Living abroad as a tourist - how to file (confusing personal situation)

[iulia23 0]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I got married in February and are now thinking about the application for me to enter the U.S. However, our life is moving and changing and we are not sure how to go about sending in our I-130 and about the procedure as a whole.

SO: I work and live in Thailand - we got my husband a resident permit to live here legally with me. That should qualify us to apply at the USCIS in Bangkok. However, I have a job starting in Singapore the first of July and I will be moving there so we would only have 6 weeks from today here ( and our paperwork is nowhere near ready).

Singapore won't allow me to claim him as a dependent on my visa because my salary is lower than what they usually issue dependent visas for (and they don't count the fact that my benefits - housing and food - actually raise my salary by quite a lot). His plan is to live with a friend in Johor, Malaysia on a tourist visa and visit me on tourist visas in Singapore since the two are a two-hour commute.

Also my contract in Singapore ends in May of next year. Since we are moving around so much, I don't know whether to file in Chicago/ Bangkok, or what it means that we won't be living together. Additionally - he will be a tourist moving between countries in the next year - does that impact things in any way do you think? Based on your experiences, what is the best course of action for us? How do we make sure we keep USCIS and then NVC posted on our location?

I am a Romanian national and lived in the U.S. for 4 years for my undergrad. We've been talking about visiting his family in December - I don't have a tourist visa now and Romania doesn't qualify for VWF. Do you think we could make it home for the holidays?

I know this is a long, convoluted situation, but I hope you have some insights.

[Georgia16 2,858]

This is a bit confusing.

You husband is the USC? He lives with you now but will be moving around as a tourist for a very long time? Do you then have a sponsor in the US since I guess he doesn't have an income?

You are moving to Singapore July 1st and have a contact for May 2017. You want to file spousal visa but don't want to move till your contract is up before May 2017?...

And you also want to go visiting in December 2016 but don't have a visa for that?

[aaron2020 11,652]

Best to file at the Chicago lockbox and use a US address and an address in Singapore so you can get mail. Best to process your visa in Singapore.

[Unshakable Faith 493]

I'm not familiar with Singapore, but couldn't he just try to get his own visa there so he could stay with you?

[iulia23 0]

This is a bit confusing.

You husband is the USC? He lives with you now but will be moving around as a tourist for a very long time? Do you then have a sponsor in the US since I guess he doesn't have an income?

You are moving to Singapore July 1st and have a contact for May 2017. You want to file spousal visa but don't want to move till your contract is up before May 2017?...

And you also want to go visiting in December 2016 but don't have a visa for that?

Husband is with me, yes. His parents in the U.S. will jointly sponsor us. He works online on and off, but I don't think that's the steady job the immigration office wants to hear about.

I am expecting the whole process to take more than a year - so I don't expect my Singapore contract to come in the way of me going to the U.S. Also, after getting the visa we get 6 months to enter the U.S. so I'd prefer having an income somewhere in the world this year.

And yes, I want to visit in December 2016 but I don't have a tourist visa yet.

I'm not familiar with Singapore, but couldn't he just try to get his own visa there so he could stay with you?

He would have to work in Singapore at a place that helps him get a visa - and he might try to do that once I am there, but if he doesn't find anything he can only visit on tourist visas.

Thoughts?

[galephys 12]

Singapore does not have a field office, so your options are: apply in Thailand or in Chicago lockbox. First route will take a couple months, second one will take a year.

If I was in your situation, I would do my best to apply in Thailand ASAP, before you move. A quick search shows !-130 approval within 2 weeks. Do your research on the process right now and travel to Thailand for interviews. Will your Thai visa expire or become invalid once your job in Singapore starts?

Can your husband legally live in Thailand while you live in Singapore? If he can, file in Thailand ASAP, write his address there as mailing address and physical address for both of you. The goal is to submit !-130 while you still live there. Then you travel back to the consulate for the interview and medical. Then you get your CR-1 and travel to the US for a short vacation just to open it. Stamped CR-1 in your passport acts like a green card for a year. You actual GC will be mailed to your US address and you will get it once you are done with a contract in May.

My point is, if he applies while you both still live in Thailand, you qualify for DCF and should be OK. At least I would think so. Check their website for specific instructions and requirements.

You can't apply for a tourist visa as a wife of USC, you will be told to apply for a K3 - a spouse non-mmigrant visa. If you do apply for a CR1 at Chicago lockbox after all, after NOA1 it's free to apply for a K3, but they usually take just as long as CR1, so there may be no point.