US Immigration from United Arab Emirates

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and have been doing my research on the US Immigration process, hoping to understand whether the K1 or the CR-1 (I-130) is a better option for us. All of this is separate to the COVID-19 situation and the recent Immigration Ban.

Some background:

1. Boyfriend: US citizen by birth; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
2. Myself (Female): naturalized Canadian Citizen (2011) (original citizenship: Pakistani - no longer valid). Born, lives and works in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

• We have been dating for about a year now (we met in LA while I was on vacation) and we are planning on getting married ASAP to live in LA.
• We see each other once a month either in the US or in other parts of the world (minus during the COVID-19 period). We were last together in Feb 2020 in LA.
• We aren't picky on where in the world we get married, as long as we are able to live together in LA as soon as possible, with the possibility of me working in the US sooner rather than later.
• I have a steady job in Dubai, and would not like to quit and move just to 'wait around' for the right to work, hence, the need to be able to work is crucial.
• If we were to categorize, priorities are as follows:
  • 1) working in the US sooner rather than later
  • 2) being together full-time
  • 3) funds.
  • i.e. OK to proceed with a process that allows me to work sooner than later, but which could take longer to enable me living there full-time (as long as we can continue our once a month visits globally - separate to COVID) vs. something that allows me to move quicker, but idle in terms of work.

I have seen the below advice floating around on other topics within this forum.

1. Is a lawyer recommended for either of these processes, or are these manageable on our own?
2. It seems that the CR-1 option is better for us, however, once I apply, am I allowed in the US as a visitor just to meet him? Or do I need to wait until approval of this process?
3. How long does the CR-1 usually take? Does my living/citizenship arrangement make it more complicated?
4. If we decide on the K-1 route, how soon can I receive the EAD to work?
5. (I know the below has timing guidelines, but we all know these aren't always the reality!)

Quote

"I think a review of K-1 vs CR-1 is in order here:

Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation.

K-1
Slightly faster arrival in the US
More expensive than CR-1
Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)
Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 5-6 months)
Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 5-6 months)
Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period
Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed.

CR-1
Slightly slower arrival in the US

Less expensive than K-1
No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required.
Spouse can immediately travel outside the US
Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival.
Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US
Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.

Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US."

Thank you so much! I know this post is lengthy/detailed, but makes it easier to have the facts laid out to navigate the process!

What is the procedure to move / Transfer case from UAE to Pakistan and how long it will take or it cause delay in my case.

My Petition I-130 approved and sent to NVC also received E-mail from NVC to upload the documents, still i did not send any documents or reply to NVC .

Now due to Covid-19 i am planning to move my home Country Pakistan from UAE. Kindly guide and advise with proper information.

Hello and trust everyone is staying home and maintaining physical social distancing to help combat the current pandemic faced by the world.

I would like to know if anyone has started the K-1 visa process from UAE this year (2020) and willing to share any experience along the way, currently my stats is that we lodged the application and mailed to Dallas facility on March 26,2020 and got the first notification via email which I believe is called NOA1 on April 7, 2020. It was from USCIS California office acknowledging the receipt of our application.

Can anyone share what would be the timeline or time frame for the next step ? While doing some research it varies from 4 months to almost 20 months in some cases within UAE itself. I d be glad if anyone started very recently like in 2019/2020 willing to share their experiences and timeframe for the process.

Major concern- I also read that the immigration to US is halted due to virus, will it affect the existing application or does it mean no new cases will be handled after April20,2020 after declaring the news?.

Any thoughts and info regarding this matter will also be helpful.

Thanks in advance and stay safe !

Hi ,

did anyone have same timeline as below get any updates?

Green Card Exp: 02/2019 -- Extension Expire: 08/2020

N-400

Received on: 11/2019

SERVICE CENTER NBC

Biometric - 12/2019

last update : As of December 4, 2019, we are actively reviewing your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization,

***

I-751

Received on: 11/2018

USCIS California Service Center

Biometric - 05/2019

last update: On January 27, 2020, we transferred your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, to another USCIS office. That office now has jurisdiction over your case. We sent you a notice that explains why we moved your case.

P.S.

The Petition transferred notice to SERVICE CENTER NBC Never received, I did followed by online request, Email and phone calls but NO updates.

Has anyone ever received a job offer while waiting for NVC processing step? Would things be expedited at NVC or should we ask the employer to sponsor my husband until NVC processes for a DQ and an interviews date is given for the green card?

And also, how do you contact NVC to update the status?