F2A long distance relationship

[Vp1010 0]

Hi, 

I am a PR based in Austin, Texas. I recently got married to an Indian Citizen. We filed the I-130 and now we’re waiting. 
 

Until recently, I thought it would be easy to bring my husband to USA since I’ve seen many friends and family who have H1B visa bring their spouse in a very short time frame (few weeks to few months). I always thought it made sense that USCIS processes spouse based visas quickly - why would anyone keep a married couple apart!! 
 

I assumed Permanent Residents would have the same sort of timeline to bring their spouses to USA, or even quicker since PR > H1B. Boy was I wrong. I can’t believe I’m looking at a 2-3 year timeline before I can bring my husband to USA. 
 

Now, how am I supposed to navigate this situation? 
1. My husband does not have ANY USA visa to even VISIT me - and now that his I130 is being processed, there is no way he’s getting a visitor visa. 
2. I need to keep working/living in usa so as to not lose my green card.

 

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through? That seems inhumane even for USCIS’s standards. And especially as a permanent resident I don’t expect to have to deal with these timelines. Am I missing something? Someone please help me understand what’s going on because the last thing I want is to be stuck in a long distance relationship for 3 years.

Edited April 21, 2022 by Vp1010

[powerpuff 6,016]

Sorry but your situation is hardly unique. USCIS is not concerned with long distance relationship hardships, this is a very formal, long and bureaucratic process. Virtually everyone on this forum is separated for long periods of time.

 

21 minutes ago, Vp1010 said:

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through?

Yes.  Or meeting in a third country. That’s what most people are doing. 
 

23 minutes ago, Vp1010 said:

And especially as a permanent resident I don’t expect to have to deal with these timelines.

With this argument, if US citizens are waiting 2-3 years to bring spouses, why would it be less for permanent residents?

 

24 minutes ago, Vp1010 said:

the last thing I want is to be stuck in a long distance relationship for 3 years.

It’s the last thing anyone wants to do.

 

Immigration takes a great deal of patience. It will test your limits but it is what it is. This is the reality.

[Dashinka 23,397]

Btw, a B2 visitor visa is not completely out of the question.  If your spouse has strong ties to India such as a steady job they need to return to, or school, etc., it may be enough to overcome immigration intent.  As to the rest, this is what we do when we make the decision to connect with someone from outside the US.  Immigration takes a lot of patience, but thankfully there is a lot of technology out there to help overcome the issues related to a long-distant relationship.

 

Good Luck!

[arken 4,197]

1 hour ago, Vp1010 said:

Am I missing something?

Yes, you are missing immigration timelines and the difference between the immigrant visa vs others like h1b visa.
 

Other visas like H4 or F2 are quick as all they can do is stay in the US with the spouse but can't work and such except in limited condition.

 

An immigrant visa provides a instant residency status once entered in the US with all the privilege of us citizens minus voting and indefinite stay abroad rights. So one has to go through a detailed and lengthy process.

 

Those timelines are normal (yes a bit increased over covid), everybody is going thru it so you just have to get used to it. In the mean time how you keep the relationship, it's up to you.

 

[Crazy Cat 39,742]

3 hours ago, Vp1010 said:

Hi, 

I am a PR based in Austin, Texas. I recently got married to an Indian Citizen. We filed the I-130 and now we’re waiting. 
 

Until recently, I thought it would be easy to bring my husband to USA since I’ve seen many friends and family who have H1B visa bring their spouse in a very short time frame (few weeks to few months). I always thought it made sense that USCIS processes spouse based visas quickly - why would anyone keep a married couple apart!! 
 

I assumed Permanent Residents would have the same sort of timeline to bring their spouses to USA, or even quicker since PR > H1B. Boy was I wrong. I can’t believe I’m looking at a 2-3 year timeline before I can bring my husband to USA. 
 

Now, how am I supposed to navigate this situation? 
1. My husband does not have ANY USA visa to even VISIT me - and now that his I130 is being processed, there is no way he’s getting a visitor visa. 
2. I need to keep working/living in usa so as to not lose my green card.

 

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through? That seems inhumane even for USCIS’s standards. And especially as a permanent resident I don’t expect to have to deal with these timelines. Am I missing something? Someone please help me understand what’s going on because the last thing I want is to be stuck in a long distance relationship for 3 years.

You must realize that there are, normally, over 1 MILLION I-130 petitions pending in the pipeline at any given time.   Most of us here have had to endure long distance relationships and the problems in the immigration system.  Bottom line is that the queue is long.  

You seem to think you are entitled to something........but there are many, many people in line already.  Good luck.

Edited April 21, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[Crazy Cat 39,742]

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/Quarterly_All_Forms_FY2022_Q1.pdf

[Nicola and Jordan 668]

We did long distance for 3 years and made it fine. Yes it’s extremely tough but you have to deal with it unfortunately. Mostly everyone here have been in the same situation 

[Crazy Cat 39,742]

Just now, Nicola and Jordan said:

We did long distance for 3 years and made it fine. Yes it’s extremely tough but you have to deal with it unfortunately. Mostly everyone here have been in the same situation 

Yep.  My wife and I did video calls twice a day for a year.  It helped. 

[Nicola and Jordan 668]

1 hour ago, Crazy Cat said:

Yep.  My wife and I did video calls twice a day for a year.  It helped. 

I had to video everyday haha I’m needy clearly 😂

[JeanneAdil 6,278]

I hate to burst your bubble but even after the interview,   the wait can be extensive

most residents of India go thru a long AP (administrative process) after the interview for the extra security checks 

 

 

 

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through? 

they do the job that is expected of them / the choice is yours to go thru the system AS IT IS

 

i waited 6 years to bring my husband from first applying for k1 in 2009 to  2015 when he was approved and i am a born here in America USC

[Holly&Andreas 38]

My husband and I have been long distance for almost our entire relationship. He is in Romania and I am in the US. We married after 2 years (in his country) and that was almost 3 years ago (in June). When Covid hit I lost my job and decided to move abroad to spend time with him and to know what it was like to really live with him since previously the most time I'd spent with him was the month I was there for our marriage. I lived with him in his country for 18 months before our savings got too low and I had to come back to the US to work and to file the I-130 for him.

 

Long distance sucks but everyone here has had to go through it at some point in their relationship/marriage. It's just the way things are. If you want to be able to spend time with your husband, you will probably have to either meet up together in a third country, or you go to his country to spend time with him.

 

Long distance is hard, and you will have to work to make sure the relationship succeeds. My husband and I spend hours each day on video chat. We leave the webcam open while we are both at home so we can see each other even if we're just sitting watching tv or reading a book or cooking dinner. When he goes to bed we close the video chat, and when he wakes up in the morning he calls me before going to work. We have a routine. 

 

You will find a way to adjust because that's what you have to do. Good luck! 

[mam521 1,811]

I was on an L1 visa, met and married my husband but had to pack up my 2 kids and leave the US for 18 months to prevent visa overstay when our I-130 was pending. He used to visit me often and we spent a LOT of time on Facetime, even if we weren't talking, but just so we were present.  I'd be making dinner for the kids and I and going through our daily routine and he'd just be present on FT, hearing the noises, seeing the chaos and just a part of it.  Ideal that we had to leave considering we had a family home built together? No, not at all.  Kids were uprooted from their home, their school, their friends. Me, uprooted from my home, my work, my friends and my husband and I separated.  But, we figured it out and made it work.  

 

Your case is far from unique and if you're really meant to be together, you'll figure it out.  

[Verrou 1,901]

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through?

 

***you can always move to india to be together with ur husband. guess you have to prioritize. even USC have to wait in line, let alone GC holder

[Bajinga 136]

I suggest you take some time off and visit your husband every quarter or so till he gets the spousal visa. you will just have to accept and wait in line like everyone else for a spousal visa. there is no way to expedite the process without a qualifying valid reason. As mentioned in one of the earlier posts both H4, F4 are non immigrant visas, so there is no comparison as the process and timelines can be very different.

[SalishSea 16,945]

8 hours ago, Vp1010 said:

Hi, 

I am a PR based in Austin, Texas. I recently got married to an Indian Citizen. We filed the I-130 and now we’re waiting. 
 

Until recently, I thought it would be easy to bring my husband to USA since I’ve seen many friends and family who have H1B visa bring their spouse in a very short time frame (few weeks to few months). I always thought it made sense that USCIS processes spouse based visas quickly - why would anyone keep a married couple apart!! 
 

I assumed Permanent Residents would have the same sort of timeline to bring their spouses to USA, or even quicker since PR > H1B. Boy was I wrong. I can’t believe I’m looking at a 2-3 year timeline before I can bring my husband to USA. 
 

Now, how am I supposed to navigate this situation? 
1. My husband does not have ANY USA visa to even VISIT me - and now that his I130 is being processed, there is no way he’s getting a visitor visa. 
2. I need to keep working/living in usa so as to not lose my green card.

 

What does USCIS expect me to do?! Stay in usa for 3 years and visit my husband once in a while until his green card comes through? That seems inhumane even for USCIS’s standards. And especially as a permanent resident I don’t expect to have to deal with these timelines. Am I missing something? Someone please help me understand what’s going on because the last thing I want is to be stuck in a long distance relationship for 3 years.

You clearly are missing having done ANY research whatsoever prior to marrying someone from overseas.

 

You sound so entitled, honestly.   Even for USCs, the wait is 2-3 years to bring over a spouse or fiancé.