Lavender7

I can't really understand the question honestly. If you have all the documents proving the reason of your name change. Both your old and new passport, marriage certificate you should be fine.

You sb ok

Thanks~!

Brewing coffee i miss read sorry need to wake up lol i would have filed months ago and saved on time but i know your in money bind.

If and when you can file file

Yes I know.. should have done it months ago but couldn't get to it ..But this October it is happening! : ) I'm very nervous about the entire process and all the things it involves, I hope we won't make any mistakes in filing etc. Fingers crossed

Unfortunately, most people on this forum find themselves in a situation where they have to spend significant amounts of time apart from their loved ones. That is part of the process for most of us. I hope you will find a way to avoid that.

Have you thought about who will sponsor you and how your husband will prove maintaned US domicile or intend to re-establish domicile? It seems these might be your key obstacles, apart from the long wait.

They are already married though.

Yes, all that is covered:) As I've already mentioned his parents will be sponsoring us. And he can also prove domicile.

I would go the fiancee route you have plenty of evidence due to living together gather it all....and file

Is it ok to file while he lives out on the US?? I dont know???

Ladies??

We can't do the fiancee thing because we are already married: ) And yes, it is totally ok to apply even if USC lives outside the States .

He could begin the process while your together or u not sure whis the USC and then do all the needed processes if you or he is unemployed the USC needs a joint sponsor.

You will also need they money to file and for all the visa fees and fees for all the requierements...

Thats what i would do.

We are beginning process this October. We will have his parents as joint sponsors. I know it will all cost around 2000$

Why can't your husband afford to return to the US without you? If the reason(s) for that is good enough, you might just qualify....

At this time he can't afford a 1000$ ticket to go across the world just to stay there for a couple weeks. We need all the financial resources we have to afford petition and other expenses. We haven't been apart from the first day we met so staying away from each other for longer then a month is out of the question. We are planning on doing everything together. So we will just go ahead and follow the process and see how long it takes.

Your husband lives with you? Why would that be a severe hardship? I've been married to my husband almost two years and NEVER been able to live with him yet. Your situation is considerably better than mine and thousands of others who are separated by thousands of miles for a long period of time.

I personally know a family where the case was expedited. The USC was the father and was due to have a liver transplant. The case was expedited so that the child could come to the USA quickly as there was a strong chance the father was going to die.

First of all, I didn't state that it IS severe hardship right away. I simply am trying to find out how it exactly works. I asked if somehow we could qualify because I know people here who still got it, without having any of those reasons listed above. I don't think it's a crime to wonder about it And I'm sorry about your situation. Yes, good for me that my husband and I live together I'M EXTREMELY LUCKY and I know it But it IS still a hardship because we are both unemployed here , he absolutely hates it here and is extremely homesick and pretty much can't communicate with anybody but me. Because of a language barrier etc. His father just had an open heart surgery and is still in a bad state. His grandmother is about to pass away so yeah.. He can't be here for much longer but at the same time we can't afford being apart for a multiple number of reasons. But I get it. We still don't qualify:) Oh well.

No, that is very common and definetively not grounds for an expedite.

However, if your country has a US field office, you may qualify to file your application directly to the embassy (this is called direct concular filing (DCF)). That usually shaves off quite a few months of processing time. So, where are you from?

I'm from Georgia and no, sadly I can't use DCF

Anyone may request an expedite, but as mentioned above it will only be granted if you can prove that you are in an exceptional circumstance. Severe financial hardship or medical circumstances (only applies to the USC, not the foreign beneficiary) are typical reasons I've seen on this website.

My husband lives with me in my country for 2 years now, would that somehow qualify for expedite?

Hello , I'm curious what would be the requirements for requesting an expedite process for IR-1/CR-1 ? Thank you

Your visa is okay to use. Check out the "You can visit" threads pinned at the top of the K-1 and CR-1 forums. No entry is ever guaranteed, though, so even if you could check that your visa is valid (you can't check and it is valid) that is different from being assured entry. Most chances you will be allowed in for a visit, though. Good luck.

Thank you so much for your answer!

Hello, I have a question concerning my current B1B2 touris visa. In my passport it says that it is still valid until 2023. So far I've use it two times, my first visit was 3 months, second was 6 months with 6 months interval between them. I didn't overstay. It's almost 2 years since my last visit to the States and now, this summer I want to visit my husbands family for about a month. I couldn't find anywhere where I could check my visa status, whether it is still active and I can use it again or not. I mean it should be fine, since I said that on the visa it says it is valid until 2023. But I read that some people would be rejected entry at the POE and they were told that their visa was revoked or some other reasons. Does anyone know If I can check if my current B1B2 is still okay to use ?

Btw, I have all the documents proving my marriage etc. I can bring those with me so that wouldn't be a problem I would have a round trip ticket to show that I am not planning on staying there forever.

Got it, thank you guys for your answers

Greetings dear VJ members,

I still have a valid B1B2 visa in my old passport (I've changed my last name, took my husbands last name), which is still valid as well.

My husband is USC living with me in my home country for about 2 years now. We want to visit his family this fall and stay for about a month or less. We are planning to file I-130 this October.

My questions are:

1. Would my tourist visa still be valid to use after I apply for my Green Card? Considering the fact, that both my passport with my maiden name and B1B2 visa in it , still haven't expired yet. I got my new passport little while ago with my husbands last name. I would present both my old and new passports and marriage certificate and all the documents proving and showing the reason why I changed my last name etc. at the border.

2. Maybe I should wait to file the petition and do it after the visit ?

3. Would I have to get a brand new B1B2 since my current one is in my old passport?

Or should I give up the plan of visiting the States before I actually get approved my Green Card?

I would greatly appreciate your knowledge on this matter.

You chose a wrong place to look for a way to move forward, that's only up to you and your wife to figure all that out. None knows your situation better then you and probably her so, seeking comfort on forums is not the way to deal with it, not to mention juggling with two accounts.

Well, OP is already planning to join US military to get his US Citizenship

Sorry to say that but I think you should forget about your Green Card, at least about getting it through the marriage...Try some different ways of getting your immigrant visa if you still want to live in the States. I mean after what you described, there is no true marriage to begin with, so yeah..it would be considered a fraud. Unless, she admits her mistake and you two can discuss it etc.

Congratulations!

Hey Lavender7

Making the move to whole other country no matter what brings you here is a huge decision and probably one of the biggest you can make in your life. All those feelings you have are totally natural and i'm sure a lot of people can relate to them as I can myself.

I have lived in Pennsylvania since late December of this year on the outskirts of a mid sized town, it's incredibly rural which is a big change for me after living in the city of Sydney. I have swapped crowded suburban living with noise and traffic to pastures, open spaces and beautiful greenery. My first two weeks here I didn't feel too homesick as we had our wedding to organise, my young daughter need to be enrolled in school and we had a new house to decorate but after all the excitement started to calm down and I had more time on my own that's when I really noticed how much I missed everything I left behind and the Homesickness really set in. I went through good days and some not so good, I guess my biggest guilt was had I done the right thing by my child after all I moved away from her friends and more importantly family. As weeks turn into months things started to improve, my husband bought me a car so now I had freedom to explore my surroundings, I started to get to know the other mum's from my daughter's school and I guess life here started to "normalise". So now 5 months on I still get Homesick but over time it does lessen, talk to your Husband and let him know when your feeling down don't bottle it up as that for me made it worse, keep busy and if possible try and do hobbies or outings that you did back in your home country, even simple things like cooking a meal that you eat back home can all help. I found that keeping in regular contact with loved ones was also a big help as I was always up to date with what everyone was doing.

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state to explore, we have a beautiful mix of large open farmlands surrounded by wooded mountains and many great lakes. I haven't been into Pittsburgh yet as it's a 3 hour drive from us but I hear it's a fantastic city and i'm hoping we will make it up there this summer. I find the people here warm and extremely welcoming and at this point cant really imagine moving. My daughter loves it here and settled well into her new school and has made many new friends so that was another huge worry off my mind.

So I hope this might of helped in some little way and I wish you well on this new stage of you life. Remember homesickness is normal and some feel it more then others but it does lessen so give yourself time to adjust and enjoy.

Hey, thank you for your reply, it means a lot! It always helps to know that someone else shares same feeling as us and even if we feel alone at times, in fact we are not! My husband was telling me to be stronger back in Pitt, when I was already freaking out , telling him I just wanted to go home. Others were telling me that it takes time to get used to things, but I just had some tough time, being on a tourist visa and not being able to use health insurance or work, I couldn't drive, I just felt paralized for the hole time I was there and didn't have enough patience to actually proceed with my Green Card application from there etc. At some point I'm glad we didn't apply from there but sometimes I feel regretful that I wasn't more patient and persistent because my husband now feels also extremely homesick and he misses states and he just can't function here in general, because of number of obstacles like language barrier, poor economy in the country and virtually no opportunities whatsoever so now I feel guilty of bringing him here..we are planning on applying for my GC soonish soo..hopefully everything will be alright: )

I'm American - from Pittsburgh and have been living in Belgium for 11 years. I never got over being homesick, but learned to enjoy my new home too! Once you move abroad, you end up with your heart in two places. We are about to move back to Pittsburgh ourselves. I grew up there and love the city, and even though I have lived in many other countries and cities, nothing ever really compares to Pitt! There is so much to offer and a huge international presence!

I hope you settle in to your life there quickly! Maybe we will see you there

Thank you so much for your reply Kelly! Maybe you could suggest me good neighborhood to move to, it's one of the biggest worries I personally have about moving back to Pitt. Honestly I still haven't seen all of it but what I think I know for sure is that I want to avoid living in suburbs and try to find something a little close to the city which seems to be a challenge right now as I'm checking online realtor websites, prices are much higher for places near downtown. We will be moving with a toddler so that adds to my worries even more, I want to find kid friendly place where certain amenities would be in a walking distance! That was one of my biggest problems , since my husbands family lives in suburbs I literally couldn't go anywhere by food! That was a huge challenge which made me even more homesick that I would normally get. I just don't want to repeat the same mistakes and settle in the are which is not cut off the civilization sort to speak And yes! It would be great to meet you when we all are there! I could surely use new friends : )

Hello dear VJ community

Today I want to make a general post about moving to the United States and specifically to the state Pennsylvania. I am extremely exited about the whole idea of moving from my current country(Georgia) I literally cannot wait to do that and I could go on and on about all the things which are wrong with this place but I'd rather briefly sum it up and say - I had 28 years to learn the fact that I don't belong here, never did and never will, so the logical move is to leave this place and move on.

Now comes the interesting part - My husband is from Pittsburgh PA and it seems natural that he expects us to move back and settle there. And I know it's not something which just bothers me but as much as I am super exited about moving the the U.S. and start a new life there, it scares me equally just as same. I guess it's a natural feeling and I am most likely not the only one with this feeling but yet I get these frequent panic attacks every time I start thinking about all those multiple details, moving all the way across the ocean will bring aand it's SCARY! I get cold feet and second thoughts and then trying to calm myself down saying it will be alright! One step at a time! You are not the only one! etc. Over and over again!

Fortunately or not, I've already been to the States before and lived there for about 6 months which gave me a pretty solid idea on how it is to live there etc. but even after all those months I couldn't get used to the place, I had a pretty big culture shock aand to my HUGE surprise I was homesick! and at the end just wanted to ''go home'' as we ended up doing it... We live here for almost two year now and after 2 months already wanted to go back to states and started severely regretting our decision on coming back here. It's just such a huge step in life and it's overwhelming! I'm currently worried whether or not I will be able to get job soon, which neighborhood is best to chose, will I ever feel like home, like I belong? Finally! Plus I'm not sure about Pitt. but should I just move back there since I already somehow am familiar with it? It would be really great if some of you could share your experience on moving to PA or any other state . How long did it take you guys to not be homesick anymore? How long it took you to actually feel like home , what helped you to overcome your fears and doubts.

Thank you all in advance!

Cheers: )

Dear all,

I am an natural born American citizen with a Chinese residence permit married to my wife, a natural born Chinese citizen with a U.S. B1/B2 travel visa.

=======================================

Questions:

What is the best immigration path I need to take if the priority is for the both of us to travel to the states by end of June latest?

(I am ok if we can be in the states but the immigration process takes a bit longer)

If we have been married for almost 7 years now and given that she has a B1/B2 visa, would filing for I-130 and AOS while in the states be illegal or ok?

If we purchase open ended air tickets would that improve our feasibility?

=======================================

Background Context:

We have been married since Sept 2009 in China and I have been living in China with her since that time with a residence permit that allows me to live and work here legally.

My question is that my wife and I would like to move to the United States end of June (about a month away) and are confused whether or not we should file the I-130 form and AOS while we still live in China or from the States.

It would seem to be a lot easier to just travel to the states and do the immigration process there as that would satisfy my priority of being in the states by June.

But from what I've seen online it seems that some say in my situation I need to get an IR-1 via DCF, as we could run into some trouble/fraud trying to do the immigration process from the states.

I would like to add that since our marriage in 2009 we have regularly travelled to the states at the end of the year to celebrate the holidays with relatives, usually for 3-4 months starting from mid dec to mid march.

She has always been issued a U.S. B1/B2 visa since the start which has been renewed/extended for 4-5 years in a row.

In addition to the US, we have also travelled several times to Singapore, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong. All the visa stamp records are in my wife's passport.

Again, I must stress my main priority is being able to move to the states by end of June so I am not concerned if it takes longer for other filing processes to occur.

I'm a little surprised, your wife was able to travel to the States on a B1B2 after you two were married. I think it would be best to start the process from your wives home country, it would be much safer and you two would avoid further complications (them seeing it as a fraud and abusing her tourist visa). I am personally married to a US citizen as well, it's almost two years now, and we both live in my home country and planning on starting the process from here and then move the States. I am honestly even scared about travelling to the U.S. on my current B1B2 (which is still valid for another 7 years) just because we are already married. But I might be wrong, since you guys did that so many times... Anyhow, best of luck to you two!

As far as I know once you get immigrant visa stamp on passport it's only valid for 6 months. / you have to enter before 6 months of visa stamp.

I could be wrong but that's what we had to do on F4. When we came.

Yes as I expected just wanted to make sure if it was less then 6 months..

Your b1/b2 visa will be cancelled at interview and you will get the IR1 Visa to enter the US. This Visa is a one time entry Visa. You need no more Visas after you get to US you are automatically a Legal permanent resident.

Your Visa to enter the US is good for 6 months from the time you get your medical.

Okay, that makes sense, thank you:)