Alex&Nayden

What do you mean by "watch for the date though"? I'm curious because our I-130 used to say "125 days since updated" and now it says "2 days since updated" — ever since we got the active review. Thank you

That's what I put on the I130 and it was totally fine. But for this particular instance I was referring to the DS260.

Thank you! It's looking like this is the best way to go.

Yes, I know this. 😊

To answer your question: I use my friend's address for all my official mail because I knew I will be in Europe for some time but of course I planned to go back. I wasn't going to get rid of all my bank accounts, etc. Honestly, the moment we get approved by NVC I will secure the apartment. Our embassy doesn't have a backlog so the interview should be like 1-2 month wait max. So by the interview, we will have an apartment lease.

That was going to be one of my options (friend's address). Thank you I do work for a US company (remotely) now and I have multiple conversations with apartment complexes where we intend to secure an apartment. I also have active US bank accounts, a US phone number, and have paid all of my taxes so I do believe I can make a strong case. I just don't want to secure an apartment for 1 year when it could still take months to approve my husband. It would literally be like throwing money down the drain (but I get it).

Okay, well thanks. I am looking for someone who has been in a similar situation and can offer helpful advice.

I do have US income and I have paid my US taxes every year. I understand the process. I did mention in my original question that we will arrive together. We will get an apartment as soon as they approve us. I am just curious what others who have chosen to live with their spouses outside of the US put for this question.

Background: I am a US citizen. My husband and I have lived together in Europe for the last 5 years. We are still in Europe. Question: On the DS-260 it asks my husband: Do you have an address in the United States where you intend to live? We will move to the US together once he is approved. We will get an apartment once he is approved. We think it's crazy to do it before they've even approved his visa (I do understand that it will be easier). If he answers "NO" to this question, should we write an explanation? Do you think it will look "weird" to the person checking the application? Or should I ask a friend to use their address? We don't have family there. If you've gone through a similar situation, I'd love to hear your advice. Thank you!

I honestly don't think any processing times/timelines are accurate. There are so many factors that go into it (even though uscis claims there is an order to it). Each case is different. Some couples get to expedite which speeds up their case. Some spouses are from countries that are considered higher risk (which is sad but true) so that may delay the process. Some people have unfavorable histories (like criminal records, multiple marriages, and kids from previous marriages) which also delays the process. I truly believe the only thing you can do is wait and hope for the best. As long as you file a strong case, you have nothing to worry about. At the end of the day 1-2 years will seem like nothing once you get your green card. My best advice is to just keep living your life (no matter how unfair it may all seem). To get a LIVE representative on the chat - here is what worked for me: doing it exactly at 8am when they are not slammed with work. Also, try different days of the week. I typically go for Monday at 8am and it always works for me.

Thank you for the detailed explanation! We filed the i129f last week so hoping it helps a bit.

Fabulous! Did you file the K3?

Great! Thank you! Then I should be totally fine.

Jus put your US address where you live together now and where it says “DATE TO” put present.

No, my husband is from Bulgaria. Can you clarify what you mean by the “current income” statement? Kind of lost me there 😅

Honestly, I didn’t want to deal with it anymore. I’m just going to wait out the process and whatever happens. We’ve only been waiting for 3 months so it’s not a big deal.

They said the same to me. They said I can’t apply for an expedite because I don’t have a US address on file in my account because we both live overseas. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I really hope so! I really don’t want to get a co sponsor 😫

Hi! We are currently USCIS approval. But I am preparing all the documents for NVC stage so I have everything ready. But I do have a question about spousal support/I864. Background: I've lived abroad with my husband for the past 4.5 years. I've been self-employed working with US clients remotely. I have a tax accountant and filed/paid all of my taxes. We claimed foreign inclusion income deduction because I wasn't in the US at all. I did make above the poverty level but I know that NVC doesn't accept income that's been claimed under foreign earned income (even tho it will continue once I move to the US). Anyway - I started working a job with a US company in February 2022 which pays well above the poverty level. I have employee verification letter and paystubs. Combined with my self employment income (which will continue but they might not count) I should make over 100k for 2022. Finally, the question: Do you think they will make me get a sponsor just because my taxes from last year have the "foreign earned income" deduction?

I saw that you might file the I-129F from your previous posts. We sent ours yesterday. Hopefully it helps. I'd be happy if it just shortened the processes a month or two.

I think that’s a good idea! Not sure how many people we can gather but I’m down for it.

Yup, I used the Emma Chat and asked to talk to an agent. I didn't get an email or any notification.

The most frustrating part of all of this is that everyone's timelines are all over the place. There doesn't seem to be an actual order, just sheer luck. I've heard people getting approved 2-3 days after being Actively Reviewed and others waiting 5-7 months. Sadly, there is no way to know what will happen. I guess all we can do is try to distract ourselves with other things and be patient.

We filed February 2022 and same thing happened - Nebraska to Potomac. But honestly I think the estimates are BS so don't worry about it!

We filed our I-130 on February 2022. We were given Nebraska Service Center and just found out it's in Potomac. I wanted to start this thread for anyone who filed in the month of February so we can connect! Say HI and share your timeline so far!