If I would have known it was this bad I would have waited for IR-1

[Stein 276]

We were so close to getting meeting the two year date for IR-1 I should have risked it and cancelled our Consulate interview.  We had been waiting for the consulate to open in Vietnam while we were living there due to COVID so the I-130 took about 15 months total due to waiting for the interview.  They closed the consulate for several months.  While at least through that part of the immigration journey I was with my wife and understand that most of you were seperated from your spouses during COVID I was just getting tired of not being able to come back to the US.  So, we took the November 1 2021 interview that was finally scheduled after witing since June or so.  Had I left the country I wouldn't have been able to get back into Vietnam due to the border closing to all but VN citizens.  We got my wife and daughter's medicals done before that interview on October 19, so when we had the interview the CR-1 visa was only good until April 19 2022.  Our two year anniversary was April 28, 2022.  Had I known how long it takes for ROC after the two year green card I definitely would have risked cancelling the interview even if the reschedule would have been even two or three months later.  We had already planned on moving to the US, getting citizenship and then moving back to Vietnam.  Now I see that naturalizaitons are being held up because they can't seem to get I-751's processed in a timely manner.  I do wish I would have held out for the IR-1.  Or, I had heard from others that we should have gone to the interview without the medical done, taken the interview, got an RFE for the medical and waited a bit and then turned in the medical which would have gotten us to be able to use the November 1 date for the start of the six month visa which would have just barely got us past the two year date. But, I was concerned they might just turn us away for not having the medical and not let us interview.

 

Sorry, just a rant as I'm preparing my i-751 package.

[Mike E 11,739]

Wow so close: 19 vs 28
 

It’s best to not start with NVC until at least 18 months of marriage. 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Mike E

[Stein 276]

2 hours ago, Mike E said:

 

It’s best to not start with NVC until at least 18 months of marriage. 

 

LOL, I filed as soon as I got home from a trip there less than three months after the marriage.

 

It's not even the extra money for the ROC filing.  It's the risk that my retirement plans may be pushed out.  I had it all laid out.  Her and her daughter would be eliglble for citizenship at the end of her daughter's last semester of her senior year so finish citizenship for both, her daughter graduates and then she can go to college and we retire and move back to Vietnam.  Now I see that could realistically be stretched another year or even more.  I hope not.  But I suppose that if it goes an extra year it won't be the end of the world.  We can get her daughter settled in college for the first year and then go. 

[Mike E 11,739]

8 hours ago, Stein said:

filed as soon as I got home from a trip there less than three months after the marriage.

Did you file I-130 or with NVC?

[Stein 276]

17 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Did you file I-130 or with NVC?

i-130

[Mike E 11,739]

14 minutes ago, Stein said:

i-130

Yes. Yes. My pout is that if you get to DQ at month 19 of the marriage you can get a 10 year gc. 

[top_secret 2,417]

On 1/10/2023 at 8:51 AM, Stein said:

  Now I see that naturalizaitons are being held up because they can't seem to get I-751's processed in a timely manner.

 

I feel sympathy on the I-751.  We have that joy to look forward to in 6 months.  It seems like it may be the most amount of hassle for what should be the least important step.  It is what it is though.  We'll survive.  The delay processing the I-751 shouldn't hold up naturalization though. You just file the N-400 whenever the time comes and hopefully get a combo interview.  In that respect your wife can naturalize sooner overall.  (started the 3 years sooner)

[OldUser 6,633]

13 minutes ago, top_secret said:

The delay processing the I-751 shouldn't hold up naturalization though.

It absolutely can hold up naturalization. N-400 can only be approved after I-751, unless you're in the military. Just read "Decision cannot be made" threads in Citizenship forum.

 

For example, user in this thread waited for 5 months after N-400 interview to get it approved, because of pending I-751.

 

 

By the looks of it, N-400 was just stalled until I-751 got approved. I-751 took however long it needed to take.

 

Overall, of course it may be faster than waiting for I-751 approval and applying N-400 after it. Though, it's nice to have that 10 year GC in case if N-400 is stuck for whatever reason.

Edited January 11, 2023 by OldUser

[top_secret 2,417]

15 minutes ago, OldUser said:

It absolutely can hold up naturalization. N-400 can only be approved after I-751, unless you're in the military. Just read "Decision cannot be made" threads in Citizenship forum.

 

For example, user in this thread waited for 5 months after N-400 interview to get it approved, because of pending I-751.

I'm trying to be optimistic. 😃  While certainly everyone doesn't get a combo interview, there are many who do.  As with all things immigration, there's little rhyme or reason as to who get lucky and who doesn't.

[Stein 276]

23 hours ago, OldUser said:

 

By the looks of it, N-400 was just stalled until I-751 got approved. I-751 took however long it needed to take.

 

Overall, of course it may be faster than waiting for I-751 approval and applying N-400 after it. Though, it's nice to have that 10 year GC in case if N-400 is stuck for whatever reason.

I'm going to help her file the N-400 as soon as possible as it appears by my reading this forum section and the N-400 forum that it more often than not gets it moving again.

 

As it sits now, based on normal processing for LIN which I assume I'll get since we live IN Lincoln and Nebraska typically goes to LIN  it is 19 months.  That would put it done August of 2024.  My wife's daughter will turn 18 in September so not much wiggle room to naturalize as a minor under Mom's N-400 when we file it.  Otherwise she will have to wait two additional years to the five year point and naturalize on her own plus another N-400 fee.  I'm just hoping that whomever is working on our case happens to notice that we live in the same town and just MAYBE move along someone who may live next door to them.  Hey, it's always possible!  We might be one of those "ROC in 30 days" cases.  LOL

 

The extra two years isn't a big deal as she will be staying in the US for college and then work.  We will be moving back to Vietnam after getting my wife citizenship so I'll have to help remotely with the N-400 paperwork plus the extra $680 and she will have to do her own civics interview.