Crazy Cat

***Moved to the Off Topic forum as this question is not related to US immigration or US Tourist Visas.

Tax strategy- Another consideration in the world of immigration! In my case, there is no tax treaty with wife's home country....no foreign income exclusion. Filing jointly would have resulted in reporting wife's full year income for US taxes. Of course, we now file jointly and we report all of wife's income. I agree that consultation with a tax pro is a good idea due to all the variables associated with foreign income.. Besides, the FBAR, itself, is reason enough in my book. Thankfully, my tax accountant is well-versed in all that stuff. She files our taxes and FBAR(to the Treasury Department) every year.

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When people show you who they are, believe them. These people are not working for their constituents. They are working against our way of life in hopes The Trump administration will appear chaotic. There is no limit to how low they will go. Their hate for one man drives their every act.

I suggest you seek the help of a qualified tax pro who can run the numbers for both MFS and MFJ (assuming you were married at the end of 2025). In my personal case (wife was CR-1, not a K-1), I filed Married Filing Separately the first 3 years we were married. Otherwise, filing jointly would have required including her significant world-wide income for the entire year. Since my wife was a Green card holder the minute she arrived in the US, she even filed Married Filing Separately the first year, reporting only the income she received after becoming a legal resident. I always suggest consulting a tax pro the first year since there are many variables which can determine the best tax strategy. Good luck. Don't forget the FBAR, etc., if required for your situation.

When did you marry? When did she enter the US?

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I would upload new evidence in order to make the officer's job easier and the decision faster. In addition to the evidence you listed, I would make sure there is a clear paper trail of you living together at the same addresses since the initial I-751 was submitted. That is one thing our interview officer wanted to see. Is this also an N-400 interview?

WooHoo!!!! That's good news. It's already been a lengthy journey. So, the NVC IV Scheduling Status Tool was pretty accurate as to what dates they were scheduling?

There is no invoice number for a K-1. You need the NVC (DOS) case number and a "ready" status (unless your consulate is one of the few who schedule interviews differently). For a K-1 case, NVC simply assigns a DOS case number, and then sends the case to the appropriate consulate (when requested by the consulate).

OK. So, there is an I-751 pending.......

How long has your friend had their Green Card? Is it a 2 year or a 10 year Green card?

I hope the majority of the country realizes that these NK rallies and the airport problems are all orchestrated by the dems to make it appear that the Trump administration is total chaos.

How does he keep a straight face listening to her?

The sore Losers rally?

I am sorry for your loss. Get an attorney asap. I think a motion to re-consider and strong evidence will be successful. This decision seems extremely odd, as there have been cases where the US spouse died before the I-751 was processed. There are few similar cases here on VJ. Good luck. Keep us updated.

Yes, 18-24 months is an average. It could take longer. The I-130 will take a year or more.....then the case must be DQ'd and reach the front of the queue before an interview is scheduled. What is her age? Medical care is always a major consideration. Good luck.

1. Yes. Absolutely normal. 2. All cases are likely reviewed. 3. A few weeks to a few months. 4. Unknown 5. There is no action for you to take. You have no choice except to wait. This sounds very normal.

Yep. I learned a lot from him and others over my 10 years here......

As the late (and great Visa Journey member) @geowrian once said, "USCIS is like a grocery store with many lanes. Some lanes are just faster than others". Waiting is one of the hardest parts of immigration.

We received notice that our interview would be a combo only 2 days prior to wife's N-400 interview. As @Edward and Jaycel said, go prepared for a combo.

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It's time for the Iranian people to regain their freedom. If they refuse, then the US might completely destroy their electric infrastructure.

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That is not an acceptable reason for the consulate to accept an I-130. It must be "exceptional circumstances". In fact, USCIS states that expediting the processing time as the sole reason is not an exceptional circumstance. I encourage you to read the USCIS guidance here: https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-6-part-b-chapter-3 A. When the U.S. Department of State is Authorized to Accept and Adjudicate Form I-130 USCIS has delegated[7] authority to DOS to accept and adjudicate a clearly approvable Form I-130 filed abroad by a U.S. citizen petitioner for an immediate relative[8] if the petitioner establishes exceptional circumstances or falls under blanket authorization criteria defined by USCIS.[9] A clearly approvable petition is generally one that includes sufficient primary evidence to establish the status of the petitioner and the qualifying relationship.[10] This policy applies even in countries with a USCIS presence. Without such delegation, DOS has no authority to permit a U.S. embassy or consulate to accept a local Form I-130 filing abroad. If a consular officer in a U.S. embassy or consulate encounters an individual case that the officer believes needs immediate processing of a Form I-130 filed by a U.S. citizen petitioner for an immediate relative, the consular officer may, but is not required to, accept the local filing in exceptional circumstances, in accordance with the guidance below. If DOS accepts a petition, USCIS must receive notice of the filing and information about the basis for local acceptance. 1. Exceptional Circumstances Examples of exceptional circumstances include, but are not limited to: Military emergencies – A U.S. citizen military service member petitioner, who is abroad but who does not fall under the blanket authorization for U.S. citizen service members stationed abroad on military bases, becomes aware of a new deployment or transfer with little notice. This exception generally applies in cases where the U.S. citizen service member is provided with exceptionally less notice than normally expected. Medical emergencies – A petitioner or alien beneficiary is facing an urgent medical emergency that requires immediate travel. Threats to personal safety – A petitioner or alien beneficiary is facing an imminent threat to personal safety. For example, a petitioner and alien beneficiary may have been forced to flee their country of residence due to civil strife or natural disaster and are in precarious circumstances in a different country outside of the United States. Close to aging out – An alien beneficiary is within a few months of aging out of eligibility. Petitioner has recently naturalized – A petitioner and alien beneficiary has traveled for the immigrant visa interview, but the petitioner has naturalized and the beneficiary requires a new petition based on the petitioner’s citizenship. Adoption of a child – A U.S. citizen petitioner has adopted a child abroad and has an imminent need to depart the country. This type of case should only be considered if the adoptive parent petitioner(s) has a final adoption decree on behalf of the child and has had legal custody of and jointly resided with the child for at least 2 years.[11] Short notice of position relocation – A U.S. citizen petitioner, living and working abroad, has received a job offer in or reassignment to the United States with little notice for the required start date. Discretion The list of examples provided above is not exhaustive. DOS may exercise its discretion to accept clearly approvable local Form I-130 filings for other exceptional circumstances, unless specifically noted below. However, such filings must be truly urgent and otherwise limited to situations when filing with USCIS online or domestically with an expedite request would likely not be sufficient to address the time-sensitive and exigent nature of the situation. DOS may consider a petitioner’s residency within the consular district when determining whether to accept a filing, but it is not required.[12] B. When the U.S. Department of State is Not Authorized to Accept and Adjudicate Form I-130 DOS may not exercise discretion to accept local filings in certain scenarios. USCIS does not authorize DOS to accept a local filing abroad when a petitioner based in the United States seeks to travel and file abroad in order to expedite processing. DOS acceptance of Form I-130s abroad is intended to assist petitioners living abroad who demonstrate exceptional circumstances as described above. In addition, USCIS does not authorize DOS to accept a local filing abroad if the petitioner has already filed a Form I-130 domestically for the same beneficiary. If exigent circumstances exist, the petitioner should request expedited processing for an electronic or domestically-filed petition. Local consular or USCIS staff should inform the petitioner of the process to request expedited adjudication.[14]