My F2A Visa Application

[Cengineer 0]

Hello everybody! I am excited to become a new member of this forum. I and my wife got married at the beginning of this year (Feb, 2017). She is the permanent resident(green-card holder), living in New York (she became Permanent Resident on 14th June 2013) while I am a Pakistani national. We got married in our home country. Wife submitted I-130 form which was received by NVC on 3 April 2017 (i guess NVC is also known as  USCIS ). They confirmed by sending Email that I-130 form is received. So priority date is 3 April 2017 I guess. Till now we haven't received any approval letter of I-130 form.

 

My questions are:

- Overall how much time will it take to get the visa?

- After the priority date is current, how long I will have to wait to get the visa?

- Suppose it is going to take few years, in the meanwhile, what are options for me?

 

About me:

I am 26 years old, a civil engineering graduate from my own country and currently employed in a government construction and design department in my country.

 

Thank you very much for taking time to read my message.

[Cengineer 0]

21 minutes ago, Cengineer said:

Hello everybody! I am excited to become a new member of this forum. I and my wife got married at the beginning of this year (Feb, 2017). She is the permanent resident(green-card holder), living in New York (she became Permanent Resident on 14th June 2013) while I am a Pakistani national. We got married in our home country. Wife submitted I-130 form which was received by NVC on 3 April 2017 (i guess NVC is also known as  USCIS ). They confirmed by sending Email that I-130 form is received. So priority date is 3 April 2017 I guess. Till now we haven't received any approval letter of I-130 form.

 

My questions are:

- Overall how much time will it take to get the visa?

- After the priority date is current, how long I will have to wait to get the visa?

- Suppose it is going to take few years, in the meanwhile, what are options for me?

 

About me:

I am 26 years old, a civil engineering graduate from my own country and currently employed in a government construction and design department in my country.

 

Thank you very much for taking time to read my message.

Here I want to add more information. USCIS center in which our application was received is Califonia Service Center. Moreover, my wife got a letter confirming that CSC received i-130 form and PD is 3 April 2017.

Edited October 2, 2017 by Cengineer
added more info

[geowrian 22,337]

NVC is part of DOS. USCIS is under DHS.

Once USCIS approves the I-130, it will be sent to NVC where it will sit until an immigrant visa number becomes available...when the Priority Date becomes current (roughly 18 months after filing the I-130 for F2A).

ETA: ~2 years or so from I-130 filing to interview. That said, Pakistan is a very difficult embassy, and extended AP is pretty common (especially for security checks). So while it may take 2 years for the interview, it could take months or longer for the actual visa to be issued. Just be aware.

 

19 minutes ago, Cengineer said:

- Suppose it is going to take few years, in the meanwhile, what are options for me?

Visit, if you can get a tourist visa. Or meet elsewhere in the world. Or she can visit you.

 

8 minutes ago, Cengineer said:

USCIS center in whichi our application was received is Califonia Service Center.

That likely won't change your timeline since once the I-130 is approved, it will sit at NVC without being processed until the PD is current. It may take 6-12+ months for the I-130 to be adjudicated, but it won't affect your timeline (unless it takes longer to process than when your PD becomes current, but this is not likely).

 

One other consideration...how did your wife obtain LPR status?

[f f 725]

your wife will be eligible to file for citizenship 90 days before June 13 2018. it usually takes about 6 months to get but if she gets it you will be upgraded to immediate relative and will immediately become current with your priority date so you will get to the us faster. she would need to inform uscis to change over your application by the way.

[Cengineer 0]

39 minutes ago, geowrian said:

One other consideration...how did your wife obtain LPR status?

Via blood relation. She went there with parents on 14th June 2014. She just turned 22.

Edited October 2, 2017 by Cengineer
Correction

[Cengineer 0]

20 minutes ago, f f said:

your wife will be eligible to file for citizenship 90 days before June 13 2018. it usually takes about 6 months to get but if she gets it you will be upgraded to immediate relative and will immediately become current with your priority date so you will get to the us faster. she would need to inform uscis to change over your application by the way.

She got LPR on 14th June 2014 instead of 2013. Sorry, I am terribly sorry.

[geowrian 22,337]

24 minutes ago, f f said:

your wife will be eligible to file for citizenship 90 days before June 13 2018. it usually takes about 6 months to get but if she gets it you will be upgraded to immediate relative and will immediately become current with your priority date so you will get to the us faster. she would need to inform uscis to change over your application by the way.

True. If she obtains citizenship, that may be a decently faster route (maybe 18 months total instead of 24?).

Edit: Nevermind...she won't qualify until 2019 now, which won't make it faster.

 

6 minutes ago, Cengineer said:

Via blood relation. She went there with parents on 14th June 2013. She just turned 22.

Gotcha. No issues with that aspect then (if it was obtained via another spouse, another rule/guideline comes into play within 5 years, so I was checking on that).

Edited October 2, 2017 by geowrian

[Cengineer 0]

I have another question from @geowrian what if I apply for Australian LPR too for which I am eligible (via Australia high-skilled immigration program) and it will take me maximum one year to get Australian LPR. Will this be OK? Your kind suggestions needed.

[geowrian 22,337]

5 minutes ago, Cengineer said:

I have another question from @geowrian what if I apply for Australian LPR too for which I am eligible (via Australia high-skilled immigration program) and it will take me maximum one year to get Australian LPR. Will this be OK? Your kind suggestions needed.

This is a US immigration site, so outside the Australia regional forum, you're unlikely to find too much info on immigrating there or get too much attention from the Australian members.

 

Applying for LPR status in another country won't impact your US case. You likely won't be able to maintain LPR status in both at the same time, though....the US (and I'm assuming most countries) requires that your primary residence is within that country or else your LPR status may be deemed abandoned.

Edited October 2, 2017 by geowrian

[Boiler 45,525]

It is often theoretically possible to do so, not sure it is an objective for the OP.