Assuming we cannot find a joint sponsor....

[JFH 12,190]

How long can we "sit" at the NVC stage? We will need a joint sponsor as my husband does not earn enough. We have no assets either. Obviously my income doesn't count.

If we cannot find a willing joint sponsor, how long can our case stay there while we find one or my husband's income improves? Will there come a time when it's rejected and we have to start again? If so, would we have to file the I-130 again too?

Purely hypothetical at the moment. Currently asking family members to be joint sponsor and one of them has declined. I'm just preparing myself for the "what ifs".

Edited December 13, 2015 by JFH

[Boiler 45,467]

You can also use savings, contact the Consulate every year to keep it live or look at going the other way.

[JFH 12,190]

So it can sit at the consulate? That's good to know. Thank you.

Savings..... We have some but not much. My problem is that as soon as I make a bonus at work I'm booking another ticket to see him. I need to train myself to fly less often and save more.

Now hopefully my husband will have some better news next year regarding his job situation. That would be the ideal situation not just for the visa.

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

How much is he short? Maybe a weekend job, or savings from a 401K or similar would solve the problem>

[mallafri76 1,012]

If you're a household of two you need roughly $20,000 in income. How much does your husband make? If he makes e.g. $18,000, you can supplement the missing amount with assets, which would then mean you need three times the difference in assets, so $6,000. You can use any savings you have in the UK as well to supplement your husbands salary, including the bonus you're getting. If you're not that far off, maybe cancel the flight and use the assets to supplement the income so you can move over sooner?!

You can stay at NVC for years. You just make sure you keep contact with them once a year, e.g. fill out the DS-261, then you can wait a year before paying the AOS fee and so on.

[JFH 12,190]

Right at this minute he's unemployed so that's definitely out. However, there is time enough for that to change and he is filing the I-130 in January. I'm thinking by the time we get to NVC he may well be earning again. Should I put my savings in his bank account? We don't have a joint account as we have never lived in the same country. I have no property. I rent my place.

Thank you for the answers so far. Where would I be without you all?

Edited December 13, 2015 by JFH

[Boiler 45,467]

Moving to the UK would seem more logical.

I did not realise you had not even started, a looong time to get things sorted.

[JFH 12,190]

Unfortunately he is ineligible for the UK due to a criminal conviction for theft in 1990 which resulted in a three-year spell in prison. The U.K will not consider this spent. His reckless youth came back to haunt him when we looked into getting him to the UK.

Netherlands is another option we have considered. But I reckon the AOS will go through just fine. It's months down the line.

[Boiler 45,467]

About a year.

[Advanced Aardvark 82]

How long can we "sit" at the NVC stage? We will need a joint sponsor as my husband does not earn enough. We have no assets either. Obviously my income doesn't count.

If we cannot find a willing joint sponsor, how long can our case stay there while we find one or my husband's income improves? Will there come a time when it's rejected and we have to start again? If so, would we have to file the I-130 again too?

Purely hypothetical at the moment. Currently asking family members to be joint sponsor and one of them has declined. I'm just preparing myself for the "what ifs".

When I was working my way through college and graduate school (way back in the last century), I worked at a number of different jobs. On one weekend job, I met a man who was a retired major from the South Korean army. After retiring, he came to the US and focused on the task of earning enough money to bring his wife and children to the US. He worked two full time jobs and a part time job on weekends. He did this for two years, until he had enough money to bring his family over. Mr. Kim continued to work like this for another four or five years. His wife also worked full time. At the end of the seven year stretch, Mr. Kim and his family owned a two family house and a new car, without any loans. To this day, whenever I think something is challenging, I think about Mr. Kim.

You might take inspiration from Mr. Kim's story and focus on earning enough money so that a joint sponsor was not required.

Good luck.

[JFH 12,190]

It certainly is an inspirational story but would not necessarily translate to our situation so well. I already earn more than enough. That's not the problem. My husband is currently unemployed. Finding one job is hard enough, let alone three. And the cost of living is considerably higher now than it was in Mr Kim's days. I certainly wouldn't want my husband to be working 100 hours a week. Sure we want to be together but I'd rather wait a bit longer (we've waited this long already, what's another year?) than see my husband almost dead. He's almost 50 - three jobs might be achievable when you're 20 or 30 but at 49 with arthritis? My situation here isn't that desperate that I need to get out at all costs, even at the cost of my husband's health. As my husband isn't academic, his earning potential is somewhat limited. He didn't finish school but did manage to do his GED through community college as an adult. He's never going to be a doctor or a lawyer. On the other hand, I have an MA and have always had a higher paid job than him.

Now that I've realised I can use my savings too, that helps. I wasn't aware of that.

[Adil & Jeanne 296]

Seriously this is easier than you think.

YOu are married

Tell him to do his taxes ASAP and fill out the W 9 adding you to income taxes with a ITIN (individual taxpayer ID number).

this can only be done at tax time in the spring.

now he can add your income to his and count it to satisfy the income requirements.

you may owe taxes here in the US but they will set up payment plan or give you a waiver (easy to do also) so you don't pay for this year

Adding you to tax returns also looks good for comingling funds.

The best to you

[Boiler 45,467]

OP's job will continue in the US?

[NikLR 13,227]

Seriously this is easier than you think.

YOu are married

Tell him to do his taxes ASAP and fill out the W 9 adding you to income taxes with a ITIN (individual taxpayer ID number).

this can only be done at tax time in the spring.

now he can add your income to his and count it to satisfy the income requirements.

you may owe taxes here in the US but they will set up payment plan or give you a waiver (easy to do also) so you don't pay for this year

Adding you to tax returns also looks good for comingling funds.

The best to you

Making the tax return higher doesn't matter. The petitioner is currently unemployed.

[Bosna1234 17]

for a CR1 visa how much money is needed from a joint sponsor ..? thanks