I-130 question about timing, passport renewal and travel

[coutch 0]

We're just about to file for my GC (I-130, I-485, I-765, I-131).

- I am a Canadian citizen currently on an H1B, married to a US citizen.

- My Canadian passport expires in December '08

- We are planning to travel extensively in June & July of this year

- There's a very strong possibility of us moving to a different state (wife going to grad school)

our questions/concerns are:

- What would be the general order/timeframe of events for this kind of application ?

- based on the answer to the previous question, what would be the best time to renew my passport (with the current processing time being 6-8 weeks) in order to have it when going to interviews, biometrics, etc (any step that requires me to show my current passport) and be able to travel in June/July ?

- If we are traveling out of the country during June & July, and we get an appointment (biometric, interview, etc) during that time, is it possible to delay it until we get back ? (a friend will be monitoring our mail while we are away)

- What are the implications of moving (early August) while parts of the application are pending ?

thanks,

--coutch

[pushbrk 13,260]

We're just about to file for my GC (I-130, I-485, I-765, I-131).

- I am a Canadian citizen currently on an H1B, married to a US citizen.

- My Canadian passport expires in December '08

- We are planning to travel extensively in June & July of this year

- There's a very strong possibility of us moving to a different state (wife going to grad school)

our questions/concerns are:

- What would be the general order/timeframe of events for this kind of application ?

- based on the answer to the previous question, what would be the best time to renew my passport (with the current processing time being 6-8 weeks) in order to have it when going to interviews, biometrics, etc (any step that requires me to show my current passport) and be able to travel in June/July ?

- If we are traveling out of the country during June & July, and we get an appointment (biometric, interview, etc) during that time, is it possible to delay it until we get back ? (a friend will be monitoring our mail while we are away)

- What are the implications of moving (early August) while parts of the application are pending ?

thanks,

--coutch

Unless there's something preventing it, I'd make a copy of your passport and start the renewal process now. At the same time, just go ahead and file as you described. Yes, you can postpone an interview or biometrics but the biometrics should be within the first 60 days. I don't see why you would need a green card for travel as long as you have a Canadian passport, unless you're going to some obscure country that treats Canucks less favorably than US LPRs.

[coutch 0]

I don't see why you would need a green card for travel as long as you have a Canadian passport, unless you're going to some obscure country that treats Canucks less favorably than US LPRs.

pushbrk,

I don't see where in my post you get that I think I need a GC to travel ....

what I need to travel is my passport! which means I cannot renew it in May if I want to travel in June..., hence my question about best timing ...

--coutch

[pushbrk 13,260]

I don't see why you would need a green card for travel as long as you have a Canadian passport, unless you're going to some obscure country that treats Canucks less favorably than US LPRs.

pushbrk,

I don't see where in my post you get that I think I need a GC to travel ....

what I need to travel is my passport! which means I cannot renew it in May if I want to travel in June..., hence my question about best timing ...

--coutch

I suggested you renew the passport now. References to not needing the green card were simply that there's no reason to worry about whether your AOS interview is complete or green card issued before travel but you will need a valid passport. So, renew it now.