Jump to content
Dreamfyre

Just got married.....confused on what to do next

 Share

12 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

I (US citizen) just married my husband (UK citizen) on November 4th.  He is here on an ESTA.  His I94 runs out on 12/1.  I know we need to file the 1-130 immediately.  We had a consultation with a lawyer and it seems like he said we could file the other forms at a layer date.  Is this correct?  

 

Thanks,

J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline

What is your goal?  If his intent is to remain in the US and adjust status, the I-130, alone, does nothing.  Unless he files a proper I-485 package, he will be removeable after the expiration of his authorized stay. 

Be aware of the limitation when adjusting status.  He will not be able to work or leave the US for up to 8 months.

Edited by Crazy Cat

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Dreamfyre said:

I (US citizen) just married my husband (UK citizen) on November 4th.  He is here on an ESTA.  His I94 runs out on 12/1.  I know we need to file the 1-130 immediately.  We had a consultation with a lawyer and it seems like he said we could file the other forms at a layer date.  Is this correct?  

 

Thanks,

J

I’d steer clear of that lawyer.  A properly filed I-130 doesn’t offer any period of authorized stay.

 

Like the Cat said, it will be a very long process, and you’ll want to carefully consider that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline

An I-130, alone, confers no immigration rights or right to remain in the US. 

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Crazy Cat said:

An I-130, alone, confers no immigration rights or right to remain in the US. 

Nor does marriage to a USC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline
Just now, SalishSea said:

Nor does marriage to a USC.

Good point.

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Dreamfyre said:

He is here on an ESTA.  His I94 runs out on 12/1.  I know we need to file the 1-130 immediately.

 

Does your husband intend to remain in the US and not return to the UK until he gets a green card?  Or is he planning to return to the UK first to settle his personal stuff there before moving to the US permanently?

 

If you both intend for him to remain in the US until getting a GC, there's no significant benefit to filing the I-130 separately from the rest of the Adjustment of Status forms.  Just file the I-130 and I-485 concurrently by mail, along with the required supporting documents, as well as the (optional but recommended) I-765 and I-131 forms.  As mentioned above, filing the I-130 by itself would not allow your husband to legally stay in the US.

 

If your husband wants to return to the UK soon, then there's no need to file the I-130 immediately.  Better to submit the I-130 the day after he leaves the US, to reduce the risk that USCIS will get confused about whether your husband is applying for a GC or a spouse visa.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay.....so file the ENTIRE packet all at once?  Do I file all supporting documents now?  We just got married so we haven't had time for him to get a driver's license or be put on my bank account or life insurance.  We're having an issue right now (we live in a very small town and I don't think people around here know what to do in this situation) trying to establish his legal presence to get him an ID card to he able to do those things.  I guess that's what I'm confused on.  Do I need to file all of that evidence now?  Like I said...we JUST got married and haven't had time to get all this done.  

 

Ultimate goal is for him to remain in  the US and get a gc.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline
1 hour ago, Dreamfyre said:

Okay.....so file the ENTIRE packet all at once?  Do I file all supporting documents now?  We just got married so we haven't had time for him to get a driver's license or be put on my bank account or life insurance.  We're having an issue right now (we live in a very small town and I don't think people around here know what to do in this situation) trying to establish his legal presence to get him an ID card to he able to do those things.  I guess that's what I'm confused on.  Do I need to file all of that evidence now?  Like I said...we JUST got married and haven't had time to get all this done.  

 

Ultimate goal is for him to remain in  the US and get a gc.  

 

Start here: This will lead you through the process.  Get those packages submitted asap.

 

 

Edited by Crazy Cat

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, Dreamfyre said:

We just got married so we haven't had time for him to get a driver's license or be put on my bank account or life insurance.  We're having an issue right now (we live in a very small town and I don't think people around here know what to do in this situation) trying to establish his legal presence to get him an ID card to he able to do those things. 

Depending on which state you are in, he likely won't be able to get a driver's license or state ID until he has his EAD or green card. His "legal presence" is not established at the state level, but at the federal level. This is a huge downside of adjustment of status; he will be in limbo for many months just waiting. 

 

Focus on what you do have. His current form of ID is his passport; see if that's accepted to add him to your account, insurance, etc. Maybe include some wedding pictures. Really anything you can think of that shows that you are married and starting to comingle your finances. And then, while you are waiting, keep collecting more evidence that you can bring to your interview. They understand that newlyweds may not have a lot of shared finances yet, so you'll have a chance to add more at the interview. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Dreamfyre said:

Okay.....so file the ENTIRE packet all at once?  Do I file all supporting documents now?  We just got married so we haven't had time for him to get a driver's license or be put on my bank account or life insurance.  We're having an issue right now (we live in a very small town and I don't think people around here know what to do in this situation) trying to establish his legal presence to get him an ID card to he able to do those things.  I guess that's what I'm confused on.  Do I need to file all of that evidence now?  Like I said...we JUST got married and haven't had time to get all this done.  

 

Ultimate goal is for him to remain in  the US and get a gc.  

Just file now, your interview if they do one will probably be like 18 months away, plenty of time to get him added to the bank account, lease, get him a driver's license, get him working, put him on your taxes for this year, and jointly file for the next. Employment Authorization Card will probably take like 6 months and after that he'll have no trouble getting a social security number, US driver's license, working, and all the other stuff.

 

For the initial filing you don't need more than (all of the below being copies):

1. Proof of your citizenship (US passport, birth certificate, US passport card, consular report of birth abroad)

2. Proof of your marriage (marriage certificate)

3. Proof of his identity (UK passport ID page)

4. Proof of his legal entry into US (entry stamp and/or I-94)

5. His birth certificate

6. Divorce decrees or death certificates if either of you was previously married.

 

You can add other evidence if you want to front-load the application, but just to get the ball rolling you only need the above and then you can just bring any other evidence (joint bank account, joint taxes, joint insurance policies (health, vehicle, life, etc), birth certificates of any children, pictures together, and so on and so forth) to the interview. If you don't have the other evidence then you don't have them, file with what you have now

Edited by Demise

Contradictions without citations only make you look dumb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
Didn't find the answer you were looking for? Ask our VJ Immigration Lawyers.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
- Back to Top -

Important Disclaimer: Please read carefully the Visajourney.com Terms of Service. If you do not agree to the Terms of Service you should not access or view any page (including this page) on VisaJourney.com. Answers and comments provided on Visajourney.com Forums are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Visajourney.com does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. VisaJourney.com does not condone immigration fraud in any way, shape or manner. VisaJourney.com recommends that if any member or user knows directly of someone involved in fraudulent or illegal activity, that they report such activity directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can contact ICE via email at Immigration.Reply@dhs.gov or you can telephone ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All reported threads/posts containing reference to immigration fraud or illegal activities will be removed from this board. If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by contacting us here with a url link to that content. Thank you.
“;}
×
×
  • Create New...