And now, in reverse

[Johnnynero 0]

Well, here we are, back again! Becky moved from Adelaide, Australia in 2005 and all was great - Visajourney was a GREAT help! We just had our first baby (a boy, born just 4 weeks ago!), and are about to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. We couldn't be happier...

Except...

We want to move to Austraila. I've been there a few times and absolutely fell in love with Adelaide; what's not to love? Family, Friends, etc and now here I am again, asking for the best advice around.

What's the easiest way to do this? I've heard apply for the visa while we're still here and I've heard go there and apply.

Help.

I see some old friends are still here and even more new ones... I'm sure this topic has come up before but since I've been away for so long... Does that make me a newbie all over again?

[Dan J 277]

Well, here we are, back again! Becky moved from Adelaide, Australia in 2005 and all was great - Visajourney was a GREAT help! We just had our first baby (a boy, born just 4 weeks ago!), and are about to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. We couldn't be happier...

Except...

We want to move to Austraila. I've been there a few times and absolutely fell in love with Adelaide; what's not to love? Family, Friends, etc and now here I am again, asking for the best advice around.

What's the easiest way to do this? I've heard apply for the visa while we're still here and I've heard go there and apply.

Help.

I see some old friends are still here and even more new ones... I'm sure this topic has come up before but since I've been away for so long... Does that make me a newbie all over again?

I would assume you are looking for this site: http://www.immi.gov.au/immigration.htm

Australia does allow for dual citizenship. So if you want to make it easier for you and your wife to travel between the US and Australia you may want to wait until your wife is eligible for citizenship. If she spends more than a year outside of the US, she may loose her permanent resident status.

[Johnnynero 0]

Yep, looked through there... I was confused, though, on what would be the "best" way to go... either file for my visa HERE or file for it THERE while we're living there...

We'd likely wait until Becky's been here long enough to get her permanent green card anyway, but figuring how long it took us before, I thought it would be a good idea to start the process as soon as possible.

Is there anyone else here that's done the same type of thing?

[Dan J 277]

Yep, looked through there... I was confused, though, on what would be the "best" way to go... either file for my visa HERE or file for it THERE while we're living there...

We'd likely wait until Becky's been here long enough to get her permanent green card anyway, but figuring how long it took us before, I thought it would be a good idea to start the process as soon as possible.

Is there anyone else here that's done the same type of thing?

She can loose her permanent green card by basically moving to Australia and staying there for more than a year. She will be eligible for citizenship 3 years after receiving her conditional green card. If you ever plan to come back, thats the only way you can avoid going through the visa process again.

http://www.path2usa.com/immigration/greenc...ergreencard.htm

[Johnnynero 0]

Thanks.

I did read where she'll need to have a re-entry permit that would basically be good for two years... She doesn't plan on becoming a US Citizen regardless - she'd have to give up her Australian Citizenship and she doesn't want to do that. She can be a permenant resident without giving that up.

It does seem a bit confusing - surprise, surprise. Again, that's why we're getting started on this now. Are there any Aussies that have done this and if so, how did they go about it?

[Dan J 277]

Thanks.

I did read where she'll need to have a re-entry permit that would basically be good for two years... She doesn't plan on becoming a US Citizen regardless - she'd have to give up her Australian Citizenship and she doesn't want to do that. She can be a permenant resident without giving that up.

It does seem a bit confusing - surprise, surprise. Again, that's why we're getting started on this now. Are there any Aussies that have done this and if so, how did they go about it?

You missed a couple points, both the US and Australia allow for dual citizenship. Both of you, if you take the time to do it, could have citizenship in both countries.

Can I become a citizen of another country without losing my Australian citizenship?

Yes, provided the other citizenship is acquired after 4 April 2002.

Prior to 4 April 2002, Section 17 of the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 provided that adult Australians who did "any act or thing- the sole or dominant purpose of which, and the effect of which, is to acquire the nationality or citizenship of a foreign country shall upon acquisition cease to be an Australian citizen".

Any children under 18 also lost their citizenship, unless their other parent was an Australian citizen.

Section 17 did not apply to those who acquired another citizenship automatically or simply obtained a passport of a country of which they were already a citizen.

Further information on dual citizenship, Australian passports and consular assistance is available from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

http://www.citizenship.gov.au/automatic-ci...dual-citz.htm#b

Simply establishing permanent residence outside of the US is enough to loose PR status in the US. In order to keep PR status in the US for those two years, you would basically need to keep a permanent address within the US.