Couple living outside the US

[Cali&Cairo 0]

WE NEED ADVICE ON THIS MATTER PLEASE!!

we are Egyptian American couple.. we live together here in Cairo, Egypt. But now we plan to move back to America.

First thing we read is that " the American petitioner to be eligible to get his spouse to the US,, he/she has to have a job and a place to live to be the "sponsor" .

Now my question is that true????

cant we file from Egypt now because he is not living in the US RIGHT NOW and doesn't have a job or house?

putting in mind since last year no longer we have direct counsel filling in Egypt through the embassy we have to mail everything to the USCIS!

second question we have is that " can his mom be my sponsor instead of him in everything ( the house and the income)or he must present in the US ???

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY ANSWER WILL BE PROVIDED.

[ghanalover 7]

his mom can sponsor he doesnt have to have a job but i think itll be a better move if he came to the u.s to file because youll be waiting for egypt to send everything to the states like the uscis and nvc and he would need all the original documents i think itll make ur transition alot smoother and easier if he filed from th u.s. unless time is not a issue then file from egypt but i wouldnt recommend that

[Cali&Cairo 0]

his mom can sponsor he doesnt have to have a job but i think itll be a better move if he came to the u.s to file because youll be waiting for egypt to send everything to the states like the uscis and nvc and he would need all the original documents i think itll make ur transition alot smoother and easier if he filed from th u.s. unless time is not a issue then file from egypt but i wouldnt recommend that

The embassy here in Cairo said that they no longer deal with immigrants visa and that we have to send all the documents by mail to Chicago lockbox!

[kzielu 1,149]

The embassy here in Cairo said that they no longer deal with immigrants visa and that we have to send all the documents by mail to Chicago lockbox!

So ? Like hundreds of other people... That only means you need to send your petition there, interview still will be at Cairo...

[alizon 77]

First thing we read is that " the American petitioner to be eligible to get his spouse to the US,, he/she has to have a job and a place to live to be the "sponsor" .

Now my question is that true????

cant we file from Egypt now because he is not living in the US RIGHT NOW and doesn't have a job or house?

putting in mind since last year no longer we have direct counsel filling in Egypt through the embassy we have to mail everything to the USCIS!

second question we have is that " can his mom be my sponsor instead of him in everything ( the house and the income)or he must present in the US ???

Your US citizen spouse can petition from you while you both live abroad. In fact, people on VJ think that there might be an informal automatic expedite for American citizens living abroad who want to bring their spouse home with them. The US citizen will have to prove that you are trying to establish your domicile in the US (have plans for where you both will live and where he will work) when you get to the interview. As for sponsorship, the US citizen can't count any foreign income for sponsoring you unless they will continue to receive income from that same source once they have moved to the US. His mom can sponsor if she has sufficient income, and I've seen other people get through the domicile test by saying they will be living with family until they find a permanent place.

And yes, you'll have to mail everything to the US. Not sure that's a huge deal compared with sending your spouse back to the US for 10 months or so.

Edited May 28, 2012 by alizon

[Aly174 9]

The embassy here in Cairo said that they no longer deal with immigrants visa and that we have to send all the documents by mail to Chicago lockbox!

Yes, this is true. You can no longer do DCF from here. You will have to submit your I130 to Chicago and go through USCIS and then NVC like the rest of us have had to do. As for hi mom sponsoring you, he will be your sponsor since he's your spouse however his mother can Co-Sponsor if she is agreeable. Unless he has a residence there in the US he will have to show proof such as a notarized letter from her that he is living with her and the two of intend to stay there until you're able to manage a place of your own. Of course if he were in the US with a job and a residence this would help matters but as long as you have a Co-Sponsor who's income can support themselves, their dependent and the two of you then it will be acceptable.

Good luck to the two of you, stay strong and there for one another as it can be a very frustrating journey from filing to completion and Visa in hand.

[Tuti & Baher 10]

I also live with my husband in Cairo, but we still gathering documents.

I called the embassy for this matter and yes you do send it to the chicago lockbox like it says on the following link, but on top of your cover letter you can put filling from EGYPT they told me it will make it faster.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=6583ecb23683a210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=fe529c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

hope this helps!!!!

[AandJ 3]

Joshua & May-

You definitley can file while you are both living outside of the States - in fact, it will give you an advantage because for US Citizens who live abroad with their spouses, they expedite the i-130 from 5 months to something like days. Our was approved in just 8 days! Here is the link about filing abroad and how to get the 'fast-track' queue. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/357465-usc-petitioner-living-abroad/

I have lived in Spain for almost 4 years now and we are going through with the process. The only part that not living in the States will affect is your:

- sponsorship - you will probably need to look for a joint sponsor

- proving domicile - when you get to the i-864, the USC will have to prove that he intended to come back to the States and has maintained his life there (credit card statements, voter registration, car insurance, drivers license, etc)

Best of luck!

Amanda

[Cali&Cairo 0]

Thank you so much ALL for your great help and your precious time!