[piglett]

well i have a question. my wife should have her CR1 visa in hand by the 1st week of april. i figured she would need 2 or 3 weeks to get everything straight there in manila & she would then get on the plane & arrive +/- May 1st. here is the question....... as of June 6th we will have been married 2 years. do we wait 36 extra days for her to arrive so she can get the 10 year green card?

here is the thing, money is tight & if she waits till June to arrive she will not have her SS# till around July 1st. that is a really bad time of the year to be looking for work in my area. however if she arrives on Mat 1st she can start looking for a job in town & probably be working by June 1st. they are always looking to add summer help at the many little shops downtown here, so what do i do?

yes we will live if she doesn't end up finding work rite away, however it would be so much better if she found something even if it was just for the summer. doing so would allow us to save most of her wages which could be used to pay for many of the costs for her to get her nursing licence here in our state.
i wouldn't expect her to be working as a nurse for 6 to 12 months & i know there are a bunch of fees that will have to be paid before that happens.

between my wife's little brothers school cost that i am paying for the money my wife needs to live while still living in manila & the visa fees i am finding it hard to save up that cash that i really wanted to have on hand for us to start our new life together.



thanks for your input
piglett




PS: i don't borrow money & i have done this whole process including paying for 2 trips to the pI with cash.

[sjr09]

It boils down to simple economics, if you want to save money to start your new life. You can’t get around supporting your wife or the visa fees. That leaves little bro school on the back burner for now.

[Vanessa&Tony]

Look at it this way

- Get 10 year card. No ROC in 2 years. No need to REMEMBER to ROC in 2 years. Save $590 in processing fees.

- Get 2 year card. ROC in 2 years (don't forget or she looses her status and she can get deported). Cost around $590 in fees

You claim that one way she'll be able to work sooner. Another won't. Either way she's eligible to start working on entry. Either way she might NOT get a job for some time.

Personally I would get the 10 year card. Immigration wise she would basically be totally free. She would only need to apply for USC (if she wants to) in 3 years from arriving. Otherwise she's a non-conditional permanent resident.

She can use the time she's looking for a job to get her drivers licence, learn her way around and get settled in. In the meantime very little stress immigration wise. Pretty dandy start to life in the US really.

[piglett]

It boils down to simple economics, if you want to save money to start your new life. You can’t get around supporting your wife or the visa fees. That leaves little bro school on the back burner for now.

well your correct one way or another my wife has to eat & have a roof over her head.
the school fees are not all that bad however they are not helping my budget here at home.
he only has 1 more year & he is DONE !!!!

if i can just keep throwing enough money into the fire to keep it all going for another year i'm good to go. i guess time will tell.


piglett

Edited by piglett, 19 February 2012 - 01:34 AM.

[piglett]

Look at it this way

- Get 10 year card. No ROC in 2 years. No need to REMEMBER to ROC in 2 years. Save $590 in processing fees.

- Get 2 year card. ROC in 2 years (don't forget or she looses her status and she can get deported). Cost around $590 in fees

You claim that one way she'll be able to work sooner. Another won't. Either way she's eligible to start working on entry. Either way she might NOT get a job for some time.

Personally I would get the 10 year card. Immigration wise she would basically be totally free. She would only need to apply for USC (if she wants to) in 3 years from arriving. Otherwise she's a non-conditional permanent resident.

She can use the time she's looking for a job to get her drivers licence, learn her way around and get settled in. In the meantime very little stress immigration wise. Pretty dandy start to life in the US really.

i guess both ways have their good & bad points.
if it was 6 months or a year i would just say "get on the plane"
she could make the $590 in just 2 or 3 weeks of working ....but i just don't know the rite answer


piglett

[Vanessa&Tony]

i guess both ways have their good & bad points.
if it was 6 months or a year i would just say "get on the plane"
she could make the $590 in just 2 or 3 weeks of working ....but i just don't know the rite answer

Either way she is here legally. Getting the 10 year card is something a LOT of people would do because it means not having to worry about immigration for 10 years (or ever again really because you don't lose legal status when the 10 year card expires).

There is no "right" answer. But there are two qn's that should help:

1. If she doesn't get work immediately (or until after the date she would have gotten the 10 year card), would you regret giving up the easy shot at the 10 year card?

2. If she enters to get the 10 year card, will you be forever kicking yourself and blaming yourself for taking the extra month to get the 10 year card? Does the 10 year card mean enough to you that a lack of job for several months wouldn't have you upset with yourselves?

There is no guarantee either way that she will get a job by a certain time but you seem convinced she will have the best chance at a job coming before the 2 year card which leads me to believe that you WOULD be upset with yourselves if you came later and didn't get a job right away. You would wonder if she would have got the job if she had arrived earlier. It sounds to me like you have already decided coming early and getting a better chance at a job asap is the way you want to go but you feel bad for giving up the shot at the 10 year card.

Like i said before. The only real difference is the ROC feel and the need to remember to ROC in 2 years (I will admit I think about my need to ROC and the date my window opens often... just so i don't risk forgetting). If work is important (and sometimes that means getting used to life here quicker) then come early. If money isn't an issue though i'd gladly give up a job for months so I could ignore immigration for years and years (which is why I'm applying for USC as soon as my window opens.

[Kathryn41]

Topic has been moved from the AOS file as it concerns the timing of entry in relationship to having to Remove Conditions or not having to Remove Conditions and is a better fit in this forum.

[Mr.&Mrs.Smith]

we´ve lived together before my J1 visa expired and i had to go back to my homecountry. we got married a couple months later and filed the I-130 right away. well, we got denied and refiled in august 2011. we´ve been waiting for the approval for almost 6 months now. the nvc takes 1-3 months and then we have to get an interview appointment. the way it looks now I´ll probably not get the visa before june 2011. which would mean i could wait for almost 6 months and enter the US after our 2nd anniversary. if I get the visa late enough I´m not planning on entering before our 2nd anniversary. simply because I´m done dealing with uscis!

BUT i have a job in my homecountry, i live at my parents place and don´t have to pay rent. so i can save up money for my new live with my husband. the money i´d make in those 6 months would be more that what a visit or 2 would cost us. so it would also pay off financially if i satyed in my homecountry. we´ve been apart for such a long time now. a couple more months don´t really matter anymore at this point. as long as we know we´ll be together forever after those 6 months!!!

in the end you have to make the right decision for your wife and yourself. financially and emotionally.

[bigdog]

i vote for the 10 year card, why revisit the GC hassle in two years, or 85 days less than 2 years.

[sheeshkabelle]

WE are kind of in the same situation.
It's been 8 months since NOA1 with no site of our NOA2 in the near future. Once we get the NOA2, go through NVC, schedule the medical and interview in Montreal; we could be very close to our 2 year anniversary in June.
If he gets his visa, Hubby still has to quit his job, tie up loose end in Canada, and wishes to take a week to see his grandparents before he leaves the country. Again, it will probably be mid-June before everything is done.
We have decided if he is not scheduled for an interview by April, we will wait until after our two year anniversary so he can get the 10 year GC and be done with USCIS for a good long time!

I graduate in May. I plan on going to Canada to be with him/help pack/move. I don't care if I have to spend the entire 180days I'm allowed in the country. I've decided I am NOT leaving Canada with out my husband!

[AmberOctober]

I'd definitely wait and get a 10-yr GC. You'd avoid so much headache with collecting and preparing documents, not to mention save money on ROC.
In August they start actively hiring people and get ready for the holidays (meaning places like stores, hotels, etc.). She might find something temporary if she's not too picky or if your finances are tight.

[Dana-Mića]

I would definatly wait to get the 10 year green card. My husbands visa would of expired a day after aniversary which would of meant he would of had to wait exactly 6 months and thats why we opted out but if it was a month like yours i would of had him wait

[piglett]

well thanks to everyone for making a bunch of good points. i'm sure there is a bunch of stuff laying around the house that i don't use that i can put on ebay if money gets real tight.when things get better i can then buy better stuff.
so i'm starting to like the looks of the 10 year GC. i'll show my other 1/2 this thread & I will find out her feeling on this subject




thanks
piglett

[piglett]

It boils down to simple economics, if you want to save money to start your new life. You can’t get around supporting your wife or the visa fees. That leaves little bro school on the back burner for now.

i'll keep little brother going for as long as i can
p22,000 a quarter isn't all that bad, but if my bills start to pile up here he mite be out of luck to be honest.


thanks
piglett

[Vanessa&Tony]

We have decided if he is not scheduled for an interview by April, we will wait until after our two year anniversary so he can get the 10 year GC and be done with USCIS for a good long time!

There are 2 ways to get the 10 year card. Either having the visa approved after the 2 years OR entering the US after the 2 years.