Highmystic

Congrats!

Congratulations 

Congrats!!! Way too many things to celebrate this Valentines!!!
 

Congratulations!!!!   It feels absolutely amazing, doesn't it??  

Took about an hour and a half for the ceremony, but it was great!  Phoenix  Court House! About 100 people from 27 different nations for their Citizenship.   She is now a full fledged Citizen!  From Start to finish, 6 yrs about.  We will have our 5th Anniversary this Monday the 13th.  Now it's on to the SS department to get her Social Security card updated, and get some pictures for her to file for her US passport.  Then we are done done done! LOL 
 
I want to give a shout out to all the wonderful people on Visajourney who have answered my questions over the years!  Could not have done without your support and knowledge!  Awesome people, you know who you are!!!  Peace to all!
 

Took about an hour and a half for the ceremony, but it was great!  Phoenix  Court House! About 100 people from 27 different nations for their Citizenship.   She is now a full fledged Citizen!  From Start to finish, 6 yrs about.  We will have our 5th Anniversary this Monday the 13th.  Now it's on to the SS department to get her Social Security card updated, and get some pictures for her to file for her US passport.  Then we are done done done! LOL 
 
I want to give a shout out to all the wonderful people on Visajourney who have answered my questions over the years!  Could not have done without your support and knowledge!  Awesome people, you know who you are!!!  Peace to all!
 

Took about an hour and a half for the ceremony, but it was great!  Phoenix  Court House! About 100 people from 27 different nations for their Citizenship.   She is now a full fledged Citizen!  From Start to finish, 6 yrs about.  We will have our 5th Anniversary this Monday the 13th.  Now it's on to the SS department to get her Social Security card updated, and get some pictures for her to file for her US passport.  Then we are done done done! LOL 
 
I want to give a shout out to all the wonderful people on Visajourney who have answered my questions over the years!  Could not have done without your support and knowledge!  Awesome people, you know who you are!!!  Peace to all!
 

Took about an hour and a half for the ceremony, but it was great!  Phoenix  Court House! About 100 people from 27 different nations for their Citizenship.   She is now a full fledged Citizen!  From Start to finish, 6 yrs about.  We will have our 5th Anniversary this Monday the 13th.  Now it's on to the SS department to get her Social Security card updated, and get some pictures for her to file for her US passport.  Then we are done done done! LOL 
 
I want to give a shout out to all the wonderful people on Visajourney who have answered my questions over the years!  Could not have done without your support and knowledge!  Awesome people, you know who you are!!!  Peace to all!
 

Update:  Wife passed with flying colors!  On to the Oath Ceremony  Feb 10th.  Then for the Passport. And any "i" to dot and "T"'s to cross. 

Here are some interesting statistics. Seems N-400s, compared to I-751s, are being processed at astounding numbers:
For the 4th Qtr of FY 2022
 I-751s Received During the Qtr: 40,081
 I-751s Processed During the Qtr: 24,011 
 I-751s Still pending: 270,925
----------  
 N-400s Received During the Qtr: 194,819   
 N-400s Processed During the Qtr: 323,793
 N-400s Still Pending: 543,838
 
There were roughly 10% of the N-400s denied.

Kudos for your Step Daughter with stepping up and creating a better life for her to be able to get the visa!   She should be very proud of her hard work!

I would rely on the actual paper NOA1. 

You can try a B Visa. My step daughter finally got hers on the fourth try in 8 years, Nothing changed over those years except now she has a daughter. rents an apt, has a regular job and lives week to week. give it a shot, all they can say is NO.

After reading the comments back and forth, it seems not it is not a viable option.  If you are serious about a relationship,  I think you will need to take a 10 day vacation and go visit her.  Then you have a choice, if you want to proceed,  you can file for a fiancee visa, or get married there and file for a spousal visa. Both takes a long time but the spousal visa (as I've read in the past) may be the longer but easier path.  Either way, it will run thousands over the next few years.

After reading the comments back and forth, it seems not it is not a viable option.  If you are serious about a relationship,  I think you will need to take a 10 day vacation and go visit her.  Then you have a choice, if you want to proceed,  you can file for a fiancee visa, or get married there and file for a spousal visa. Both takes a long time but the spousal visa (as I've read in the past) may be the longer but easier path.  Either way, it will run thousands over the next few years.

Update:  Wife passed with flying colors!  On to the Oath Ceremony  Feb 10th.  Then for the Passport. And any "i" to dot and "T"'s to cross. 

Agree.  Except that my wife's IO gave me the option to stay during her N-400 interview.  My wife asked me to leave...LOL!!!!!!

Only seen spouses interviewed when it is a dual interview .. for ROC first .. spouse present for ROC interview but then required to leave the interview room when the IO starts the N400 interview 

Good Luck!!   Believe me, it feels great to be rid of USCIS!!!

Bottom line:  You can file a joint return if you wish.  Good luck.   USCIS does not establish tax status.  As long as you were married as of Dec 31, 2022, and as long as she has a Social Security number, you can file a joint return....electronically ...even if she had not yet arrived in the US. 

I would also pull the get your member of congress and senator office involved card too.

Nothing to do with immigration or USCIS. 
you can be whoever you want. Just have to go thru courts.

my wife’s appointment took more than 1:30 but the actual interview was only 10 mins and they printed out the oath letter and handed it to her. She waited inside the lobby in a big hall until they called her..

If you are a veteran the SRRV deposit is $1500. It makes it much more attractive. I have sent you a PM for a link for a forum for Philippine expats where the 13A and the SRRV visas are discussed at length by people who have completed the process and those that are currently going through it.

Just wanted to say how excited we were that the wife got her 10 yr card (about 10 months) today and surprised that we didn't even know it was sent, or who the package from from!  No interview, nor bio's, no notice that it's been approved or even sent.  Was a mystery!  Onward and upward!  I'll have some questions to ask in the forums about things in the coming weeks I guess!  Best of luck to everyone!   I thought we'd have to wait for another year, according to the timetable of approval estimates...