new member - questions about the process

[AmandaLane102 3]

Hi all,

I am a U.S. citizen engaged to a Namibian (Africa). I currently live in Namibia and am home (Florida) on a visit, and while here decided to start looking into the process for moving him here next year once we are married. I have some questions for anyone willing to provide answers!:

Can somebody please tell me an estimation of the costs involved for the entire process?

Also, I was thinking of starting the process from Namibia and seeing if the embassy will assist in our filing - do embassies in foreign countries still do this? Then I wanted to come over before him in May (2015) to secure a teaching job for the following school year and have him follow. I wanted to do it this way so that we are not apart for so long. Will this be possible if we start filing from Namibia and then I move over here before him? Or is it better if I start the filing process here in the States when we come to visit in December?

Does anyone have any experience with filing in a country with a poor postal system? My fears are that if we have to send things back to the U.S. or if paperwork has to come to him from the States, this could take weeks to months in it of itself! Is any part of the process done electronically?

Finally, my biggest worry and source of confusion right now is the sponsorship. Since I will have been living in Namibia for 18 months by the time I wish to return, I obviously won't have a source of income here. If I have no income but I do have assets in a savings account, can this be sufficient for sponsorship? My mom and I have a joint bank account here in the United States, so will the assets I show then need to be higher to represent 3 people (me, my fiancé AND my mom) or will I still only have to meet the minimum requirements for the 2 of us?

Also, if my savings do not count toward sponsorship, will my mother be able to sponsor him if she has retirement benefits but is not domiciled in the United States? (She is moving to retire in Costa Rica).

I see on here that people are easily sponsored by friends or family - but I feel very uncomfortable asking this of non-immediate family members. How can I explain to them that a sponsorship does not mean we will ever actually use their finances?

I have not started the filing yet, as he will not be able to move here until August 2015 - so over a year, and I don't want all the paperwork to be approved before he is able to move because it expires - correct? When is the best time to start the filing process FROM ABROAD with the hopes of an August 2015 move?

Any answers to any of my questions would be greatly appreciated. I am so glad I found this forum as this whole process is overwhelming enough for me to just want to give up on moving back! But I really want to come back here with him to build our future. Thanks guys.

[Zedayn 485]

Here is a link that has a list of approximate costs for different visa types: http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

If you have no income but want to use savings as an asset, you can do so. You will need $58,161 in savings. This is for a household size of 2...just you and your fiancé. Your mom does not count even if you live with her...unless you claim her on taxes.

It is really hard to set an exact date of coming to the US. I can tell you to apply now and if it takes a year to process, you will be fine. On the other hand if it takes 2 months to process, its way ahead of schedule and your fiancé would have to arrive well before August 2015. The point is, no one really knows how long it will take you to process the papers. It could take you 6 months, it could take you 2 years.

I hope it helps. Good luck!

[AmandaLane102 3]

Thank you!

If I do not have 58,161 in savings, could my mom sponsor him with her savings? And if so how much would she then need in liquid assets to sponsor him? Would she for example need to show she has 58,161 for both of us or more to show she can also cover her own needs?

[AmandaLane102 3]

Also - I guess my question was confusing but my mom and I both have access to one bank account (both of our names are on it). So if I used THAT bank account as proof of liquid assets, would it still need to be 58,161 in savings or because my mom's name is on it too would it need to be more because that is also money she uses for herself? Does that make sense???

[Zedayn 485]

As a household size of 2, you need to have an income of at least $19,387 yearly. If you are short, then you can offset your income by using assets. Assets are for a spouse (or fiancé) are valued at 1/3 for the primary sponsor. This means you need to take the amount of money in assets times 3 to make up for the shortcoming. Example. If you have income of $15,000, you are short $4,387. So in this example you would need 4387 X 3 = $13,161...you would need this in assets.

In your case, you stated you have no income, therefore you need to make up 19387 X 3 = $58,161.

If you only use assets and no income...then the total amount of assets needs to be $58,161. It can be a combination of money in bank accounts, property and other assets that might have valuation such as jewelry. Your assets also have to be readily convertible to cash. It does not matter if someone else is on the account with you, only that YOU are authorized to use that account.

Your mom could certainly co-sponsor. She also will only need to meet the poverty level of $19,387. However, any assets she uses will be valued at 1/5. Just like the above example, she will need to multiply by 5 the amount of money she is short of income. If she has no income, then a total amount of $96,935 in assets is needed. If she makes at least the poverty level in income, then no need for assets.

You can also use any US citizen or LPR as a co-sponsor.

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from Introducing our Members to IR-1/CR1 Process Forum~

~inquiry about spouse visa process~

[AmandaLane102 3]

Thank you. And another question . . . can assets from 2 people be combined to meet the requirement? If I do not have enough and my mother does not have enough, can we combine the assets? So can a foreigner be sponsored by 2 people who do not meet the requirements on their own?

Also why would my mom's assets be valued at 1/5? is this for any co-sponsor for my fiancé who is NOT me?

Thank you by the way for your responses so far.

[AmandaLane102 3]

If my fiancé is sponsored by my cousin who has a household of 4, does he need to show income above the $19,387 threshold to account for his family size?