I(US citizen) Got married in Pakistan and need to know how to bring my spouse to the U.S.

[MumtazG38 1]

Due to several conditions that were out of my hands I had to get married to my husband quite a bit earlier then we had decided, not that I'm unhappy.....no! actually it has been wonderful and probably the best decision of my life...we are very happy but anyways.... I'm sure this action has changed the process of immigrating him to the U.S to live with me quite a bit, since we were planning to just do the K1 and now that we are already married I believe it is the K3 that we will be applying for.

I have done quite a bit of asking around and mostly some good research of my own (thank you internet) and have found that all of the forms I will be needing can be downloaded, which I have already done, and filled out on your computer, then printed out signed and be mailed with the rest of the files,papers,records,and evidences. My main issue here is.....guidance. I am in the need of a bit of guidance in some areas seeing as I don't have a clue when it comes to certain situations. Details below:

Firstly, I live with my parents who are not very happy with my decision to marry my husband for their own personal reasons. I do not have a job and have completed my GED and am planning on starting college this new year. Therefor, my only source of income would be my parents, and also a friend of the family whom I manage a website for, we are almost like brother and sister and he has mostly taken care of my money needs since I was quite young. I read about the affidavits of support...which I believe are the same as a contract of sponsor/ship. Because of this I am quite confused on whether I will be able to apply for a visa for my husband. Seeing as I don't have a job, I may possibly have the option of a sponsor/affidavit of support. Which is where the problem arises. My parents will not, under any circumstances have any part of this, therefor they will not sign any sort of sponsorship contract/affidavit. The only person who will do this would be the friend of mine, he is my husbands distant relative also so he would be delighted to be the sponsor or write an affidavit of support. But, I do not know if this can be done. As I have read in several places that only someone living in the same household can sponsor someone for immigration/ make an affidavit of support in this case, either that or a boss or company that I work for I believe. If anyone could please shine some light on this subject I would be very grateful.

I am very desperate to bring my husband nearer to me, and ever since I've come back to the U.S it is all I have been thinking about. If anyone could please help me find a solution to the income issue I would be very relieved. My husband and I want to buy an apartment in New York near his relatives and the friend I was talking about helping us with the sponsor contract. He is going to give my husband a very nice paying job the moment he comes here to help us out and my husband also has a business of his own from which he can already afford to take care of himself and I very well....so I do not see where the problem arises....we will certainly not be needing any sort of well-fare or anything of the sort. I just hope there was some way I could prove the same thing in my petition so that I won't be declined first thing.

Secondly, "Evidence of a Bonifide Marriage"...ok, well the list of suggestions given on the site are pretty precise........but the problem is that I hadn't had much of a long marriage, in fact it is quite short and my stay with him was for less than 3 months in total after the marriage. Before it I stayed with my fathers family for somewhere around 3 months or so. Making for a total 6 months stay.... . So, I didn't really have much time to....idk...buy property, or lease an apartment or something so I don't have proof of that. But, I do have pictures of him and myself together....of our traditional pakistani wedding photo session, I could also get a few affidavits of friends and family no problem......but I don't really know how an affidavit should be written? If anyone could please post an example affidavit that I could use as an outline....or even just some tips on what sort of information everyone should include when they write the affidavit's other then their own signatures?

Thirdly, whats the chance of my husband "getting" a visit visa to come and visit me in Detroit, MI? He is 21, technically a student and owns his own business in Pakistan and has never traveled outside of Pakistan since he was around 4-5....before that he lived In UAE (and was also born there). I just want to know if he could come on a visit or tourist visa...and what the chances are of him actually applying and "getting" one. What are the requirements, and what is the procedure like...and would it hurt our chances with the K3 visa? Also, just round-about how much would it cost? What would he need....and resources that anyone could point me to? I just want him to come here and stay for a month or two to see me and also so that he can meet his relatives too. If this isn't possible, or it might run the risk of hurting our chances with the visa then never mind it completely.....but I thought I'd just ask seeing as we both want it so badly.

and Lastly, I know that the fee for petitioning and filing the I-130 is $355.00, but I was wondering if that is the total fee....or the complete amount I should be sending with the documents. Are there any other fee's I should be including besides this? Like the fee for I-485?

What I am planning to include in/with my Petition:

1. I-130

2. G-325a

3. I-864

4. I-485 (Is there a fee???)

5. 2 wedding pictures of us together.

6. Sponsorship contract (hopefully)

7. 2-3 signed Affidavits (proof of bonifide marriage)

8. Check in the amount of $355.00

9. Cover letter listing everything included in the order it is placed, plus the contact information of petitioner and spouse.

10. 2 2x2 pictures of my spouse, in plastic bag and labeled.

11. Copy of both of our passports (biographical page as well as entry stamps)

12. Copy of both of our birth certificates.

13. Copy of spouses I-94(What is this????)

14. A copy of Marriage certificate.

hope I got everything...

....I hope I can be with my husband soon .

Edited December 25, 2008 by MumtazG38

[MumtazG38 1]

I found this info in the I-864 form that might be the answer I was looking for for the first question....hoping someone could back that up for me?

What Is a Joint Sponsor?

If the person who is seeking the immigration of one or more of his or her relatives cannot meet the income requirements, a"joint sponsor" who can meet the requirements may submit a Form I-864 to sponsor all or some of the family members.A joint sponsor can be any U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident who is at least 18 years old,domiciled in the United States, or its territories or possessions,and willing to be held jointly liable with the petitioner for the support of the intending immigrant. A joint sponsor does not have to be related to the petitioning sponsor or the intending immigrant.

If the first joint sponsor completes Form I-864 for some rather than all the family members, a second qualifying joint sponsor will be required to sponsor the remaining family members.There may be no more than two joint sponsors. A joints sponsor must be able to meet the income requirements for all the persons he or she is sponsoring without combining resources with the petitioning sponsor or a second joint sponsor. Any dependents applying for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status more than six months after immigration of the intending immigrants must be sponsored by the petitioner but may be sponsored by an original joint sponsor or a different joint sponsor.

[MumtazG38 1]

Also, I was wondering if anyone knew whether I needed to fill out the G-325a form for my spouse also, or just for me? Would I need to file it for the joint sponsor also?

[sweet_wifey22 0]

Fill up both G-325 a.....with the complete signatures each pages...It has for pages with the same info. The beneficiary and petitoiner should sign each G-325 a.

Good Luck!

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Definitely do not get him a visitors visa... its a waste of time and that means his ONLY intention is to come here and VISIT and LEAVE. Do the k3 for spouse visa.

[2ond journey 0]

You might also consider researching the cr-1 visa. I did that with my husband from pakistan and he just recieved his 2 year resident card and dont have to worry about doing anything for 2 years. It really doesnt take that much longer than k-3 visa and is so much better in my opinion. Good luck

[SunDrop 59]

Due to several conditions that were out of my hands I had to get married to my husband quite a bit earlier then we had decided, not that I'm unhappy.....no! actually it has been wonderful and probably the best decision of my life...we are very happy but anyways.... I'm sure this action has changed the process of immigrating him to the U.S to live with me quite a bit, since we were planning to just do the K1 and now that we are already married I believe it is the K3 that we will be applying for. Having read all of your post, it sounds like you'd be better off petitioning for a CR1 visa. It takes longer, but seeing as you're planning on being dependent on his immediate ability to work, he'd have to wait approx. 3-6 months for permission to work on a K3 entry but would already have his GC on the CR1.

I read about the affidavits of support...which I believe are the same as a contract of sponsor/ship. Because of this I am quite confused on whether I will be able to apply for a visa for my husband. You can petition for a visa for him, and you will need to be his primary sponsor (even if you don't meet the minimum income requirements) and have a co-sponsor who can afford to meet the minimum income requirements for himself, your spouse AND however many dependents he claims on his tax return. This means if he's a single guy, then it's 125% of the poverty line for 2 people. If he's married with 4 dependent children, it's 125% of the poverty line for 7 people.

As I have read in several places that only someone living in the same household can sponsor someone for immigration/ make an affidavit of support in this case, either that or a boss or company that I work for I believe. If anyone could please shine some light on this subject I would be very grateful. Not true. I'd be astonished if you found a boss who'd do this! It's not a work-based visa...

I am very desperate to bring my husband nearer to me, and ever since I've come back to the U.S it is all I have been thinking about. Please be aware this is going to be a very lengthy and drawn out process, particularly seeing his country of origin. Not impossible, but certainly you will both need significant patience.

My husband and I want to buy an apartment in New York near his relatives and the friend I was talking about helping us with the sponsor contract. He is going to give my husband a very nice paying job the moment he comes here to help us out and my husband also has a business of his own from which he can already afford to take care of himself and I very well. Nothing is guaranteed. You're talking at least a year from now, best estimates. How can he afford to take care of himself on a business in Pakistan, when he's immigrating to the US and leaving it behind.

If anyone could please post an example affidavit that I could use as an outline....or even just some tips on what sort of information everyone should include when they write the affidavit's other then their own signatures? Do a search in the guides and on the forums for these, I'm sure there's been plenty of discussion already

Thirdly, whats the chance of my husband "getting" a visit visa to come and visit me in Detroit, MI? Close to nil. You should plan to go see him instead.

and Lastly, I know that the fee for petitioning and filing the I-130 is $355.00, but I was wondering if that is the total fee.... Again do a search for CR1/ K3 fees. The CR1 is cheaper than the K3.

What I am planning to include in/with my Petition:

Read the guides, carefully, there's forms and documents to complete at different stages throughout the process, it's certainly not a quick job!

....I hope I can be with my husband soon. As I said before, this is going to be a true test of patience and love. It won't be quick, but hopefully it will be worth it. Good luck!

[faryan 4]

I would highly recommend for you to file for the CR1 visa than the K3 visa. as the CR1 visa is an immigrant visa (for spouse) while K3 is a non-immigrant visa (for spouse) and then u will still need to adjust and file some more, not no mention not being able to work etc.. whereas with CR1, he will enter the US as a PR and can work immediately. check the guides here, and u will see that the cost in long term will also be cheaper if you directly file for CR1.

Will be better if you travel to him in Pakistan, or take a trip somewhere together like Malaysia where the sun always shine, abundance of yummy food, there's beach, highlands, shopping malls, forest reserves.. hahaha Interviewers prefer to see that you guys mean business (bona fide rship), so meeting up a couple of times before being interviewed is very good.. (be sure to take lots of pics, and save up letters/cards/receipts, etc). As for him traveling into US, there's no guarantee that he will get tourist visa.

Good luck on your journey!

[MumtazG38 1]

Thanx faryan and 2ond Journey for the advice, I was already split between doing the cr-1 or the K3 and I'm going with the cr-1 definitely, seeing as its cheaper, and much better in the long run.

Also, Thank you SunDrop for all of the answers and info, you really cleared a lot up for me.

although, I do have another question that's seriously worrying me. I was reading the guides for the cr1 and found out that in order to send in my I-864 me and my joint sponsor would have to also send in our last 3 tax returns or tax transcripts, from the previous 3 years right? Well idk about my joint sponsor really but personally.....seeing as I've never done taxes....or even paid attention to anyone doing them or not, I barely even know what a tax return is. I know, this might sound utterly stupid but it is the truth? How would I even get my tax returns when I haven't ever even done my taxes? What if I don't have any tax returns....I'm still a student so how do I show for those? My joint sponsor may have theirs, in fact I'm sure they do..if not I'm sure they can get them, definitely. But I know for a fact I haven't a clue about mine......so does that mean my husband won't be able to get his visa (oh god forbid).

Please

Edited December 25, 2008 by MumtazG38

[Old Dominion 26]

If you've never filed a tax return, then you can't send copies and I am sure this happens all the time with students. So, not to worry. Yes, your co-sponsor will need to provide them along with lots of other financial information. To help prove a bona fide marriage, go spend time with your husband, get lots of photos, and forget trying to get him a visitor visa because they won't issue him one. As to your husband's income potential, USCIS could care less. Good luck with your parents.

[Y's_habibitk 2]

The only person who will do this would be the friend of mine, he is my husbands distant relative also so he would be delighted to be the sponsor or write an affidavit of support.

Im sorry i have nothing to add about the AOS, but I would be prepared to have this scrutinized during the interview at the consulate.

[MumtazG38 1]

The only person who will do this would be the friend of mine, he is my husbands distant relative also so he would be delighted to be the sponsor or write an affidavit of support.

Im sorry i have nothing to add about the AOS, but I would be prepared to have this scrutinized during the interview at the consulate.

Whats the AOS?

Well, I've done as much research as I think I can about the cr1 procedure and am ready to start, but I just wanted to have you guys look over what I'm planning to do now just to be sure and everything. So...I hope I've pretty much got it right....

Sending in my petition:

Okay, firstly...Fill out I-130 and place a copy of my birth certificate and also copy of ALL pages of my passport behind it. Followed by a copy of the marriage certificate (translated to english). G-325a and attach one passport size photo of myself to the corresponding g-325a. photo should be placed inside a clear plastic bag and labeled "Photo of [insert name]".

Have spouse fill out their G-325a and mail it to me. Place that behind my own G-325a and attach his passport size photo inside a labeled bag to it. Add 5 wedding photos and 2-3 Affidavits as proof of a bonifide marriage.

Mail via USPS to: USCIS P.O. Box 804616 Chicago, IL 60680-1029

Wait 1-2 months for petition approval. Then I think I would be getting my NOA1 and the instructions on what to do next.

Only some questions now....for the evidence of a bonifide marriage.....would the signed and sworn affidavits of 2-3 people plus 3 wedding photos and 2 photos of us together after the wedding be enough? Would digital photo print count? Also, would it hurt our chances if all of the people who make the affidavits are from Pakistan?

Mine was a very short wedding and then I had to come back a.s.a.p due to the horrible conditions "my side of the family" were creating. I didn't really have much time to buy property or take out a joint lease for something with my husband. I don't know what else I could use as proof of our ongoing marital relationship. I was hoping that I could go to Pakistan and spend some time with him and maybe buy or rent something together just to get the evidence...or take more legit photos but I can't go because, well, firstly I'm planning on beginning college soon and don't want to disrupt myself....as I've already done. I'm a year behind already. Secondly, my family (parents) will not let me back in their home if I go. Thirdly, if I go there and my brother or anyone else from my family that is living there finds out my life will again be endangered, just as it was the whole time I was there, hence the short stay after my marriage. So going back there would be like suicide, pretty much. It's just not safe for me, especially if they somehow find out. That is why me and my husband want to live our lives together in the U.S, in order to get away from all of those who will and are doing their best to split us apart. At least here, we can be together without fearing for our lives each and everyday. But, ......I just want to bring my husband nearer to me soon.........and even if it does take the longest time possible....2-3 years even. I guess I'll just have to have a good amount of patience. I've waited over 4 years to to be with my husband already......and I thought it would be so much easier after getting married. I guess we were just seriously mistaken. Hopefully though, I think I'll probably go to see him later into this process....like before his interview but after I get my NOA1 or NOA2. If it is safe....and maybe even if it's not...cause it's still worth it, you know.

Ah, well, anyways.....thanks so much you guys for being so kind as to helping me with this. I feel so much better knowing that I'm not all alone in this and that their are so many spouses here that are going through pretty much the same thing as I am, and so many more that have already gone through it and are together forevermore . It just puts so much hope into my heart.

[taj'samericanwife 0]

i dont think photos of you together is okay to show a bona fide marriage? double check it...statements from people is a good evidence to show the bona fide marriage thing but i dont think photos of you together are...thats for the interview i think

[taj'samericanwife 0]

Note: Evidence of a Bonifide Marriage

The USCIS now requires that when filing an I-130 for a spouse that you include evidence of a bonifide marriage. They list examples of acceptable evidence as:

1. Documentation showing joint ownership or property; or

2. A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or

3. Documentation showing co-mingling of financialresources; or

4. Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, thepetitioner, and your spouse together; or

5. Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties havingpersonal knowledge of the bona fides of the maritalrelationship (Each affidavit must contain the full nameand address, date and place of birth of the person makingthe affidavit, his or her relationship to the petitioner ofbeneficiary, if any, and complete information and detailsexplaining how the person acquired his or herknowledge of your marriage); or

6. Any other relevant documentation to establish that thereis an ongoing marital union.

i dont know the photos might be considered in number 6?

definitely do the CR-1...i was torn between the K3 and CR-1...but finally decided on the CR-1. i know the K3 makes it seem faster and easier but its not as i have read in the threads here...i know you want your husband with you really bad...but in the long run, the CR-1 will be better for you guys plus he can help you out and work since you're still a student...

allah hafiz mumtaz

[Y's_habibitk 2]

The only person who will do this would be the friend of mine, he is my husbands distant relative also so he would be delighted to be the sponsor or write an affidavit of support.

Im sorry i have nothing to add about the AOS, but I would be prepared to have this scrutinized during the interview at the consulate.

Whats the AOS?

Affidavit of Support. I think you had all of those questions answered and got some very good feedback.

The "this" I was referring to was the statement I bolded.

Prepare your husband to answer if the cousin was looking for a USC for him to marry...just in case they ask. just my two cents...I would just like to cover all bases, if I was you. Did your friend introduce you to your hubby? they may ask that question also.

Good Luck on your journey, and yes...you will find helpful people here and you arent alone