Married to an American and we want to relocate to the US

[Nnickol 0]

Hi, any information that can be provided would be greatly appreciated.

I am a Canadian citizen married to an American and our plan has been to eventually relocate to the US Southwest where my wife is originally from. She has been in Canada for 25 years and we have been married for 5. Our ages are 51 (my wife) and 59. I'm currently interviewing for jobs and may be offered either a contract or permanent position depending on the company. I've been researching TN visas but am not sure if that's the best route. I don't have a degree and the only classification I may qualify under is Technician/Technologist. Also would a TN allow me to work as a permanent worker? Should I look at a marriage visa instead? And would I get a marriage visa considering my wife has been a Canadian resident for 25 years and I'm likely to get a job offer well before her? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Mark88 183]

Get a CR-1 Visa wich will give you a green card. Will take anywhere from 6-18 months. Read the guides:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

**** Movign from DCF to What Visa do I need forum ****

[Nnickol 0]

Get a CR-1 Visa wich will give you a green card. Will take anywhere from 6-18 months. Read the guides:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

Thanks for the reply Mark88. What about a DCF (Direct Consulate Filing)? It apparently should only take 3 months.

[Mark88 183]

DCF is not offered in Canada.

[Nnickol 0]

DCF is not offered in Canada.

As I understand it, DCF is not offered to "non-resident" U.S. citizens. As I stated in my original post, my wife has been a resident in Canada for 25 years. I read the following:

NEARLY ALL CONSULATES WILL ALLOW DCF FOR U.S. CITIZENS WHO ARE "RESIDENT" OF THE FOREIGN SPOUSE'S COUNTRY.

[christeen 966]

DCF is not offered at all in Canada... No DCF in Canada... Sorry... Cr1 is the process you need to follow...

[apple21 953]

Your wife will have to prove that she has plans of re-establishing domicile to the US and you would most likely need a joint sponsor for the affidavit of support.

[Mark88 183]

Only a embassy/consulate with USCIS foreign office can offer DCF. Canada doesn't have one: http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-immigration-offices

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

The others are correct, no DCF. If you are going the marriage visa route, IR-1 is your only option, and that means waiting a year or so to move.

[NikLR 13,227]

it would also mean finding a joint sponsor or having enough assets to qualify for sponsorship since your wife isn't living in the USA and doesn't have a US based job to meet the poverty guidelines on the I-864p

BTW has she filed taxes in the USA for the entire time she's lived in Canada?