US Immigration from Germany

Hello,

I became LPR (CR1) later April 2019. I stayed one week and went back to Germany. Then returned after 5 months 14 days for 2 weeks (where I was sent to SSSS and was asked when I am going to move permanently) for 2 weeks. Then returned to Germany for the last time and returned to the US after 4 months 29 days (no BPO issue at all). During these years I left the country for only 12 days for one trip. I have paid taxes in the US since 2019, Removal of Conditions didn't require an interview.

My question is now, being 2 months away from being 5 years here physically and having my GC for almost 6 years would it be smart to wait these two months to file N400 or doesn't it matter since once the interview takes place I'll have hit that mark. Or does it matter at the day of filing N400? I could do marriage based N400 but it's a lot more documentation (that I have but I recall the work for i751 to put everything together).

Thank you

My kids received their N-600s after more than two years of waiting in April last year.

Their USCIS accounts still show "interview scheduled". It didn't bother me initially but the reason why we filed their N-600 was to make sure, USCIS tracks the kids as citizens and not LPRs. Is there a second, internal database which is showing they received their certificate and the one we have access to is not that important or would I need to schedule an info pass appointment to show they already have it in hand?

I just like to have everything in order in case I am not around one day to help out with all the documents, (paper) trails etc. At the same time, I am still recovering from USCIS and the thought of contacting them is something else...

Hello,

as most of you might know, it is really hard be to be in a long-distance relationship with your partner. So my girlfriend (29, US citizen) and I (30, German citizen) are trying to come up with a solution and seeking advice from you. Here is our situation:

I came to the US at the end of April in 2024 (first time in the US ever) to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Since it takes between 4-6 months, I applied for a B2 visa. Which went pretty smoothly since work-wise I was able to go on a sabbatical for 6 months and would just return to Germany afterward. During the application interview the officer asked me about my previous attempts to score a Green Card through the Green-Card Lottery program. I answered honestly, and it did not seem to be a problem. So the interview took about 3-5 minutes (I think she knew about the PCT). Smooth sailing when entering the US in San Diego as well. The CBP Officer asked me about my plans (she did not seem to know the PCT), where I am going to stay, what my financial situation looks like and about my sabbatical. I explained everything, and again it took something like 3-5 minutes. No need to show any documents/proof.

Then 5 months of awesome hiking. But fast forward: During my last few weeks in the US, I met my girlfriend. We dated, spent a lot of time together, went on hikes, I met parts of her family and so on (this was in September). We talked about the situation and we're determined to make it work. So I went back to Germany and my work (mid October). I visited her again for a few days in November (no problems with CBP officer; I used my ESTA this time) and after that she visited me for 3 weeks (christmas with my family in Germany, NYE in London). It is February now and I'm about to visit her again for 17 days. Now to our idea:

1. We file for the K1 visa early March.
2. Optional: We meet in Mexico for a short vacation in April.
3. I quit my job (since I cannot go on another sabbatical), keep my lease and visit her again in May ideally for 4 months (on my B2 visa). Since I already have a new job lined up, starting in the beginning of September.
4. I go back to Germany to start my new job and we wait for K1 approval.
5. She visits me while we wait and if/when it gets approved (hopefully at the end of 2025), I quit my job again, move to the US, we marry and I file for Adjustment of Status.

Money is not a problem. Without going into specifics, I am able to live off my savings for at least 6 years without working. So I have no intention to work before I am legally allowed to. During the 4 months in the US and while I wait for my Employment Authorization Document, I would pursue hobbies (Ultra running, meeting friends from the PCT and go hiking in California, etc.) and maybe even do some courses that are career related (Sig Sixma, Project Management, etc.). I hope the money part helps to convince the CBP officers that I have no intent to work/immigrate illegally. But I could see why they might be suspicious, since I spent a long time in the US in 2024 when I was hiking. Do you think an ongoing lease, a signed job offer and enough savings is enough to show that I'll return to Germany?

We also thought about her moving to Germany, which is still a possibilty. But certain circumstances make it pretty hard (at least for now).

What are your thoughts? What s the worst case scenario? I guess that CBP officers won t let me in and I have to return to Germany until the K1 gets approved. Yeah, that would definitely suck. But on the other side, if it works out, my girlfriend and I would get to spend a lot of time together while we wait for approval. Looks like a high risk, high reward scenario to me.

Sorry for the long post. Any advice is appreciated!

Hi,

is there anything that speaks against having a joint sponsor that is retired? He meets the income threshold easily but obviously there s not an employment letter that could be submitted with the I-864.

thank you!

Forgive me for asking as I know how inaccurate USCIS estimates typically are, I'm just tying to be optimistic that the light at the end of the tunnel is near for my husband and I. We have been waiting close to 14 months now.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been checking USCIS to see what they are saying for how much longer we have left to wait on our case. For about 2 weeks straight, it said "2 months ". When I checked yesterday morning, it said "5 weeks" .

For those of you who have had your I-130s recently approved, when the estimate drops into weeks, is it usually a good sign that your case is actually currently bring adjudicated?

When the estimate went down to weeks, how long from that point did it take to recieve a decision?