"Digital nomads" applying for green card

[DK999 14]

Hello, I'm really glad I found this site after a lot of digging around. 

 

My wife and I just got married in the Republic of Georgia (the country). I'm American and she's Russian. I have started the I-130 petition online and I'm already going a bit crazy after an online chat with one of the reps at USCIS. 

 

In short, I don't currently reside "permanently" anywhere and it will be that way for the foreseeable future. We work remotely (for a foreign company) and will be traveling from place to place. In fact, I'm traveling to Russia next week to meet her family for the first time!

 

That said, our intention is to move to the US to live permanently. I have always maintained multiple US bank accounts, credit cards, a US address (my parent's house), a driver's license, etc. 

 

The question that the rep couldn't answer is this: what is my "permanent address" when I file if I am not physically present in the United States, and I may be moving from place to place every month or so? I have browsed this forum a bit and I've read up on DCF, but I don't know if 1) we would qualify and 2) if it's even possible considering that the US consulate in Moscow is barely operational because of staffing shortages.

 

Any advice or guidance is much appreciated. Thank you in advance! And apologies if I don't respond shortly after sending this---it's getting late in Tbilisi! Thanks again. 

[Just Paul 4,595]

13 minutes ago, DK999 said:

I have always maintained multiple US bank accounts, credit cards, a US address (my parent's house)

Use your parents house as the US permanent address.  You can always change that later.

14 minutes ago, DK999 said:

I have browsed this forum a bit and I've read up on DCF

If you need to return to the US for a job then that would qualify for "exceptional circumstances".  It is totally up to the consulate.

 

[SteveInBostonI130 3,467]

10 minutes ago, DK999 said:

Hello, I'm really glad I found this site after a lot of digging around. 

 

My wife and I just got married in the Republic of Georgia (the country). I'm American and she's Russian. I have started the I-130 petition online and I'm already going a bit crazy after an online chat with one of the reps at USCIS. 

 

In short, I don't currently reside "permanently" anywhere and it will be that way for the foreseeable future. We work remotely (for a foreign company) and will be traveling from place to place. In fact, I'm traveling to Russia next week to meet her family for the first time!

 

That said, our intention is to move to the US to live permanently. I have always maintained multiple US bank accounts, credit cards, a US address (my parent's house), a driver's license, etc. 

 

The question that the rep couldn't answer is this: what is my "permanent address" when I file if I am not physically present in the United States, and I may be moving from place to place every month or so? I have browsed this forum a bit and I've read up on DCF, but I don't know if 1) we would qualify and 2) if it's even possible considering that the US consulate in Moscow is barely operational because of staffing shortages.

 

Any advice or guidance is much appreciated. Thank you in advance! And apologies if I don't respond shortly after sending this---it's getting late in Tbilisi! Thanks again. 

 

DCF is not an option for you.  Routine DCF has been stopped with the closure of international USCIS offices.  Exceptional circumstance DCF has requirements of basically an urgent situation that requires the USC to transfer to the US on short notice.  Also, Moscow embassy is closed for anything other than emergency US citizen assistance (lost passport, arrests, etc.)

 

Use your parent's address as your address for now.  The only "mail" that will be sent there are the notices from USCIS - NOA1, NOA2, RFE's (if any).  But you will have online access to these documents under the "Document" tab of your online USCIS account.

 

You will have to list the address of your spouse, and the associated embassy for the visa processing.  I would suggest you use the address in Georgia.  As mentioned, Moscow embassy is not processing any spouse visas at this time.  Tblisi is open and processing visas.

 

After the I-130 is approve (6-12 months), it goes to the NVC.  At the NVC stage, you will need to upload an affidavit of support that shows you can support you and your wife when relocating back to the US.   You will also upload a supplemental statement of your plans to relocate when the visa is issued to your wife.

 

After receiving the CR1 visa, you and your wife will need to permanently relocate to the US.  If you want to continue your current lifestyle - travelling and living internationally - then your wife's permanent residence status will be questioned and possibly deemed abandoned.

[DK999 14]

11 minutes ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

You will have to list the address of your spouse, and the associated embassy for the visa processing.  I would suggest you use the address in Georgia.  As mentioned, Moscow embassy is not processing any spouse visas at this time.  Tblisi is open and processing visas.

My spouse has an apartment in Russia, where we will be staying for at least the next month or so. We never had a permanent address in Georgia---we were staying at an Airbnb. 

 

I haven't made it that far into the petition to enter her details---are you saying that they will ask which consulate to associate the petition with? In that case, we will either choose Yerevan, Tbilisi, or Istanbul. 

 

13 minutes ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

Use your parent's address as your address for now.

 

About that---one of the first things they ask is "Permanent addresses for the last five years." From August 2016 until July 2021 I was living abroad with a permanent residence. I added those addresses as instructed. I visited home for a few weeks beginning this past July, and then I flew to Georgia. Should I add my parent's address as a Permanent address for the few weeks I was visiting this summer? As well as the address of my Airbnb in Georgia? Even though neither are technically "permanent," per se?

[DK999 14]

26 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

Use your parents house as the US permanent address

Sounds like based on both responses so far, it's not actually that important where I physically am during this application process? 

 

I just don't want to be "lying" to them, saying my permanent address is in the US when I'm in fact not physically present there.

[canadian_wife 1,823]

2 minutes ago, DK999 said:

 

I haven't made it that far into the petition to enter her details---are you saying that they will ask which consulate to associate the petition with? In that case, we will either choose Yerevan, Tbilisi, or Istanbul. 

 

 

I WISH we got to choose the consulate - I would NOT have chosen Montreal.  No, you do not get to choose, the consulate assigned is based on the residency of the beneficiary.  

 

And AirBnB sounds like a vacation, not an address - you literally said 'visiting'.  

 

Good luck

[SteveInBostonI130 3,467]

2 minutes ago, DK999 said:

My spouse has an apartment in Russia, where we will be staying for at least the next month or so. We never had a permanent address in Georgia---we were staying at an Airbnb. 

 

I haven't made it that far into the petition to enter her details---are you saying that they will ask which consulate to associate the petition with? In that case, we will either choose Yerevan, Tbilisi, or Istanbul. 

 

 

About that---one of the first things they ask is "Permanent addresses for the last five years." From August 2016 until July 2021 I was living abroad with a permanent residence. I added those addresses as instructed. I visited home for a few weeks beginning this past July, and then I flew to Georgia. Should I add my parent's address as a Permanent address for the few weeks I was visiting this summer? As well as the address of my Airbnb in Georgia? Even though neither are technically "permanent," per se?

 

NVC has been known to auto-asign the consulate based on the current address listed for the beneficiary on the petition.  I am not sure if this is because they did not enter a consulate or it is what they normally do. 

 

Be aware that you may have to contact the NVC to change the consulate when you get to that step of the process.  The NVC will assing a case number for you during that stage of the process.  The first 3 characters are the letters designated for the consulate.  For example, our NVC case number was KEVXXXXXXXX.   "KEV" for Kyiv embassy.  If your case number starts with "MOS", then ask to change it from Moscow to the local consulate for your residence at the time.

 

US Permanent address is your parent's address, for your case.  On the form it is the "Mailing Address".  It even has a field for "In Care of Name" if you want to designate one of your parents to receive the mail for you.  You can and should list the other physical addresses you have used in the previous 5 years, including overseas addresses.  

 

 

 

 

[milimelo 4,498]

Warsaw is now designated IV visa (including K-1) processing consulate for Russian citizens. 

[DK999 14]

23 minutes ago, milimelo said:

Warsaw is now designated IV visa (including K-1) processing consulate for Russian citizens. 

That seems crazy. Russian citizens need an EU visa to go there. 
 

Are Russians even allowed in Poland right now with COVID/Sputnik and all that?

 

Am I missing something? 

[carmel34 3,639]

1 hour ago, DK999 said:

My spouse has an apartment in Russia, where we will be staying for at least the next month or so. We never had a permanent address in Georgia---we were staying at an Airbnb. 

 

I haven't made it that far into the petition to enter her details---are you saying that they will ask which consulate to associate the petition with? In that case, we will either choose Yerevan, Tbilisi, or Istanbul. 

Your spouse will need legal residency in the country and its consulate/embassy where the visa interview will eventually be conducted.  The only exception to this is when an embassy/consulate in a nearby country accepts cases from other countries if the embassy/consulate is closed or does not even have a US embassy/consulate.  Visiting a country as a tourist is not legal residency.  So the key issue to consider when completing the I-130 online is where is your spouse is a legal resident.

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by carmel34

[DK999 14]

1 hour ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

You can and should list the other physical addresses you have used in the previous 5 years, including overseas addresses.  

Sorry to keep splitting hairs, but the only “permanent residences” I’ve had in the past 5 years were two apartments in a foreign country (which I used when I filed my taxes) from 2016 until July 2021. 
 

Since July 2021 I have not had what I would call a “permanent residence.” I spent a couple weeks visiting my parents, a week at the beach in another state, a month at one Airbnb in Georgia, another two weeks at another Airbnb in Georgia…about to spend maybe 1-2 months in Russia…do you see where I’m going here? 
 

1) Do I list ALL these places and the time I spent there to be safe, even though none of them I would consider a permanent residence? 

 

2) More importantly, will it be a big red flag if I DON’T list my parents home address under “permanent addresses in the last 5 years?” Which again, for the last 5+ years, I have maintained that address for the sake of bank accounts, drivers license, etc, but I have not actually lived there aside from brief visits. 
 

Thanks again. 

[millefleur 5,047]

22 minutes ago, DK999 said:

That seems crazy. Russian citizens need an EU visa to go there. 

Yes, it's a very sub-optimal situation for Russian applicants right now. People have been applying for Schengen visas to Greece and then going to Poland from there.

 

1 hour ago, DK999 said:

I haven't made it that far into the petition to enter her details---are you saying that they will ask which consulate to associate the petition with? In that case, we will either choose Yerevan, Tbilisi, or Istanbul. 

You can't just choose an embassy, it doesn't work like that. You have to contact each embassy individually, explain your situation and get that embassy to accept your case. This is the same for Warsaw, too. They aren't just auto-routing Russian applicants there. You need to contact Warsaw directly and get approval. There are many threads about this in the RUB forum, see below.

 

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/98-russia-ukraine-and-belarus/

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by millefleur

[SteveInBostonI130 3,467]

1 minute ago, DK999 said:

Sorry to keep splitting hairs, but the only “permanent residences” I’ve had in the past 5 years were two apartments in a foreign country (which I used when I filed my taxes) from 2016 until July 2021. 
 

Since July 2021 I have not had what I would call a “permanent residence.” I spent a couple weeks visiting my parents, a week at the beach in another state, a month at one Airbnb in Georgia, another two weeks at another Airbnb in Georgia…about to spend maybe 1-2 months in Russia…do you see where I’m going here? 
 

1) Do I list ALL these places and the time I spent there to be safe, even though none of them I would consider a permanent residence? 

 

2) More importantly, will it be a big red flag if I DON’T list my parents home address under “permanent addresses in the last 5 years?” Which again, for the last 5+ years, I have maintained that address for the sake of bank accounts, drivers license, etc, but I have not actually lived there aside from brief visits. 
 

Thanks again. 

 

You keep stating "permanent address".  Perhaps there is a difference between the online app and the paper I-130 form?  On the paper form (which we filed) it asks for current Mailing Address and then a list of Physical Addresses for the past 5 years.

 

1) I always error on the side of caution and would list every address, even Airbnb, if you actually "lived" there.  For example, my wife and I travelled to Denmark and Norway for 17 days.  I did not list all the Airbnb and hotels we stayed, because my home address is where I "lived".  If you are using the Airbnb places to live and work for months at a time, I would list those.  If you went off to a vacation place for a week or three, I would not put that on the list.

 

2) No.  That is why they give an option to state if your mailing address is not your physical address.

[millefleur 5,047]

23 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

Your spouse will need legal residency in the country and its consulate/embassy where the visa interview will eventually be conducted. 

This isn't the case per say right now with Russian applicants because the Moscow Embassy has been effectively closed for months. Many Russian applicants have successfully transferred their case to Warsaw without residency there. It's possible that other embassies might be open to taking a Russian applicant, it's basically the embassy's call at the end of the day....based on VJ experiences, most have not had any lucky with any others except Warsaw.

[millefleur 5,047]

**Moved from Bringing Family Members of US Citizens to America to IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures**