Henry14

Over just a year ago (early 2023), we sent in the I-751 document (petitions to remove conditions on residence) because my wife's green card was going to expire. 

She received the extension in the mail shortly after. 

We still have not heard anything back from the USCIS after receiving the extension, but apparently enough time has passed for her to now apply for citizenship. 

What exactly is the next step in this process? So far, we've done everything without a lawyer and I'm assuming the rest can still be done without a lawyer? Thank you very much. 

Hello everyone, so my wife obtained her Permanent residency via adjustment of status last year in May and we got married in 2020. 

Her permanent residency card expires in May 2023. When can we start the process for her obtaining citizenship (this is the next step, right?). I went down the rabbit hole of filing her adjustment of status on my own (no lawyer) back then, and I'm wondering if the same can be done for her citizenship. Is the process easier? more difficult? Is there a guide for doing this and when exactly do we have to send the papers so she can remain within the country without an issue?

I'm a little worried because we have a special occasion in her home country that same month the permanent residency expires in 2023 and don't know if we'll have to skip out on it if anything goes wrong. Thank you. 

5 minutes ago, B&C2017 said:

For CR1 you don’t have to get married in her country - you can also marry in Las Vegas tomorrow. But then she’d go back to her country and await the process there (you file the I-130 after the wedding, once it’s approved she will have an interview at the embassy).

She can also come to visit you during this time, but be prepared for her to have prove of strong ties to her country (lease agreement, employment letter, etc.) just in case she would be asked for it when entering the US. 

Thanks for the help. What exactly do you mean by “showing strong ties to her country”?. She lives with her parents still and her part time employment is on a cash-only basis (no contract). 
 

For the other posters indicating the fiancé probably has no choice here, we’ve talked about this and she’s the one who wants to start working in the U.S. as soon as possible after marriage. This leans towards adjustment of status.

1 hour ago, JFH said:

So she’s left all her belongings back home? What about returning her apartment keys to the landlord or selling her home? What about her vehicle? Does she have all the documents here that she needs for adjustment of status (birth certificate, etc)?
 

Is this really what she wants? What’s the point of studying hard for those exams right now if she can’t work for many, many months anyway? Not being able to work for that long would have been career suicide for me. Six months out takes around 18 months to recover from in my profession. Plus the loss of income. Sure you’ll get to kiss her every day and sleep with her every night but this is a long-term decision you are making. Short cuts aren’t always the best way. 

You bring up good points but she can’t work much anyways because she’s doing intensive studying for an exam that usually requires 1+ year of studying to finish (multiple exams). She’s not going to school. It’s a separate exam process for trying to become licensed in the U.S. for her career, so, she can study anywhere.
 

If we decide to NOT do the adjustment of status, the second best option (fastest) would be getting married in her country (CR-1)?

thanks

15 minutes ago, Marieke H said:

Would she be able and willing to not go home and stay in the US for about 6 months without being able to work or travel? Only if the answer is yes, you can get married and apply for AOS. 

 

Otherwise, your only options are the CR1 (marry, file, she goes home) or K1 (propose, she goes home, file, marry when she enters on her K1). The CR1 has a huge advantage: she will be allowed to work as soon as she enters the country. 

 

I strongly recommend that you discuss the options with her. You may want to have her here as soon as possible, but the long wait for EAD after entering on a K1 may be very hard on her.

I think adjustment of status is exactly what I’m looking for. This is the fastest route to her obtaining a green card, right?

Thank you

5 minutes ago, missileman said:

She shouldn't be working at all if she is here on a tourist visa.

She isn’t working here. She has a part time job in her home country that she’s ready to quit at any moment. It’s not important for her at the moment to “keep on going back to her country for work”. The goal is for her be here ASAP. 

4 minutes ago, JFH said:

Are you planning to marry and then she returns home to continue working? Or is she wanting to stay in tourist status (no work, no study, no overseas travel and maybe even no driving) for the next 6 months or so?
 

Getting married is easy. Depending on your state law, there may he a waiting period between getting the license and being able to get married (in WA, for example, it’s 3 days). If you want to get married in a hurry, there’s always Las Vegas. You can be married within an hour of arriving there if you so wish. 

Yes, she’s willing to stay here. She is studying for exams she has to take here in the U.S. so she cannot work much anyways. In this case (filing here in the states), would that require getting a marriage certificate and then going to an immigration lawyer ASAP? I’m sorry for being a newbie at this, but what is this visa form called? 
 

Also, since she is forced to be within the country, would the two weeks that she has currently been here for also count towards the required stay time? Thanks a lot.

1 minute ago, Marieke H said:

Would she be able and willing to not go home and stay in the US for about 6 months without being able to work or travel? Only if the answer is yes, you can get married and apply for AOS. 

 

Otherwise, your only options are the CR1 (marry, file, she goes home) or K1 (propose, she goes home, file, marry when she enters on her K1). The CR1 has a huge advantage: she will be allowed to work as soon as she enters the country. 

 

I strongly recommend that you discuss the options with her. You may want to have her here as soon as possible, but the long wait for EAD after entering on a K1 may be very hard on her.

Yes, she is willing to do that. She is mostly studying right now anyways. She’s not working very much because of that.

13 minutes ago, missileman said:

Nothing related to immigration is fast.  Did you read my comments about the restrictions she will face?  That has been a problem for numerous posters.

Yes. The goal here would be her being able to work here ASAP, regardless of traveling in/out and not working for a few months. 

Thank you for the comments. I was told a CR-1 (I may be mistaken here) takes a lot longer to process than doing it all within the U.S? 
 

Hi everyone, i’m a U.S. citizen who is planning on proposing to my 7-year partner soon whom I met while I was studying abroad.

She is currently inside of the U.S. on a  visitor visa as she is taking examinations related to her job. She has been coming to visit throughout the last few years but as of now, she’s been inside of the country for about two weeks. 
 

I plan on proposing very soon and want to accomplish the marriage process as fast and efficient as possible. We plan on getting married here. What steps should I take to accomplish this? Is it important for her to stay here before the marriage process (do the two weeks she’s been here count as the time required for the green card?). 
 

Thanks a lot. I know very little about this process so any advice would be much appreciated.