SunflowerSweet

What “ground” are they standing on exactly? Appointment letters are specifically coming with instructions now making it very clear that you should not come unless you have an appointment.
 
Walk-ins are a courtesy, not a right. At the Milwaukee service center this was a courtesy not to even allowed BEFORE Covid (at least in summer of 2019). 

Okay there Socrates...
 
The statement/waiver process is supposed to be a thorough explanation of *your* personal beliefs/convictions regarding vaccines and why these beliefs require you to be exempt from the vaccine and overcome the denial. I’m not exactly sure how anyone here is suppose to help you with that, ESPECIALLY since you very plainly said you don’t wish to discuss stances on vaccines.
 
 If you’re so confident in your stance and your ability to get the outcome you desire... I’m not really sure what you’re asking for at this point. Impressively, some users have been able to provide some advice and guidance in response this thread, but you’ve been dismissive and honestly rude in response.

This is exactly the case. Getting the forms signed and copies of everything can be handled by a family member you trust with access to the forms. If you can get a family member with visiting privileges to take the paperwork to him to sign in less he is in supermax/ death row/ segregation lock-up the visitor can bring a pen for him to sign the forms with without an issue. If he is in one of the aforementioned situations ( I doubt it, because you said he is going to be out in 8 months) so getting the forms signed and mailed isn't going to be a issue. I don't think it would be that difficult to file everything as it is going to take 8-10 months to get to NOA 2 more than likely, and if he has a joint sponsor lined up, that will cover the I-134 that needs to be filled out for the interview.  As others have said, make sure his convicted offense isn't a disqualifying one, and make sure to disclose it obviously when you fill out the petition.
It's up to you if you want to try and get a jump on the process, or as others suggested wait until he is released and begin the process.

All jails and prisons in the US have in place procedures to accommodate legal mail, and immigration papers would qualify as that.  So getting forms in and out to be filled and signed is not a significant problem if family or someone else trusted on the outside is cooperating. Whether it is a good idea or not is a separate issue.

He gets out in 8 months. The rate things are going he will be out long before the interview and like everyone else who doesn't work or doesn't make enough they get joint sponsor. 

If it’s the affidavits alone that are what is holding this all up, unless you have very minimal other evidence, I would consider whether they are actually worth it. Affidavits are fine, and can be nice supporting evidence, but there are definitely better documents out there to show a bonafide marriage and life together. We only submitted affidavits because as a young couple without kids, joint owned property (we rent), or substantial assets, I felt we needed more extra padding wherever we could get it.
 
If you have a decent amount of other types of evidence, and the affidavits are going to be what makes this a 4 month wait versus a 1 month wait, I would consider just filing without. Especially with what you’re saying about the statements being written completely by the lawyer and just signed off on by the parties, and not their direct statements. In the chance you end up getting and RFE (which you might not!) the delay could potentially be the same that waiting for them to be completed anyway. You could also always bring them along to any interview if you end up having one.

USCIS isn't the problem.   Getting consulate interviews is.

No you’ve got a point. All the focus is toward catering to the illegals and refugees at this point. I have yet to see anything being done about the delays in legal immigration.

I think the Administration is focusing on that because the issue is immediately pressing, plus the border areas around Mexico aren't exactly known to be safe with all the drug cartels and such. As much as family separation suck and case delays are driving us all collectively up the wall, we're not in any immediate danger.
 
That being said, it's not like the US Government can't multitask. Biden is trying to get his new USCIS Director confirmed by the Senate. The nominee is one of the people from DHS Watch and a critic of the Trump immigration policies...it would lead me to believe (and you can knock me for being naive) that they will be focused on tackling the backlogs there. Right now there's just an acting director at USCIS and their job is to just keep the light on while the Senate confirms the nominee. 
 
However, it has been frustrating to see that the DoS has been pretty slow but from what I understand getting accredited Consular Offices out to diplomatic missions to process visas isn't a quick nor easy process, and I think foreign countries limit the number of diplomats to boot. I would hope that the administration has a plan to sort out the visa backlog because it's evidently not sustainable unless there is a significant increase in people processing and interviewing cases.

Getting a babysitter for one day is not going to scar the child for life, honestly. Or make it an overnight and get a local babysitter for the couple of hours of the interview.  Anyway if you say the office is super relaxed and you are sure they will allow the child in why are you even asking here? 
 
I don't see the point of you asking for help then insulting people who are genuinely trying to give you good advice - such as trying to prevent a situation where you arrive and they simply refuse to allow the child in, leaving you the two bad options of either leaving the small child alone in the car or not being able to attend the interview. Especially as your first post just said "He's a toddler and only stays with his mom, so he wouldn't be comfortable if we just randomly left him with a babysitter", and not that it's a whole day undertaking that only came out later and you then use to attack people for "reading comprehension". Then again you're hardly the first person here to shoot the messenger.

For those saying they won’t make the kid wait outside, you’d be surprised. Our local USCIS office (Milwaukee) was incredibly strict about their “no one other than specifically invited persons” policy even prior to Covid. I drove with my husband for ROC biometrics in July of 2019 and the block the building was on had a nice handful of people (including me) waiting around for their family members to finish their interviews/other business, and YES there were even some children that appeared to be alone outside. No toddlers, but some that looked as young as 7/8. They did have a guard who seemed to be sort of watching the younger kids, but still, definitely not a situation I would want to be in. 

You’ve made it very clear that you feel we don’t know your situation enough to provide our input and advice (which is weird since you’re literally on a forum asking for it) but I would just caution not to completely shut down the possibility of there being an issues with bringing your child with you.

For those saying they won’t make the kid wait outside, you’d be surprised. Our local USCIS office (Milwaukee) was incredibly strict about their “no one other than specifically invited persons” policy even prior to Covid. I drove with my husband for ROC biometrics in July of 2019 and the block the building was on had a nice handful of people (including me) waiting around for their family members to finish their interviews/other business, and YES there were even some children that appeared to be alone outside. No toddlers, but some that looked as young as 7/8. They did have a guard who seemed to be sort of watching the younger kids, but still, definitely not a situation I would want to be in. 

You’ve made it very clear that you feel we don’t know your situation enough to provide our input and advice (which is weird since you’re literally on a forum asking for it) but I would just caution not to completely shut down the possibility of there being an issues with bringing your child with you.

USCIS still has social distancing and they don't allow many people in. Also, you need to think about your wife and she has to be relaxed for the interview and focus on that. Not focus on the child. Would she take the child to a job interview? No. So get a babysitter. 
 
Kids have to get used to being with babysitters or going to day care. 
 
You could also ask friends to watch over him for a couple of hours.
 

For those saying they won’t make the kid wait outside, you’d be surprised. Our local USCIS office (Milwaukee) was incredibly strict about their “no one other than specifically invited persons” policy even prior to Covid. I drove with my husband for ROC biometrics in July of 2019 and the block the building was on had a nice handful of people (including me) waiting around for their family members to finish their interviews/other business, and YES there were even some children that appeared to be alone outside. No toddlers, but some that looked as young as 7/8. They did have a guard who seemed to be sort of watching the younger kids, but still, definitely not a situation I would want to be in. 

You’ve made it very clear that you feel we don’t know your situation enough to provide our input and advice (which is weird since you’re literally on a forum asking for it) but I would just caution not to completely shut down the possibility of there being an issues with bringing your child with you.

It isn't a couple of hours. We live over 5 hours away from the immigration office each way. Since you don't know the entire story I'd appreciate you not trying to tell me how to parent my child! My wife is not going to be relaxed if she's worrying about my son, which she will if he's not with one of us. My wife is a stay at home mom, he doesn't have to get used to anything. My wife chooses to stay home with our son. I will dictate how my son is raised not you! 

Hi! I’m currently on detail working at a center in Texas caring for and interviewing unaccompanied minors to try and connect them with any relatives they may have in the states. HHS put out a call for any civilian gov workers to be temporarily deployed to help with the influx, and so far me and literally thousands of others from all sorts of agencies have signed on to help out.
 
While they aren’t all toddlers, no, they also aren’t all 16 and 17 year olds. There is a good mix of ages and backgrounds. They are definitely all kids. The conditions aren’t luxurious, and remind me of the picture and videos I would see of hurricane evacuation areas being set up. A lot of this is due to how quickly they have had to have been set up.
 
A lot of these kids didn’t grow up crammed in houses with dirt floors, that seems like a weird and stereotype-based image you invented in your head.

Hi! I’m currently on detail working at a center in Texas caring for and interviewing unaccompanied minors to try and connect them with any relatives they may have in the states. HHS put out a call for any civilian gov workers to be temporarily deployed to help with the influx, and so far me and literally thousands of others from all sorts of agencies have signed on to help out.
 
While they aren’t all toddlers, no, they also aren’t all 16 and 17 year olds. There is a good mix of ages and backgrounds. They are definitely all kids. The conditions aren’t luxurious, and remind me of the picture and videos I would see of hurricane evacuation areas being set up. A lot of this is due to how quickly they have had to have been set up.
 
A lot of these kids didn’t grow up crammed in houses with dirt floors, that seems like a weird and stereotype-based image you invented in your head.

Hi! I’m currently on detail working at a center in Texas caring for and interviewing unaccompanied minors to try and connect them with any relatives they may have in the states. HHS put out a call for any civilian gov workers to be temporarily deployed to help with the influx, and so far me and literally thousands of others from all sorts of agencies have signed on to help out.
 
While they aren’t all toddlers, no, they also aren’t all 16 and 17 year olds. There is a good mix of ages and backgrounds. They are definitely all kids. The conditions aren’t luxurious, and remind me of the picture and videos I would see of hurricane evacuation areas being set up. A lot of this is due to how quickly they have had to have been set up.
 
A lot of these kids didn’t grow up crammed in houses with dirt floors, that seems like a weird and stereotype-based image you invented in your head.

Likely you sent this card by mistake with your petition, and USCIS kindly returned it to you. The letter is not an RFE, approval/denial or acceptance letter, so therefore it looks a bit different than letters from USCIS normally do (kind of like when they return originals, photo albums etc). 
 
There are others who had things returned too. 
 
 

If she has to quit to get time off to go to Canada, then wouldn't she have to quit to go to Mexico, Europe, or anywhere else?

You bring up all these complications and ignore the most obvious solution.  Your USC spouse can visit you in Canada.  Problem solved.  So, it really isn't that hard for the two of you to be together.  It is that simple.  

I want to start my own food business and it's a tricky one to be left alone at the early stage. I want to stay here and start it up, get it going for a few years before pass it on someone who can manage it for me.
 
My husband keeps showing me these YT videos from the US and sing the national anthem to me and then scream I LOVE AMERICA. I am now triggered by the phrase MOVING TO AMERICA because it has become almost a nightmare to me. That's how he's been pressuring me.

From what I gathered so far, it is pretty much pure luck.  If you can come up with a sad story, essential workers, mental distress, physical health distress, whatever, just try to submit the request.  The request itself is free.    

I don't judge you for making the choices you feel are right for your family and its dynamic. My husband's aunt lives apart from her life partner half the year -- she is in the UK, and he is in Canada part of the time -- and it works for them and their son. 
 
Unconventional lives can be hard to square with US immigration though, and you have to take that into account. My husband and I have joint checking and credit card accounts only for the purposes of immigration -- we have structured our finances to be separate as much as possible, but we understand this looks "weird" to USCIS so a couple of joint accounts it is. They are strictly for paying housing costs including furnishings, but we use them often enough that they are as genuine as they look. It's a hassle for us, but we want to sail on through. This is a minor hassle though and easily overcome.
 
You have a bigger problem: you have to be domiciled in the US and intend to make this your permanent home in order to sponsor his application. Your choices to live apart may work for you, but if they don't work for USCIS, it's you who has to bend, not them. If you are a square peg, you need to get ready to whittle yourself into a round one because that round hole isn't going to be receptive to something square.
 
I know what it's like to feel like you don't want to let your husband down when he has a big dream. You want to find a solution somehow that will make everything just right for him. But I think you may need to have a "come to Jesus" talk with him about the reality of him moving without you. 
 
You should also not downplay the importance of what you want here. You want to stay in Germany and start a business and raise your children in a community and school system you feel comfortable with. Why should you be the one to upend your life in a way that doesn't suit you? You also mentioned that you're sick of moving -- how do you know he won't get to America with you and your kids, and decide, nope, not here either, where are we going next? Where are you in all of this? Are you an enthusiastic partner in globetrotting or are you kind of just along for the ride even if it isn't what is best for you?
 
I mean it when I say I'm not judging your choices for living separately, but you really do need to think if moving back is right for you and your kids. Words like he's "pressuring" you and he "insists on moving" to the US might look like red flags to others. Good luck, and best wishes to you and your family in sorting this out.

But it's not just about you, is it? How will your children feel years down the line when they are old enough to understand, that their father left them because he fancied a life in America more than he wanted to be a permanent father figure in their lives? It's a horrible thought, knowing that your father abandoned you. I speak from experience. My father walked out on my mother and 5 children because he 'wanted to find himself and do his own thing'. At the time I was heartbroken, even though I was very young. Now as an adult I still cannot get my head round it. My father didn't want to be my father. It's the most horrible feeling. You and your husband may prefer to live apart (I do know of a couple that this arrangement works very well for but they have no children, not even a goldfish between them) but have either of you given any thought to what this is doing to your children? When my father left my mother had help from the state. The UK, like Germany, has a strong safety net for single mothers and we were housed, fed, clothed. But all the money in the world could not make up for the lost time with my father. I reconnected with him decades later, just as I was preparing to move here. Sadly I am still resentful and I don't think I can ever get over that, even though he has explained things to me that I was too young to understand at the time, things that went on 'behind the scenes' that I was not aware of. 
 
You also asked about citizenship. If your plan does go through, he will not be eligible under the 3-year rule as this requires an 'ongoing marital union'. He would be eligible under the 5-year rule but he will have to demonstrate that he makes regular child support-type payments. Immigration officials take a very dim view of immigrants who do not provide support for children left behind in foreign countries.