beagle

3 minutes ago, GreatDane said:

Yes - 100%. I got mine in October 2014 and applied in July 2017 for naturalization. It's a long process - 12-15 months where I live so go and apply as soon as you can.

Oh ok, we didn't know that.

So we are going to get the paperwork ready and get the whole process started.

This is really good news.

Thank you guys.

31 minutes ago, Going through said:

If she's taking the only spare room now.....Also consider in the future the baby will eventually need his/her own room when older, too.  

 

Extra housing expenses is not just the "house" itself---also extra food cost, extra transportation cost, extra utility costs (4 people in the household use a lot more electricity than 2 people), extra clothing/essentials cost (since she will not be working to afford her own additional personal expenses), extra spending on any leisure costs.

 

I don't say the above to discourage you....just to give you a wider view of what "housing expenses" can entail.  

Yes, of course, you are right. We have to consider all those expenses, as our household will double in size (with baby and mother-in-law) with 2 incomes to support all of us.

I still prefer that our child will be raised by a loving grandmother rather than a bunch of greedy, insensitive nannies.

26 minutes ago, Sara_1982 said:

 

If you've already done adjustment of status and ROC she must have had her GC 3 years already? You can count from when she received her conditional GC and I think you can file for naturalization 90 days before the 3 year mark.

So you are saying that we can already apply for my wife's citizenship?

She just got her permanent green card in February of this year (after removal of condition), but she got awarded conditional residency in December 2014. 

1 minute ago, GreatDane said:

When did you wife first move here? When did she get her first green card? Also - Is her sister a citizen? If so, the sister can apply and sponsor the mom.

We got married in 2013 on a K1 Visa, and she got her first green card in december 2014.

Her sister is not a citizen yet, but a green card holder, just like my wife.

1 minute ago, CEE53147 said:

Not when you consider living and medical costs.  If she has her own place, take your expenses now, double them and add some. 

But she would be living with us in our spare room, so no extra housing expenses. Just the medical expenses, which of course must be taken into consideration. 

1 minute ago, Going through said:

Good luck on starting a family  

Thank you

1 hour ago, cd37 said:

 

I am not sure why everyones after OPs chain migration idea. Atleast they are following laws and coming here legally. You know what I mean.

 

Indeed....my wife and I have always followed the rules and never tried to trick the law.

We did the K1 Visa, adjustment of status, removal of condition, always abiding the law, and paid all the fees to the last penny, and the same we would do for my mother-in-law, if it will ever be possible to bring her to the US.

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

Are you certain your MIL even wants to move?  A good friend of mine and her brother both came over on the DV programs from Romania, after a few years, their father died, and my friend (the sister) started having children, so she petitioned for her mother to come over here.  The mother was approved, came over and even got her GC, but once the kids were older, she decided to go back to her friends in Romania and abandoned her GC even though both of her children live here.  I am just saying, the parents don't always want to immigrate.

Yes her mom would like to move to the US to be with her daughters.

She has just two daughters, and they both live in the US.

She has no grandchildren back in Colombia, but two in Texas (my sister-in-law's) and hopefully one from us soon.

1 hour ago, Going through said:

Definitely have a Plan B in place...parent-category will most likely be the first to be dissolved, if current administration has their way.

Definitely thinking about that plan B, and even plan C if necessary.

Thanks for the info.

2 hours ago, GreatDane said:

If you leave and relocate to Columbia, your wife won't have any claim to return to the US and you would have to restart the process from scratch unless you wait for her to be a citizen (3 years to file, 5 to receive).

That's another concern to be aware of.

Thanks for the info.

Just now, GreatDane said:

If you leave and relocate to Columbia, your wife won't have any claim to return to the US and you would have to restart the process from scratch unless you wait for her to be a citizen (3 years to file, 5 to receive).

I guess a way or another we are screwed then.

My wife and I need to sit down and carefully think what to do.

Thanks again for all the info folks.

8 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a chain!

is the other daughter a citizen yet? If so she can sponsor her.... 

Well.....what can I say...than yes, we are starting an immigration chain, for how short that chain is. Is that such an evil thing?

No my wife's sister is not a citizen yet, just a resident like my wife.

2 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Not when you’re responsible for their healthcare costs in the US system.... doesn’t sound like your mom in law plans to work = no social security contribution = no social security or Medicare benefits ...getting old is an expensive business in the US when the healthcare is all privately funded 

Definitely the healthcare is a concern that I will discuss with my wife. 

I mean if it is possible to bring her mom here, that's fine, we'll do it. If it's not, we'll come to terms with the fact that it is not meant to be.

If having her mom in our family is a must, I'm even willing to move down to Colombia and live there. That's not a problem for me.

14 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Just wanted to point out that yes, technically that is exactly what you’re planning on - if your wife is the first migrant, your mother in law the second link in the chain - and if she in due course sponsors other children of hers those are further links, but just your mom in law is indeed considered chain migration already.

 

Irrespective of the number of links in your particular “chain”, if the law changes it will be according to category not according to how many people end up coming in because you sponsored your wife. So if parents of citizens get chopped as a category - that will completely close off that avenue.  Hopefully your wife will be ok with that if that is the situation by the time she naturalizes.

 

(i know there’s nothing quite like hindsight, and nothing to be done about it now, but if having your mom in law around to be close and to look after kids is important, it’s kind of strange that you didn’t research this before bringing your wife over?)

My mother-in-law has only two children, my wife and her sister who already lives in the US. 

So the chain will end with my mother-in-law.

Bringing my mother-in-law in the country wasn't a topic of discussion when my wife and I got married five years ago. At first we considered my parents to help us raise our future child, but as of lately their health has gone down south, while my mother-in-law is still fairly young and strong as a horse, so she would be more suitable to help us with the child. 

23 minutes ago, JFH said:

I don't know why she'd be disappointed. Most adults move away from their parents and cope just fine without living with them. I just don't see why people feel the need to move their parents here. 

 

But this is something to consider. If you barely made it through the AOS based on your income, then you must be earning somewhere around $20,500 a year. That's the requirement for a household of 2 (you didn't say whether you had any other children so I'll assume not). And now you want to have a child too? And your wife is not planning on going to work for 2 years? If you do bring her mother then you will be a household of 4 (3 plus the immigrant) so will need (currently) just over $30,000 a year. 

 

I wouldn't get too involved with the financials just yet anyway. There's every chance this category could be removed in the next round of immigration reform because the current administration has made no secret of their desire to reduce or stop chain migration. 

She will be disappointed because she wishes to live close to her mom. She doesn't have any family in the US, so I understand her desire to bring her mom here.

After her mom we won't be bringing anybody else in the country, so we won't start any chain immigration. In our plans her mom will also help us raise our future child, as both my wife and I will be busy with work. I also get along very well with my mother-in-law, so I support my wife idea 100%. It just won't happen any time soon, as she was hoping, but it can work in the future. 

ok perfect.

thanks for all the information people.

my wife will be disappointed to hear this, but it is what it is

thanks again

Just now, JFH said:

Well first your wife needs to be a USC so that's three years away. Between now and then your financial situation may improve anyway. You mention "assets". Income is counted too. Does your wife not have an income? If what you have was barely enough to bring your wife then it won't be enough for the sponsorship of her mother. But, as said, that's three years or more away and a lot can change. 

Can my wife petition for her mom as a permanent resident (she recently got her green card)?

My wife currently doesn't work (actually she's going to school). She's planning to get a job as soon as she graduates (about two years from now).

Yes when we went to the interview the immigration agent told us that we barely made it with my assets (income and savings).

So we basically need my wife to become a citizen and get a job, otherwise the petition won't go through.

We are also planning to have a child in the near future (certainly before three years). In that case would we need to show even more assets to bring her mom to the US?

2 minutes ago, cd37 said:

You cant petition your monther in law, your wife can and she needs to be a US citizen in order to do that. Just saying this bcoz you disnt mention if your wife is US citizen or not.

My wife is a US resident, she recently got her green card. 

But even if my wife (when she becomes a citizen) petitions for her mom, can the same assets that were used to bring my wife to this country be used to bring her mom too?

My wife doesn't have any assets of her own. The only assets that we jointly have are the ones that I used to bring my wife to the US, which at that time were barely enough to bring her here, and since then they haven't increased one bit. 

I'm an american citizen with a colombian wife. I successfully went though the whole immigration process to bring my wife to the US. We are now thinking about bringing her mother to this country too. When I petitioned for my wife I had to show to the immigration service that I own a certain amount of assets. 

My question is the following: may I use the same assets that I used for my wife to bring my mother-in-law to this country? Or the immigration service will ask me to show a different set of assets (which I don't have)?

Please help.

Thank you.