F2A long distance relationship

[retheem 564]

9 hours ago, Vp1010 said:

Hi, 

I am a PR based in Austin, Texas. I recently got married to an Indian Citizen. We filed the I-130 and now we’re waiting. 
 

Until recently, I thought it would be easy to bring my husband to USA since I’ve seen many friends and family who have H1B visa bring their spouse in a very short time frame (few weeks to few months). I always thought it made sense that USCIS processes spouse based visas quickly - why would anyone keep a married couple apart!! 
 

I assumed Permanent Residents would have the same sort of timeline to bring their spouses to USA, or even quicker since PR > H1B. Boy was I wrong. I can’t believe I’m looking at a 2-3 year timeline before I can bring my husband to USA. 
 

Now, how am I supposed to navigate this situation? 
1. My husband does not have ANY USA visa to even VISIT me - and now that his I130 is being processed, there is no way he’s getting a visitor visa. 
2. I need to keep working/living in usa so as to not lose my green card.

 

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through? That seems inhumane even for USCIS’s standards. And especially as a permanent resident I don’t expect to have to deal with these timelines. Am I missing something? Someone please help me understand what’s going on because the last thing I want is to be stuck in a long distance relationship for 3 years.

welcome to the club. Have your popcorn, have a couple of shock absorbers, and enjoy

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

On 4/21/2022 at 4:31 AM, Vp1010 said:

Now, how am I supposed to navigate this situation? 
1. My husband does not have ANY USA visa to even VISIT me - and now that his I130 is being processed, there is no way he’s getting a visitor visa. 
2. I need to keep working/living in usa so as to not lose my green card.

 

You wait

You stay busy, not engage in self-pity

You visit when you can

You stay in communication with your spouse

You look ahead at the next steps.

 

Just like the rest of us have done.  It sucks, but it gets you through the agony.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[Holly&Andreas 38]

1 hour ago, Jorgedig said:

You clearly are missing having done ANY research whatsoever prior to marrying someone from overseas.

 

You sound so entitled, honestly.   Even for USCs, the wait is 2-3 years to bring over a spouse or fiancé.

Exactly this. Back when my husband (then boyfriend) and I first started to get really serious and began talking about potentially getting married, we did research on the immigration process. Back then we were considering a K1 visa for him and both of us understood that it would take a while and although it was not ideal, we were prepared for that wait. A few months later we were engaged and I began filling out the K1 forms. We didn't end up going the K1 route and now 4 years later I've just filed the I-130. But again both of us are very aware that this is not a fast process and we will likely be separated for at least another year if not longer. 

 

Educating yourself on the realities of the immigration process is really important and it's honestly surprising that OP, being a green card holder, is not more aware of how long the whole process takes.

[carmel34 3,626]

11 hours ago, Vp1010 said:

I can’t believe I’m looking at a 2-3 year timeline before I can bring my husband to USA.

This happens a lot.  You fall in love and get married, with someone who lives in another country, and then after that, you discover that the process to bring them to the US takes a very long time.  It's understandable, because you want to be together quickly.  I found the VJ community after marriage too, when I was preparing to submit the I-130 petition.  Fortunately, I had done research on other sites and had compared the visa options and USCIS processing times before we got married in Brazil, so we both knew that there would be a long period of living apart.  At one point I considered moving to Brazil, because the spousal visa to make that possible would have only taken a couple of months.  In the end we decided to tough it out no matter how long it took.  Even with daily use of technology it is difficult but not impossible to keep a long-distance relationship going strong.  For us, it built trust, and a sense of resiliency, that strengthened our connection and made us even more determined to make our good relationship great.  Most of us here on VJ have done it and the relationship survived.  I flew to Brazil every couple of months, and we had one very memorable and special trip to Europe together while going through the I-130 and NVC stages of the process.  Stay strong for each other, and visit often.  You are not alone, and you can do it too!

Edited April 21, 2022 by carmel34

[Kuchiki 170]

13 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

You clearly are missing having done ANY research whatsoever prior to marrying someone from overseas.

 

You sound so entitled, honestly.   Even for USCs, the wait is 2-3 years to bring over a spouse or fiancé.

Totally agree with you. Geez, the entitlement that some people have regarding immigration is just......... too much. One has to patiently wait, USC or not.

[nastra30 2,284]

On 4/21/2022 at 5:31 AM, Vp1010 said:

Hi, 

I am a PR based in Austin, Texas. I recently got married to an Indian Citizen. We filed the I-130 and now we’re waiting. 
 

Until recently, I thought it would be easy to bring my husband to USA since I’ve seen many friends and family who have H1B visa bring their spouse in a very short time frame (few weeks to few months). I always thought it made sense that USCIS processes spouse based visas quickly - why would anyone keep a married couple apart!! 
 

I assumed Permanent Residents would have the same sort of timeline to bring their spouses to USA, or even quicker since PR > H1B. Boy was I wrong. I can’t believe I’m looking at a 2-3 year timeline before I can bring my husband to USA. 
 

Now, how am I supposed to navigate this situation? 
1. My husband does not have ANY USA visa to even VISIT me - and now that his I130 is being processed, there is no way he’s getting a visitor visa. 
2. I need to keep working/living in usa so as to not lose my green card.

 

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through? That seems inhumane even for USCIS’s standards. And especially as a permanent resident I don’t expect to have to deal with these timelines. Am I missing something? Someone please help me understand what’s going on because the last thing I want is to be stuck in a long distance relationship for 3 years.

It's ok to be frustrated. But if you didn't know before now you know. Patience is a big part of the US immigration game. Have patience and the experience will not be so excruciating. 

[SalishSea 17,827]

On 4/21/2022 at 12:48 PM, Holly&Andreas said:

Educating yourself on the realities of the immigration process is really important and it's honestly surprising that OP, being a green card holder, is not more aware of how long the whole process takes.

Yup.  A lot of people really don't bother to learn anything about the process, which always surprises me.

[usds2020 5]

Your 2-3 years estimation is pretty optimistic; I guess no one told you with the pandemic etc. you need to add another 2-3 years on top of that?😂 *sorry to put salt on your wound*