Stef2014

Hello everyone, First off, thank you to mam521 who mentioned the option of me moving to the U.S. to establish residency while waiting for my husband’s I-130 approval. After discussing it, at this time we have decided to stay in Canada until the process is complete. We’re not planning on purchasing a home in the U.S. until my husband’s I-130 is approved. Although moving to the U.S. may make sense, it's not the ideal living situation for us at this time. We’re aware that sacrifices may need to be made during this process, but moving without confirmation of his I-130 approval just isn’t something we feel comfortable doing. I’m a planner, and I’d rather have all the angles figured out before moving forward. That being said, I’m reaching out to this amazing community for some help. Many of you have been in similar situations, and I’d love to hear your step-by-step experiences with the I-130 process. I believe I’ve completed Step 1 by setting up an online profile with USCIS. What comes next? Does anyone have a timeline or detailed breakdown of the forms and documentation required at each stage? Specifically, I’m looking for clarity on the sequence of forms and actions we will need to take as we work toward my husband’s I-130 approval. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. I want to be fully prepared for the process, and this community has always been so supportive! Thank you in advance for your help!

Hello Everyone, I hope you’re all doing well. It’s been a little while since my first post, and I wanted to share an update and get some advice regarding the next steps in our immigration process. Update on Our Situation: My children have successfully received their CRBA (Consular Report of Birth Abroad) and passports (yay!). We are now just waiting for their Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and cards. A quick note for anyone currently going through this: the SSNs are not automatically issued with the CRBA, so I had to apply for them separately and in person after the CRBA interview in the States. Just something to keep in mind if you’re in the same boat! Next Steps – An Application for My Husband: Now that we’ve crossed that milestone, we’re moving on to filing the paperwork for my husband’s spousal visa. We are planning to file for an immigrant visa (ideally a spousal visa), but I’m a little unsure about the exact forms we need to file and how to navigate the process, especially since we are currently living in Canada. Here’s a bit more context about our situation: I do not have U.S. residency at the moment, which might complicate things slightly. We are living in Canada, and my husband and I are both self-employed. I work as a freelancer for a company in Texas, but I don’t have a full-time job in the U.S. at this time. Once we reach the interview and final stages, I plan to seek employment in the U.S. We have two small children, and we don’t want to be separated as a family, so we’ve decided to stay in Canada during the application process. Our Question: Given our situation, we are considering having a U.S. family member (who is financially stable) act as the sponsor for my husband’s visa. Is this a good option, and if so, what additional forms should we expect to file along with the I-130? I’ve seen forms like I-130A, and I want to make sure we’re filing everything correctly to avoid delays or issues down the road. Additionally, would it make sense to explore any other types of visas given our current circumstances, or is the spousal visa still the best route? Timeline: We’re giving ourselves a realistic 2-year timeline from the date the application is received by U.S. immigration. This should give us enough time to plan accordingly, but we want to make sure we’re taking the right steps to avoid unnecessary setbacks. Any insights or suggestions from those who have navigated this process would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your help! Additional questions: -For the police background check and the panel doctor exams, should we do this first and submit these items all together or should we wait to submit them until they are requested? -If we proceed with the I-130 route, am I the one who will fill out the information and add the sponsor (my family member living in the states) document to the application? -Will the sponsor need to accompany us to the interview when that date is set? -Since we live in Canada, do we get to chose the office to process our application or will that automatically be chosen based on us living in Canada? (I'd like it to be processed in Pittsburgh, PA but that might not be an option) -What are the general timelines for the I-130 from the date that it is received, to the interview, to approval? How many months after an approval is sent do we have to move to the US? The below lists are for information to submit with the I-130 application. However, if we need to go a different route then the below might not be relevant. Either way, here are my lists: I am planning on submitting the following for our relationship documentation: -photos of family events, vacations, our wedding, time with our kids, etc. -screen captures of text messages and/or emails -marriage license/certificate from Canada -marriage vowel renewal certificate from our church in the US -birth certificates of our children -joint bills/statements that have our names on the same form -mortgage statement -affidavit letter from our priest in Pittsburgh, PA (we are looking to move in that area) -affidavit letters from friends Financial documentation: -US and Canada bank statements for me and my husband -tax filing information for the US and Canada -business plan for my husband and the company he would like to start once he moves. Along with proven track record of work completed in Canada (not sure if this is needed but we will have this ready) -US based sponsor financials/forms (if needed) -paystubs and employment letter from my current US employer -retirement plan information -liquid assets (if needed) Documentation for my identity: (not sure what I need to submit but I have all this info ready to go) -US passport -US birth certificate -Canadian driver's license -expired US driver's licenses (yep, I kept mine) -Baptismal certificate -Tax forms (I have filed every year since moving to Canada... how many forms should I send) -employment letter from current US based employer (I freelance for them while living in Canada) -HS report cards/transcripts -University transcripts -University diplomas and awards -US banking information Documentation for my husband's identity: (not sure what I need to submit but I have all this info ready to go) -Canadian passport -European birth certificate (with original translation) -Canadian citizenship documentation -Baptismal certificate -First holy communion certificate -Canadian driver's license

Hi Everyone, I've been looking over this forum and I'm glad that there is a community who is looking out for each other. This year I have finally decided to apply for my children's American citizenship. We are in Canada and I will be applying for the N600K application online. I'm a measure 3 times and cut once kind of person so I did a dry run of the application by printing it out and filling out the information prior to the online application so I could become familiar with the information they will be requesting I fill out. In addition, I have spent countless hours locating and scanning all important documents and ensuring I have a payment method that is acceptable the USCIS. Here is what I know about the N600K application: -You must set up a separate account for each child -N600K is for children 18 years of age or younger -Fees can be filled out online -Make sure that your Child's name is the profile name and not your own -Processing times are a lot longer than there were 2 months ago What I need to know prior to filling out the application: -I set up the first profile and now I have no idea where to go to start the process. How do I find the N600K application in the portal? -I was told that when you have multiple children that the filed offices will most likely take all the kids at one time. Is that true? If so, how can I indicate that I have more than one child with an application? -How much documentation is too much? I have report cards from grade school, ID cards (driver's licenses, child ID, passports, etc), college transcripts, baptismal certificates, marriage certificates, my first and last pay stub from my previous employer along with a letter of employment, dean's list certificates, grade school/high school/college diplomas, SS info, etc... my mom kept a lot of items for me. I have way more than enough to show that I lived in the US for over 30 years and I don't want to bombard the agents but I don't want to leave anything out. -At the end of the application, will I be asked to input my credit card information or is that through a different portion of the portal? I don't want to have any gaps. -Will USCIS chose the closest office for my kid's applications to be processed through or can I choose that? I would like to have a specific office since it is closest to my family. Assistance on the N600K application (ONLINE): -I will not need assistance with any other individuals applying for me. I was and still am a US citizen and I have plenty qualifying information and documentation to showcase this. However, do I need to show any information regarding my parents and family who still live in the US? -At the beginning of the application it is asking for the "Child's A-Number", what is this? -Where do I find the "USCIS Online Account Number" or since this is my first time applying will I have one/need one? -Since I live in Canada, will I need to fill out State or Zip Code fields in the online form? I have been reading up on the application Do's and Don'ts and it said something about filling out these with your province as the state and 00000 as the zip code. Is this the case with the online form? -Speaking of filling out information properly, if I do not have information for certain sections will I need to include "N/A" or "Not Applicable"? I have heard that you should not leave any section blank. -My husband is not a US citizen, will I need to provide information or upload documents to verify his identity (passport, driver's license, etc) Once we have completed and been approved for our kids to have their citizenship, we are then going to go through the process of moving to the US. My husband is not a citizen and we are going through different options for all of us to move seamlessly. We have been looking into the green card application (out of country of course), and an E2 visa as he would like to run his own business once we move. Does anyone have any advice on what we should apply for in order for all of us to move down together? We don't know if it would be better to apply for an E2, move and then apply for a green card or to apply for the green card (through marriage) and then move. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all and I look forward to hearing your suggestions and getting this process started.