Yes, It Can Be Done!

[Maxheadspace 48]

On 24 February 2013, my wife and I began our visa/citizenship journey by filing for a fiance visa.  After suffering the incredible bureaucracy of the visa, green card and naturalization processes, my wife was finally sworn in as a US citizen on 22 January 2019.  We twice suffered the disappointment of having to provide additional evidence of our relationship, but for the most part it was submitting the forms and waiting for the results.  One thing in our favor towards the end was that my wife was eligible for an expedited citizenship due to the fact that I was transferred to an overseas assignment for the US Government.  It sped up her citizenship process by about six months to a year.  I cannot express enough my appreciation to the VisaJourney web site and all the site's participants for getting us through and over all the hurdles of obtaining my wife's entry to the US and eventually her citizenship.  To all who are beginning this journey take heart and have patience.  The bureaucracy seems daunting, but just keep submitting those forms and applications and it will all come together in the end.  Your fellow VisaJourney members will arm you with everything you need to succeed.  Best of luck to all in their visa journey.

 

Max and GGie

[Sunny_Skies 22]

Congratulations on your wife's citizenship! I hope the two spend the rest of your lives happy together!

[Hank_ 9,174]

1 hour ago, Maxheadspace said:

On 24 February 2013, my wife and I began our visa/citizenship journey by filing for a fiance visa.  After suffering the incredible bureaucracy of the visa, green card and naturalization processes, my wife was finally sworn in as a US citizen on 22 January 2019.  We twice suffered the disappointment of having to provide additional evidence of our relationship, but for the most part it was submitting the forms and waiting for the results.  One thing in our favor towards the end was that my wife was eligible for an expedited citizenship due to the fact that I was transferred to an overseas assignment for the US Government.  It sped up her citizenship process by about six months to a year.  I cannot express enough my appreciation to the VisaJourney web site and all the site's participants for getting us through and over all the hurdles of obtaining my wife's entry to the US and eventually her citizenship.  To all who are beginning this journey take heart and have patience.  The bureaucracy seems daunting, but just keep submitting those forms and applications and it will all come together in the end.  Your fellow VisaJourney members will arm you with everything you need to succeed.  Best of luck to all in their visa journey.

 

Max and GGie

 

Congrats to your wife.

 

Don't see how your overseas assignment expedited things, it was 3 years for her from when she received her 1st green card .. that is the normal timeline for a spouse of a USC.

 

Now she can relax, unless she plans to obtain her dual citizenship.

[payxibka 10,045]

2 minutes ago, Hank_ said:

 

Congrats to your wife.

 

Don't see how your overseas assignment expedited things, it was 3 years for her from when she received her 1st green card .. that is the normal timeline for a spouse of a USC.

 

Now she can relax, unless she plans to obtain her dual citizenship.

True not an expedite per se,  but she was exempted from the time in country requirement 

[Maxheadspace 48]

18 hours ago, Hank_ said:

 

Congrats to your wife.

 

Don't see how your overseas assignment expedited things, it was 3 years for her from when she received her 1st green card .. that is the normal timeline for a spouse of a USC.

 

Now she can relax, unless she plans to obtain her dual citizenship.

Thanks!  And partially true in our case because we were close to the normal point where she could file for naturalization.  What was really expedited was the wait time after submission for naturalization.  Normal wait time when we submitted was one year, but as an expedited submission we were notified in just over five months to pick our interview date.  We attended a special interview session where everyone there was in the expedited category.  If I departed the US sooner she really would have been expedited.  But of course once she had her Green Card the pressure is off for the most part.  But we wanted the blue passport so she could travel freely to other countries with me.

[Hank_ 9,174]

14 minutes ago, Maxheadspace said:

Thanks!  And partially true in our case because we were close to the normal point where she could file for naturalization.  What was really expedited was the wait time after submission for naturalization.  Normal wait time when we submitted was one year, but as an expedited submission we were notified in just over five months to pick our interview date.  We attended a special interview session where everyone there was in the expedited category.  If I departed the US sooner she really would have been expedited.  But of course once she had her Green Card the pressure is off for the most part.  But we wanted the blue passport so she could travel freely to other countries with me.

 

Getting done in 5 months is clicking along for today's timelines.

 

When my wife completed her naturalization she was just ahead of the "slow down"; from filing to oath taking, just under 4 months.  Shortly after that others we know completing the process were running 8 - 12 months.

 

I do agree with having the blue passport for traveling, things go much smoother.   

 

My wife completed her dual citizenship during one of our visits to the Philippines, not sure if that was a good idea or not, but she did get her new Philippine passport in under 3 weeks from applying.

 

Glad all went smoothly for you.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Hank_

[Ryan H 3,810]

Moved from K1 Process & Procedures to US Citizenship Progress Reports.