is sent to the embassy for the interview. On the CR-1 the interview date is scheduled for you then (on a K-1 you schedule it then). So looking like August or September as the earliest for us right now.

On the I-130 for a CR-1/IR-1, she will get the green card on arrival. If Married less than two years (CR-1), you will just have the conditional removal process after two years, IR-1 doesn't have conditions. K-1 fiancée guys get screwed with the long wait for the green card and Adjustment of Status fees (AOS).
 
Yikes John...

I sent my I-130 to the USCIS Chicago Lockbox facility around Sept 5-ish, they recieved it 3 days later and was forwarded to the USCIS Facility in Vermont which is stll there. No word yet. USCIS sent me a text message on my phone saying that my case was recieved and got a paper copy in the mail. I guess it will be another 6 months until I hear something back.

@jskibo, So your wife would have to do the interview process at the US Embassy in Manila? Will you be there as well?
 
Yikes John...

I sent my I-130 to the USCIS Chicago Lockbox facility around Sept 5-ish, they recieved it 3 days later and was forwarded to the USCIS Facility in Vermont which is stll there. No word yet. USCIS sent me a text message on my phone saying that my case was recieved and got a paper copy in the mail. I guess it will be another 6 months until I hear something back.

@jskibo, So your wife would have to do the interview process at the US Embassy in Manila? Will you be there as well?


Same situation, you're just a month ahead of us. Chicago sent you to Vermont, me to Texas. Google USCIS processing times and you shoul get the page to select the service center, form number and current times. I'd paste the link but iOS 8 has hosed my iPad 2 so half the stuff doesn't work.

Yes, she will have the interview in Manila. I will go, but not required.
She will have to do the medical on her own though.

She will already have CFO complete by then in order to get her passport in married name. CFO is unique to philippines. It's a class they have to go to if immigrating to explain to them the horrors of living overseas and how terrible life will be ;) it's required though to get a sticker in their passport allowing them to leave. One class is for foreign workers only, the other for foreign spouses.

Hit up Visajourney.com. They have CR-1 (I-130) boards as well as ones for your specific country. Also have timelines their you can search based on form, country, etc from users in the same situation as you, so you can put Japan, I-130, and NOA1 received and see what others are currently trending or experiencing.

Don't bring her here with the intention of trying to skirt the system and adjust status here, at best it won't work, at worst she'll end up with an entry ban for the future.
 
Did it 10 years ago, glad I'm not doing it again.

Best of luck.

For what it's worth I brought my wife over on an i90 then filed. At the time there were a couple loop holes that I exploited. Not sure of they stitched that up or not.
 
Have you tried this site www.trackkitt.com ?

You can compare processing times and see where you case is WRT others who filed around the same time. Expect around 6 months, depending on where you live in the US. Get an RFE? Expect it to take longer.
 
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