Understanding the Visa Bulletin Board

[veronicavonn 7]

Please excuse me if this is a dumb question, and if this has been asked a before.

Please refer to my signature for information on my husband and those processing dates. He is a GC holder and I am a US citizen.

My stepson is playing with the idea of moving to California but first he wants to see the place. He is currently in Germany and getting his passport together now.

He is currently 22 years old. His birthday is 11/07/1991.

I do not believe he is able to follow-to-join so I am trying to figure out how long the wait would be if he came to California to visit first, returned to Germany, and then we would send in the petition. If I read the bulletin correctly, I believe it will be close to a year and a half wait.

Is that correct?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

[Boiler 46,141]

It would be quicker if you could file but it seems from your timeline you can not, not sure where you were looking on the Bulletin but it will be a fair bit longer than that.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Was he an adult when you married if so he is NOT a stepson and the USC can't file only his bio parent he is the adult son ( must stay unmarried ) of an LPR which puts him in the F2B class and the wait is about 8 years and he must stay unmarried until you become a USC

Edited January 20, 2014 by NigeriaorBust

[veronicavonn 7]

I can't post a reply from my phone! How annoying.

I have two stepsons. They were 12 and 15 when my husband and I got married in 2008. So no, they were not adults.

@Boiler - How could it be quicker? I just started really reading into this yesterday, but I am so confused by the visa bulletin.

[veronicavonn 7]

What IS the fastest way to get him here, legally?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

At this point you can file but he is still too old to be a child so you filing ( USC) only cuts about a year off . F1 is working from jan 07 and F2b is jul 06

[Boiler 46,141]

To clarify as you married when they were still children you can file F1 and as has been said that saves a bit of time, usually.

Obviously you can both file if you want. Good insurance.

[veronicavonn 7]

Okay, so if I were to file for F1, the wait time would be 7 years, correct? That's just insane.

F1 01JAN07

Edited January 20, 2014 by veronicavonn

[nightingalejules 678]

The quickest way to get him here legally, although not permanently, would be if he wanted to come and study in the US and get a student visa. Is he at all interested in that?

My cousin (Canadian Citizen) grew up in the US with her dad who is Canadian military, she went to university in the US and could have stayed if she'd gotten a job offer in her field after graduation. Her mom was sick though, in Canada, by that time so she opted to return to Canada.

My (not at all professional) advice would be for him to file for a student visa and for you to file the petitions you need, but for him to continue to plan as though he needed to get to the US under his own steam.

Who knows? Maybe if he's going to school in California he'll meet a nice USC girl and fall in love and get married and get citizenship that way (without the 8 year wait!)

Family relationships are not the only route to residency.

[veronicavonn 7]

The thought of getting him an Au Pair visa crossed my mind, as well. Because then he could be my day care for my (almost) two year old son! haha. I will look into the student visas. Thanks.

Edited January 20, 2014 by veronicavonn

[aaron2020 11,651]

The thought of getting him an Au Pair visa crossed my mind, as well. Because then he could be my day care for my (almost) two year old son! haha. I will look into the student visas. Thanks.

The Au Pair visa would not allow him to come over to take care of your son. It doesn't work that way.

[veronicavonn 7]

Good to know.

[Boiler 46,141]

International Student Fees are also an arm and a leg.

[aaron2020 11,651]

The quickest way to get him here legally, although not permanently, would be if he wanted to come and study in the US and get a student visa. Is he at all interested in that?

My cousin (Canadian Citizen) grew up in the US with her dad who is Canadian military, she went to university in the US and could have stayed if she'd gotten a job offer in her field after graduation. Her mom was sick though, in Canada, by that time so she opted to return to Canada.

My (not at all professional) advice would be for him to file for a student visa and for you to file the petitions you need, but for him to continue to plan as though he needed to get to the US under his own steam.

Who knows? Maybe if he's going to school in California he'll meet a nice USC girl and fall in love and get married and get citizenship that way (without the 8 year wait!)

Family relationships are not the only route to residency.

Got $30,000 to $40,000 annually for a student visa? Got proof that he will return home after finishing his studies as required?

[nightingalejules 678]

Valid financial concerns, of course, although the OP didn't seem at all as vitriolic about it as Aaron2020. It is possible to get a work permit while on a student visa I think, and I don't know enough about it to know if you need to prove you'll return home after. Your student visa will expire if you're not a student, but you might get a job offer and a visa that way, or the PD for the family visa might be ripe. Or he might fall in love with a USC while at school and qualify that way.