mam521

Have you received anything? I'd send an inquiry if you haven't or call NVC and ask for a status update since you've been DQ'd for a while.

No reason you can't. You are the petitioner for her, the beneficiary, to come to the US; she'd be the petitioner for you, the beneficiary, to come to Canada. Different people doing different things. The premise of either application is that you'll live in the sponsor's country. You will live in Canada if (more likely when) Canadian PR is granted for a little while. It could potentially afford you guys as a little family of 3 to make some more premeditated decisions about the move to the US. Maybe you guys will change your plans a bit and stay in Canada long enough for your wife to gain citizenship and then move to the US. You can always pause that I-130 for a bit after it's approved. It's just another avenue open to you. I think 14mo for Canadian PR is a bit pessimistic - hopefully you'd be in the top 20% that go through the process faster. If you were actually willing to work in Canada, there is an Express Entry option for skilled workers. 6mo for PR. That said, the I-130's in the US are taking a year or more for approval. Then there's the DS-260 to contend with and a medical and an interview. You're looking at 18mo at a minimum and that will also depend on things like a CRC and any documentation required from your wife's home country. I'd imagine she has most of those ducks in a row to have obtained Canadian PR, but you never know. USCIS and the DoS can be fickle.

Have you considered Canadian PR so you can stay with her and drive to the US for work? The US I-130 process takes more time than Canadian PR takes. It sounds like being together is important to you, so this might be the better way to manage things. Additionally, the baby will be born in Canada and get Canadian citizenship. You'll still have to file a CRBA to get the baby's US citizenship before you can move baby to the US. Lots of moving parts, so I'd give it a think.

Exactly what @Crazy Cat said. Because you've become a citizen, the babies are no longer derivatives and require their own petitions. Once you get the NOA with their case numbers, call and ask to speak to a Tier 2. My husband explained to the agent that we filed initially in the Family Preference category and that the kids were derivatives on the petition, but he acquired citizenship and because of that, my petition got bumped into the IR category. We then had to then file the kids' petitions because they were no longer considered derivatives. No guarantees that they will expedite them, but if you get an understanding agent, they will do everything in their power to get those petitions caught up to Mom's. The Tier 2 agent is the key in these cases. In our case, Kid1 & Kid2's petitions actually caught up and leapfrogged mine! The whole derivatives here but not here is a bit skewed to me. Spouses and children of a USC are essentially guaranteed a greencard but require their own petitions. The FP categories allow derivatives even though those visas have to become available.

I've found great little businesses that are local to family members that allow me to purchase online. I prefer to support those little local businesses so my family has access to them after I've given them a taste of what's available.

For your reading (non)enjoyment https://www.uscis.gov/save/save-casecheck

Congrats on finally achieving approval! Hubs won't have an I-94 as a LPR. The person at the DMV/DPS should be accepting that temporary I-551 in his passport as it's legal. And if they still have questions, they can request a SAVE verification which will verify 100% that he's entitled to be in the US without restriction.

The airports on both ends know which airport you're supposed to be in and are aware of your presence the minute you check in and head through security. The biometrics associated with your passport give them all they need to know. They know what flight you're supposed to be on, so which gates you'll be accessing to plane, and what gate you'll deplane at when you reach your destination. In most of Europe, they are using eGates for a good number of passport holders - you slide your passport in, it scans your face, the gates open. You don't even interact with a human anymore. Applicable for both plane and train travel. The UK just dropped the eGate user age to kids 10 and up. The bulk of Europe was 12 years old. It was slick and far superior to waiting in line to interact with a human.

You'll have to check your DS-260 submission and see if you ticked the box. If you did, wait about 10 business days after you enter to see if you get it. If not, head into your local SSA office with your passport and apply for one. You can still work, even without your SSN in hand. Your temporary I-551 in your passport serves as legal documentation proving your work authorization.

So, I've got my citizenship interview on April 10. Hopefully the oath ceremony won't take long after that. We know what to do for me - easy peasy, turn up at the Passport office and apply. But Kid1 & Kid2 - they are minors and will be given derivative citizenship. We will apply at the same time as me for their passports, but does the passport office take their greencards? How does that work? Can anyone offer their experiences?