overall, I think I have what would be a pretty simple case.
1. I met a Cambodian woman online July '23 (she has 2 children 9 and 12)
2. I moved to Cambodia in November of '23
3. They "unofficially" lived at my condo rental until March '24 when we had a traditional "engagement" ceremony
4. I then moved into her home.
5. We share a joint bank account that we pay most of the bills out of
6. I am currently still living here in Cambodia (for now) with them
So 13 months "together" and 9 months living together in Cambodia, plus shared bank account here and a traditional Cambodian engagement party for her family etc.
Right now I am a disabled US Veteran who has been living off of my disability alone the last few years.
I do not have a real job, but I have been getting re-training through the VA for work in the IT field that I will be capable of with my disability.
I do not have a home in the US currently, just a mailing address (although I have 3 adult children and a brother there.)
In order to make the process easiest, the plan is for me to go back to the US
get a W-2 job with more than enough income to be the sponsor and have an address there etc.
File for everything from the US once I have a job and an address.
I know that I need to go to the US and get these things to make the process as simple as possible, so now we are focused on how to have as few roadblocks as possible to getting them to the US.
QUESTIONS:
1. I feel like if I have an address and a job....this case is pretty simple. Can I really do it on my own?
2. For the address, if I go back to the US, and stay with my brother in Nebraska while all of this is working out, can that be the address we use on all paperwork and count for where we will live etc? The problem I see is....my brother has a small home in rural Nebraska, it is NOT where we would live. My children all live in the Tulsa Oklahoma area which is where we will live when my family arrives and where we will physically get married. The reason to stay with my brother would just be to save as much money as possible between now and when they come. HOWEVER....it would be too cramped for all of us for more than a day. Is this ok? OR.....do I need to have the house or apartment that we will ACTUALLY live in together on the application etc?
3. Will filing from Nebraska give us any help in getting it processed in Nebraska (I see the center there is faster than some of the others)? If I start in Nebraska and relocate during the process can I still maintain the Nebraska address as the mailing/domicile or whatever? I am just worried about changing addresses on any paperwork slowing anything down mostly.
4. My job. I have filed tax returns....but I did not really have income the last 3 years because VA disability is not taxable. If I get a job making $40k+ (looks like 39k for family of 4 is needed) is it an issue in any way that it is a new job from around the time we file? Do I for some reason need to have the job for any certain amount of time? or is it enough that I have the job and STILL have the job when they come etc? I plan to submit my VA documents as well.....but that is only about $20k/year at this time.