type2error

I have received a lot of helpful advice on this forum during my visa process, so I am trying my luck here again We married in May 2022 and applied for an IR1 visa in November 2022. Our case was approved in October this year, and we've just submitted our documents to the NVC for review. I am currently doing a PhD in England, so my interview is scheduled in London. However, I will complete my PhD in December and might not be able to return to the UK afterwards. I am from China and could have my interview there instead. My concerns are: 1. Should I change my interview location to China at this stage? Different embassies have different processing times, and a location change could delay my visa. An alternative is staying in the UK for the 4-month grace period or getting a visitor's visa for the interview. 2. Our second wedding anniversary is in May 2024. Is it advisable to delay entering the US until after this anniversary? We are looking forward to living together again and would like to avoid further delays if possible.

Thanks for these! I unfortunately don't think NIH will give me a letter for non NIH employment, but thank you for the suggestion.

Thank you! That is very good to know. At least that gives me some options, tho going through H1B is probably also a lengthy process for my employer!

Thank you for sharing that! Your processing time is giving me more hope. It's unfortunately a NIH grant fellowship that's only open to PR. I don't think I can get it on student or J1 visa.

Thanks for sharing, Paula! Unfortunately postdoc is more like a job so I won't be able to get a student visa. Let me know how it goes - best luck to you!

Yes, I will be working in a research institution. Would my H1B visa be rejected too given my pending I130? Ah, that is good to know that it costs $$$ to remove conditions and a lot of paperwork etc. Sometimes you don't think about the next steps when struggling with the current process

Thank you so much for sharing Holly (and congrats!). This gives me hope that things can come through faster. Best of luck with the next steps! I've been on all sorts of visas before, including student, tourist, H1B, K1, etc. I don't think I can still apply for a student visa now that we filed I130?

hahahaha the USCIS misinformation line!! Thanks that makes me feel better. It was whoever picked up the USCIS hotline

Unfortunately not because of the project timeline. The USCIS also gave an estimate of September 2024, which is a bit shocking to me (18 months for CR-1)? Thank you for your suggestions tho!

Thank you! Just had a call with USCIS and they said my situation did not meet the criteria unfortunately :(

Thanks for the response! I agree that things will need to speed up a lot for me to get the visa on time. My spouse did not move with me - is that good or no?

I was married on a K1 visa but had to leave the US after the wedding in May 2022 due to my PhD program in the UK (again I want to thank all these people who helped me on VJ!). Currently, we are applying for the CR-1 visa and filed the I130 online in November 2022. I will be completing my PhD by the end of 2023 and have plans to pursue a NIH postdoctoral fellowship in the US. However, the fellowship requires a permanent residence status, which means I must obtain the visa by the end of 2023 or early 2024 to not lose this opportunity. Our service center for the visa is Vermont, and the average processing time is 14 months. Is it possible to get the visa before January 2024? If not, are there ways to expedite the process? I've read about "financial loss" as one of the possible reasons to make an expedite request, but not sure if I can make a strong case for it. Thank you for your help!