I-130 help!

[Kattie 0]

I am currently putting together all the forms needed for I-130 for my Irish husband. We have been married 3 years and live in Ireland. I have lived here for the last 5 years. Any advice on what could speed up the process? I am overwhelmed by All of this, what should my next step after filing this form? How long is the whole process and can my husband come live with me in states while I-130 is in progress. K-3?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[danzz 11]

Someone may correct me but I believe Ireland has DCF, it shouldn't take that long. And no he needs his visa BEFORE going to the states to live with you.

[GlobeHopperMama 95]

Unfortunately Dublin doesn't have a USCIS international office so you can't do DCF there, but if you file to the Chicago Lockbox using your address abroad (for you, the petitioner), you're likely to experience expedited processing (see this thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/357465-usc-petitioner-living-abroad/). This could result in petition approval in under a month in the best case, and then your case goes onward to the NVC. If you use all the tips and shortcuts found around here, and gather all your vital docs while the petition is processing or before, then you should be able to get through the NVC stage rapidly (under a month) and get in the queue for an immigrant visa interview at Dublin. There are always perils here and there, and with immigration, processing times are never particularly guaranteed, so it could take longer, but in a good scenario, that's what you're likely to experience. K3 visa is virtually obsolete now, the I-129f petitions are generally being rejected once the I-130 is approved (which normally happens first) and really wouldn't result in getting your husband to the US much faster. Plus with the additional expense and extra filing requirements alongside the inability to work or get a driver's license until filing the adjustment of status packet in the US, it's hardly a good choice for most people even if it were theoretically possible to get still.

Edited August 28, 2012 by GlobeHopperMama

[Jasontnyc 9]

Kattie,

My situation is almost identical to yours so see my signature below. It is pretty quick (compared to other situations) and relatively pain free. Just a lot of paperwork of course! I have used the guides here and that has made it a lot easier.

Proof of domicile (intent) will be your biggest hurdle so get to work on that right away.

[pushbrk 13,507]

I am currently putting together all the forms needed for I-130 for my Irish husband. We have been married 3 years and live in Ireland. I have lived here for the last 5 years. Any advice on what could speed up the process? I am overwhelmed by All of this, what should my next step after filing this form? How long is the whole process and can my husband come live with me in states while I-130 is in progress. K-3?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

You have good answers already. K3 is obsolete. Don't give it another thought.

[rofly83 0]

Just embarking on the visa journey myself - I'm Irish, my wife is a USC. We've lived together here in Dublin last 3 years, and just tied the knot a couple of weeks ago.

Compiling all out paperwork for the I-130 at the moment. A few last bits of info to gather (need to figure out where to get documents certified) Reading other people's experiences and advice here is very helpful!

I've a couple of questions if anyone can offer their wisdom.

• Do we also need to submit an I-485, or is that just is we are currently in the US?
  
• How much personal info do you include to show a bonafide relationship?
  

We applied for and were given De Facto relationship status by the Irish Gov last year, which was a somewhat similar process, but I imagine the I-130 process is more in-depth. My wife and I have been living together for a few years, but don't share a bank account or have joint bills, so our papertrail is sparse enough.

[Jasontnyc 9]

• Do we also need to submit an I-485, or is that just is we are currently in the US?
  
• How much personal info do you include to show a bonafide relationship?
  

We applied for and were given De Facto relationship status by the Irish Gov last year, which was a somewhat similar process, but I imagine the I-130 process is more in-depth. My wife and I have been living together for a few years, but don't share a bank account or have joint bills, so our papertrail is sparse enough.

1.) The I-485 does not apply if the benifitiary is living abroad - The I-130 (CR1) is the right form in your situation

2.) Not too much. You will read about people submitting packages weighing 5 pounds full of relationship proof. This is really for countries where there is more scrutiny and typically they have met their husband/wife once in person after dating online. They typically provide Skype, IM etc proof. In your situation, you live together and have for many years. I provided my marriage cert, one document with both our names on it (was our mortgage) and our childrens birth certs. If you are living together, you are probably both on a lease/mortgage right? Can you get added to at least one bill so you are both on it? (ESB, etc)You could put a few pictures in your packet but 4 or 5 showing the extend of your time together would be fine.

I said it already in this thread, its a pretty straight forward process for a petitioner (USC) and beneficiary (Irish Citizen) living together in a Western European country.

[rofly83 0]

Thanks Jason, that's really helpful info.

We have bills and lease agreements in both our names so that should satisfy them.

Also thanks for sharing your timeline in such detail in your sig, it's very encouraging.

You started your process in July and seem to be within a couple of weeks of completion already; all within 3 months!I had anticipated the process from application > Chicago Lockbox > NVC > Dublin Embassy to take closer to 8 months.

Is the NVC the same as a regional Service Centre (e.g. California, Texas, Nebraska, Vermont USCIS processing centres) - I'm a bit confused by some of the lingo surrounding all this!

Edited October 8, 2012 by rofly83

[Jasontnyc 9]

Thanks Jason, that's really helpful info.

We have bills and lease agreements in both our names so that should satisfy them.

Also thanks for sharing your timeline in such detail in your sig, it's very encouraging.

You started your process in July and seem to be within a couple of weeks of completion already; all within 3 months!I had anticipated the process from application > Chicago Lockbox > NVC > Dublin Embassy to take closer to 8 months.

Is the NVC the same as a regional Service Centre (e.g. California, Texas, Nebraska, Vermont USCIS processing centres) - I'm a bit confused by some of the lingo surrounding all this!

One thing to note - there has been some weird going ons in the service centers so the time frames for those abroad may be a bit longer.

Basically you apply first to the USCIS via the Chicago lockbox and they then send it to a processing center. Recently it went to CSC (California) for those applying from abroad. Recently there has been an increase in the number of VISA applications (potentially due to new eligibility in the US) which has seen many applications transferred to centers that haven't been seen before. A quick search for NBC (Missouri) will give you an idea about it. This is completely different from the National VISA Center (NVC).

Basically you submit your I-130 to USCIS and when they approve it, it is sent to the NVC - You submit your AOS (Affadavit of Support) and IV packet (Beneficiary info) to the NVC. If they approve it (case complete), they work with the Embassy to schedule your appointment.

My advise would be to understand the stage you are at really really well and just look at the documentation requirements of the stages to follow. In your case, start thinking about your police certificate (really easy in Ireland - feel free to ask me more in a personal message), US domicile intent (perhaps the hardest), and vaccinations.

Its very hard to explain the process without making it seem overwhelming but it really is pretty straight forward if you read as much as you can here and ask lots of very specific questions.

[rofly83 0]

Thanks for all the tips Jason. I've copied your sig format to detail my road from here.

We've gotten out I-130 in and are now looking ahead to the next steps. Just starting to look into the Affadavit of Support and Beneficiary info areas which seem to be the next phases. I'll be reading up on these over the next few days - any tips you have from your recent experiences greatly appreciated!

One thing I'm not certain about in this process is whether my spouse and I will need to show financial details as part of our application. As it stand I tend to support her here in Ireland, so we would not be able to show that she has the means to support me in the US if I was not eligible for work, though I think that may only be required for a K1.

Apologies to Kattie, the OP - I have slightly hijacked this thread. How is your own visa journey coming?

[pushbrk 13,507]

Thanks for all the tips Jason. I've copied your sig format to detail my road from here.

We've gotten out I-130 in and are now looking ahead to the next steps. Just starting to look into the Affadavit of Support and Beneficiary info areas which seem to be the next phases. I'll be reading up on these over the next few days - any tips you have from your recent experiences greatly appreciated!

One thing I'm not certain about in this process is whether my spouse and I will need to show financial details as part of our application. As it stand I tend to support her here in Ireland, so we would not be able to show that she has the means to support me in the US if I was not eligible for work, though I think that may only be required for a K1.

Apologies to Kattie, the OP - I have slightly hijacked this thread. How is your own visa journey coming?

You might want to edit that, as no Irish Consulate will have anything to do with your process. Your visa interview will be at a US Embassy. In many other countries the interview would be at a US Consulate. Just as there are no US Consulates in the USA, there are no Irish Consulates in Ireland.

Edited October 27, 2012 by pushbrk

[Penguin_ie 5,999]

Yes the financial support is a must=- no visa will be given without.

She can either sponsor you with assets (3 times as much as the 125% income poverty line for your household size, so if it's just the two of you about $60'000), or you can get a co-sponsor; a US based US citizen or greencard holder who will stand guarantoor for you.