Married to USC-can I do 5 years instead of 3

[Katinka 0]

An act of congress in 1927 ruled an immigrant married to a US citizen would be a far superior US citizen, so adopted the three year marriage privilege. And its just that, a privilege, not a requirement.

Years later, the INS was changed to the USCIS demanding tons of proof you are married, were free to marry, living together, paying taxes and bills together, buying joint property together, but only legal stuff, haven't figured out a way that both of you jointly purchased a new ten buck toaster, and indeed that US citizen is a US citizen.

So this documentation can be burdensome and is the key reason for RFE's with further delays.

Residency requirements is an entirely a different issue. Not only how long you were gone, but the reason why, be prepared to answer this. One good reason is getting work, have a son and a niece with these issues. Have college loans to pay off, and the odds of getting a job with over 2,000 applicants is minimal. And you sure can't pay off these loans working for Walmart. So they had to leave. Maybe that was your situation.

[Katinka 0]

Thank you guys. Hope everything works out...

[NickD 203]

On the other end, could be best to apply ASAP, no telling how they will change the regulations tomorrow. USCIS claims their regulations are made by congress. But get a different story from my congressman, multiply 1,525 government agencies by all their regulations, no single human being can kept track of all that.

Pointed out many flaws and even contradictions faced with in dealing with government agencies to Dave Obey, been in congress for many many years. Best I can get is sympathy that doesn't help. Follow the regulations of one agency, breaking the law with another kind of thing. Says this issue would have to be discussed by a specially appointed committee, then decided if it is worth bringing to the floor for a vote, then has to be hacked out by the senate and go back and forth, then signed into law by the president.

But told way too many other important issues, the wars, economy, Wall Street, to even think about these issues that can really screw up your life. But Dave gave up and retired, forget about that new guy that got there by promising to lower taxes, he doesn't even know where the restrooms are and is key job is getting coffee for the older congressman.

[mamaSue 38]

Did you go thru the interview yet?

No....just recieved the letter for the biometrics on August 13th.

[bayojona3231 4]

It is true. They do check. My wife filed after 3 years in January and they checked everything. The application was well packaged. We did everything on our own. Thank you VISAJOURNEY community. She is going for her Oath Ceremony on July 5 with passport application on hand. The immigration journey is over. Thank you Lord.

An act of congress in 1927 ruled an immigrant married to a US citizen would be a far superior US citizen, so adopted the three year marriage privilege. And its just that, a privilege, not a requirement.

Years later, the INS was changed to the USCIS demanding tons of proof you are married, were free to marry, living together, paying taxes and bills together, buying joint property together, but only legal stuff, haven't figured out a way that both of you jointly purchased a new ten buck toaster, and indeed that US citizen is a US citizen.

So this documentation can be burdensome and is the key reason for RFE's with further delays.

Residency requirements is an entirely a different issue. Not only how long you were gone, but the reason why, be prepared to answer this. One good reason is getting work, have a son and a niece with these issues. Have college loans to pay off, and the odds of getting a job with over 2,000 applicants is minimal. And you sure can't pay off these loans working for Walmart. So they had to leave. Maybe that was your situation.

[NickD 203]

Just reminded another reason why we applied at the earliest date with that long I-751 processing time. State didn't want to renew my wife's driver's license, and her employer wanted to fire her. Both said, what in the heck is a one year extension of her expired conditional green card. That took a lot of explaining.