mam521

That's for I-130 approval. You still have to go through DOS for the DS-260 approval after that, plus medical and interview. 18-24mo is pretty accurate, start to finish, and will be dependent on the beneficiary's Consulate workload.

If you have imminent, required travel, you need your naturalization certificate in hand before you can call DOS and request an urgent passport service. The travel has to be in less than 3-5 weeks. You need to have proof of international travel - itinerary and confirmation number with the airline, hotel accommodation, etc. Be prepared - you could have to travel to somewhere in the US to attend the appointment and stay a day or 2 until you can pick the passport up after printing. There are no guarantees the appointment will be local. Expedited passports are taking 3-5 weeks these days, regular passports about 10 weeks. Requesting urgent service shouldn't be done unless you actually have confirmed travel plans that must be attended to. Just wanting a passport for the sake of having it in hand doesn't qualify. I had urgent travel for work which allowed me to obtain and urgent passport, but it wasted essentially 2 days of my life sitting in the passport offices. We planned my kids' travel so I will be applying for their passports now that they are finished travel for the year. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html

Until the immigrant puts in 40 quarters of work or until they become a citizen. So, last I checked 40 quarters is typically 10 years.

My question is do you fully understand the financial commitment of the joint sponsor? I suspect anyone who understands isn't going to simply accept a fee to take on financial responsibility for an immigrant for 10 years.

It will make little difference when the petition is within the published processing times.

Anything is possible with CBP. Show up, if they want to deny you, then politely request that you be allowed to withdraw your request for entry into the US and go home. Go to FL, get married rather than just visit with FIL, go back to Canada and apply for CR1. The process is similar in timeline. The difference is you'll enter the US with a GC in hand, ready and able to work and travel. K1 makes less sense.

Not sure. Quick google search says Canada naturalized 375,000 people in 2022 (unusually high number - usually numbers are about 175,000) while the US naturalized 967, 500 people, which appears to be a bit above average for the US as well.

You don't have to be denied entry. You can voluntarily withdraw your application for admission. Not a black mark, IF there was an issue. People stuck in AP have asked for their passports back and continued to visit their spouses like they did prior to interview and issuance of the DS-5535 or 221G in spousal cases and others have travelled for work, attending conferences and business meetings. That said, the Administrative Processing process applies to the visa case being adjudicated, so in this case, the EB visa eligibility is the case in question. Can CBP see if you're in AP? Likely, but that's USCIS's jurisdiction and CBP are typically primarily focused on customs violations and enforcing very fundamental laws that protect national safety and security. They aren't there to be the judge and jury on your case; that is USCIS and your consular officer's job. They are there to check that the paperwork you do have and the visa you're entering on is correct and valid, that you're not trafficking illegal substances and moving large sums of money, etc. L2 isn't family based. It's a dependent spouse and/or unmarried children under 21 of an L1 Intra-company transferee visa. Canadians are also a bit different in that they turn up to security, head to preclearance and petition for their L visa. The L1 petitioner had to meet the requirements of the intracompany transfer; that person could have equally been tossed into AP as well, technically. The L2 dependents have to meet the requirements of being a legitimate dependent of the L1 petitioner. Yes, they could potentially be tossed into AP as well. Anyone can though, irrespective of age, gender, background... If you're really curious, you could jump on Jim Hacking's weekly show and ask there.

The poster has already demonstrated immigrant intent with the EB visa. A TN is a non-immigrant visa type. L visas, on the other hand, are dual intent, so the demonstration of immigrant intent isn't a negative mark against them.

The US ceremonies, at least here in Houston, aren't that special. It feels like a cattle herding session versus what I've experienced in Canada where it was a much more serious and impactful ceremony.

I'd give it a go. What's the worst that can happen?

The majority of the time, the civil surgeons have been sending the records to the consulate electronically, with nothing to pick up anymore other than possibly a chest xray.

L1 employment sponsored (and in turn, the L2) are a dual intent visa. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to join her, irrespective of your pending immigration status. If you were attempting a TN, it would 100% be denied. I guess my question is what category were you put into AP for? You don't have your timeline filled in, so I can't tell if it's spousal or employment based GC.

^^^This. You will need to call the airline to confirm the pet will be allowed onboard the flight and pay the fee. You may also require a health certificate from your veterinarian within 10 days of travel. Confirm with Lufthansa.