Hi Everyone,
I haven't been able to uncover any threads that covers our exact situation so I am hoping for some guidance for others through this new thread.
I am a native-born American who has lived outside the U.S. for the last 23 years in several countries because of my job. I met my wife, who is Colombian, in Colombia 11 years ago and we have been married for 4 years. We also have a 1 year old son who already has an American passport. My wife does have an American tourist visa (B-2), which she has used a few times (and never overstayed) and she has around 6 years left on it. We have lived and worked in several countries around the world (and my wife has worked in 2 of those countries). However, we will be returning to the USA to live in 2-3 months and thus, I would like to start the process of getting her Permanent Residency and perhaps citizenship in the USA. I've been reading online that the first step should be to file the paperwork for the IR1 Spousal Visa. My first question is will her B-2 tourist visa be automatically rescinded when we start filing the paperwork for the IR1 visa (due to flagging her for intending to immigrate)? Again, she has never overstayed on her B-2 visa and doesn't intend to- she'll simple leave the country every few months.
My second question- my sister-in-law (who is now a U.S. citizen but immigrated from Venezuela 15 years ago) mentioned that nowadays there might be a streamlined way to permanent residency for those who can already enter the U.S. legally, made possible by some recent immigration reform for Venezuelan/Colombian citizens? Does anyone know anything about this? That's my main line of inquiry I'd like to explore; the most efficient and less time-consuming pathway for my wife to start pursuing a green card, given her situation.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to any feedback from those in the know.