Good Morning everyone, I will start off by saying that I have read the guides and did a search on the site before creating this post.
I am a US citizen who has been living abroad for seven years, I have been married to my Costa Rican husband for those seven years, I am currently pregnant and have a 12 year old US citizen son that only has my last name and I am the only listed in his birth certificate. My husband is his step father.
While living abroad I have not filed taxes since I was under the impression that if I made little to no money I was excempt from doing so, I am now kicking myself for how dumb I have been, although I think this can be remedied by filing back taxes. My husband and I have been seriously discussing filing an I130 for me to petition him and move to the US. We are aware that we need a co sponsor, considering I have not had a US job in more than seven years. I believe my father could serve as a a co sponsor however we are still considering our options.
I recently spoke to a CPA who specializes in Expat taxes and he assured me I could receive taxes from the past three years if I filed this year, I briefly mentioned this to a family member which prompted a call from my mother. We do not have a relationship currently for various reasons, she informed me that she has been filing taxes and claiming my son as a dependent since 2019, God knows how much money she has received by falsely and fraudentlently claiming him. Aside from being angry, I want to know if any of you have encountered something like this? I know I have to report her to the iRS but how will this affect me petiotining my husband in the near future? Any tips/advice words of encouragement are appreciated.