CR-1 Visa - Stationed in Germany and Wife is UK citizen

[Dibbs31 0]

Hello,

I am currently about halfway through a 24 month tour in Germany with the Army. My wife is a UK citizen and she is NOT command-sponsored as she spends part of her time in Germany/UK. I leave in less than a year so command sponsorship is not feasible at this point since you have to have a year of retainability, therefore she is not on my orders for Germany.

Our petition has already been approved and we are close to getting all the documents together to send to the NVC. I am scheduled to PCS to the United States in October or November.

If we are approved at the interview and the Permanent Resident Card expires prior to my PCS back to the United States, are we allowed to enter the United States due to my military assignment in Germany? Or should we wait to turn in the documents and have the interview a few months before my scheduled PCS so the Permanent Resident Card would still be valid?

We would like to get everything to of the way but also do not want to get through the process too quickly if the Permanent Resident Card will expire prior to my PCS and my wife is not allowed to enter the US.

Appreciate any help!

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Hello,

I am currently about halfway through a 24 month tour in Germany with the Army. My wife is a UK citizen and she is NOT command-sponsored as she spends part of her time in Germany/UK. I leave in less than a year so command sponsorship is not feasible at this point since you have to have a year of retainability, therefore she is not on my orders for Germany.

Our petition has already been approved and we are close to getting all the documents together to send to the NVC. I am scheduled to PCS to the United States in October or November.

If we are approved at the interview and the Permanent Resident Card expires prior to my PCS back to the United States, are we allowed to enter the United States due to my military assignment in Germany? Or should we wait to turn in the documents and have the interview a few months before my scheduled PCS so the Permanent Resident Card would still be valid?

We would like to get everything to of the way but also do not want to get through the process too quickly if the Permanent Resident Card will expire prior to my PCS and my wife is not allowed to enter the US.

Appreciate any help!

Sorry I don't know anything military, but I want to correct something for you. Your wife will not get a permanent resident card following her interview in London. She will get a visa that is good for use to enter the U.S. for six months from the date of her medical exam. When she enters the US on the visa, she becomes a permanent resident. You can stall getting your documents to NVC. Once complete there, NVC will stall a bit then assign your interview date about a months off. In that time she is supposed to go get her medical exam prior to the interview date.

Some stalling ideas for that London part are:

1) contact the embassy and ask to reschedule the interview based on your timeline in Germany. It's a good reason to reschedule. You might even ask for a specific month that works for you. Meanwhile,don't go to the medical until closer to the interview. Remember you have six months from the medical to use the visa, so an April medical and interview would get you to October. Plan accordingly.

2) take the interview you get, but don't go to the medical. They will do the interview but will say you are pending getting those medical results in. Delay getting them in.

#1 is the most logical and controllable if you get through NVC too fast.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Nich-Nick

[Dibbs31 0]

Sorry I don't know anything military, but I want to correct something for you. Your wife will not get a permanent resident card following her interview in London. She will get a visa that is good for use to enter the U.S. for six months from the date of her medical exam. When she enters the US on the visa, she becomes a permanent resident. You can stall getting your documents to NVC. Once complete there, NVC will stall a bit then assign your interview date about a months off. In that time she is supposed to go get her medical exam prior to the interview date.

Some stalling ideas for that London part are:

1) contact the embassy and ask to reschedule the interview based on your timeline in Germany. It's a good reason to reschedule. You might even ask for a specific month that works for you. Meanwhile,don't go to the medical until closer to the interview. Remember you have six months from the medical to use the visa, so an April medical and interview would get you to October. Plan accordingly.

2) take the interview you get, but don't go to the medical. They will do the interview but will say you are pending getting those medical results in. Delay getting them in.

#1 is the most logical and controllable if you get through NVC too fast.

Appreciate the clarification and advice. I hate sitting back and waiting but I guess it's for the best.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Appreciate the clarification and advice. I hate sitting back and waiting but I guess it's for the best.

The NVC part is not that fast...several months so you won't have to stall a lot. Just leisurely trickle things in.

[Darnell 8,478]

You can go slow at nvc if you deem it neccesary.

2 things, 1 year per thing, can be at nvc for 2 years, if you so choose.

[Khal_Drogo 50]

Quick question, could you possibly extend?
I would explore that possibility first before all others.

[Dibbs31 0]

Quick question, could you possibly extend?

I would explore that possibility first before all others.

Actually, I curtailed my tour by a year because I need to go to an Army school to get re-aligned with the necessary career progression timeline. At this point, extending is not an option and we will just have to take our time getting all the paperwork in.