hisokajp

ok, thank you very much for the answers, it's good to know. We are in a tricky situation and knowing this information is really useful to see what we will do.

Our idea would be to get all our papers together and pass the medical. Then, when (if?) I find a job offer in the US I would send the ds-2001 to do the interview and get the visa.

it would take into account the risk of wasting the £200+ for the medical if we cannot find something within the 6 month but that, I think would be an acceptable risk.

If they have already logged the medical, how long would would it take after their receive the ds-2001 to get the interview (including processing of the ds-2001)? From the date when I send the ds-2001 maybe 6-8weeks to get to the interview? What do you think?

I believe people mentioned it usually takes around 8 weeks after our medical exam to get your interview. What about if you do your interview first then send your DS2001 after? How long after they receive it would you get your interview? I am trying to see which one of those is the shortest to resume the process after keeping it on hold?

sorry for all the questions... You have been very helpful!

thank you for your answers, we are trying to decide what we want to do and it is not easy One of the reason is job hunting in the US, I have few contacts there that could help me find a job but it would be better to be "ready" if I get one than tell them they have to wait 2 month before I get my visa (if I stop before the medical exam process). The other scenario is go all the way, pay all the fee and in the risk not to find a job within the 6 month or decide not to go...

Would it be a red flag for a future to get the Visa and ending up not going to the US? Not sure if they would like to give it again to someone that did not use it the time before?

Nich-Nick, on 12 September 2011 - 01:24 AM, said:

Well they tell you about the police certificate on this page http://london.usemba...xamination.html

On the instruction page they tell you to check the link on the left for Medical. There's actually a lot of information if you click the links left and right. But I kinow what you mean because they have some descrepancies.

I was actually wondering, as the section mention:

Important Notice

Applicants aged 16 and over are required to furnish a U. K. police certificate in support of their immigrant visa application. A copy of this police certificate must be presented to the panel physician on the day of the medical examination.

Is this really ONLY the UK police check? What if I have one from France and Japan should I bring those too? The question is, because my Japan one is still a month and a half away, I would have to wait for it to arrive to schedule my medical? Or can I just go with the UK one I already have?

is it also possible to get all the way until getting the appointment for the interview and push that back until you are ready? Can you do that? And if you can, for how long?

We are still not sure if we are going through the immigration to the US or not, we started the IR process as a backup plan but now that we have received the NOA2 I am wondering how best to "delay" the process without having it cancelled. Is there an amount of time from start to finish before they cancel the request?

Would the best be not to send the Notification of Applicant(s) Readiness, Form 2001 and do the medical or send form 2001 and not do the medical? Considering that if we decide on going through with it, the main factor would be that it would take us less time to complete the process with either scenario?

I believe also that we could just complete the process, get the Visa and from there have 6 month to enter the US. This could also be a solution but it would mean having to pay for the Visa and Medical even if we do not move to the US.

Thank you for your help!

Well they tell you about the police certificate on this page http://london.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/medical-examination.html

On the instruction page they tell you to check the link on the left for Medical. There's actually a lot of information if you click the links left and right. But I kinow what you mean because they have some descrepancies.

I was actually wondering, as the section mention:

Important Notice

Applicants aged 16 and over are required to furnish a U. K. police certificate in support of their immigrant visa application. A copy of this police certificate must be presented to the panel physician on the day of the medical examination.

Is this really ONLY the UK police check? What if I have one from France and Japan should I bring those too? The question is, because my Japan one is still a month and a half away, I would have to wait for it to arrive to schedule my medical? Or can I just go with the UK one I already have?

I know the main requirement is tax returns and W2s, and of course proof of US citizenship or US residence for the joint sponsor. I had paystubs too for the 3 most recent months of my MIL's employment, but mainly because I had to present her 2009 tax return (she hadn't filed for 2010 yet at the time), so it was a way to show that her income was still ongoing. The lady at the Embassy took all the paystubs too, and pretty much everything I had brought that was related to the co-sponsor.

Does the joint sponsor's documents need to be original? I cannot see her sending me her passport to the UK or her birth certificate original... Would copy of passport picture page, birth certificate last W2 and few pay stub be enough?

thanks!

So you recommend having a joint sponsor just in case? I could try to talk my wife to discuss it with her sister in law I guess... In this case the joint sponsor would have to fill an I-964 (she'll be Part1, 1d?) and provide passport page copy, last tax return copy? I did not know the pay stubs were required for I-864, just the last tax return was mentioned on the detailed instructions I believe? Anything else?

thanks!

Hi,

I went through a lot of post in this forum and it helped understand the process but the I-864 still confused me for some details...

My wife, the US citizen have lived in London for 3 years. Due to her family situation we would rather not have them as co-sponsor for this process.

Part 4, section 15 "country of Domicile" seems to be a tricky point, I read a lot of post on this, the best one being "DCF I-130 Filed in London" I think.

We are thinking to write our UK address but provide supporting documentation that my wife kept an address and bank account/credit card in the US (detached flat in her parent building) where she gets her mail. She has a driver licence and voting registered there too.

We were planning to use the template provided by cherriesss in the post to prove residence, does that seem sufficient?

Part 6, section 23 "annual income", my wife is employed in the UK, an income that will terminate when we moved but I read confusing information saying that it should show either "0" or a converted US amount of her salary just to show she earns money at the money. What is the right choice here?

Part 6, section 24b, is it worth putting my UK salary in there or since it will be discontinued as well when moving the US better not put anything?

Part 7, section 26/28, our main sponsoring method would be to show our bank account statement (UK & US) and shares value (online UK). We have more than enough of to meet the 125% poverty guideline * 3 so it should work even though our income would be virtually 0, right?

thank you all for your feedback on this difficult process!

Has anyone recently encountered issue with proving domicile?

We are quite in the same situation with my wife, she is the US citizen and she kept an address and bank account/credit card in the US (detached flat in her parent building) where she gets her mail. She has a driver licence and voting registered there too.

We were planning to use the template provided by cherriesss in the post (http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/286090-letter-in-support-of-i-864-domicile-requirement/) to prove residence, does that seem sufficient? Any advice?

I also meant to say that in addition to the above mentioned paperwork for domicile, I did have the following:

quote from an international shipping company to move our belongings

printout from 'My eBay' showing all the household goods we have for sale/have sold in last 10 days

proof I sold my vehicle a few days ago

wire transfer to our US account for a sizeable amount of money

letter to my daughter's current school in the UK, explaining the move

quotes for medical and dental insurance in the US

Of those items she looked at the shipping quote but didn't take it, said no to the eBay statement and vehicle sale, didnt want the wire transfer or insurance quotes and said 'Good' when I told her I had the letter to the headmaster...but she never looked at it.

I still can't believe we were approved, given how negative she was! ROLL ON SEPTEMBER

Hey Nick-Nick,

I was following your links regarding the packet 3 and comparing it to the "http://london.usembassy.gov/ds2001.html" showing the Instructions for Immigrant Visa (K) Applicants Applying for a Visa in London.

This section, following the I130 for Immediate Relative application (CR1) shows that you only need 1x DS-230-Part 1 & DS 2001 with a covering letter. No mention of the 156/156k/157, is that right? Are those really only for the K Visas?

thanks!

Start reading London instructions here:

http://london.usembassy.gov/kprocessing.html

Notice on the right it says

Note:

Only applicants who been notified by the Immigrant Visa Unit that a petition has been received in their name should complete the visa application forms. Forms received without the applicant's case number will be discarded.

They won't open the mail and get your file to the IV unit immediately so don't send yet.

Read this too

http://london.usembassy.gov/iv_15.html

http://london.usembassy.gov/interview_documents.html

http://london.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/medical-examination.html

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/iv_medical_letter.pdf (all 9 pages)

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/iv_medical_letter.pdf (scroll down to K1)

http://london.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/interview.html (scroll down to K1)

just to be clear, for the fee, you have to pay $420 for the I-130, then £210 for the medical and last, the "MRV" fee when you book your appointment is... $350? is that right/all?

my wife is a US citizen, living in London. Assets need to be in the US? That much more complicated as most of them are online shares? I thought they just needed to be available for cash in within 12 month? Shares can be sold and back in our bank account in 6 business day, i thought that would work

Hi,

since both my wife and I are living in the UK and we would rather not used co-sponsor (not easy with her family) this mean we should to satisfy the financial support with our own assets?

My wife has approximately $5k in her bank account in the US, then $13k in shares. Myself, I have around $2k in my bank and $60k in shares. Does that work this way without needing a co-sponsor to cover the 125% of Poverty Guidelines x3 or x5 for an household of 2 ($18387.5 * 3 = 55.2k or $18387.5 * 5 = $91.9)?

I am a bit confused about this... thank you!

Also, there is the LPR issue, is that a problem since my wife has been leaving abroad for nearly 3y? She has kept her bank account, driving licence and receive correspondence at her parents' detached house though?

Really? March 2011? WOW.

The VISA STAMP in the passport has a validity of 6 months. But - Once the foreign spouse crosses into a USA POE, the new timetick starts for the Green Card, itself, AND there is I-551 stamp put in the passport, that validates the VISA STAMP to be used as a temporary green card, for a year from POE date.

So, if you DON'T want to delay the interview for March, 2011, and let it all take its natural course -

Then after the VISA is granted - go to the USA together, get the stamp at POE, then turn around and return to India. Be wary though - after the first POE date, you will get 'looked at, hard' if yer out of the USA for more than 6 months.

Hi,

We are thinking about immigrating to the US with my wife but there are other possibility up in the air as well so I am trying to understand how "flexible" this process can be.

Looking on how this process cost around ~$800 I would rather not do it and have it expires on us while we are waiting to see if other possibility arise.

I understand once you get your VISA STAMP at the end of the DCF process it is valid six month. However, I am a little unclear on what happens once you get to the US and receive I-551 while waiting for your green card.

What if we decided to stay where we are for another year, could we wait 5month+ to go to the US, get the I-551 on our passport then go back to our country a week later? Then we might stay another 6 month+ and finally move to the US? Is that a possibility? Is there any official text on the validity/duration of the I-551? Do you require a re-entry permit? I thought I read somewhere you could be out of the US for up to 2 years with a re-entry permit in this case?

And of course, the tricky question, when do you have to start filling tax for the IRS? At the moment I am a NRA (Non-Resident Alien) under my wife tax paper but in the scenario above when would I need to start filling tax? Once I get the VISA STAMP or the I-551 or only when we actually "move" to the US?

Thanks a lot for your help!

great news! thanks a lot

We are thinking of sending a I-130 request to the London office as my wife is a American residing in the UK resident for over 2 years now.

Looking at the “Checklist for petition for alien spouse”, I am a little confused by the “Record of Name Change”.

My wife and I got married in the US about 2 years and a half ago, her maiden name appeared on the marriage certificate. However, since then, she applied in the US to change her SSN as well as her passport name to my family name.

Does this situation mean that we need extra document to support her name change or does the marriage certificate on its own support that?

I do believe she did not need any additional document, nor received confirmation of name changed when she applied for the SSN and passport change.

Am I reading too much into this? My wife is telling me that just the marriage certificate would be enough to support the name change?

Thanks!