Moving to beneficiary's country while I-130 pending

[SerenityNOW 11]

Hi - Well, thank you all on this site for hours of informative reading! Although, it seems to get worse and worse daily - I just filed my I-130 a couple of weeks ago (not with the I-129F because I didn't know about the filing together option at that time). I keep seeing people who had to wait 5 months for their NOA1, so I am hoping they at least cash the check so I can file the I-129F...

I was braced for a 9-month wait, now even the officials are estimating a year, according to the New York Times article from Friday.

Regardless, even in a best-case scenario, I am looking at months and months until my husband can come back to the States.

In the meantime, I have an interesting prospect presented to me today. I was just offered a lucrative freelancing opportunity that would basically pay more than I make in my real job (which by the way has rapidly diminishing vacation time!) It could be done from any remote location, so of course I am thinking of the remote location of Bulgaria.

At the risk of over-thinking this, I am trying to see if I have thought of any problems this might cause.

• In terms of the future affidavit of support: I will have my tax statements from the entire year of 2007, I will work long enough at my job in 2008 to cover the minimum poverty requirement (+ the freelance income), and I would presumably have this contract long enough to provide the "gainful employment" info. required down the road.
• I will maintain a mailing address in San Francisco and someone would contact me when anything arrived.
• I would move out of my apartment and store my things until my husband is here and we get a place together.
• I can stay in Bulgaria 90 days no problem. (I haven't yet found out how hard it is to get a long term visa there when you are married to a Bulgarian national.)

The only really big down side I can think of is losing free health care, and having to pay for both of us when I return to the States. Oh, and what to do with my car.

Has anyone done something similar? Or even those who haven't , can anyone think of a way that this could go disastrously wrong from an immigration process standpoint?

Thanks so much for any insight (you guys are the experts!)

/bb

[mateo 0]

Hi - Well, thank you all on this site for hours of informative reading! Although, it seems to get worse and worse daily - I just filed my I-130 a couple of weeks ago (not with the I-129F because I didn't know about the filing together option at that time). I keep seeing people who had to wait 5 months for their NOA1, so I am hoping they at least cash the check so I can file the I-129F...

I was braced for a 9-month wait, now even the officials are estimating a year, according to the New York Times article from Friday.

Regardless, even in a best-case scenario, I am looking at months and months until my husband can come back to the States.

In the meantime, I have an interesting prospect presented to me today. I was just offered a lucrative freelancing opportunity that would basically pay more than I make in my real job (which by the way has rapidly diminishing vacation time!) It could be done from any remote location, so of course I am thinking of the remote location of Bulgaria.

At the risk of over-thinking this, I am trying to see if I have thought of any problems this might cause.

• In terms of the future affidavit of support: I will have my tax statements from the entire year of 2007, I will work long enough at my job in 2008 to cover the minimum poverty requirement (+ the freelance income), and I would presumably have this contract long enough to provide the "gainful employment" info. required down the road.
• I will maintain a mailing address in San Francisco and someone would contact me when anything arrived.
• I would move out of my apartment and store my things until my husband is here and we get a place together.
• I can stay in Bulgaria 90 days no problem. (I haven't yet found out how hard it is to get a long term visa there when you are married to a Bulgarian national.)

The only really big down side I can think of is losing free health care, and having to pay for both of us when I return to the States. Oh, and what to do with my car.

Has anyone done something similar? Or even those who haven't , can anyone think of a way that this could go disastrously wrong from an immigration process standpoint?

Thanks so much for any insight (you guys are the experts!)

/bb

You can really "visit" anywhere you want to. Lots of people work remotely or extended trips overseas. The only thing I can tell you that you need to worry about is the Affidavid of Support. You want to make your money in the US and have someway of showing income or support at the levels required. If you cannot do this then I would look at a co-sponsor. I would take the job and at least get to spend 3 months overseas with your loved one if you can do either option a (us income) or option b (co-sponsor).

m.

[bora bora 1]

I guess it all depends on your job, right? I could spend 2-3 months away from the U.S. if I wanted to, but I'm a teacher....

Good luck!