Ali91

Thank you! Yes you are right, it's too late but wouldn't you suggest applying for re-entry permit at least twice and hopefully by that time we will make it to move to the US if that doesn't affect the naturalization in the future.

Applied for a visa 2 years ago and we had a plan to move but it took very long time and everyone situation changes, so did ours. We had a baby after that and it changed our plans completely for a while. I wish I could write our whole life story but that's not possible. But thank you

Yes it is harsh without knowing the background, but I want to mention that my spouse is living with me in Shanghai, and we are working in the same company so the point of choosing partner or job here isn't right. And we both renewed our contract at the same time and can't risk loosing jobs at the same time. That's why I asked suggestion regarding re-entry permit.

Thank you for all these helpful information, I really appreciate it. However, I want to mention that we are currently doing job here in Shanghai (since 7 years) with the same employer and renewed the contract at the same time. We are also intending to stay here until our current contract expires or maybe a little longer because we have a good monthly income that we may not have in the US in 5 months. That's why I was asking for a re-entry permit to stay here for a while and do some savings and then move to the US to find a normal job and apply for naturalization.

Yes it is harsh without knowing the background, but I want to mention that my spouse is living with me in Shanghai, and we are working in the same company so the point of choosing partner or job here isn't right. And we both renewed our contract at the same time and can't risk loosing jobs at the same time. That's why I asked suggestion regarding re-entry permit.

Thank you for your advice, However, I already received my IR1 visa which is too late for that. Also, I cannot leave in the middle of the contract, otherwise all my struggle in my career will be washed out. My current employer will of course not provide positive recommendation for my future jobs, I have seen it. And each time, my future job is more likely depends on the last employer recommendation. Just last question, how likely it will affect me if I abandon my green card now and apply for it again in the future? Will that be a 100% affected or if I provide my job reason I can apply again to get it?

Can IR1 visa holder (first time) travel to the US if their spouse is not present at the moment in the US? Also, is it advisable to apply for re-entry permit after receiving physical green card? Or we can apply for the re-entry permit while my green card is on the way? Actually I am in the middle of the contract and can't stay in the US for long time, so I am thinking to save some time and apply for re-entry permit and get it ASAP. Thank you

Yes, I am from Pakistan but living in China since last 7 years. They didn't ask for anything from Pakistan except the marriage certificate and birth certificate (plus I provided my police certificate from Pakistan and China even they didn't ask for, but later they kept it).

I had an interview at US consulate in Guangzhou (IR1 category) on December 5, 2024, and everything went very smooth. The visa officer (VO) didn't ask for any documents to show except our marriage certificate, my birth certificate, police clearance certificate photograph, and fingerprints. At the End of the interview, VO smiled and say "everything looks good, just send us your resume thorough email" kept my passport and gave me 221 (g) "Necessary Administrative Processing". 221 (g) "Necessary Administrative Processing" has only one thing on it, which was Resume. I asked for my passport back because I had to fly back to Shanghai from Guangzhou and I couldn't do that without my passport. VO asked me to hold on, and she asked her supervisor about it and then came back and returned my passport and said "send your passport to us". The very next day, I emailed my resume with all the required details mentioned on 221 (g) "Necessary Administrative Processing" form via email and sent my passport, which took about a week. Now the status on passport portal is "Document delivered to the post" and the visa status on CEAC (till date) shows "Refused" since day one. I don't know at Guangzhou consulate how long should I expect the status from Refused-AP-Issued? Is my case sounds difficult or anything I should worry about? Thanks

My wife (US citizen) is living abroad since 12 years and she filed my I-130 petition. It got approved within 14 months. Next step is NVC and we provided all the required documents asked on NVC portal. now my interview is held next month at the US consulate overseas where we live at the moment. Nothing is different or difficult but if you lived overseas for long time then you have to provide proof of Domicile which can be (property, lease agreement, valid driving licence, voter registration ID, bank account, medical records etc). And if your income is not in the US or below the poverty line then you need to find a joint sponsor who qualifies for it. Good luck!

Hopefully yeah! I will try my best to find a way and move to the US in that visit if the CBP let me enter 😋.

I can't provide much details about my job but all I can say that if I leave or break the contract, I cannot get the recommendations from my current employer for the future job and even the previous recommendation will also be removed from my favor. That is how important it is for me to keep this contract valid. Moreover, both living in the US and my job (at the moment) are equal important for me to keep. I can wait for my physical GC but may not have time to apply for re-entry permit. Do you think if I go overseas with my GC and come back to the US after 5 months (1st entry after having GC) would raise issues for me by the CBP and I would need to abandon my GC?

Because I renewed my work contract before receiving the interview letter, as I wasn't sure how long it will take more. I cannot quit my work immediately or in the middle of my contract. It will affect my career very badly. That is why I need to apply for re-entry permit wihtout while waiting for the physical GC to be arrived. GC itself will take 2-4 months to arrive and after that if I apply for re-entry permit then I am not sure how long will it take until my fingerprints done for the re-entry permit (which might take upto few months too). Currently, I am on leave for a month and I can extend it to maximum two months, and then I have to get back to my job overseas.

After entering the US for the first time under IR1 category, is it okay to apply for Re-Entry permit while greencard is still on the way? Actually waiting for physical GC for months and then apply for Re-entry permit and wait for more few months for approval will take long time. Will it affect my greencard or anything in the future if I apply for Re-entry permit while I haven't received the physical GC yet? It's my first week in the US but I do need to apply for Re-entry permit because I cannot leave my job in the middle of the year. Please share your experience and thoughts. Thank you

That's why I came here to ask if my spouse and kid is living outside the US and I enter the US after every 6 months and stay there for 6 months until I achieve the 3 years time in the US, still I won't be eligible for naturalization!

On the basis of spouse of the US citizen for more than 2 years.

How come it won't make someone not eligible for naturalization if they make an entry to the US every 6 months and stay there for next 6 months each year? According to the USCIS policy manual, the breaks in continuous can be caused by; 1) If the applicant is absent from the United States for more than 6 months but less than 1 year; or 2) The applicant is absent from the United States for 1 year or more. And I am intending to enter the US of course before less than 6 months, let's say 5 months and 20 days or 25 days.

Thank you. Usually, how many times we can renew the re-entry permit? Honestly, we have no plan yet to live in the US because my spouse and I have a very nice job overseas and we are very happy in it and want to stay in it as long as we can.

Thank you for your detail answer. However, I meant by delay of naturalization if I have the re-entry permit and staying overseas for those 2 years, that time won't count towards my naturalization right? That will only preserve my residency. Actually, my spouse and I both have a very nice job overseas, and we are happy in it, especially the benefits it gives to our kid. So we are planning to stay in this job as long as we can. That's why I was looking forward to any possible solution to not give up the job, stay with family and also apply for naturalization at the end of 3 years. I know entering the US every 6 months is a bit hectic and expensive, but if that is the only solution in my case, then I will do that.

If a Green card holder want to leave the US (in order to live with spouse and kid overseas (both US citizens)), does he/she needs to fill any forms on USCIS website or else where to notify them about his travel overseas for less than 6 months? Also, is there any alternative to fulfill requirements of entering the US after every six months? That is actually a little hard to do for 3 years until naturalization and expensive too. I know about the re-entry permit, but that will delay my naturalization process.

Thank you, I really appreciate it. I definitely will keep this in mind and follow.

Thank you. I am actually new here, so please do accept my apologies for not asking in more details. Yes, all the above information from 1 to 5 are correct.

As a foreigner, we do need a passport to travel within China at the airports or high speed rail. Without scanning the passport, we cannot go through. And that's the only ID we have unless someone have a permanent resident ID. If we arrange pickup or local shipping in Guangzhou, it means we have to stay there until we get the visa but, sometimes it takes a day or so for some people and sometimes it takes longer if they put your case in AP.

Thank you for your reply. My question was how to return to the residence city after submitting the passport at the embassy. My interview will be in Guangzhou (immigration cases are now handling by the Guangzhou consulate). I am living in Shanghai and the interview will be in Guangzhou, I would need to fly back to Shanghai, but I cannot travel without passport. I don't know how would this work.