CR-1 Beneficiary working abroad short-term

[jeffandira 0]

I have searched and read but can't find a satisfying answer.  My wife wants to go to Poland and work for 6 months to earn money for her mother's recent medical treatments.  We have not filed anything yet with the U.S., and I have even decided best to wait until she returns to Ukraine before submitting our application.  I have been against this working in Poland thing out of worry for her.  I even offered to send her the equivalent money that she will net profit from this job in Poland, but she wants to do this herself for her mother.  She has her VISA and everything ready to go to Poland, but today someone told her that they knew someone who was denied a U.S. VISA because of working abroad before submitting their application.  So now she wants to cancel the trip to Poland because she is afraid that it will cause problems with the CR-1.   Would this in any way actually cause any issues with a CR-1, even if it was directly before submitting the application?  Do I just let her cancel the trip because I really don't want her to go anyway? 

 

We've been married now for 9 months and we have been doing name changes and internal and international passports with the name change and then termination of parental rights for her daughter's father and then more name changes and more international passports.  So we have delayed submitting our application.  Now because of the Poland thing, we were going to delay even longer.

 

Anyway, any suggestions on what to tell her? 

[Ryan H 3,812]

58 minutes ago, jeffandira said:

but today someone told her that they knew someone who was denied a U.S. VISA because of working abroad before submitting their application. 

Baloney, whoever said that was either making it up or didn't get the true story.

 

Her working in Poland will not cause any issues with the spouse visa process, depending on how long she is there, she may have to obtain a police certificate from there.

[ASMS 86]

There's plenty of people going through this process and working outside of their home country, which it does not affect her application. Some of them even apply to have their interview in the embassy were they are currently working/living, something she may be able to do (if she wanted) by holding the proper papers to work/live legally in Poland.

 

As Ryan mentioned, if she stay in Poland for 6 months or more (not sure about the exactly period), she will need a police certificate from Poland and from Ukraine.

[jeffandira 0]

Thanks for the replies and the input.  I've been reading and researching more and I could not find a single written piece of anything that would even indicate a potential problem with this situation.  So I explained to her that my official opinion is that it would not cause any problems, but I also explained that I still do not want her to do this but I would support her decision either way.  She has honorable intentions for doing this, so I can't feel right trying to forbid it or something.  She wants to help her mom.  She is still thinking about it and must make a final decision today.  She has the 6 month visa sponsored by the employer and she can go any moment she decides.  The job is basically working in a cooler filling bags of frozen vegetables for 10 to 12 hours per day to make very little net profit in the end.  She has a 5 year specialist degree in economics.  The best I understand, her degree is in-between a bachelor's and a master's degree here in the U.S.. She is so smart and has an exemplary work ethic.  It is sad that she must consider such a job abroad because of the lack of job opportunities in Ukraine now.  I just have a bad feeling about all of it and I hope that she decides not to do it.  I want her here.  I need her here.  Even a minimum wage job here in the U.S. will provide more than quadruple the income she is expecting from this job in Poland.  As far as I am concerned, she can send every dollar of it home to her mom if she wishes.

 

We will see.  She is proud and stubborn sometimes.  But she is also adorable and sweet.  She has the kindest heart that I have ever known before.  It is why I love her so much.  Well, she is also beautiful which seems to captivate my heart and soul and everything else.  

[ASMS 86]

3 hours ago, jeffandira said:

Thanks for the replies and the input.  I've been reading and researching more and I could not find a single written piece of anything that would even indicate a potential problem with this situation.  So I explained to her that my official opinion is that it would not cause any problems, but I also explained that I still do not want her to do this but I would support her decision either way.  She has honorable intentions for doing this, so I can't feel right trying to forbid it or something.  She wants to help her mom.  She is still thinking about it and must make a final decision today.  She has the 6 month visa sponsored by the employer and she can go any moment she decides.  The job is basically working in a cooler filling bags of frozen vegetables for 10 to 12 hours per day to make very little net profit in the end.  She has a 5 year specialist degree in economics.  The best I understand, her degree is in-between a bachelor's and a master's degree here in the U.S.. She is so smart and has an exemplary work ethic.  It is sad that she must consider such a job abroad because of the lack of job opportunities in Ukraine now.  I just have a bad feeling about all of it and I hope that she decides not to do it.  I want her here.  I need her here.  Even a minimum wage job here in the U.S. will provide more than quadruple the income she is expecting from this job in Poland.  As far as I am concerned, she can send every dollar of it home to her mom if she wishes.

 

We will see.  She is proud and stubborn sometimes.  But she is also adorable and sweet.  She has the kindest heart that I have ever known before.  It is why I love her so much.  Well, she is also beautiful which seems to captivate my heart and soul and everything else.  

As you said, she has honorable reasons to go, and is good you are supporting her decision. I understand both of you very well, since despite of being Completely different countries, Venezuela is going through a really bad situation right now, and even a great job opportunity in here, the income turns in dust when you convert them in US dollars, and my need to make things work in here while I wait to join my husband in the US, makes him really worried.

But I'm curious, is not a good chance for her to be able to leave a recent conflict area? Idk how dangerous is/isn't the current situation in there.

[jeffandira 0]

49 minutes ago, ASMS said:

But I'm curious, is not a good chance for her to be able to leave a recent conflict area? Idk how dangerous is/isn't the current situation in there.

She lives in Western Ukraine on the opposite side of the country from all of the war and fighting.  Other than the flood of refugees from the east, high prices on everything, and poor wages, you would hardly know a conflict exists in her city.  Since the war started, prices have quadrupled and wages are a fourth of what they were pre-war.  But there is no issue with her going to Poland.  She is very close to the Polish border.  

[ASMS 86]

35 minutes ago, jeffandira said:

She lives in Western Ukraine on the opposite side of the country from all of the war and fighting.  Other than the flood of refugees from the east, high prices on everything, and poor wages, you would hardly know a conflict exists in her city.  Since the war started, prices have quadrupled and wages are a fourth of what they were pre-war.  But there is no issue with her going to Poland.  She is very close to the Polish border.  

Sounds like in here but without declared war 

Well, I hope both can make the best decision. Good luck!

[jeffandira 0]

Well, she decided to go to Poland.  She leaves tomorrow night.  So I guess that we will postpone everything by another 6 months now. UGH..... 

[ASMS 86]

2 hours ago, jeffandira said:

Well, she decided to go to Poland.  She leaves tomorrow night.  So I guess that we will postpone everything by another 6 months now. UGH..... 

Why you want to postpone everything for 6 months?

You can start everything while she is there.

[Thesmiths2016 117]

On 18 April 2017 at 10:07 AM, jeffandira said:

I have searched and read but can't find a satisfying answer.  My wife wants to go to Poland and work for 6 months to earn money for her mother's recent medical treatments.  We have not filed anything yet with the U.S., and I have even decided best to wait until she returns to Ukraine before submitting our application.  I have been against this working in Poland thing out of worry for her.  I even offered to send her the equivalent money that she will net profit from this job in Poland, but she wants to do this herself for her mother.  She has her VISA and everything ready to go to Poland, but today someone told her that they knew someone who was denied a U.S. VISA because of working abroad before submitting their application.  So now she wants to cancel the trip to Poland because she is afraid that it will cause problems with the CR-1.   Would this in any way actually cause any issues with a CR-1, even if it was directly before submitting the application?  Do I just let her cancel the trip because I really don't want her to go anyway? 

 

We've been married now for 9 months and we have been doing name changes and internal and international passports with the name change and then termination of parental rights for her daughter's father and then more name changes and more international passports.  So we have delayed submitting our application.  Now because of the Poland thing, we were going to delay even longer.

 

Anyway, any suggestions on what to tell her? 

Never heard of those denied visas.  I'm from New Zealand, I lived in Australia when we filed, and moved back to NZ last year a few months into the USCIS stage of the process.  While I haven't had my interview yet, I have made it through to the embassy stage and nothing has been said about living in a country other than where I'm from. I don't imagine it could cause issues.  
She could always contact her US embassy office in her country to ask?  They're the ones who will make the decision. 

As a side note, if you know there's no risk to her going and you stop her, won't she feel deceived if she finds out? 

[Thesmiths2016 117]

I just saw your other comment saying she decided to go to Poland.  

The first part of the process is you petitioning to have her be allowed to apply for a greencard. That first part alone will take the better part of the 6 months she's gone so you should start that process now.  You'll need a photocopy of her passport, evidence of your relationship etc, which I'm sure she can help you compile from abroad.  I would suggest getting it started now.  Then when she gets back you'll hopefully be entering the NVC stage, by which time she will be back in her country and ready to move forward with the rest of the process.  

 

All the best :-) 

[jeffandira 0]

On 4/19/2017 at 11:21 AM, ASMS said:

Why you want to postpone everything for 6 months?

You can start everything while she is there.

 

Well she did not complete all of her part of the I-130A for her or her daughter, and we don't have translations of all the documents yet, so it looks like that won't get done until she returns to Ukraine.  Thus, we will now postpone everything for 6 months, or maybe 5 months, or maybe sooner if she really hates the work and goes home early. But she does now have both her internal and international passports with my surname, and parental rights have been severed for the father of the daughter, and the daughter's birth certificate also has been changed with my surname and she now has an international passport with my surname.  It is really cool that the new international passports for Ukraine already have the English translations for everything.  And they have been addressing the vaccination requirements also for both her and her daughter, so there shouldn't be many more of those required.  This is the way that Ira wanted to do all of this.  She is definitely head strong and sometimes downright stubborn, but I do love that about her.... or sometimes I do.  So we have been waiting for all of these things to develop and now we are free to file the I-130's...... and she goes to Poland for 6 months..... UGH!.... but I love her...... 

 

 

On 4/22/2017 at 2:39 AM, Thesmiths2016 said:

Never heard of those denied visas.  I'm from New Zealand, I lived in Australia when we filed, and moved back to NZ last year a few months into the USCIS stage of the process.  While I haven't had my interview yet, I have made it through to the embassy stage and nothing has been said about living in a country other than where I'm from. I don't imagine it could cause issues.  
She could always contact her US embassy office in her country to ask?  They're the ones who will make the decision. 

As a side note, if you know there's no risk to her going and you stop her, won't she feel deceived if she finds out? 

 

I did not deceive her.  I promised her that I would never lie to her, and yes this would have felt to me like a lie if I had led her to believe falsely from what I believed.  I told her that I was very confident that it would not affect her application in any way.  So she is now in Poland, working, for anytime up to 6 months.  And so I wait.