Filed from abroad (Egypt) but haven't received mailed NOA

[cmw+mhs 0]

My husband and I are living in Egypt. I filed the I-130 to Chicago lockbox, and received email confirmation it was received September 1, 2017. The email has the receipt number, and I’ve been able to check the application status online with that number. (When I check with the ISCIS website, it just says my case was received.)

By December, 2017 I still hadn't received the official receipt (I 797) via post the September email indicated I would receive. Because mail to Egypt is notoriously unreliable, I emailed USCIS about resending I 797 to my parents address in the US. USCIS replied in January 2018 that the I-797 confirmation form would be re-mailed to me at my parents' US address. As of early March 2018, that receipt still has not been received, neither to our address in Egypt nor to my parents' address in the US.

Did anyone else filing from abroad have this problem receiving mail? What did you do?

I see the option on the USCIS site to update an address for those who have moved. I'm not sure if I should do this or not. If I update my address to a US address, yes, maybe mail could be received more reliably. But, since neither I nor my husband actually live in the US, nor have we moved, I don’t want to create a problem by updating my address to one where I don’t actually live. 
 

[JFH 12,191]

You don't need the paper NOA1 and NOA2 but they are nice to keep. 

 

We never received the NOA1. My case status updated to say it had been returned as "undeliverable" and it was only going to Washington state from Nebraska! We asked for it be re-sent abd they claim to have re-sent it but it still didn't arrive. To this day we have never received it - over 2 years later. It didn't affect the rest of our process, as you will see from our timeline. 

[kris&me 572]

if you included a good email ID all the instructions after NOA2 can be delivered by email

usually the NOA's come by regular mail

Just wondering "how are you fullfilling the requirements to be dominciled in the USA and are you filing IRS tax returns (even if you do not owe)

you need to be making 125% of the poverty guuidelines to sponsor your spouse

[cmw+mhs 0]

Thank you for your responses. I feel better about not having received notices by mail, since I did receive the email notification.

 

As for the establishing domicile requirements, to be honest we haven't gotten that far yet. I've been doing my best to file taxes each year I've lived abroad, but the financial stipulations are the other part of the process that is a big question mark for me. I have been assuming we will most likely need a cosponsor. But if you have any insight regarding this process, I am all ears! Thank you.

[JFH 12,191]

If you need a co-sponsor it's not a problem. Any USC or LPR over 18 living in the USA can be a co-sponsor, assuming they have the required income or assets. Doesn't have to be related to you. Doesn't have to live in the same state. It's not as difficult as people think. We used a co-sponsor. Most family members are willing to help once they realise how important it is. We used our niece's husband and he was happy to do it because he wanted us to be together so we could be happy.