Visa received; overview of our timeline (DCF in Sydney, Australia)

[Jess&Haruha 4]

Hello Everyone,

 

It has been extremely helpful perusing the threads here over the past few months. My wife and I filed for her CR1 visa in Sydney Australia where we currently live (as an 'exceptional circumstance'; I am American and she is Japanese). I have a job beginning very soon in the USA, and she is 6-months pregnant with our first child. Here was our timeline. I hope this can offer hope to those currently in the process:

 

JUL-7: Wedding!

AUG-29: Emailed US consulate in Sydney requesting to file I-130 as a DCF 'exceptional circumstance' (job on short notice)
AUG-30: Reply that my petition was forwarded to the USCIS office in Bangkok for approval
SEP-6: Petition approved to file I-130 directly with consulate (told to bring it to interview on SEPT-17)
SEP-17: I-130 submitted; petitioner interview passed
SEP-17 (4 hours after submitting I-130): Packet received in email; immigrant interview scheduled for NOV-26
OCT-2: Enquired to reschedule interview to an earlier date
OCT-3: Interview rescheduled for OCT-15
OCT-15: Immigrant interview passed (very easy, only ~3 minutes of questions. But we did not have police check, so we mailed that later)
OCT-18: Police check received and mailed to consulate
OCT-21: Consulate received police check
OCT-22: Visa issued (police check looked fine)
OCT-23: Visa in-hand

NOV-7: Leaving Australia! Back to the USA!!!

 

Overall, it took us 36 days to go from submitting I-130 => visa in-hand, and this was with one delay (not having police check on time). The Sydney consulate was extremely friendly, helpful, and fast. 

 

I was allowed to attend my wife's interview, so I did. We were asked only 4 questions:

1. Together: Have you met each other's families?
2. Only petitioner: Who are you going to work for in the USA?
3. Only petitioner: What kind of work will you do?
4. Only petitioner: Where do you intend for you both to live?

 

We gave honest, short, answers to each question and the officer said "OK" and that was it. I was not expecting it to be so easy and casual- but a nice surprise. They kept our joint sponsor I-864 (despite us having ~$190k assets, but most in foreign bank accounts). Also, despite our delay with the police check, we had no issues with any other documents we submitted. 

 

The visa process was extremely stressful on top of having a wedding, moving overseas soon, starting a job soon, having a baby soon, and submitting my doctoral thesis. The amount of important things we've had to juggle has been overwhelming on most days- but we're extremely relieved the visa ended with a success. Thank you all for helping us via posting on this forum. I hope my information here provides some form of help to someone else. 

 

Cheers,

Jess and Haruha

 

Edited November 3, 2019 by Jess&Haruha

[elizabethm91 0]

Hi Jess and Haruha,

 

Thanks so much for uploading this! It is so helpful. I have been approved to sponsor my NZ husband and we live in Sydney so is so great to get the timelines as my job in the US starts mid-March and I was freaking out about the timelines.

 

Can I ask with the immigrant interview - was that when your wife presented the D-260 form and I-864? Any other forms?

 

Also, had you been filing US tax returns? I have never lived in the US since I was 8 years old and was unaware of the tax return necessity so I will shortly be doing that before my I-130 interview.

 

Thank you! And congratulations!!

[Jess&Haruha 4]

@elizabethm91 I'm glad this is helpful to you- and congratulations with your new job and your plans to move back to the US. 

 

The DS-260 form is filled out online, but you'll need to print a confirmation page that you've completed it and bring that to the interview. Also, bring your completed I-864 and I-864A forms to the interview. The Sydney consulate was very interested in seeing a joint sponsor's I-864 and I-864A also, which I provided. Can someone living in the US be a joint sponsor for you and your husband?

 

for the petitioner interview, I just brought the I-130, I-130A, and job offer letter. I was asked a couple small questions about the new job I accepted. 

 

We brought these documents to the immigrant interview:

- Official job offer letter (should describe the start date, salary amount, and be signed by your supervisor or HR)

- I-864 (petitioner)

- I-864A (immigrant spouse)

- Tax returns and proof of assets for petitioner (there was no proof of income because I hadn't started my new job in the US yet)

- I-864 (joint sponsor)

- I-864A (joint sponsor spouse)

- Tax returns, proof of assets, and proof of income for joint sponsor

- DS-260 confirmation page

- Marriage certificate (original and copies)

- Birth certificate for petitioner (original and copies)

- Birth certificate for immigrant (original and copies)

- Passport for petitioner (and a copy of the biographical page)

- Passport for immigrant (and a copy of the biographical page)

- Police checks (we had them for Japan and Australia, and Australia took a very long time to receive so start asap)

- Medical check (but this was submitted electronically, so we had/needed no printed confirmation)

- Photos of our engagement, wedding, family travels, etc. (but these were never looked at)

- Visas for living in Australia (but were never looked at)

- All documents submitted previously (I-130, I-130A; but were never looked at)

 

I submitted tax returns during my time living abroad and submitted these at the second interview. Since you haven't been filing taxes, and also since you haven't lived in the US since you were 8, you may have a harder time proving intent to establish domicile (although maybe your job offer will be sufficient). I had no problem with proving intent to domicile because I had 1) only a temporary visa to be in Australia, 2) filed taxes showing my parents address in US as my permanent address, and 3) an accepted job offer in the US. Many other people have been in your shoes regarding not filing taxes, so maybe see what they've been doing. 

 

Let me know if you have any questions- feel free to message me anytime. 

 

Cheers

Jess