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MichaelC0728

Can you interview from a country other than your home country?

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Country: Cambodia
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Long story short.
I am US Citizen
I am living in Phnom Penh Cambodia and will be marrying a Cambodian woman later this year
She has 2 children 9 and 12

Once we get married, we would like to move to south America (Ecuador was first choice but with recent violence thinking Colombia)
We will get a retirement visa there (I am 50 and get disability income from my time in the US Marine Corps.)

Our plan is to get there, get situated, and then file for her CR-1 Visa to the US, and to remain there....together....until the visa is approved.

The question that I have is this.

If she is living in Colombia with me for a year or 18 months prior to the interview.

Will they allow that interview to occur where we are living (Colombia) and not where her home country is (Cambodia)?

 

 

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Sweden
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13 minutes ago, MichaelC0728 said:

Our plan is to get there, get situated, and then file for her CR-1 Visa to the US, and to remain there....together....until the visa is approved.

The question that I have is this.

If she is living in Colombia with me for a year or 18 months prior to the interview.

Will they allow that interview to occur where we are living (Colombia) and not where her home country is (Cambodia)?

 

Interviewing in a country she has a long-term visa for is not a problem, but as the petitioner you will be required to show that you have either established domicile in the US by the time of the interview, or show that you will re-establish it. Otherwise you will need an affidavit of support from someone in the US.

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Country: Cambodia
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9 minutes ago, NorthByNorthwest said:

 

Interviewing in a country she has a long-term visa for is not a problem, but as the petitioner you will be required to show that you have either established domicile in the US by the time of the interview, or show that you will re-establish it. Otherwise you will need an affidavit of support from someone in the US.

I have maintained my bank in the US. 
I still consult for my old employer in the US and file taxes.
I am planning to vote in the US elections.
I have 3 children (2 adult) and a grandbaby

From what I have read, other than maybe needing to lease an apartment or stay with my son when I initially move back, I should be OK on that front.

This is 2 years away, but do you see any other things that I should do or think about to prove that I plan to return once my wife can as well?

 

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Sweden
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1 hour ago, MichaelC0728 said:

I have maintained my bank in the US. 
I still consult for my old employer in the US and file taxes.
I am planning to vote in the US elections.
I have 3 children (2 adult) and a grandbaby

From what I have read, other than maybe needing to lease an apartment or stay with my son when I initially move back, I should be OK on that front.

This is 2 years away, but do you see any other things that I should do or think about to prove that I plan to return once my wife can as well?

 

I don't have any personal experience with the domicile part, but I'm sure there are others on the forums that do.

 

At the end of the day, the domicile requirement is only there to qualify you as an I-864 sponsor. As long as you meet the income requirements and can show you'll have your primary residence in the US by the time the beneficiary enters the country your background looks pretty solid.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/i-864-affidavit-faqs.html#aos18

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Russia
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1 hour ago, MichaelC0728 said:

I have maintained my bank in the US. 
I still consult for my old employer in the US and file taxes.
I am planning to vote in the US elections.
I have 3 children (2 adult) and a grandbaby

Some embassies are stricter than others on domicile, it also depends on how long you've been out of the US. The nomadic lifestyle of first Cambodia, then Colombia might cause them to be a little stricter if you have that kind of job where you can easily work from any country. 

If you have some kind of work permit abroad, proof that you have abandoned this or are planning to is also good. If you can't get proof, then at least a letter explaining your plan to leave and relocate back to the US helps.

 

Voter record, taxes, proof of mailing address and driver's license/ID maintained in the US, US bank accounts, letter of explanation plus lease or agreement of where you intend to live are all good to include.

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019)🌹

Spoiler

Info about my DCF Moscow* experience here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨 See guide here
21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office*
29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay! 🎊 

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

 

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

 

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

 28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview 

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail! ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved! 🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me 📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail 📬

 

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

 

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021) 🛂

Spoiler

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻 

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail  ✉️ 

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡 

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

 

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

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Filed: Other Country: China
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2 hours ago, NorthByNorthwest said:

 

Interviewing in a country she has a long-term visa for is not a problem, but as the petitioner you will be required to show that you have either established domicile in the US by the time of the interview, or show that you will re-establish it. Otherwise you will need an affidavit of support from someone in the US.

Whoa.  A joint sponsor does not overcome the need to show intent to re-establish Domicile.  Petitioner MUST satisfy the Consular Officer of their intent to live together in the USA, or there will be no visa, qualified joint sponsor or not.

 

Facts are cheap...knowing how to use them is precious...
Understanding the big picture is priceless. Anonymous

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Filed: Other Country: China
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1 hour ago, millefleur said:

Some embassies are stricter than others on domicile, it also depends on how long you've been out of the US. The nomadic lifestyle of first Cambodia, then Colombia might cause them to be a little stricter if you have that kind of job where you can easily work from any country. 

If you have some kind of work permit abroad, proof that you have abandoned this or are planning to is also good. If you can't get proof, then at least a letter explaining your plan to leave and relocate back to the US helps.

 

Voter record, taxes, proof of mailing address and driver's license/ID maintained in the US, US bank accounts, letter of explanation plus lease or agreement of where you intend to live are all good to include.

OP/Petitioner is disabled Marine.  No need for a joint sponsor, or work permit in another country.

Facts are cheap...knowing how to use them is precious...
Understanding the big picture is priceless. Anonymous

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A Warning to Green Card Holders About Voting

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Country: Cambodia
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7 hours ago, millefleur said:

Some embassies are stricter than others on domicile, it also depends on how long you've been out of the US. The nomadic lifestyle of first Cambodia, then Colombia might cause them to be a little stricter if you have that kind of job where you can easily work from any country. 

If you have some kind of work permit abroad, proof that you have abandoned this or are planning to is also good. If you can't get proof, then at least a letter explaining your plan to leave and relocate back to the US helps.

 

Voter record, taxes, proof of mailing address and driver's license/ID maintained in the US, US bank accounts, letter of explanation plus lease or agreement of where you intend to live are all good to include.

I do not think this will be too much of an issue. I came to Cambodia to be with my fiance and then would be moving to a second country only to be in the same US time zones as well as be easier to see my family while we wait for the Visa process. This is my first time out of the country since the military which I left in 1999.

Also I will not have a work visa wherever I go. I have a 70% disability rating from the VA and I do some freelance work online from the US (aprox $1,000 a month is all right now).  

I am also going back to school for CyberSecurity online, paid for by the US Veterans Administration and should be done with that around the same time that our visa is approved.

 

 

 

6 hours ago, pushbrk said:

OP/Petitioner is disabled Marine.  No need for a joint sponsor, or work permit in another country.


Correct. I am not going to have any work permits outside of the US. I will live on my VA money and some freelance work I do online for a client in the US.

I am only 70% disabled though. So I will need to show income requirements are met or have a joint sponsor won't I? There is no special program for Disabled Vets that allow them a different income threshold that I have seen anywhere online. 

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Wales
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The amount to sponsor is not that much, presumably you have checked that.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Russia
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11 hours ago, MichaelC0728 said:

I do not think this will be too much of an issue. I came to Cambodia to be with my fiance and then would be moving to a second country only to be in the same US time zones as well as be easier to see my family while we wait for the Visa process. This is my first time out of the country since the military which I left in 1999.

Also I will not have a work visa wherever I go. I have a 70% disability rating from the VA and I do some freelance work online from the US (aprox $1,000 a month is all right now).  

I am also going back to school for CyberSecurity online, paid for by the US Veterans Administration and should be done with that around the same time that our visa is approved.

I'd just to include all of that explanation in your letter. Sorry I missed the part about being retired, but still including some form of abandoning/leaving behind the retirement visa is not a bad idea as it shows you intend to leave and move back.

Edited by millefleur

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019)🌹

Spoiler

Info about my DCF Moscow* experience here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨 See guide here
21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office*
29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay! 🎊 

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

 

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

 

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

 28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview 

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail! ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved! 🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me 📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail 📬

 

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

 

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021) 🛂

Spoiler

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻 

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail  ✉️ 

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡 

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

 

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

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13 hours ago, pushbrk said:

OP/Petitioner is disabled Marine.  No need for a joint sponsor, or work permit in another country.

Disabled vets don’t need to meet the same financial parameters as everyone else to sponsor immigrants? 

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Morocco
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Can she get a residency permit in Columbia to interview there?   

you need  to research this 

 

FYI if she can get a residency permit ,  she should get the criminal reports from Cambodia before she leaves (to any country she may go to to live) and have it translated into English for Immigration purposes  later.

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Filed: Other Country: China
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1 hour ago, SalishSea said:

Disabled vets don’t need to meet the same financial parameters as everyone else to sponsor immigrants? 

I had concluded the VA benefits would be sufficient, but the percentage disabled is not the issue.  Presumably, he qualifies to sponsor.

Facts are cheap...knowing how to use them is precious...
Understanding the big picture is priceless. Anonymous

Google Who is Pushbrk?

A Warning to Green Card Holders About Voting

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/606646-a-warning-to-green-card-holders-about-voting/

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55 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

I had concluded the VA benefits would be sufficient, but the percentage disabled is not the issue.  Presumably, he qualifies to sponsor.

Not with that current income.

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Filed: Other Country: China
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1 minute ago, SalishSea said:

Not with that current income.

I'm not clear on his current income.  The 1k figure appeared to be his sideline income, not his total income.  Would be good to clarify.  Sideline "revenue" often ends up as little or no income carried forward as taxable.

Facts are cheap...knowing how to use them is precious...
Understanding the big picture is priceless. Anonymous

Google Who is Pushbrk?

A Warning to Green Card Holders About Voting

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/606646-a-warning-to-green-card-holders-about-voting/

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