Joining my wife in US after marriage

[Crazy Cat 39,151]

1 minute ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

Any suggestions for a good lawyer in Chicago / NJ area for my case please?

Why do you need a lawyer?  Unless you have a complicated case, you can do it.

[sunnyzoom2 2]

2 minutes ago, missileman said:

Why do you need a lawyer?  Unless you have a complicated case, you can do it.

Oh Ok. Will read about the process then. Thanks.

[payxibka 10,044]

1 hour ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

Thanks a lot to all. Got so many questions answered in such a small time.

 

I wish I had known this before, we wasted so much time already in our application. 

 

Any suggestions for a good lawyer in Chicago / NJ area for my case please?

Chicago and NJ are not anywhere near each other 

[carmel34 3,523]

1 hour ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

Oh Ok. Will read about the process then. Thanks.

Save your money, don't hire an attorney, both of you do LOTS of research on the process, your wife files I-130 petition for you, and you use the money saved for her to visit you in India periodically during the two years you will be waiting for approval.  Good luck!

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

2 hours ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

I have been to US multiple times on L1 and recently on H1b visas. I am now married to a US GC spouse and have read online about EAD, I-130, Naturalization etc etc. I found that none of the sites covers the questions I have for my case. Here is my case and my queries -
1. I was working in US on H1b till Jan 2019 when I and my GF decided to get married in India in Jan 2019. We were suppose to travel back to US but unfortunately due to change in my organization, I have lost my client job. 
2. We waited for sometime expecting my employer to resolve the situation but it did not happened. Since my wife's 6 months outside US were about to get over, she has traveled back to US this week.
3. I will like to know what next steps should I take to reach US and start working again. 

 

Queries - 

A. Can I travel to US on visitor visa, apply and receive a EAD and start working?
B. If my wife applies for my GC process, can I get an EAD while living in India? 
C. Couple of sites suggested that it will be faster if my wife applies for citizenship - it is still take 1 year. I will like to know if there is a faster way?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Extended time outside the US on a green card could affect spouse's Naturalization eligibility. 

[nastra30 1,967]

2 hours ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

 

Sorry I missed informing that my wife has GC for 6 years now, so the Naturalization won't take many years. Does that help?

 

2 hours ago, missileman said:

It takes 12-14 months for the spouse of a US citizen to have a spousal visa in hand.  

And prior to that it will take about 12-14 months for your wife to naturalize as well. Naturalization too by itself is not as fast as you think. 

[Amadia 711]

3 hours ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

Queries - 

A. Can I travel to US on visitor visa, apply and receive a EAD and start working? Not likely
B. If my wife applies for my GC process, can I get an EAD while living in India? Not likely
C. Couple of sites suggested that it will be faster if my wife applies for citizenship - it is still take 1 year. I will like to know if there is a faster way? There's no 'faster' method. Process to petition for spouse is still lengthy. Is she eligible to file for citizenship?

 

[Amadia 711]

2 hours ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

Any suggestions for a good lawyer in Chicago / NJ area for my case please?

Um.....two completely different places.....a difference of approx 809 miles!

[sunnyzoom2 2]

14 minutes ago, Amadia said:

 

 

14 minutes ago, Amadia said:

 

Yes she has completed 6 years on GC and have no restrictions to file N400. She has got multiple job offers now so we were wondering about NJ and Chicago. I do know they are far off places as I have lived and worked with Fortune 10 companies in both places

[sunnyzoom2 2]

1 hour ago, payxibka said:

Chicago and NJ are not anywhere near each other 

Yes agreed. Asked as we have option to settle down at both places.

[Mollie09 1,543]

Honestly, it'd take her about a year to apply/receive naturalization, then another 12-14 months to apply for your visa as the spouse of a USC.

Might as well apply for a spousal visa now, the timeline is about the same.

[SalishSea 16,737]

5 hours ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

Thanks a lot to all. Got so many questions answered in such a small time.

 

I wish I had known this before, we wasted so much time already in our application. 

 

Any suggestions for a good lawyer in Chicago / NJ area for my case please?

You may use a lawyer if you wish of course, but it will not make the process faster or increase likihood of an approval.

[Mike E 11,722]

5 hours ago, sunnyzoom2 said:

Thanks a lot to all. Got so many questions answered in such a small time.

 

I wish I had known this before, we wasted so much time already in our application. 

 

Any suggestions for a good lawyer in Chicago / NJ area for my case please?

A lawyer is a waste of money like flying business class, buying a new car, paying for oil changes, paying for a tax accountant etc are wastes of money. It depends on what value you put on your time, and if you trust yourself to not make mistakes that will cost you time. Also, your wife might have free/discounted legal services available through her employer as part of her benefits package.

 

You are unlikely to find an immigration lawyer that covers both Chicago and NJ. NJ itself a too large a region for coverage. You wife needs to figure out where she is living and then find a lawyer, who can then do the I-130 petition, advise you on the visa process, and later handle removal of conditions (if you have been married less than two years by the time you enter the USA as an immigrant). There are various web sites you can use that have reviews for lawyers. One is Yxxx DOT com .

You wife has been an LPR for 6 years, so she should naturalize. This way if something gets derailed with the initial application, by the time she is a USA citizen, you won't have to wait 2 years.

[BethyWink 96]

What type of Visa is she on, and you are still employed wtih the company that relocated you to the US?  Why not talk to HR in your company and find out immigration policies with them.  Usually companies who relocate individuals from india to the US have someone specialized for this on payroll. 

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

4 hours ago, Amadia said:

Queries - 

A. Can I travel to US on visitor visa, apply and receive a EAD and start working? Not likely
B. If my wife applies for my GC process, can I get an EAD while living in India? Not likely
C. Couple of sites suggested that it will be faster if my wife applies for citizenship - it is still take 1 year. I will like to know if there is a faster way? There's no 'faster' method. Process to petition for spouse is still lengthy. Is she eligible to file for citizenship?

There is no 'not likely' for 1 and 2. It's simply a "no" to both. 

 

Entering the US on a tourist visa with intent to immigrate is considered fraudulent. And there is no EAD while living overseas. OP has to bide his time in India while his visa is processing and interview in Mumbai. Once F2A or IR-1 visa is issued, he travels to the US and enters as an LPR.