US Immigration from Japan

My husband and I got married on 6/3/2019, and I heard that the process for IR1/CR1 can take 11 to 18 months. Trying to make sure we don t have to go through the process of removing conditions, so we were planning on starting the visa process in July 2020.

Also because he is unemployed currently and about to have surgery (on his arm) and we figured this would give time for him to get better and get a job in his home country so we won t have problems proving that he can work (because of the new public charge rule/DS5540)

So my question is, with all of the delays caused by COVID-19, would it be a good idea to go ahead and submit the I-130 sooner rather than later?

if (miraculously) his visa gets approved before our 2 year anniversary, do we just wait to schedule his flight until after the 2 year mark in order to avoid getting the 2 year conditional residency?

also, how long should he be working before the interview in order to prove he can work? We re worried that him finding employment right now will be even more difficult because of COVID-19 too.

Hello-

Filling out I-485, and I have a question. Part 8 Question 25 asks: "Have you EVER been arrested, cited, charged, or detained for any reason by any law enforcement official (including but not limited to any U.S. immigration official or any official of the U.S. armed forces or U.S. Coast Guard)?"

When my husband came to the US most recently on his ESTA, he was questioned by Customs & Border Patrol Officers for two hours since we had an approved I-130. He was allowed entry in the US. Would this count as being detained? Or, was he just questioned? I cannot find any info about what officially being "detained" at the airport means. Should I answer YES and explain in the additional information?

Please let me know what you think. Thank you.

I don't even know if I will get money from the stimulus package but, since the Visa Application asks if you (the U.S. citizen) has ever received government assistance before, and since answering yes would obviously only hurt your chances, should I worry about getting money from trump's upcoming stimulus package? Would that require me to say yes to such a question?

Hi everyone,

Looking to get some feedback and advice. My husband has been visiting me in the US for the past two months on an ESTA. His flight is scheduled to leave on April 5th, but we are considering doing AOS due to the uncertainty and chaos the coronavirus has caused. Our I-130 was approved in October. Our petition has been at NVC since November...we're currently waiting on NVC case completion. He truly did not have the intention to stay and has visited me several times during our CR-1 visa process and always left on time. We've already paid about $1000 in fees, so we definitely did not want to pay more by doing AOS when we're almost at the finish line of the CR-1. With that said, here are the reasons why we're considering AOS anyway:

1) He had lung surgery 1.5 years ago. Anyone with compromised lungs is at a greater risk of serious complications (or worse) if catching the virus. We do not want him to take the risk of exposure by flying home.

2) My city has issued a mandatory stay-at-home order.

3) If I were to get sick, he would be the only one to take care of me (my parents are 65+ years old, so also vulnerable).

With the US embassies being closed, there is no guarantee that he will have his interview scheduled anytime soon after case completion at NVC. I'm curious if anyone has successfully been able to do AOS from an ESTA with a pending CR-1 visa? I have been doing my own research and see that it is legal to do it, but I'd like to hear your advice. It's kind of unknown territory, which makes me nervous. I don't want to jeopardize our future by doing it, but at this point, I feel like it's the best option for our health and safety.

Thank you,

B & K

Hi,

We are renewing my wife's 10-year permanent resident card and have some questions on Part 1 #14 and Part 3 of the I-90 Form. Looking around online there seems to be quite a bit of confusion about these questions. Some details:

We applied for her immigrant visa at the US Embassy in Tokyo and also recevied it there (sticker in her passport). My wife entered the U.S. in 2008 with a CR1 status, received a two-year conditional permanent resident card, and her port-of-entry was Seattle-Tacoma Airport. The conditions were removed in 2010, she received her 10-year permanent resident card and her status now is IR1 on her card.

In part 1, #14, Class of Admission: Is this CR1 (when she was admitted) or IR1 (current status shown on permanent resident card Card).

In Part 3:

#1 Location where you applied for immigrant visa: US Embassy,Tokyo, Japan??? Or is this related to some service center involved after she entered the U.S.?

#2 Location where your immigrant visa was issued immigrant visa: US Embassy, Tokyo, Japan??? Or is this related to some service center involved after she entered the U.S.?

#3.a.1. Port of Entry : Is this Seattle-Tacoma Airport? Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Seattle, WA? Seattle, Washingon? Seattle, WA, Airport? The instructions are not quite clear to us and the box is too small for everything.

Our biggest concern in 1 #14.

Thank you,

John