US Military Spouses

[Army_Wife 2]

Hello All,

As Sarah and I have been discussing the Visa situation for spouses and the headache of USCIS, she has made the point that MAYBE USCIS intends to help all Deployed Soldiers and their Families regardless of where they are in the deployment timeline. I'm posting this because I "know the lingo" and would like to help as my wonderful wife does so earnestly on this website. From my time on Active Duty I remember the Commanders being an important part in the citizenship process, but it is also the responsibility of the REAR DETACHMENT and FAMILY READINESS GROUP to help spouses with any and all issues. Needless to say, immigration and foreign spouses is a large responsibility, but the US gov't has a duty to help you as your Soldier fights honorably for the Nation. My heart bleeds for all going through this process and delay, and how much harder it must be with lack of contact, fears, and questions. Please understand that your REAR DETACHMENT Chain of Command might not have all the answers and probably won't know exactly what to do at first; however, if they are worth a bean they will care to find out and HOPEFULLY develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to help spouses in our situation best in the future. I finish this by simply saying CONTACT your FRG sponsor routinely, your REAR DETACHMENT COMMANDER regularly, and pray, as I do, constantly for our Soldiers in harms way.

Sincerely,

Kip

Edited March 15, 2008 by KipandSarahJayne

[Jamericanlove 31]

Hi again Sarah!

I don't think that idea will work about his parents number because we are both very much out of that stage and he hasn't lived with either of his parents for over 11 years! LOL

I should probably call and ask them what to do in a case like this. Thank you for the suggestions though.

We have a quite a lot to send in but I will just do the basics and carry a binder with all of the rest of the stuff when I go on the interview.

I am going to write a sheet along with my cover letter detailing our situation and hopefully the persons processing it will be kind.

Hi Jodee! Nice to meet you too...it's great that we have a little Military Spouse group going here. Hope to keep in touch with you all.

[✿Ice Rain✿ 0]

Dear everyone,

I am also a military spouse. My husband served 8 years full time US army and was deployed already in Iraq, Aghanistan, etc. But before we got married he already chose to get out from the US army and chose to be with me and make family with me :luv: ,

and now he is in part time National Guard aside from his full time civilian work.

I just want to say hello to you all, and want myself to track this topic..

And, yeah i thought they process quicker military cases.. But seems not..

Thank you guys.. By the way, is anyone here from Kansas or Nebraska?

[Jamericanlove 31]

I'm in Jamaica right now but Hubby is PCSing to Kansas next summer so if you are there at that time maybe we can hang out sometime

[ruby_jade 0]

Hi Camille,

Wonderful to hear from you ..... yes, Ruby's idea is great. You could put down his parent's number. From what I gather, they tend not to ring you up .... it looks like just a tick box item.

Expedites for military ..... trust me, I'm looking at every loophole possible .... so far, it's only deployment .... actually, I've had an idea !!! Both you and Ruby have deployed husbands ..... so far, I can't find anything which states you can't apply for an expedite after your husband is deployed ..... .... so, both of you guys can get a copy of your husband's deployment orders .... plonk that in with the I-130 application .... and in big red letters on a cover page, state 'Military Expedite Required .... Deployment Orders Enclosed' ...... you never know, they might just do it!!!!

It's worth a good try, cos the normal way is just silly ..... I'm sitting here waiting for a possible 6 months before approval before going to NVC, and my husband has put his life on the line for his country twice already.

If I was you, I wouldn't hesitate trying it .... the worst they can do is say no, and put you back in with everyone else.

For the I-130, I just sent a handful of emails (not all as there were over 550 at that stage, letters, cards and God knows what else) .... a couple from the early weeks, a couple from in between and a couple of recent ones. It showed the development of the relationship without bogging them down with a packet which is huge ... therefore not taking as long for an adjudicator to approve it once he's read it.

To be honest, I didn't send a lot of relationship proof, apart from the marriage certificate, emails and photos. The cover letter said everything.

I'm now on his life insurance, rental agreement, and he's on mine. The tax form has been updated to married ..... if you have any questions about US tax and how to file without a SSN#, just let me know.

I have so much more to take to the consulate, but know it shouldn't be too necessary being a US Military dependant .... I'm hoping to have Kip with me at interview too .... fingers crossed.

Hope this helps,

Sarah x

HELLO EVERYONE!!

I have talk to an ARMY wife shes from the PHILS. like me. she said her CR1 visa application took only 5 months to process, her husband used that expedited process and shes now in the states ...

so let's all be positive here!!!

good day to all..

[Army_Wife 2]

Hi Camille,

Wonderful to hear from you ..... yes, Ruby's idea is great. You could put down his parent's number. From what I gather, they tend not to ring you up .... it looks like just a tick box item.

Expedites for military ..... trust me, I'm looking at every loophole possible .... so far, it's only deployment .... actually, I've had an idea !!! Both you and Ruby have deployed husbands ..... so far, I can't find anything which states you can't apply for an expedite after your husband is deployed ..... .... so, both of you guys can get a copy of your husband's deployment orders .... plonk that in with the I-130 application .... and in big red letters on a cover page, state 'Military Expedite Required .... Deployment Orders Enclosed' ...... you never know, they might just do it!!!!

It's worth a good try, cos the normal way is just silly ..... I'm sitting here waiting for a possible 6 months before approval before going to NVC, and my husband has put his life on the line for his country twice already.

If I was you, I wouldn't hesitate trying it .... the worst they can do is say no, and put you back in with everyone else.

For the I-130, I just sent a handful of emails (not all as there were over 550 at that stage, letters, cards and God knows what else) .... a couple from the early weeks, a couple from in between and a couple of recent ones. It showed the development of the relationship without bogging them down with a packet which is huge ... therefore not taking as long for an adjudicator to approve it once he's read it.

To be honest, I didn't send a lot of relationship proof, apart from the marriage certificate, emails and photos. The cover letter said everything.

I'm now on his life insurance, rental agreement, and he's on mine. The tax form has been updated to married ..... if you have any questions about US tax and how to file without a SSN#, just let me know.

I have so much more to take to the consulate, but know it shouldn't be too necessary being a US Military dependant .... I'm hoping to have Kip with me at interview too .... fingers crossed.

Hope this helps,

Sarah x

HELLO EVERYONE!!

I have talk to an ARMY wife shes from the PHILS. like me. she said her CR1 visa application took only 5 months to process, her husband used that expedited process and shes now in the states ...

so let's all be positive here!!!

good day to all..

Thanks for that Ruby .... so in other words, it has worked before .... that means, it can work again!!!

So .... if there is deployment in your immigration mix, make sure you send a copy of the orders to USCIS for your expedite, regardless of whether your partner has already left or not ...... goodluck to everyone.

[Jamericanlove 31]

Hi Camille,

Wonderful to hear from you ..... yes, Ruby's idea is great. You could put down his parent's number. From what I gather, they tend not to ring you up .... it looks like just a tick box item.

Expedites for military ..... trust me, I'm looking at every loophole possible .... so far, it's only deployment .... actually, I've had an idea !!! Both you and Ruby have deployed husbands ..... so far, I can't find anything which states you can't apply for an expedite after your husband is deployed ..... .... so, both of you guys can get a copy of your husband's deployment orders .... plonk that in with the I-130 application .... and in big red letters on a cover page, state 'Military Expedite Required .... Deployment Orders Enclosed' ...... you never know, they might just do it!!!!

It's worth a good try, cos the normal way is just silly ..... I'm sitting here waiting for a possible 6 months before approval before going to NVC, and my husband has put his life on the line for his country twice already.

If I was you, I wouldn't hesitate trying it .... the worst they can do is say no, and put you back in with everyone else.

For the I-130, I just sent a handful of emails (not all as there were over 550 at that stage, letters, cards and God knows what else) .... a couple from the early weeks, a couple from in between and a couple of recent ones. It showed the development of the relationship without bogging them down with a packet which is huge ... therefore not taking as long for an adjudicator to approve it once he's read it.

To be honest, I didn't send a lot of relationship proof, apart from the marriage certificate, emails and photos. The cover letter said everything.

I'm now on his life insurance, rental agreement, and he's on mine. The tax form has been updated to married ..... if you have any questions about US tax and how to file without a SSN#, just let me know.

I have so much more to take to the consulate, but know it shouldn't be too necessary being a US Military dependant .... I'm hoping to have Kip with me at interview too .... fingers crossed.

Hope this helps,

Sarah x

HELLO EVERYONE!!

I have talk to an ARMY wife shes from the PHILS. like me. she said her CR1 visa application took only 5 months to process, her husband used that expedited process and shes now in the states ...

so let's all be positive here!!!

good day to all..

Thanks for that Ruby .... so in other words, it has worked before .... that means, it can work again!!!

So .... if there is deployment in your immigration mix, make sure you send a copy of the orders to USCIS for your expedite, regardless of whether your partner has already left or not ...... goodluck to everyone.

I am going to try this thanks. I don't know why I didn't think of it a long time ago!

[milimelo 4,421]

Another military wife

Met my husband while he was deployed in my home country - for 3,5 years! Got married in October '06, got the visa in January '07 but we moved to US once his deployment was up. I came a month after him because of work contract. Still 'fighting' with USCIS over my GC - and have the COngressman's office involved too - my husband tried the military hotline but they couldn't do anything for him.

[Nick/Nadia Bluma 0]

Hi everyone,..I have been on this forum since 2004, and am also a military spouse.

A month after we got married in California in Feb 2004, we got stationed in Germany, and I have been there ever since.

2 weeks after we got to Germany , my hubby deployed for 12mths, so that was April 2004 to April 2005.

He then deployed again In November 06, and got back January 08,..yes 15 mths!! We were meant to leave here in march 07, but got extended becasue of the units deployment, so spent a year longer than necessary. So he has been deployed for 27mths out of 48 mths here. Plus 5 months of military schooling,..so he was away for 32 of 48 mths.

KipandSarahJayne,..just so you know,...the mailing to a deployed spouse, is only free when overseas on a military base.

When you get to the states, and if your hubby deploys, you pay for your parcels to be sent, no freebies there...it sucks!!

I think you'll find about 20 military spouses on here, quiet a few from Germany.

I went the k1 route, then AOS and Lifting of conditions, with the last two completed from Germany.

I have also just completed i-130's for my kids, which joined me directly in Germany. We are headed stateside in April.

Cheers,...

Jodee

Hello Ladies,

So nice to see this thread on the forum and to meet all of you. I am Nadia, also a Military Spouse (US Marine Corps). My husband is on active duty, has done one tour in Iraq with another one looming (January/February 2009). We got married in July last year and filed our paper work in August (almost immediately) as we knew the possibility of deployment is always a reality. We also met online, by the way :-)

We just received our approvals for both I130 and I129F last week so things are looking up a bit and we are optimistic that the process will be complete in the next 3 - 4 months. I don't kow which one of us is more anxious.......... LOL. If I have to consider life with my husband and the possibility of deployment compared to life without him............ ABSOLUTELY NO CONTEST. I am proud of what he does and who he is. Semper Fi !!!

[joelunchbox 0]

Hi ladies!

I'm also an army wife. My husband is deployed to iraq and he's been gone for 6 and a half months. we have 5 and a half to 8 and a half left (depending on if he gets extended) and I am so excited to see him at his homecoming!

I am getting ready to send off my I-130 packet in the next 2 weeks! It would be great if we could keep in tough with each other. I would agree that being a military spouse is a very tough job but I'm go through it 1000 times more if it meant I could be with him always

I hope to get some replies from you girls. I love meeting other military wives!

Helloooo,

Lovely to hear from you. I really hope he doesn't get extended, a year is hideous enough .... it's not like he's working safely in an office.

My husband was out there twice and we met on his last deployment .... thankyou internet .... I'm now doubly thankful for the internet, as it's what bonds us together once again over the miles ..... I'm lucky that he is safely tucked up in Georgia at the moment ..... as deployment separation is sooo much worse ..... my heart goes out to you

I-130 in 2 weeks, so you'll be a March/April filer.

It's great to have another military spouse on here, we really do have a different set of experiences to the others on this site ..... which reminds me, have you managed to get your spouse ID card ? .... I got mine the other day, quite simple as soon as you find a base (any basy) which has American military personnel on it. I was blown away by the benefits of it ..... not only can you shop there for cheap American groceries (on your own) .... but you get to use the domestic US postal system ..... which also means you can send free stuff to your deployed Husband ...... medical and dental stuff ...... and what I really like, it's something worth 'flashing' at the door of the Consulate when you go for your interview, as the doors are manned by military

I definately agree, that I too would go through it 1000 times more if I could be with my military husband, always. It's a hard life, but it's a good life.

Do you know which part of the US you're going to be in when you get there ? ..... I'm Atlanta, Georgia bound

p.s. if a moderator is reading this, can you chase up my request for a military specific forum to be added please?

Hi again! Before I say anything let me just correct something...

I meant to say let's keep in TOUCH not in tough....lol. See what happens when you are sleepy?

O.k...it's great to meet you Sarah! My name is Camille and my hubby's name is James.

I don't have my ID card as yet but the next time I visit the states I will be getting one, since I don't think I can get it out here in Jamaica. He asked me to get married when he was on his R & R and we didn't have time to do a lot of stuff that we wish we had done before. I am wondering if I should print out all of our Skype, Yahoo, Myspace emails/IM's etc...because it's TONS of stuff...lol

A lot of it isn't fit for strangers eyes either hahahaha

It would be great if we had a little military spouse thread going on, and double great if there was a way to get them to expidite it because you are a military spouse.

Who knows...maybe they'll come up with something that will get us moved through faster. It's so hard being separated by this long distance relationship, the whole 12-15 months deployment and then having to be apart even after that for God knows how long.

We hate it, but what can you do you know?

Hubby is based at Fort Drum in NY so depending on when I get this Visa I will be going there or with him to his new duty station he is PSCing to a few months after he gets back.

I'm very excited to get this ball rolling but I am waiting for one more piece of my packet and then I can send it off.

I'll definately be in the April filers group.

I have a big question though and I don't know if you girls can help me. Since hubby is deployed and he turned his cell phone off before leaving and he obviously doesn't have one in Iraq, I've been baffled as to what I should write for his contact number on all the forms....we only communicate via email and IM because he has no phone where he is.

What do you think I should do in this case?

hello girls!!

hi camille! welcome here.. LOL

my hubby too is in iraq.. we still have a long way to go..

about your questions.. maybe you can write the phone number of his parent's in the states...

we havent file also but hopefully soon.

take care..

ruby**

Although not a military spouse, I am former military so I thought I might chime in here. Your spouse's unit's phone number IS his contact number. If you have to get in touch with him, you can call his first sergeant. Don't do this unless it is pretty close to emergency but, the "shirt" as he is known can and will get stuff done. Check out what spouse's groups are around you. The military "family" is not as tight a group as it once was but I hope you all will make the effort to lend support to all those affected by the current situation.

Dive in as much as you can and learn the ropes of being a military spouse. You can be a very positive element in your spouse's career--don't forget that.

[Army_Wife 2]

Hi everyone,..I have been on this forum since 2004, and am also a military spouse.

A month after we got married in California in Feb 2004, we got stationed in Germany, and I have been there ever since.

2 weeks after we got to Germany , my hubby deployed for 12mths, so that was April 2004 to April 2005.

He then deployed again In November 06, and got back January 08,..yes 15 mths!! We were meant to leave here in march 07, but got extended becasue of the units deployment, so spent a year longer than necessary. So he has been deployed for 27mths out of 48 mths here. Plus 5 months of military schooling,..so he was away for 32 of 48 mths.

KipandSarahJayne,..just so you know,...the mailing to a deployed spouse, is only free when overseas on a military base.

When you get to the states, and if your hubby deploys, you pay for your parcels to be sent, no freebies there...it sucks!!

I think you'll find about 20 military spouses on here, quiet a few from Germany.

I went the k1 route, then AOS and Lifting of conditions, with the last two completed from Germany.

I have also just completed i-130's for my kids, which joined me directly in Germany. We are headed stateside in April.

Cheers,...

Jodee

Hello Ladies,

So nice to see this thread on the forum and to meet all of you. I am Nadia, also a Military Spouse (US Marine Corps). My husband is on active duty, has done one tour in Iraq with another one looming (January/February 2009). We got married in July last year and filed our paper work in August (almost immediately) as we knew the possibility of deployment is always a reality. We also met online, by the way :-)

We just received our approvals for both I130 and I129F last week so things are looking up a bit and we are optimistic that the process will be complete in the next 3 - 4 months. I don't kow which one of us is more anxious.......... LOL. If I have to consider life with my husband and the possibility of deployment compared to life without him............ ABSOLUTELY NO CONTEST. I am proud of what he does and who he is. Semper Fi !!!

Yes, I read you got your approvals the other day ..... congratulations once again, it was about time!! ..... I'm so excited for you, but sorry to hear of another deployment looming. I understand Army and Marines have basically the same amount of time now out there (around the 15 month mark ..... yuk!) ..... fingers crossed something will change by then.

But for now, you're out of USCIS (Thank God!) and onto the next stage of the process. Once you get your NVC number, get your Husband to try calling them (NVC - Department of State) and see if you can be put through for a faster interview time (concurrent while your package is at NVC) .... we were advised to do this by the US Military immigration helpline, as once the process starts to head towards the consulate, we can actually get preferential treatment over civillians .... apparently. Or get him to call your Consulate direct with the NVC number, and see if he can swing it that way as the consulates sometimes have a military department which can do this sort of thing.

Let us know how you get on with this, because if it works, this could be a big help for those who live in countries with huge interview times.

Congratulations again, and I pray the next stage is super fast!!

X

[ruby_jade 0]

Hi ladies!

I'm also an army wife. My husband is deployed to iraq and he's been gone for 6 and a half months. we have 5 and a half to 8 and a half left (depending on if he gets extended) and I am so excited to see him at his homecoming!

I am getting ready to send off my I-130 packet in the next 2 weeks! It would be great if we could keep in tough with each other. I would agree that being a military spouse is a very tough job but I'm go through it 1000 times more if it meant I could be with him always

I hope to get some replies from you girls. I love meeting other military wives!

Helloooo,

Lovely to hear from you. I really hope he doesn't get extended, a year is hideous enough .... it's not like he's working safely in an office.

My husband was out there twice and we met on his last deployment .... thankyou internet .... I'm now doubly thankful for the internet, as it's what bonds us together once again over the miles ..... I'm lucky that he is safely tucked up in Georgia at the moment ..... as deployment separation is sooo much worse ..... my heart goes out to you

I-130 in 2 weeks, so you'll be a March/April filer.

It's great to have another military spouse on here, we really do have a different set of experiences to the others on this site ..... which reminds me, have you managed to get your spouse ID card ? .... I got mine the other day, quite simple as soon as you find a base (any basy) which has American military personnel on it. I was blown away by the benefits of it ..... not only can you shop there for cheap American groceries (on your own) .... but you get to use the domestic US postal system ..... which also means you can send free stuff to your deployed Husband ...... medical and dental stuff ...... and what I really like, it's something worth 'flashing' at the door of the Consulate when you go for your interview, as the doors are manned by military

I definately agree, that I too would go through it 1000 times more if I could be with my military husband, always. It's a hard life, but it's a good life.

Do you know which part of the US you're going to be in when you get there ? ..... I'm Atlanta, Georgia bound

p.s. if a moderator is reading this, can you chase up my request for a military specific forum to be added please?

Hi again! Before I say anything let me just correct something...

I meant to say let's keep in TOUCH not in tough....lol. See what happens when you are sleepy?

O.k...it's great to meet you Sarah! My name is Camille and my hubby's name is James.

I don't have my ID card as yet but the next time I visit the states I will be getting one, since I don't think I can get it out here in Jamaica. He asked me to get married when he was on his R & R and we didn't have time to do a lot of stuff that we wish we had done before. I am wondering if I should print out all of our Skype, Yahoo, Myspace emails/IM's etc...because it's TONS of stuff...lol

A lot of it isn't fit for strangers eyes either hahahaha

It would be great if we had a little military spouse thread going on, and double great if there was a way to get them to expidite it because you are a military spouse.

Who knows...maybe they'll come up with something that will get us moved through faster. It's so hard being separated by this long distance relationship, the whole 12-15 months deployment and then having to be apart even after that for God knows how long.

We hate it, but what can you do you know?

Hubby is based at Fort Drum in NY so depending on when I get this Visa I will be going there or with him to his new duty station he is PSCing to a few months after he gets back.

I'm very excited to get this ball rolling but I am waiting for one more piece of my packet and then I can send it off.

I'll definately be in the April filers group.

I have a big question though and I don't know if you girls can help me. Since hubby is deployed and he turned his cell phone off before leaving and he obviously doesn't have one in Iraq, I've been baffled as to what I should write for his contact number on all the forms....we only communicate via email and IM because he has no phone where he is.

What do you think I should do in this case?

hello girls!!

hi camille! welcome here.. LOL

my hubby too is in iraq.. we still have a long way to go..

about your questions.. maybe you can write the phone number of his parent's in the states...

we havent file also but hopefully soon.

take care..

ruby**

Although not a military spouse, I am former military so I thought I might chime in here. Your spouse's unit's phone number IS his contact number. If you have to get in touch with him, you can call his first sergeant. Don't do this unless it is pretty close to emergency but, the "shirt" as he is known can and will get stuff done. Check out what spouse's groups are around you. The military "family" is not as tight a group as it once was but I hope you all will make the effort to lend support to all those affected by the current situation.

Dive in as much as you can and learn the ropes of being a military spouse. You can be a very positive element in your spouse's career--don't forget that.

HELLO,

thank you for sharing that information, i will surey tell my SO about it!!!

have a nice day everyone!!

Edited March 17, 2008 by ruby_jade

[ruby_jade 0]

Hi Camille,

Wonderful to hear from you ..... yes, Ruby's idea is great. You could put down his parent's number. From what I gather, they tend not to ring you up .... it looks like just a tick box item.

Expedites for military ..... trust me, I'm looking at every loophole possible .... so far, it's only deployment .... actually, I've had an idea !!! Both you and Ruby have deployed husbands ..... so far, I can't find anything which states you can't apply for an expedite after your husband is deployed ..... .... so, both of you guys can get a copy of your husband's deployment orders .... plonk that in with the I-130 application .... and in big red letters on a cover page, state 'Military Expedite Required .... Deployment Orders Enclosed' ...... you never know, they might just do it!!!!

It's worth a good try, cos the normal way is just silly ..... I'm sitting here waiting for a possible 6 months before approval before going to NVC, and my husband has put his life on the line for his country twice already.

If I was you, I wouldn't hesitate trying it .... the worst they can do is say no, and put you back in with everyone else.

For the I-130, I just sent a handful of emails (not all as there were over 550 at that stage, letters, cards and God knows what else) .... a couple from the early weeks, a couple from in between and a couple of recent ones. It showed the development of the relationship without bogging them down with a packet which is huge ... therefore not taking as long for an adjudicator to approve it once he's read it.

To be honest, I didn't send a lot of relationship proof, apart from the marriage certificate, emails and photos. The cover letter said everything.

I'm now on his life insurance, rental agreement, and he's on mine. The tax form has been updated to married ..... if you have any questions about US tax and how to file without a SSN#, just let me know.

I have so much more to take to the consulate, but know it shouldn't be too necessary being a US Military dependant .... I'm hoping to have Kip with me at interview too .... fingers crossed.

Hope this helps,

Sarah x

HELLO EVERYONE!!

I have talk to an ARMY wife shes from the PHILS. like me. she said her CR1 visa application took only 5 months to process, her husband used that expedited process and shes now in the states ...

so let's all be positive here!!!

good day to all..

Thanks for that Ruby .... so in other words, it has worked before .... that means, it can work again!!!

So .... if there is deployment in your immigration mix, make sure you send a copy of the orders to USCIS for your expedite, regardless of whether your partner has already left or not ...... goodluck to everyone.

hi sarah,

yes it has worked before and i hope it will work again fo r us!

she said that a congressman helped them too..

good luck everyone!

[OHL 0]

Everyone,

I'm currently in the US Army. I was able execute a Military Expedite for my wife because my unit is on alert for possible deployment overseas. I've already served 15 months in Iraq and soon will return for a second tour.

Please have your Husbands call USCIS on their 1-800 number and talk to an Agent, let them know that you want to file a Military expedite on your petition. They will submit a request and within a few days they will send an email, wanting information faxed to them.

If your Soldier is deployed this will also work. The email will tell you what you need.

The Military Expedite will only be regarding the USCIS portion of the process.

After I submitted my request they approved my I-130, within a week (7 days), please do it!!!! As a soldier, it's stressful to think about my wife being faraway while I'm training and doing all the pre-deployment stuff. I'm sure your soldiers are also stressed.

Regards,

SGT Leyva

[Jamericanlove 31]

Everyone,

I'm currently in the US Army. I was able execute a Military Expedite for my wife because my unit is on alert for possible deployment overseas. I've already served 15 months in Iraq and soon will return for a second tour.

Please have your Husbands call USCIS on their 1-800 number and talk to an Agent, let them know that you want to file a Military expedite on your petition. They will submit a request and within a few days they will send an email, wanting information faxed to them.

If your Soldier is deployed this will also work. The email will tell you what you need.

The Military Expedite will only be regarding the USCIS portion of the process.

After I submitted my request they approved my I-130, within a week (7 days), please do it!!!! As a soldier, it's stressful to think about my wife being faraway while I'm training and doing all the pre-deployment stuff. I'm sure your soldiers are also stressed.

Regards,

SGT Leyva

Hello SGT Levya,

My husband is a SPC and is currently deployed to northern Iraq.

Today I called the military hotline for the USCIS to ask a question about the I-130 and I inquired about the process of expediting a petition and the agent told me that the only way that could happen was if my husband was ABOUT TO BE deployed.

I am thinking that what you are saying is true, and perhaps they would do it if my husband were to call them directly.

I don't know if he would be able to because of the time differences and also his hours, but I am going to run it by him and see what he thinks. I guess it doesn't hurt to try!

Thank you for the information.

And you are right....my husband is very stressed out. He just wants to get back from (his first deployment) in one piece so that we can be together as soon as he gets back from his tour which will be any time between September and November.... I miss him so much

What you guys do and have to go through is unbelievable...