Filing I-130 From Sweden: a few questions

[wtfika 1]

I am a USC that has been living abroad in Sweden for almost three years now. I moved here and underwent the popular 'sambo visa' process that allowed me to live/work here legally with my (then boyfriend, now) husband. We have decided to move to the United States and so we're trying to prepare for this entire process. As we do not have a USCIS presence in Sweden and we do not qualify for a special exception for the DCF filing, we'll be filing abroad through the Chicago Lockbox. I don't want to give any reasons whatsoever, however small or slight they may be, for our application to be rejected and so I have a few questions about the process.

On form I-130, Section C, #17 it asks to list the spouse and children of my relative; I am his spouse, do I put myself here or just leave it blank? (This may be a silly question but I don't want to omit/include anything that may cause a problem in processing.) A few questions down, for question #21, it asks for the last address at which we lived together. We currently live together in an apartment that we rented together, but our previous residence was rented by him and him alone before I moved here, I just moved in with him and was never added onto the lease. Which address do they want us to list here? Our current, or the one before this?

For the form I-864, I will need a co-sponsor since I do not work in the United States. Many people in my family have offered to do this, is there a 'best' person to choose for this or should I pick whomever makes the most money? My parents would be the best choice since they make the most money. However, my husband and I will be living with my sister when we come to the US and so does it matter at all if my mom co-sponsors but has a different address? I fill out the I-864, but then does my co-sponsor (whomever it is) fill out an additional I-864? I know you can have additional sponsors by filing the I-864A, but does having more sponsors provide any sort of benefits to our case? And on the forms it says "sponsor's household", does this mean family? We will be living with my sister and her husband (both of whom have offered to co-sponsor), but my parents have also offered to co-sponsor but they obviously have their own home in another city.

I looked at the IR1/CR1 guide here on this website but nowhere in the process was the I-485 listed. I thought this was part of the process, or is it not? The only reason I ask (aside from wanting to be prepared) is so I know how much the entire process is going to cost us.

Thanks to anyone who's able to help me out, I really appreciate it.

[mallafri76 1,012]

Hi and welcome to visajourney. You should come join us Scandinavians over at the Scandinavian forum:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/185-scandinavians/page-213

We also have a pretty active facebook group.

First off, brace for a long and bureaucratic process. It's nothing like the easy process you went through for you being able to move to Sweden.

On q 17 you put your name, as you are the intending immigrant's spouse.

On q 21 you put the address you live on together now.

The i-864 is for later, for the NVC stage, which is about five to six months down the line. No, there's not really any "best person" to be joint sponsor but if you're gonna live with your sister and her husband, I would go with them. They would then need to meet the poverty guidelines for a household of three (unless they have children). That's your sister, her husband and your wife (the intending immigrant).

I-485 is for adjusting status, which you're not doing because you and your wife are not in the US.

[wtfika 1]

Hi and welcome to visajourney. You should come join us Scandinavians over at the Scandinavian forum:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/185-scandinavians/page-213

We also have a pretty active facebook group.

First off, brace for a long and bureaucratic process. It's nothing like the easy process you went through for you being able to move to Sweden.

Thanks for the quick reply! We are sort of bracing for a year's length, but obviously hoping for less. I knew this process would be worlds apart from my sambo visa; I applied through Migrationsverket, received a request for an interview a month later and then the day after the interview my visa was granted. It felt almost too easy!

I'll check out the link you provided. Information from other Swedes (and their partners) who have gone through this will probably help us along.

[Ryan H 3,892]

~~Off topic post removed.~~