Okay, what do I do?

[G&Mhk 1]

I am a U.S. citizen in Hong Kong married to a Filipino citizen. I plan on moving back to America as soon as my wife's visa is ready.

However, I am overwhelmed by my options.

What is my fastest, simplest option to get my wife back to America? I plan on staying in Hong Kong during the process.

I have not changed my permanent U.S. address.

We got married on April 20. Is it possible to get all the paperwork done and get home to America by Christmas or am I being too optimistic?

Thank you.

[Ms Hogan 295]

Read the guides and get to work. Collect the documents you need and get started. I don't know if there is DCF there or not but I would suggest going to the forums that are region-specific so you can ask others who are in Hong Kong how they have faired.

[Natsukiii 35]

I am in the same boat as you OP. My wife is a Filipino citizen and I am a Filipino-American. We are about to submit our paperwork through our attorney and are hoping that everything gets approved in time for Christmas. My attorney says that the earliest possible time frame would be 4-5 months. However, most petitions take 6-8 months assuming everything is in order and the workload of your service center is not backed up. Keep us updated - I wish you and your wife the best of luck!

Edited April 29, 2013 by eMac

[G&Mhk 1]

Thanks emac. I wish you good luck too. I have to ask: why did you decide to go with an attorney and not file yourself?

[Natsukiii 35]

Thanks emac. I wish you good luck too. I have to ask: why did you decide to go with an attorney and not file yourself?

No problem! Thank you as well!

Well, I reviewed the forms and read the guides on this website. Self-filing seems easy, however, the repercussions of making an error can delay the petition. My wife and I can't afford a delay as our goal is to get her here by Christmas.

So basically, I hired an attorney (one that has experience filing CR-1 visa for his wife) to make sure that every form is completed correctly and in an organized manner. Our attorney is also available for any questions or concerns. What's great about our attorney is that he answers his own phone and is available 24/7. This helps alleviate a lot of the stress and anxiety my wife and I have with the whole petition process.

[G&Mhk 1]

So basically, I hired an attorney (one that has experience filing CR-1 visa for his wife) to make sure that every form is completed correctly and in an organized manner. Our attorney is also available for any questions or concerns. What's great about our attorney is that he answers his own phone and is available 24/7. This helps alleviate a lot of the stress and anxiety my wife and I have with the whole petition process.

Can you e-mail me the name and price of that attorney?

[NikLR 13,220]

Unless you have some issues or don't want to do the work, you likely can get through this without an attorney. However, if there are prior convictions, visa denials etc... You may want to look into one. Or if you just don't have the time or inclination to do it on your own or have trouble with forms.

Even if you choose an attorney, read the guides. They tell you everything you want to know. As long as you don't put your US address on anything with the I-130 petition package, you likely will get through the USCIS stage in 2-3 months TOPS. Most get through it in a month or two. The NVC stage is a bit longer, but you can stay on top of it with phone calls. The hard part there is shipping everything to the NVC in the USA. I'm not sure you qualify for EP through Hong Kong even though it's part of China.

[G&Mhk 1]

As long as you don't put your US address on anything with the I-130 petition package, you likely will get through the USCIS stage in 2-3 months TOPS.

Thanks for the info.

Why do you say that? Technically, my permanent address is still in the United States. I never changed my permanent address and I'm just in Hong Kong on a work visa.

[Boggy1974 124]

My attorney says that the earliest possible time frame would be 4-5 months. However, most petitions take 6-8 months assuming everything is in order and the workload of your service center.

This is the first redflag about most immigration attorneys - embellishing timeline for the process and thereby giving unrealistic expectations.

[NikLR 13,220]

Thanks for the info.

Why do you say that? Technically, my permanent address is still in the United States. I never changed my permanent address and I'm just in Hong Kong on a work visa.

You live there right? Use that address. Otherwise your petition is sent to the local office of your US address vs being adjudicated at the NBC. Use the US information to show proof of reestablishing domicile once you get to the NVC stage.

At a local office a petition will generally take from 4 to 10 months (can be more) and that is before the NVC document intake. That is not a total time to interview, just the petition.

Edited April 29, 2013 by NikiR

[Natsukiii 35]

This is the first redflag about most immigration attorneys - embellishing timeline for the process and thereby giving unrealistic expectations.

He didn't guarantee her petition to be approved within a certain time frame. He gave time frames that you can actually find on the internet and even on this site. We didn't hire him for the time frames, we hired him to ensure our paperwork is done correctly and in an organized manner. We want to make sure there are no RFE's that could cause a delay.

Edited April 29, 2013 by eMac