I need to bring my spouse to the US

[keng 0]

Hi there -

 

Another "I need to bring my spouse to the US" thread. I've read several threads online and in here but want to make sure I'm aware of all the options available to us.

 

I have a green card thru my parents. My wife is a New Zealand citizen. I'm aware I need to file form I-130. Processing time is realistically around 5 years.

 

Is this the fastest route for us? Goal is to minimize the amount of time away from each other.

 

If we have a baby after submitting the form, can we add the baby to her application?

 

I'm a software engineer with over a decade of experience. My plan is to find a fully remote job while waiting. Spend 8 months in the US & 4 months in NZ (wife can visit me in the US too). The time zone & taxes will be a pain. It also reduces the potential companies I can work for, but I think it's the best option given our situation. I need to split my time because my parents are getting old with several medical issues.

 

In other countries when people immigrate, they can bring their spouse & children with them immediately if they work in a certain field or earn a certain amount. Is there something similar in the US?

Thank you all!
 

[OldUser 6,670]

9 minutes ago, keng said:

Is this the fastest route for us? Goal is to minimize the amount of time away from each other.

How soon can you naturalize? Are you eligible now?

US citizen spouses have visas immediately available to them. So you'd be looking 1.5 -2 years instead of 5 years of wait for her to come.

Edited Friday at 08:29 PM by OldUser

[OldUser 6,670]

9 minutes ago, keng said:

In other countries when people immigrate, they can bring their spouse & children with them immediately if they work in a certain field or earn a certain amount. Is there something similar in the US?

If you had a non-immigrant US work visa, you'd be able to bring her on temporary basis as a dependant, but obviously this doesn't apply to you as you're LPR.

Edited Friday at 08:28 PM by OldUser

[Boiler 45,519]

Why did she not get a GC when you did?

[keng 0]

2 hours ago, OldUser said:

How soon can you naturalize? Are you eligible now?

US citizen spouses have visas immediately available to them. So you'd be looking 1.5 -2 years instead of 5 years of wait for her to come.

Not soon. I am very new here. When I first started to read about this stuff, I actually thought it'll only take 1-2 years only to realize that's for US citizens not for permanent residents.

 

2 hours ago, OldUser said:

If you had a non-immigrant US work visa, you'd be able to bring her on temporary basis as a dependant, but obviously this doesn't apply to you as you're LPR.

Thanks - I read about those and it's one of the reasons I posted here because I thought there must be something I've missed. It's interesting that you can immediately bring family on a work visa but have to wait longer as a permanent resident.

[keng 0]

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

Why did she not get a GC when you did?

What do you mean? I don't think there's a pathway for her to come here before I got my green card and petition for her myself.

[OldUser 6,670]

5 minutes ago, keng said:

Thanks - I read about those and it's one of the reasons I posted here because I thought there must be something I've missed. It's interesting that you can immediately bring family on a work visa but have to wait longer as a permanent resident.

Things are typically a bit faster for non-immigrants (outside of H1B visas) since they're not coming forever.

[Boiler 45,519]

22 minutes ago, keng said:

What do you mean? I don't think there's a pathway for her to come here before I got my green card and petition for her myself.

Usually spouses are beneficiaries and get a GC when the spouse does.

[keng 0]

15 hours ago, Boiler said:

Usually spouses are beneficiaries and get a GC when the spouse does.

Not in my situation unfortunately. I came here via the F2B category.

[Boiler 45,519]

Ahh

 

You immigrated to the US.

 

Then went back downunder, married and now want to bring her.

 

All I can suggest is Naturalise asap, spending time out could delay that.

[appleblossom 2,522]

1 hour ago, keng said:

Not in my situation unfortunately. I came here via the F2B category.

 

Then the long wait is your only option. If you want to try and find a remote job, make sure you tell your potential employer where you want to work for a third of the year to be sure they're ok with that - a lot of companies have time zone or location restrictions even for 'remote' jobs. 

 

Good luck.