Follow to Join

[DanZel 0]

I would like to bring my step-daughter (Darshel 6 years old) to the US to live with her mother (My wife Hazel) and I.

I'm not sure what the correct procedure is for this.

My wife's I-129F petition was approved on Sept 26, 2008 and expired on Jan 25, 2009.

That petition also included her daughter.

Her interview at the US embassy in Manila was on Dec 18, 2008.

She arrived in the US with a K1 visa on Feb 6, 2009.

We were married on Apr 17, 2009.

She was issued a Green Card on Jan 12, 2010 (expires Jan 12, 2012)

I filed an I-130 petition for Darshel and received an I-797C with a priority date of Oct 25, 2010

and a Preference Classification of "201 B INA MINOR CHILD OF USC".

I was next going to file an I-129F so my step daughter can get a K4 visa but i read somewhere that K3/K4 visas are no longer used and CR1/IR1 visas are used instead.

I also read somewhere that there is some kind of "Follow-to-Join benefit" but I'm concerned about the original petition being expired.

Am I doing the right thing?

If not, what is the right thing?

If so, What should I do next?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm now so confused.

Thank You,

Dan

[pushbrk 12,908]

I would like to bring my step-daughter (Darshel 6 years old) to the US to live with her mother (My wife Hazel) and I.

I'm not sure what the correct procedure is for this.

My wife's I-129F petition was approved on Sept 26, 2008 and expired on Jan 25, 2009.

That petition also included her daughter.

Her interview at the US embassy in Manila was on Dec 18, 2008.

She arrived in the US with a K1 visa on Feb 6, 2009.

We were married on Apr 17, 2009.

She was issued a Green Card on Jan 12, 2010 (expires Jan 12, 2012)

I filed an I-130 petition for Darshel and received an I-797C with a priority date of Oct 25, 2010

and a Preference Classification of "201 B INA MINOR CHILD OF USC".

I was next going to file an I-129F so my step daughter can get a K4 visa but i read somewhere that K3/K4 visas are no longer used and CR1/IR1 visas are used instead.

I also read somewhere that there is some kind of "Follow-to-Join benefit" but I'm concerned about the original petition being expired.

Am I doing the right thing?

If not, what is the right thing?

If so, What should I do next?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm now so confused.

Thank You,

Dan

File an I-130 for your stepdaughter. Follow the guides for a spouse visa, as the process mirrors that. Some of the document requirements are different at the petition stage, so read the I-130 instructions very carefully.

Since you've already done this, you're on the right path to an IR2 visa. K4 was never available for this kind of situation but certainly isn't now.

Next thing is petition approval and the NVC stage. For NVC you have lots of studying to do.

It's far too late for any follow to join benefit.

Edited November 10, 2010 by pushbrk

[Darnell 8,478]

Kool !

You've got an approved I-130 on the child. YAY !

Now it's time to play at NVC, as yer chasing after a CR-2 (maybe IR-2) visa...

Thankfully, most of this processing, at NVC, is the same as for the CR-1 - so -

follow the guide for CR-1 processing (train yer eyeballs up, click on Guides, and go forth)

Congratulations, btw !!