Tony Wong

Oh I haven't done it yet. My DL isn't due until 2026 Apr. But I'm planning to initiate my I-751 first, that is, 90 days before the 2 year limit of CR1, wait several weeks for notice, and then apply for the DL renewal.

Saw your post and country of origin, Sweden. I renewed my Swedish passport before moving to US, even though it's still good for a year and a half. It's too costly and impractical to do it in Washington/NYC later. It only takes a couple of weeks in Malmö and I can hardly imagine you cannot get it done within 2 months anywhere in Sweden. Tell the Swedish police that you need to keep the old passport for the Visa. They are used to this kind of situation. In the future, show both the new and the old passport in US, until you receive your GC of course.

1 month and 3 days after entry. I renewed my passport (Sweden) prior to immigration, even though it doesn't expire until 2026, because I know it will be a hassle to do it in the States. I explained the situation to the police officer in Sweden and they let me keep the old passport with the Visa on.

@nastra30: Thank you for the advice. True that there's a treaty preventing double taxation, probably with Foreign Tax Credits. And about Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555), I don't think I'm eligible to that because the tax home must be a foreign country. I'll just have to delve in the issue and run the numbers in different scenarios to find out which of them makes most sense. And then I have to factor my spouse's tax into the situation too. Thanks for the input everyone.

Thank you. I suspect that's the case, that I'll have to file for dual status, with the cut-off being my arrival date: before Apr 12, no income; after Apr 12, all my income from the US and Sweden. I also have the possibility to file jointly with my spouse, and I've heard that would make me a tax resident for the whole year. Isn't that a bit counter-intuitive, that I'll then have to pay tax for the 4 months' salary before I even became a resident in the States? Or do the perks of filing jointly make it worth?

@Nashmusah Oh, but I wasn't a U.S. citizen or resident before I moved to the States on Apr 12.

Hi, I moved to the US on Apr 12 this year with a CR-1 spousal visa. Prior to that I've been living and working in Sweden. When I moved to the US, I was technically still on paid vacation from my Swedish job, until Jun 9. I started working in the US (totally unrelated to my previous job in Sweden) on May 13. My question is whether I need to include my salary from Sweden in my next tax filing here in the US, and if there's any difference between the Swedish salary I made before immigration (before Apr 12) and after immigration (Apr 12 - Jun 9).

No, no approval on the spot.

The Embassy contacted me for interview and asked me to book my physical on Oct 6. I called the clinic in Copenhagen and booked my physical on Oct 24. This date has a significance, since the medical report is only valid for 6 months. The interview was on Nov 16. And then you've heard the story. I had to wait for almost 3 months (AP) to get the visa on Feb 8. On the CR-1 visa, there was an expiration date, and that was exactly 6 months after the physical, i,e. Apr 24, before which I must have entered the US.

Spousal, CR-1

I was asked to send my passport on Jan 30. Got it back on Feb 8. No, they did not give me a definitive answer after the interview. Just a short reassurance that everything seemed alright. And yes, they are notorious for making you wait and suffer. Be strong. the 3 months of AP were the longest in my life.

The physical in Denmark, including vaccines and X-ray, cost around 900 USD, i.e. 6000 DKK or 9000 SEK. About the AP, no I kept my passport until I got a notice from the embassy to send it to Stockholm. The embassy didn't need any extra information from me. My advice is to tell the embassy about your concern during the interview about your need to keep the passport. They are usually quite accommodating on that aspect.

AP stands for "Administrative Processing". It is the status most people will get after the interview. Sometimes it's because it needs document completion, but most of the time it just means that they need time to process the case. You may also notice that the application status will be marked as "Refused", but don't panic, "Refused" is not the same as "Denied". It will just take time.

Sure. Sep 22, 2023 - Notice about DQ Oct 6, 2023 - Received interview invitation in Stockholm Oct 24, 2023 - Physical in Copenhagen (where I lived) Nov 16, 2023 - Actual interview in Stockholm took place. On AP afterwards Feb 8, 2024 - Passport with CR-1 visa returned Apr 12, 2024 - Entry in US

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer my question. I'm going to try to renew my DL 6 months prior to its expiration. It can be done online and only costs $10. If it doesn't work, I'll renew after I receive the extension letter from USCIS.

Hi all, I recently moved to Phoenix AZ (Apr 12, 2024) on CR-1 and got my Driver's License. I noticed that the DL is going to expire on Apr 12, 2026, i.e. the expiration date of my CR-1 Visa. Naturally I need to file I-751 for ROC earliest 90 days before the expiration date of my CR-1. My question is how do I go about with the DL, knowing that AZ regulations say that a DL can be renewed earliest 6 months before its expiration. Do I have to wait until I have filed I-751, which as many know has a long processing time, receive some kind of proof from USCIS on the filing, and then use it to apply for my DL renewal? How long would the renewed DL be valid for in that case? Hope there is someone in this forum who has done this before and cast some light on my question. Thank you in advance. Regards, Tony

Paid fees: Feb 8 2024 POE: Apr 12 2024 Card delivered: May 15 2024

I was on the same boat. Did my medical on Oct 24, 2023. Interviewed on Nov 16. On AP until Feb 8 (longest 3 months in my life). Visa was only valid until Apr 24 (6 months after medical). That means I only had 2 months to enter the US before the Visa would expire. Praxis at my work is 3-month notice before termination. Talk to your boss. Explain and warn about the situation. What your boss concerns most is to find your replacement. I already told my boss about this possible scenario when I was called to the interview at the Embassy. No problem at all and I helped them find and even train my replacement. Ended up costing me some saved-up vacation days only. Not worth it to fly in and out of the States.

Thank for for all the answers!

Thank you, but the according to official info the Green Card can take up to 120 days after entry. I don't think I would wait 4 months before taking any action with the SSN.

Hi, I just moved to Phoenix AZ on April 12 with a CR-1 Visa. Entry point was Minnesota if it matters. During DS 60, I checked the box stating I need a social security number and the card sent to my address. Does anyone here have any experience or information on how much time it's going to take? In other words, how long should I wait before contacting the SSN Administration, if nothing happens? Thank you in advance!

Hi, I was in the middle of filling in my DS-260 and came across the vaccination requirement. Comparing my own childhood vaccination card with USCIS's requirement I found out that I missed a number of vaccines: mumps, rubella, haemotphilus influnzae type b and hepatitis B. I'm going to write on the DS-260 that I'm in the process of completing my vaccination. My question is whether I should wait until the medical checkup and let the panel doctor decide which vaccines I need (and in the best scenario, giving them to me during the medical checkup), or should I get the named vaccines pre-emptively now already? Thanks in advance for helpful answers.

Thank for for all the answers. I'm genuinely and positively surprised for the responses. I was kind of expecting that I'm just one out of several millions of I-130 petitions worldwide and nobody would actually care. I was wrong. I'll wait for NOA2 then and change my address henceforth. Thank you again.

Hi, My husband (American citizen in the US) and I (currently living in Copenhagen, Denmark) are applying for I-130. We started the process in Aug 2022 and so far nothing has happened yet. I will move to another apartment in Copenhagen next month. Do I need to inform USCIS about the new address and if so, how? I have tried USCIS's hompeage without luck. All the forms I could find are about changing addresses within the US, which clearly did not apply for me. Appreciate all the help.