JayFromTexas

My Russian wife had her interview on July 19th in Bangkok Thailand. At first, they asked us to provide marriage certificates from all our previous marriages. We had never seen a request to send marriage certificates from previous marriages. We uploaded our certified divorce decrees as requested. They wanted to cancel her interview and have us reschedule the interview in the future, which would mean we would have to go back home to Russia and America and spend the $$ to come back to Bangkok at a future date. We were devastated. We were thorough. We were careful. We worked with a very experienced advisor. We were very confident that we had done everything required and that we had uploaded all required docs. Our advisor helps 75 cases per year and she hadn't seen a situation where they wanted the marriage certs, in addition to divorce documents. My wife pleaded with the COs and they eventually relented. They allow my wife and stepdaughter to sit for the interview. The usual questions were asked. There was only one missing piece which was my wife's old passport which had her active B1 visa in it. She had a new passport with her new name, but she kept her old passport because of the tourist visa. Unfortunately, she didn't bring it to the interview with her. They told her they needed the passport with the tourist visa so it could be cancelled which would allow them to issue her a CR1 visa. They wouldn't let us go to our Airbnb and get her passport and bring it back the same day. They would only let us mail it to them, which we did that day. So, the result of the interview, as we understood it was she and her daughter would get their passports back in 7-10 days with their CR1/CR2 visas. Now it's August 7th and we haven't heard anything. We contacted them to confirm they received the passport we mailed to them and their form letter kinda said they received it, but it is written with some ambiguity. We asked about the status of their cases a week ago and got a form email back that our case is in Administrative Processing and they'll let us know when they either issue the visa or need anything else from us. The problem is, we have no clue whether it will be 1 week, 1 month or 3 months. How do we deal with such uncertainty. We're in a timezone 12 hours away from my home in Texas which makes it very difficult to work remotely. Today is the first day of school in Texas so we've missed that. It's all very depressing. We contacted our US Senator and they were zero help. They just told us what we already know. Is there anything we can do? Does a consulate ever give an indication as to how long the wait is going to be? We don't know if the wait is due to an issue with our case or due to a backlog. As I mentioned the CO said they would send their passports in 7-10 days and that timeframe has come and past. What can we do? Thanks.

I guess I still don't understand the Visa Bulletin. He is eligible to pay the fees and submit documents, but he still might age out? I thought that if your PD was prior to the Visa Bulletin date AND you were under 21, you qualified to submit paperwork and the wait from that point wouldn't cause you to age out. No?

He was 18 when we got married and I understand every day/week matters which is why she wants to file at the earliest moment possible. If she's going to have an A# on her passport visa then I think that is what we need. Thanks everyone.

My wife has her CR1 interview scheduled for July 19th in Thailand. We anticipate success and that she will enter the US and become a LPR a few days later. We want to file an I130 for her 19 yr old son as soon as possible. I've read (I don't remember where) that when her CR1 visa is stamped upon her entry into the US, that she becomes a LPR and can then file an I130 on behalf of her son, even before receiving her green card. Is that correct? I've already started the paperwork on USCIS and they are asking for her A#, USCIS Online # or her SS#. She doesn't have any of these. On the next page, the online I130 application asks when she entered the US and where, which we will fill in when she arrives. Is it acceptable to only provide the date & location of her entry to validate her LPR and allow her to file the I130 form? Thanks!

Robert, how long have you been looking? My wife needed an appointment (at the Bangkok consulate) for her CR1 and we watched the website for a little over a week and then they released several appointment openings. There were open slots for several days after that. I think they release appts toward the end of the month. In April, they released appoints for 19 July on 29 April. We got two of the 19 July appointments, one for my wife and one for my daughter. Even after that, there were 20-30 slots available for July and as I said, they were available for several days after. So, you might have to wait another couple of weeks, but you should see some slots soon. Good luck!

He is asking how long after his Fiancé arrives in the US will she receive her green card. The process is taking 6-8 months, not 2-3 years.

Just another datapoint to consider. I and my wife have flown through Istanbul on Turkish Air multiple times and have not experienced any delays or changes in connections. It is significantly cheaper than flying through Dubai, and it is a shorter distance and requires less travel time. For us, flying through Istanbul is the preferred route.

People here were successful in getting a transfer to Almaty several months ago, but I haven't heard of any successful transfers in the past 3-4 months. It is my understanding that they are primarily accepting IR-5 transfers, but not IR/CR1/K1 transfers. It certainly won't hurt to try. Let us know how you make out.

I concur

Roy, I sent you a PM

We haven't done the interview yet. It should be happening soon. As several have said and it is time to stop worrying about it, IT IS A NON-ISSUE. Your bigger problem is getting a tourist visa. It will be difficult, if your fiance' doesn't already have hers.

No, not several years for a K1. That prediction was unnecessarily scary. Yes, there have been a few K1 cases take more than 2 years, but it is pretty rare. K1 cases are taking about 18 months from the time you file your application to the time she has her interview and gets her visa. Before Covid several years ago, K1 cases progressed much more quickly than spouse visas, but now, they are taking about the same amount of time or maybe a little bit quicker for the K1. My wife is a Russian citizen and we are almost done. I filed a I130 in March of 2023 and we should be done in the next 60-90 days, so our timeline will have been about 16 months. I've seen spouse cases take longer than that and a few even shorter than that. I haven't monitored K1 cases as closely, but in general they progress at about the same pace. You asked if a CR1 would be better and I think most here would say yes. I know I think a CR1 is better. For these reasons: 1) Your wife, if desired, can work in the U.S. when she arrives, otherwise it could be several months to a year before she is allowed to work 2) You don't have to go through the lengthy K1-CR1 Adjustment of Status (AOS) process (I think we will have to adjust from Cr1 to IR1, but I haven't researched that step, yet. I am under the impression that CR1 to IR1 is a much simpler and easier process, but not sure.) 3) It is cheaper to get a CR1 visa, compared to a K1 4) CR1 cases seem to carry more weight with consulates, if you decide to transfer your case away from Poland. We requested a transfer to Bangkok and it was accepted. Literally 4 days before ours was accepted, a person I know requested a transfer for his K1 case and they were denied There are other reasons for going with CR1, but I can't remember them of the top of my head. Regarding Poland, it IS possible to get there. Several do it every month. But it is a hassle. You've got to get a Schengen in another country like Spain or Hungary and travel their first and then travel to Poland from there. The Schengen Visa you get will be very time limited, like 2 weeks and sometimes it takes longer than 2 weeks to complete the interview process in Warsaw. Most of that time is due to you waiting to get your girl's passport back, after the interview. Good luck!

I should have added, my wife got her tourist visa before got engaged and has visited me several times while the IR/CR1 process has been going on. She had no issues entering the US.

Yes, you can visit on a tourist visa and it is unlikely that you'll have any issues with border patrol. Getting a tourist visa might be a challenge, especially since you're so far along in the immigration process.

I agree with almost everything you wrote including considering Hungary and Spain as countries to target for the Schengen, but I've read several posts that it doesn't take several months. I know of a couple men with Russian fiancé's who got a Hungarian Schengen within 2-3 weeks. They all used a service and were located in either St. Petersburg or Moscow. I don't know about the availability of such services elsewhere in Russia.

What if I usually don't file my taxes until later in the year? I own 2 businesses and it takes time to prepare everything to do my taxes. If our interview is in June and if I filed an extension, but haven't filed my 2023 tax return, is that ok?

It is perfectly fine. My wife visited me on her tourist visa before we were married and after we were married with zero issues. You can absolutely marry while your fiancé visits you, as long as she leaves and doesn’t overstay her visa. My wife and I chose to marry online, but we could have married here with no issues. Good luck with your new life!

Based on the fact that F2a processing times are currently ~ 36 months and the date the PD becomes current is now 41 months, it is likely that he will be covered under CSPA, correct? Assuming the timelines remain the same, which they won't of course, but it helps understand the math by using current timelines.

VERY helpful. Thank you.

Thank you very much for answering my question. I appreciate it.

Thank you for your help. Reading your link it says, If you are applying for a Green Card based on one of the categories above, you are eligible for CSPA consideration if either your qualifying Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, or one of the following underlying forms was filed or pending on or after Aug. 6, 2002 And the Form I130 is one of the following underlying forms. This says, "Filed", not approved. This makes me think that as long as my wife files an I130 for her son before he is 21, he won't age out. Is that not the case?

I see that I may be referring to the NOA2 stage incorrectly for an I130 application. So again, I was told that as long as the I130 has been approved by USCIS by the time they are 21, they don't age out.

NOA2 is when the i30 is approved by USCIS and the case is passed on to the National Visa Center. My understanding is that as long as their I130 has been approved before they turn 21, they won't age out. Getting an I130 approved and getting a visa are 2 different steps.

Thank you. A quick followup question, if you don't mind... The Visa Bulletin shows the current F2A dates being processed as Sept 8 2020. Is this how long these cases are taking, on average, to get to NOA2? Or is it the dates that are currently receiving visas? If it is the latter, where can we see how long it takes to get to the NOA2 stage? Lastly, it is my understanding that as long as an F2A application received the NOA2 approval before age 21, they will remain an F2A and not age out. Is this correct?

Headline pretty much asks the question... My wife has a 13 yr old daughter and I filed an i130 for both. We are getting close to their interview and we wanted to know what is required, if anything, from her father to allow her to immigrate? Their country is Russia and we are interviewing in Bangkok.