Applying for CR-1 after sucessful K1 marriage

[JFH 12,190]

21 minutes ago, shoesoff said:

We ultimately decided on the K-1 because being apart as an engaged couple seemed the better option than being apart as a married couple. That is still the case so though I agree the CR-1 may have made sense if we were able to get married back in January, long term we would have really struggled being apart for so long as man and wife.
I know that's not a sensible thing to say but I think as much as this process is all very technical, it's important not to forget the emotional side of it.

This is how we approached it. I'm not saying you have to or you can see it this way but I'm just giving you food for thought. 

 

Once we had decided to be together forever, that was it for us. The wedding was just something that the government wanted us to do for visa purposes. We are heathens and once we had made our blood oath (again, not suggesting everyone will do this) we were joined. Being apart then was no easier or harder than being apart after we were legally married. Our feelings didn't change for each other after we had our legal wedding. Our oath ceremony is what we celebrate as our anniversary, not the date of our wedding. This is where we became a couple for life. Marriage ceremonies are just a legal formality. You don't suddenly feel more in love the day after you marry then you did the day before you married (and if you do, you're probably just in love with the idea of being married). 

 

I understand it's unconventional to not live with your spouse but nothing about us is conventional anyway. No one here us in a conventional path. And there are many people who go through involuntary separations. Military couples, for example. My father worked as a lorry driver in continental Europe when I was s child. He was gone three weeks, home for one, gone three weeks, rinse and repeat. It can be done. And it's only temporary. You and I (and some others here) have the luxury of being from a VWP country and can visit relatively easily. With some trickery and smart shopping I was able to visit every 6 or 8 weeks. The lowest I paid for an airfare from the U.K. to the west coast was £122.50 return. The most I paid was £350. We had the added difficulty that my husband is banned for life from the U.K. because he has a criminal record so I had to do all the traveling. You two can probably share that load! 

 

When we started the process and we saw that it would take about a year it seemed like forever. But we broke it down into milestones and always kept busy. My husband even enrolled in a culinary class! I counted the time in pay days ("10 more pay days to go", etc). It was painful to be apart. Everyone here knows that. If someone had told me years ago that I would spend the first two years of married life living 5000 miles from

my husband I would never have believed them. But I did it. And now I've been here just over 4 months and I can barely remember that time apart. It all vanished the minute I was approved at the London embassy after a 2-year process to be together. Some women say the same about childbirth - the second you see the baby you have no memory of the pain. I wouldn't know as I've never had a child. I look back now over old messages we sent each other in the depths of all this and how much we were suffering the pain of separation and it's like I'm reading someone else's words. None of that matters anymore. We are together now and will be for the rest of this life and however many more lives the Gods bless us with. 

 

[DrEllaNJ 288]

3 hours ago, shoesoff said:

She's not going anywhere any time soon!

Thank you.

sorry, I wasn't clear - by "she will have to demonstrate domicile" I meant your fiancee since she will be your main sponsor (income or not).

Best of luck on your journey!

Edited April 25, 2017 by DrEllaNJ
unclear

[sy1983 31]

There are rules you will need to know to help make your plans. 
1)CR-1 application have an expiration, it must all be filed within one year otherwise you will have to do it over.

2)Once approved you have 6 months to go to the US, otherwise visa would be invalid. 

3)6 months of out a year, the immigrant must be in the United States to keep the green card. 
4)There are also taxes, social security, health insurance and so on, to proof you intent of residence before applying for US passport. 

 

[A'n'L 735]

3 hours ago, sy1983 said:

There are rules you will need to know to help make your plans. 
1)CR-1 application have an expiration, it must all be filed within one year otherwise you will have to do it over.

2)Once approved you have 6 months to go to the US

1) Not true. The processing may be delayed intentionally at different stages. Not indefinitely, but saying "everything" must be completed within a year is not right.

2) The six months technically start at the day of the visa medical examination

[sy1983 31]

17 hours ago, A'n'L said:

1) Not true. The processing may be delayed intentionally at different stages. Not indefinitely, but saying "everything" must be completed within a year is not right.

2) The six months technically start at the day of the visa medical examination

What I was trying to say is that if he files for CR-1 and neglect the process due to his situation, they will close his case after a year.
Thats why I didn't say "everything" you did, Im saying he needs to file it along the stages and not let it sit for over a year. 

Secondly, if you wanna be all technical to belittle others, I guess, sure. Medical exam takes 2 days, should be done a week prior to interview and visa is usually at hand 3 days later.
So give or take a week and a half off. I guess some people just have a hard time looking at the big picture.   

Edited April 26, 2017 by Ryan H
Reason for edit: to remove alternate spelling of profanity.

[A'n'L 735]

16 hours ago, sy1983 said:

What I was trying to say is that if he files for CR-1 and neglect the process due to his situation, they will close his case after a year.
Thats why I didn't say "everything" you did, Im saying he needs to file it along the stages and not let it sit for over a year. 

Secondly, if you wanna be all technical to belittle others, I guess, sure. Medical exam takes 2 days, should be done a week prior to interview and visa is usually at hand 3 days later.
So give or take a week and a half off. I guess some people just have a hard time looking at the big picture.   

It was really not my intention to belittle anybody, I'm sorry if you feel that way. We just want to give as accurate information as possible on this forum. I've personally been corrected several times when giving incomplete information, and even if it sucks to be incorrect - I take it as a valuable lesson. Knowlegde shared is knowlegde gained.

 

Some choose to have their medical exam as soon as possible (maybe even months before the interview), that's why it's important to be aware of the difference.

 

They will not necessarily close a CR1 case after a year.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Ryan H
Reason for edit: to remove alternate spelling of profanity in quote.

[NikLR 13,227]

8 hours ago, sy1983 said:

There are rules you will need to know to help make your plans. 
1)CR-1 application have an expiration, it must all be filed within one year otherwise you will have to do it over.

2)Once approved you have 6 months to go to the US, otherwise visa would be invalid. 

3)6 months of out a year, the immigrant must be in the United States to keep the green card. 
4)There are also taxes, social security, health insurance and so on, to proof you intent of residence before applying for US passport. 

 

1) Incorrect.  The I-130 nornally takes about 6 months but can take 12-18 at the long range (but rarely.)  The NVC simply needs you to keep in contact once per year.  The easiest way to prove contact on your end is by making a payment or sending a required package.  Theoretically you could spend forever at the NVC stage just by contacting them once per year.  An approved I-130 never expires unlike an approved I-129F.  If you don't stay in contact the I-130 goes to the records department where it can be retrieved and the NVC process started again.  You would not need to start over completely. 

2) 6 months from medical.  This is important for thr OP as they can have a medical early without an interview date.  Most countries thus isn't much of an issue. 

3) Not necessarily.   A re-entry permit allows someone to remain outside the USA for up to 2 years. 

4) I dont recall the OP saying anything about becoming a US citizen? 

[sy1983 31]

8 hours ago, NikLR said:

1) Incorrect.  The I-130 nornally takes about 6 months but can take 12-18 at the long range (but rarely.)  The NVC simply needs you to keep in contact once per year.  The easiest way to prove contact on your end is by making a payment or sending a required package.  Theoretically you could spend forever at the NVC stage just by contacting them once per year.  An approved I-130 never expires unlike an approved I-129F.  If you don't stay in contact the I-130 goes to the records department where it can be retrieved and the NVC process started again.  You would not need to start over completely. 

2) 6 months from medical.  This is important for thr OP as they can have a medical early without an interview date.  Most countries thus isn't much of an issue. 

3) Not necessarily.   A re-entry permit allows someone to remain outside the USA for up to 2 years. 

4) I dont recall the OP saying anything about becoming a US citizen? 

I was referring to this statement, which I got from my approval letter: NOTE: FOR IMMIGRANT VISA CASES, YOUR FAILURE TO APPLY FOR IMMIGRANT VISA WITHIN ONE YEAR FROM THE ABOVE DATE MAY RESULT IN THE POSSIBLE TERMINATION OF YOUR APPLICATION UNDER SECTION 203(g) OF THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT.
2) My mistake my apology to you and A'NL
3) Well, I guess there are always a way to do it if you want to go to I-131 route. But generally speaking and to quote USICS "Permanent residents are free to travel outside the United States, and temporary or brief travel usually does not affect your permanent resident status." 
4) You never know, did you see how indecisive OP is ? how is it harmful to know more than knowing less ?
 

[Jojo92122 1,924]

25 minutes ago, sy1983 said:

I was referring to this statement, which I got from my approval letter: NOTE: FOR IMMIGRANT VISA CASES, YOUR FAILURE TO APPLY FOR IMMIGRANT VISA WITHIN ONE YEAR FROM THE ABOVE DATE MAY RESULT IN THE POSSIBLE TERMINATION OF YOUR APPLICATION UNDER SECTION 203(g) OF THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT.
2) My mistake my apology to you and A'NL
3) Well, I guess there are always a way to do it if you want to go to I-131 route. But generally speaking and to quote USICS "Permanent residents are free to travel outside the United States, and temporary or brief travel usually does not affect your permanent resident status." 
4) You never know, did you see how indecisive OP is ? how is it harmful to know more than knowing less ?
 

You are not understanding this correctly.  You are not understanding the distinction between failure to pursue the case and the I-130 not expiring.  

 

Your posts are full of errors.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Jojo92122

[NikLR 13,227]

@sy1983 You can argue this all you want but that doesn't make you correct.  It's okay to be wrong about things; it's how we learn.  

[MattyUK 22]

On 25/04/2017 at 4:55 PM, shoesoff said:

All goes swimmingly, I will have my K1 approved and be heading to America to get married in October.

 

Why do you need a K1 to begin with?  You're from the UK which has its visa requirement wavered, you don't need a visa as such to travel to the US.  You can go (with an ESTA) and get married, come home and she file for you from over there.  You can visit her in the mean time and vice versa. It's not as complicated as you're making it out to be. All the best.