Jump to content

OldUser

Members, Organizer
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,090

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    142

 Content Type 

Everything posted by OldUser

  1. OldUser
    Congratulations on approval! I think visa free access is a bit overrated. Comparing US and Canada visa free access. On paper, Canada has 2 more countries compared to US. But what are those countries? Gambia and Belarus. Those countries I may never need to go to. On the other hand, if the plan is to live in the US forever, it may be advantageous to become a citizen. Citizens cannot be deported because of some silly situation with law or staying outside the US for too long. But LPRs can lose status... Of course I'm oversimplifying and naturalization is a very serious question and personal choice.
  2. OldUser
    Thank you for the update and congrats! Are you planning to stay in the US and naturalize eventually?
  3. OldUser
    Green Card holders (LPRs) have exact same committments when it comes to US taxation. All world wide income must be reported. Additionally, if you hold GC for 8 years, you subject to same exit tax as US citizen who is renouncing their citizenship. Salaries in most of Europe are typically lower than in the US. And you can use foreign earned income exclusion to pay $0 tax to US on any income under $130000 while living in Europe. The only headache is mandatory form filing every year plus potential discrimination from banks who don't want to serve Americans due to FATCA requirements.
  4. OldUser
    You can travel for a month. Just try to minimize long trips or going too often outside the US moving forward. 4-8 weeks are OK if you only take 1-2 a year. Reentry permits take a while to get. You don't need reentry permit if you travel few months a year.
  5. OldUser
    You don't have to wait for Removal of Conditions to be approved to apply for citizenship. As soon as you are eligible, file N-400. Both I-751 and N-400 will be worked on concurrently. My journey took about 9 years from work visa to citizen. Even based on marriage, some people say "it's 3 years to become a citizen". Not quite. It's about 1.5-2 years to enter the US / or adjust + 3 years of LPR + 6-18 months for N-400. Add a year for ROC. We're talking about 4-6 years easily.
  6. OldUser
    I-130 takes 14-17 months on average as of today
  7. OldUser
    If only DOS / USCIS staff read and understood stuff properly. We wouldn't see half of RFEs for obvious things related to I-864, I-693 etc etc. How many times USCIS ignores address changes through AR-11 and sends correspondence to old places... How many times we see people specifying their location in the US and still being invited for interview at consulate overseas... The list goes on. Anything even slightly deviating from golden path can slow things down by weeks and months. I'd argue abandonding I-485 and going consular is not a very straightforward situation, as it seems to a normal person IMO. Is this end of the world? Surely not, and it is not a negative thing. But it can slow things down a bit.
  8. OldUser
    MyProgress estimates can be safely ignored. It is never accurate. On day of my oath, MyProgress estimated 3 weeks until decision. Here is recent example of somebody reporting MyProgress being incorrect:
  9. OldUser
    You don't have any other choice. May it confuse / slow things down? Quite possible.
  10. OldUser
    Congratulations! What renewal are you talking about? Removal of conditions on 2 year GC or renewal on 10 year GC? I don't think I-90 takes 5 years. I-751 also takes 3-4 years. 5 is a bit too much.
  11. OldUser
    Congrats! Make sure to get large passport book (it is a free upgrade) and update citizenship status with SSA.
  12. OldUser
    Here is recent data point: There seems to be a change in policy - https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20251017-RecognizedMarriages.pdf My understanding is, now it is mandated that proxy marriage is recognized in the country where it was celebrated. E.g. Japan should recognize it as legal marriage too, not just Utah state. Things got a lot more complex, and could get more problematic with immigration policies being updated very frequently in the last year. I highly recommend @Ana Hussa to get married physically in the country they can legally marry instead of attempting proxy marriage, especially if both are in same physical location.
  13. OldUser
    I think 3-4 months is old story from early 2025. Things seem to have slowed down in second half of 2025.
  14. OldUser
    Many folks are getting interviews descheduled. Could be proximity to holidays, could be internal changes at USCIS field office or new policy. Give them few months. If no new interview is scheduled in few months, you can sue USCIS for decision on I-751. Are you from one of the 19 countries?
  15. OldUser
    Petition can be indefinitely stuck in processing, not necessarily denied. Legally, OP can choose this route, but it can raise some eyebrows at USCIS / DOS. IMHO, it is a lot clearer just to get married at court house etc like 99% of couples would do.
  16. OldUser
    Fantastic, congrats and happy birthday!
  17. OldUser
    Ok, good luck! Is May 2026 the earliest you can come to the US on permanent basis? Just come as soon as you can and have your evidence ready.
  18. OldUser
    Nobody here can predict for sure. If you have a 10 year GC, you should be able to reenter. What ties to the US do you maintain? Do you file taxes? Do you have bqnk accounts? Anything else?
  19. OldUser
    You can always try, but it is unlikely it's going to be granted. As @frange24 said, it's typically hardship to US citizen that may qualify for expedition. Even then, majority of expedite requests are ignored / denied.
  20. OldUser
    Yes, this is normal. Nobody expects tons of joint financials etc when you just marry each other. In few years, when removing conditions or becoming a citizen it's going to be expected, but not this early into relationship. You'd be mostly focusing on proving you spent time together, visiting each other, photos together, maybe chats etc
  21. OldUser
    This is a scary statement. Immigration can be long, difficult, expensive with various challenges including separation, no matter which route you take (K-1 or CR-1). What if you come to the US in K-1 and found inadmissable for whatever reason, then needing to get waiver. Or you're put in removal for whatever reason. Are you absolutely sure you want to get married?
  22. OldUser
    I would not assume that. I-129F and getting visa in passport can take almost much as CR-1. Maybe 2-3 months shorter in some cases. I-129F can expire, unlike I-130. If there is a travel ban or some new restriction, usually spouses of US citizens are exempted, but not fiances. Just few points to think about.
  23. OldUser
    Marrying online when you are together at same physical location can look odd for USCIS. Why not put some effort and get married normally, like most couples would? If process is too difficult, why can't you go to your home country or other country nearby with easier rules? Nothing stops you from marrying online, it just seems unusual when you are in same location. The less unusual things, the better for immigration.
  24. OldUser
    Nice Christmas present!
  25. OldUser
    2. Yes, because if you get denied or rejected while outside the US and your GC expired - you'll find it challenging to enter the US.
×
×
  • Create New...