What happens after I-130

[maximus634 0]

Ok so me and my girlfriend plan on getting married in thailand this july i am a citizen of the usa and she is a citizen of thailand.I was wondering what happens after the I-130 form is approved is there and interviews ect ect.Im going to file it in late july and i deploy to iraq in november during this whole time she will be living in thailand.After it is approved does she get a residents visa can she come to the united states?.Im new to all of tis so any help would be great thx in advance

[NicoleX08 1]

Hi Maximus, and welcome.

The I-130 is just the first step in the process to bringing your spouse to the US. The first step is the I-130, and currently those are taking anywhere from 5 to 12 months to process. Once it has been approved, then it will be sent to the National Visa Center, also known as NVC. There you and your spouse will be required to fill out more paperwork and information in order to process the visa application. Once the NVC has completed the case, it will be sent to the consulate in the country the spouse is from, so Thailand in your case. There the case will wait for an available appointment, typically within 6 months, depending on the volume. Your wife will be required to attend the interview. If she has ever been in the US illegally or has any issues that may disqualify her from entering the US, she will be denied, do not worry though because there is a waiver that she can fill out and turn in.

There is a wealth of valuable information on this website. Look under the "Guides" and "Wiki" portion of the website and you will find TONS of information.

[maximus634 0]

Ok thank you two more things will me being in iraq for a year be a problem when filing a I-130 and should i also have her file a k 3 visa so she can come live with me when i get back from iraq in nov of 09

[NicoleX08 1]

You can file an I-129F with your I-130, this is called the K-3 Visa, it would get your wife here sooner, but she will have to Adjust Status in the United States after she gets here. A lot of filers here have gone that route. You can also request an expedite of your case because of the deployment. I cannot say if you would get approved or not, but you can go that route.