Non consenting spouse

[Dissenter 0]

My wife is in the process of helping her sister immigrate to US against my objections. I do not agree to provide financial support, but what rights do I have?

[kris&me 572]

You have the right to not sponsor anyone

just don't fill out the affadavit of support and tell your wife you will not do this

[Boiler 43,430]

None

When did she petition for her?

[Georgia16 2,858]

Is your wife a USC? What country is she from? Normally it takes around 12 years if she is not from Mexico or PI then it takes longer.

So it's not going to happen anytime soon.

But what do you mean by rights? ... It's her choice if she wants to help her or not. But among you as husband and wife it would probably be a good idea to talk about something like this so it won't cause issues between you too.

[Rc123rc 528]

Your rights as a husband. If she uses money from before her marriage then you can't say anything. However you certainly can refuse if she is using joint money. But, it may cost you your marriage. Also, you might want to find out exactly what the process is and how long before your wife's sister can immigrate. It might be 13 years or more. Sister's are very very low on the priority list. Can your wife even legally start the process? You don't have anywhere near the amount of information you need about what it means to try and bring a sister into the country.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Forcing another person to not do a thing they want to do is abuse.

[Rc123rc 528]

Forcing another person to not do a thing they want to do is abuse.

Correct. However, forcing a spouse to take on an unnecessary financial and emotional burden is also not good. They are a married couple on opposite sides of the issue. As an example, a husband buys a $60,000 car with a 6 year loan over the objections of the wife that creates a huge financial burden and lowers the couples' quality of life. Should the wife be OK with this?. Bringing a sister into the country does not stop with the arrival. It keeps going on for years and years. I suggest they seek some serious counseling about this. I'm not going to make a judgement as to why the husband is refusing. We don't know anything about the background of this story. We're not family counseling.

[B and H 18]

Forcing another person to not do a thing they want to do is abuse.

That's right. Don't let your wife force you to be a part of this, when the thing you want to do is not be a part of this.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

I don't see what a sister has to do with finances. The woman is a USC and can do what she wants. Her rights as a USC are not contingent on what her husband wants. She can divorce him and petition the sister.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,368]

I don't see what a sister has to do with finances. The woman is a USC and can do what she wants. Her rights as a USC are not contingent on what her husband wants. She can divorce him and petition the sister.

Exactly. Plus the Affidavit of Support will only come into play in 13+ years, when the PD becomes current. I don't see how filing the petition itself would affect the husband at all.

Edited September 3, 2016 by EM_Vandaveer

[Anitafeliz 1,133]

Ahhhh......This thing called marriage....you marry a person with freedom of will and choice.... not a slave.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Anitafeliz

[Rc123rc 528]

Let's go back to beginning. Who is the USC? Is a petition even doable? Ummm... divorce him and file the petition? I think everyone needs to back up and rethink this. There are two issues.

1st. Can the wife file the petition? Maybe. Do we know for sure? Is it her right to do so if she can legally and wants to? Yup. Absolutely. The husband has no say.

2nd. Does the husband have to give his support? Nope. He doesn't have to have anything to do with it if he doesn't want to.

[Dissenter 0]

Her application that was submitted 10+ years ago was approved recently. To clarify, beyond the personal reasons for which I am against her sister immigrating (which I understand are secondary), I am not willing to put at risk our assets which she will need to put on the affidavit to bring it above poverty level. That's why I asked about rights. Does she have the right to include our joint assets on the affidavit if I object?

I should also add that another separate concern I have is that the sister is also trying to bring a minor child along without the fathers knowledge or consent (she is doing this behind his back).

[Anitafeliz 1,133]

She cant bring child with out fathers concent its parental kidnapping.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

If she wants to use joint assets then they will want you to sign a form, which you don't have to do.

They won't issue a visa to the child without the father's consent for the child to move.