DaveStephChalm

No IR1\CR1 pending at this stage, we plan on doing this after our two year anniversary. I entered the US at LAX back in March 2014 to visit my wife and celebrate our first wedding anniversary :-) the BPO asked how long I was staying (three months), who I worked for (aust government), who was at the address on my entry card (my wife) "welcome the the US sir, enjoy your stay".

We decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to visit for our first Christmas together so I updated my ESTA, re-entered on December 17 using the new automatic entry kiosk at the refurbished (and faincy) lax international terminal, took two minutes to scan passport, take prints, photo and fill out deceleration, then 45 seconds in front of BPO, she asked why I was visiting Texas " to spend Christmas with my wife", she asked that it was under six months since my last visit and how that worked with my employer in Australia, I replied honestly that march to June was on a mixture of annual leave and long service leave and that this time was leave without pay, "welcome to the united states sir, enjoy your Christmas together".

I was prepared with a letter from my employer and return air ticket and approx 3h in my bank but did not need it, honesty I believe is the answer.

And with the new auto entry kiosks I was in under five minutes as opposed to 45 minutes queuing!!!

visa waiver program https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.htmlallows one to registrar on line for entry to a USA port after answering a question air and making a deceleration. generally granted within 45 seconds to 24 hours. It allows one to remain in the USA for up to 3 months and is renewable annually. Border patrol staff on entry will have final say on ones admission.

We have been in a relationship for close to 8 years now. When we finally decided to do the immigration process back in 2011, we did the K1 and were denied. We were devastated and tried again as married, 2 years later my spouse was able to come with a spouse visa.

Long distance relationships aren't easy at all, and anyone who says they are is lying. Plus the US government makes it much more difficult than it has to be so I completely understand your frustration.

But you have to remember that relationships involve commitment and sacrifice, if you're not willing to do that for each other then you both have to make that decision now and save yourselves the heartbreak. Good luck and I hope you work things out.

I think what you say about commitment is correct!!!

My now wife and I met on facebook in 2010, I visited her and her children in the USA six months later, she visited me and my family in Australia six months later. I returned to the USA 12 months later and again in 12 months when I proposed to her and promised to keep coming back until we could be together.

In Apr 2013 we wed in the USA.

My now brother i law made a rally nice speech out our wedding. I took my wife on a coastal hike in Tasmania at a place called ship stern bluff, we skyped him from that remote location showing him a storm front that was rolling in, this was an analogy that he refers to in that speech he gave us, that "those will be like the storms you will face through life, during that day, they found a shelter and waited together until the storm blew out...."

For my circumstances it's not possible to migrate right now, but we will start the process soon.... but for now our shelter is hope and the love we have for one another and the cheap Vodafone International calling plan, skype, facebook and a commitment to each other.

Immigration I joke is a bureaucracy to keep people in jobs, sometime I think they just want to make sure that people ARE committed if they're willing to go through this, whatever I love my wife very dearly and if I have to keep coming back on VWP then that is what I will do...... but my experience with any government instrument is.... it depend on who you get on the day with the stamp in their hand! Keep up your hope

I've been to the USA four times now on VWP and only once had a slight issue one particular BPO.

Most times I've been on a combo of Long service Leave and Annual Leave from my job. so the last two visits have been almost three months each

Met on line June 2010, fell in love and agreed to be in exclusive relationship.....

Met in person March 2011 when I visited the USA (6 weeks, we flew to vegas, I rented a car and we did a ten day road journey)

September 2011, she came to Australia to meet my family....

March 2012 I returned to the USA and we got engaged, in the following twelve months we planned and organised our marriage and wedding day activities. I returned to the USA in March 2013, we got our marriage licence and got married April21!!!!

I returned to Australia, then back to USA in March 2014 and left the USA on the last day of my VWP ESTA. I've booked to return for 3 months from mid December and back to Australia in Mid March so I can return to work and then start the immigration process, it's a little unorganized sounding but that's the story so far.

we talk on the phone almost everyday and communicate all the time on social media, her children see me as part of their family and we have forged strong bonds all around.

The immigration process seems totally convoluted all I want to do is be with my wife and family. Is it worth doing it yourself or getting an Attorney?

No, it depends on the date you enter the US, not the date of filing the I-130. If they file the I-130 before their second anniversary, and then have their second anniversary in the meantime before he enters the US, he will be IR-1 and will receive the 10-year green card, not the 2-year green card. That's why I was asking. If they are holding out on filing the I-130 in order to get the 10-year green card, they are mistaken.

our plan was to file I130 after we had been married to years for it was our understanding that was the time frame to receive automatic LPR on POA, so your suggestion would be to file I130 sooner than later?

how does the USCIS know when an I130 it recieves should be processed as CR1/IR1 over K3???? My US wife and I will lodge I130 after we have been married two years. I have been travelling back and forth on ESTA from Australia.

Thanks. Been thinking CR1 is way to go. I will be back for xmas on ESTA and read that i could possibly file I130 concurrently with I485 (AOS), but if we wait a bit longer and pursue CR1 without subsequent need for AOS to LPR and AED, itd be cheaper....

QED!

Hi

My wife and I have been commuting for four years. I was thinking about AOS on my ESTA last time I was in the USA but decided to return to Australia becasue I wasn't sure if that was okay.

We got married in the USA about a year and a half ago of a four year relationship with regular visits. we are very much in love, have stacks of photos of her kids and us together, a wedding album, stat decks ready.... we were looking at filling I130 for K3.... an attorny advised us that the K3 was dead and we needed to go down the CR1/IR1 route, the way he worded the reply though made it sound like he had an out and that it was not the case the K3 was dead. we have daily telphone calls, facebook, skype messages, four years worth!!!!!

Either way which is best and fastest....? or is I130>k3 and CR1 all the same?

I have updated my ESTA and planning to return for Christmas and stay for three months before I have to return for work in Australia.

any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Dave