After the K-1 - best long-term options?

[gaiaslastlaugh 1]

Hello all!

First, a quick introduction. I met my fiancee Aya earlier this year via a language exchange forum, and after spending a wonderful month together in Japan in April, I proposed. We just kicked off our K-1 process, and I received the NOA1 and notice of transfer from Texas to California this week. We're both very excited!!

So far, the process has been fine, and I don't have a lot of questions about that. My questions come in around what we do AFTER we are married. I'm still actively raising my kids from a previous marriage, so we've decided to spend the next six years or so in America until they're grown and set in their life trajectories. However, after that (around 2021 or so), we plan to return to Tokyo. I've always wanted to live in Japan (I speak upper-intermediate Japanese already), and with my skill set, transferring wouldn't be an issue.

My question: Do we still want to go down the permanent residency path in the US so that Aya can continue to live and work here for the next six years? Would that complicate anything wrt our plans to return to Japan eventually? It seems like our only option, but I wanted to make sure it was the most sensible one.

Thanks!

-J-

[usmsbow 795]

If you want her to be able to work in the US, and be able to leave and come back, you have to go down the PR path. it shouldn't complicate anything with your plans to return to Japan eventually.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Hi,

To live and work in the U.S. for the next 6 years, your wife will need permanent residency. She will need to file to adjust her status to get a 2 years conditional green card (permanent residency). She will need to file to remove the condition on her green card before it expires. Follow the Guides on this website.

Her legal residency has nothing to do with you going to Japan. One has zero affect on the other.

Best of luck

[TBoneTX 43,058]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the General Immigration Discussion forum -- topic is more general than about K-1 specifically. ***

[Penguin_ie 5,985]

Your best bet is permanent residency for her, followed by US citizenship after she had her greencard for 3 years. Once she is a US citizen, she can live abroad as long as she wants and still return.

[gaiaslastlaugh 1]

Your best bet is permanent residency for her, followed by US citizenship after she had her greencard for 3 years. Once she is a US citizen, she can live abroad as long as she wants and still return.

We don't want her to get citizenship. Japanese citizens can't hold dual citizenship, which would certainly complicate our plans to return to the country.

Sounds like permanent residency with occasional renewal of status is the way to go. Thanks all!