Abroad Married couple starting the process soon...help plz?!

[Unstoppable02 0]

Hi all! I'm new here. Also, a newlywed. A little background about us: My husband and I met in the Republic of Moldova when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in October 2017. We continued to date for 22 months and decided to get married.  After I finished my Peace Corps  service, we got married that next week: July 31, 2019, on Aero Island, Denmark. Now that we’re married, we are currently saving up money for the immigration process. Him and I are both abroad, but long distance from each other. He’s in Moldova until next year and he’ll be working in the UK or Ireland. He does have a Romanian ID and is currently getting his Romanian Passport. I am working in different African countries for the next 2 years.  We’ll see each-other this December and then every 3-4 months afterwards. The problem(s) is/are, I'm not sure if I should get a lawyer or not. I received mix information from people who have gone through this process. I have found a lawyer, but have yet to pay for her service as I am waiting. The second issue is that I'm not sure how to time this process. My job is a 2 year term(Aug 2021) and if I am wanting to stay on with the organization, something can be arranged. My higher ups expressed that positions will available by the time I finish my term. However,  my main goal is to attend graduate school once my term is done, but I want my husband's immigration process to be approved in order to come back with me. I've heard the process can range from a year to 15 months or even longer.  To summarize my questions/concerns; Is it better to hire a lawyer or go with out? And when should I start the process in order to bring my husband over after my completed work term/ Graduate school start date?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Very Respectfully,

 

Unstoppable02

[zochu 255]

Hello!

 

There are many people on VJ that have not used a lawyer, my husband and I included. We did consult lawyers but since finding this forum we had the confidence to do it alone!

 

I would suggest getting a lawyer if you have a very complicated case ...

 

Otherwise, if its straight forward save your money and do it yourself. No one will put in the time and effort into your petition and visa but you. 

 

When should you start the process? That's a tough question. One requirement for a spousal visa is that the US citizen has domicile or intent to re-establish domicile plus the financial resources (you may need a joint sponsor). You can also delay how long it takes at the NVC etc.

 

If you want to bring him back in 2021 August, maybe start the process 12-15 months before that time. 

 

This site is great for guides so my advice would be to read the guides and all topics!

 

Good luck!

[Iscir 295]

I would say start the process now, then delay at nvc as long as you need. Then after the interview you can also delay a couple of months depending on when your husband has his medical. If you start too late, you may not have finished this process by the time you want to move back to the US. For example, if you get Nebraska Service Center like I did, then the approval of the petition only takes almost a year. We are currently 15 months in this process and still have a couple of months more to go. You could also be lucky and get a faster service center but unfortunately you don’t know until you send your petition. 
 

About getting a lawyer, as the other poster said, you don’t need one if your case is not complicated and you take the time to read all official instructions. Also, here in this website you can find guides for everything you need, and if you have specific questions you can ask. most of us do the process ourselves. 

[NikLR 13,220]

A lawyer may be helpful for you since you do not have a permanent address. I really dont normally suggest them.  Or unless you have a trusted friend or family member in the USA who also doesn't mind helping you.  Mail will be sent to you and it's important to have someone who can check on it. 

Otherwise the process itseld is fairly straightforward.  I would start sooner than later.  You can delay at the 2nd stage more easily to control your timeline. 

[Austin 25]

File online... It's pretty straight forward