Awaiting I-130 Approval and Moved From U.K. to Australia

[CamBla 1]

Hello - This one is quite complicated so bear with me on it.

 

My wife (US citizen) and I (U.K. citizen) submitted an I-130 in January 2025 from the U.K. but as of December 2025 have moved to Australia as a stopgap between moving to the states. We anticipate the I-130 to be approved at some point between March and May 2025 but as we all know, nothing is certain. We both have jobs in Australia, leased accommodation and a visa that expires December 2026.

 

For the NVC stage, I understand that we could move this to the Sydney embassy but it may be quicker for us to get approved through London instead - I anticipate the interview could be as early as July 2025. 

 

My mother-in-law will be a joint sponsor and my wife has maintained her tax records, bank accounts, voting and other ties to the states. 

 

Questions:

 

• Am I still able to do the NVC stage via the London embassy? I believe I am still classed as a resident in the U.K. but I do not have a U.K. address (but I do have access to my parents home).
• If I were to travel from Australia to the UK for the NVC stage, my wife would prefer to go to the US at this point, would this be possible?
• Has anyone done this before, where they're a temporary resident in another country and traveled back to the country of application submission?
• The address where I applied for the I-130 is no longer where I or any family members live, do I need to inform the USCIS of this? I know I should change the address but I am reluctant to do this without the advice of this forum. 

 

Any sort of clarity would be helpful. 

[appleblossom 5,479]

As a UK citizen you can choose to remain at London. But are you wanting to interview there for other reasons? it won’t be quicker unless things change between now and then, both London and Sydney currently have a ~3 month wait for an IL after being DQ’ed. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/iv-wait-times.html

 

Yes, your wife can go to the US at any time. 
 

No need to change the address, you’ll just put the new address on the DS-260, you’ll also be asked to confirm it at interview and were you arrive in the US too. Bear in mind some people submit their I-130’s decades before they get a visa, so address changes between those two states are very common. 
 

Good luck. 

[CamBla 1]

Thanks for your reply! That helps ease some anxiety on our end. 

 

I would only want to interview in London due to how it would be faster - I understand there will be at least 4 weeks of a delay to transfer to Sydney and if they're running slower than London for interviews, it may make sense to do the interview in London. 

[appleblossom 5,479]

42 minutes ago, CamBla said:

Thanks for your reply! That helps ease some anxiety on our end. 

 

I would only want to interview in London due to how it would be faster - I understand there will be at least 4 weeks of a delay to transfer to Sydney and if they're running slower than London for interviews, it may make sense to do the interview in London. 

 

As above, they both have the same wait for an interview at the moment. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/iv-wait-times.html 

 

Transferring may add a bit of a delay, but I guess it depends on if you're happy with the extra cost to get to London and happy to spend at least a month there? Your call really. 

[pushbrk 14,132]

It's completely up to you whether to transfer to Sydney or keep the case in London.