alizon

We were on almost exactly the same schedule as you for the ITIN, and "where's my refund" also said May 1st for me last week. Try checking again this week because I checked today, and it now says I should have my refund in my account tomorrow.
Not just the preferred method; it is the ONLY method. Paper versions of 1040 and W7 mailed together to Austin, TX.

I'm an American living in Russia. Thanks. There's plenty of us here, and we enjoy it.

I'm pretty sure quite a few of the 143 million people currently residing in Russia are very happy and content with living there..

Yes, the IRS makes mistakes but a lot of the time the answer you get depends on the facts that you present to the person that is trying to help you. Some people like to "shop" around for the answer that they want to hear. I am in my 33rd year as an Internal Revenue Agent and I know I have made my share of mistakes in my job. As a Revenue Agent I can tell you with certainty that if you are married at the end of a year then Single is not an appropriate filing status for that year. Here is a link to a tool on the IRS website that helps you determine your filing status. If you answer the questions truthfully then you will find out your proper filing status.
What is my Filing Status?

Its funny how people in absurd situations always try seeking advice for a so called "friend", "neighbor" or "work colleague" and then run away without posting another reply other than starting the thread.

I'm beginning to think that's true. My case complete was 14 Feb, we received notification beginning of March of interview in April
Ask different questions.
it might sound a lot of money but it appears that you got good advice that hopefully you can use in the future to file the taxes yourself. Our taxes are complicated and we were quoted minimum of $2000. Hubby showed me the booklets the IRS sends each year and they have got noticeably thicker and this year they didn't even send one. Also when he looked things up, tax accountants and the IRS interrupted the rules differently (many different ways) so there is no hope for the ordinary person. My advice - if you have to marry an American stay in one country and don't move.
I can understand asking for an explanation as to why a particular route is recommended but all this arguing with the answers because someone doesn't want to do something seems wasted effort and members have been very articulate with their answers which I hope helps other readers.

A lot of married persons would qualify for single head of household but the only other legal options are married filing jointly and married filing separately. Don't think I would want to get the government mad about taxed while under a conditional green card.

Amen.

This is in regards to the same person stating they don't need their native documents to be translated into English. Seems there's a counter-reply she/he has to a lot of responses from members trying to help. I agree with you MCMLXXXII - "No one is going to try and convince you here on this forum, in the end you can do whatever you feel is right."
I just feel it's wrong for people to ask for advice in these forums and then argue with members about what's wrong and what's right.

First issue: no. Your husband has no obligation to file taxes in the US because he lives abroad and is not a citizen. So if you file separately, you two are taking on your tax obligations separately. He has no obligation to the US, so he is not required to file at all.
Second issue: no, that's completely wrong. My husband was just assigned an ITIN and he has never lived or worked in the US and hasn't moved here yet. The ITIN is even being mailed to his address abroad, not to me in the US. Follow this link: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96287,00.html
You will see that it answers both who needs an ITIN (nonresident alien spouses of US citizens, among others) and how to obtain one from abroad (so obviously you do not need to be in the US).
As others have said, you can do whatever you want with your own taxes. But please be careful about spreading information that is not documented and not accurate.

First issue: no. Your husband has no obligation to file taxes in the US because he lives abroad and is not a citizen. So if you file separately, you two are taking on your tax obligations separately. He has no obligation to the US, so he is not required to file at all.
Second issue: no, that's completely wrong. My husband was just assigned an ITIN and he has never lived or worked in the US and hasn't moved here yet. The ITIN is even being mailed to his address abroad, not to me in the US. Follow this link: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96287,00.html
You will see that it answers both who needs an ITIN (nonresident alien spouses of US citizens, among others) and how to obtain one from abroad (so obviously you do not need to be in the US).
As others have said, you can do whatever you want with your own taxes. But please be careful about spreading information that is not documented and not accurate.

Again, you are in the wrong forum. You need to ask in the forum about employment visas.
You are in a thread discussing Spousal Visas.
Click here -> http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/141-work-visas/

The VAWA can be used for men or women. It was called VAWA because women tend to be more likely to be abused by their spouses and especially women are more likely to be KILLED by their partners. http://www.americanbar.org/groups/domestic_violence/resources/statistics.html
Wow. The act was NOT a "pay off to feminist and man-haters", while it is called the Violence Against Women Act, men can and DO use it as well to adjust their status!
This fact sheet from the USCIS specially uses language such as "he or she" and "spouse" rather than "woman/she" and "wife", so it is designed for BATTERED SPOUSES, it's not just for women.
USCIS Fact Sheet: Guidance for VAWA Self-Petioners
Women are more than TWICE as likely to be killed by domestic violence! I think this act was very warranted. Yes, it can be abused by some people, so it probably needs some refinement. But that's no reason to dismiss it and call it a law made by "man-haters".

Not necessarily. Some states will not recognize the marriages of their residents if the marriage took place in another state specifically to circumvent the laws of their state of residence (which is exactly what the OP would be doing).
This citation is specific to Illinois, but it's possible that it would apply to Texas as well:
"Moreover, a marriage contracted in another state or country solely for the purpose of evading the Illinois marriage prohibition is void in Illinois. The foregoing rules thus enable an Illinois resident to sponsor his first cousin spouse for permanent residence under certain circumstances (e.g. the Illinois resident got married to his first cousin previously while living and working in California where cousin marriages are allowed), but not under other circumstances (e.g. the Illinois resident travels to California solely for the purpose of getting married to his first cousin and returns to Illinois to continue to reside there). Given the disparities in marriage laws throughout the United States and the world, the result of the analysis will vary depending on the specific facts of your case."
http://www.immig-chicago.com/index.php?src=blog&category=Your%20Immigration%20Status&srctype=detail&blogid=11
A few posts back you correctly said that the US citizen would have to be a resident of a state that allows first cousin marriages. Have to be careful when saying if they got married in any state or country, it would provide immigration benefits because that's not exactly true.

Not sure on the first time, but the second time, you either missunderstood something or your hubby is not telling the truth. There is a spousal visa for less than two years, the CR-1, and for more than 2 years, the IR-1; the process is exactly the same, the only difference is the one letter in your visa in your passport.
When was your visa supposedly denied? Ie at interview, or by letter? There is no such thing as denial by phone call.

Golly, what harsh responses. It sounds more like you are seeking relationship advice rather than immigration advice. She has immigrated with you, yes? That part is done, for now, until she must remove conditions, which she technically can do with or without you.
We are few of us without things we would not tell a near-stranger. Your wife was married to you, a near stranger from what you have said, in an arranged marriage. You told her what you value is truth, and she married you and moved halfway around the world. It may be that once she knew you long enough to think she could trust you with her truths, she told them to you - an act she may have thought would bring you closer, given that you told her a husband and wife can be open with one another, and also perhaps because now, thousands of miles away from her family, she may have felt SAFE telling you these things - and now you find that you cannot bear her truths. It might help you to sort out what is it that bothers you, that she had an affair before she knew you, that she had an abortion before she knew you, or that she did not tell you about these things on your schedule? If your ego gets in the way of your love and compassion, you may lose someone who was just beginning to trust you - your wife. It seems that she need never have told you any of these things - you would not have known, and she would not have risked you leaving her. If you divorce her here, what skills does she have to get on with her life alone? Is she a professional? Does she have sound job skills? Or are you contemplating her returning to her family as a disgraced divorcee whose husband left her because she was not a virgin when she married him? She risked a great deal to be honest with you - she must have grown to trust you since you got married. This may be a great gift, a good thing.
She may have gotten to know you just enough since you have been together for some small time now to have trusted you enough to tell you. Perhaps you can trust her enough to believe that there must be something she values in her relationship with you very much to open up to you now and in this way, since it appears she has much to loose if you leave her. She took a risk in telling you her truth, perhaps you can respect her for doing so, since truth is what you said you wanted to build on.
Marrying you in an arranged marriage, at the urging of relatives, does not sound like green card fraud. It sounds like traditional arranged marriage, approved by the family, and entered into with the honest hope of success. It may be that once you get over your shock, you will see something of great value has grown in your marriage. I just don't believe that someone perpetrating a fraud would have told you this at this time.

I'm sorry about your experience with your wife.
In my opinion, if you no longer trust and/or love her then just divorce her and move on with your wife. Forget about reporting her to ICE for fraud. With the "facts" you have presented I don't see any evidence of fraud. I see evidence of a woman who lied (about issues that are not tolerated and may have strong repercussions in her culture) to keep a man. What she did is not right but its not fraud.
If you were both American citizens no one would be calling this fraud but a woman with skeletons in her closet.
If she was an American woman would you be suing her for fraud in civil or criminal court? If yes, then go ahead with ICE. If no, then divorce her and move on. The best revenge is a life well lived.

The personal stuff:
I am very sorry you are unhappy and feel betrayed.
If it were me, I would be looking to see if my wife wanted to work on things, if she did then I would not assume fraud; If she did not, I would assume something more fishy.
The GC stuff:
Coming here on a spousal visa gets you a 10 year GC , or is that incorrect? I believe, if she has a 10 year GC the only difference between an immigrant married to a US citizen and one no longer married to a US citizen, comes into play when applying for citizenship/naturalization. You can apply for naturalization if you have been married with the same citizen 3 years after you got the GC, but if you are no longer married, you can apply for citizenship in 5 years (well, 4 years and 9 months, with the respective restrictions for being in the US in the meantime).
The unrelated stuff:
Lastly, just so you know as well, having a "non-complicated" abortion should not hinder your chances of having children, the risk is very low (I know this is off-topic, but you mentioned it and I would hate for you to have misinformation).

Go with evidence from doctors (above I gave you the FDA's and Mayo Clinic's opinions), not with the anecdotes of people in an immigration forum.

Go with evidence from doctors (above I gave you the FDA's and Mayo Clinic's opinions), not with the anecdotes of people in an immigration forum.

Go with evidence from doctors (above I gave you the FDA's and Mayo Clinic's opinions), not with the anecdotes of people in an immigration forum.

Go with evidence from doctors (above I gave you the FDA's and Mayo Clinic's opinions), not with the anecdotes of people in an immigration forum.

Go with evidence from doctors (above I gave you the FDA's and Mayo Clinic's opinions), not with the anecdotes of people in an immigration forum.

Matt,
I have been in healthcare for 12 years and worked in "baby" intensive care units....there is more radiation exposure just by walking out to your car on a clear day than you would get from one simple chest xray. Since they shielded her stomach, rest assured that everything is ok!
Chastity

What is ironic about that? I'm thinking you misused the word. The OP clearly doesn't want to sit around for a year. He wants to work as soon as he can and he wants to find work in his field. He's also from India, a country that teaches children English in their schools. And, his fiance is a graduate student, not someone with an established career such as yourself. You have no experience with a foreign partner living in the US and trying to assimilate; he is already here. The only irony I see here is that your situation and his are not remotely alike at all.
If he's anything like my husband, going without work can be devastating. It took my husband 9 months to get his first job and another year to get a better paying job. When my husband fell out of work, it took him another year to find a job, and that was only after he went back for some training. None of this was easy for him. And since my husband is from the United Kingdom, he has no language issues.
So like I said earlier, your opinion of the political climate in this country has nothing to do with the OP's needs. Some of your other advice is worth considering.