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Your Mum can’t petition for her until she’s a citizen, as I think her marriage will still count (which is good as otherwise her husband would have to be left in Ghana). So at the moment only you can do it, and sponsoring a sibling is a 20+ year wait. Once your Mum is a citizen she can sponsor her and that’s shorter wait but still a 10 year or so wait as a rough guide. So you petition for her now, as back up, then get your Mum to apply for citizenship asap and also apply once she has it. The Visa Bulletin is what you need to keep an eye on to see how processing times are moving - categories F4 and F1. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2024/visa-bulletin-for-january-2024.html One last thing to note - either way it’s not likely your sister will be able to bring all of her children, as at least some of them may ‘age out’ before she gets a visa. But it depends on how old they are and how long it takes, just something to be aware of anyway. If you don’t petition the kids and she leaves them, then she’ll have another long wait herself to bring them over (categories F2A/F2B on the VB). Good luck.

Can take up to a week after payment - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/step-3-pay-fees.html If you need to contact NVC then you do that here - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/ask-nvc.html Which consulate have you got listed?

I'd send him the link that I've given you above and ask him why that doesn't apply to you.

Yes, it's absolutely still applicable. You can't enter before the principal applicant, you must either enter at the same time or after them. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-10-prepare-for-the-interview/step-12-after-the-interview.html#:~:text=Entering the United States,derivative family members with visas. How long it will take will depend on various factors, ours was super quick and easy, maybe 10 minutes and just a handful of questions.

It isn't relevant now as you've already left the US, but for future ref you may be eligible to apply for expedited naturalisation as the spouse of a USC in the military - https://www.uscis.gov/military/citizenship-for-military-family-members

If you're a green card holder then you're years away from them getting a visa through you, even once the I-130 is approved - and in fact, you may want it to take as long as possible for them to be approved to try and stop them 'aging out' (depending on how old they are of course). Your husband's applications will get them visas much sooner, so keep an eye on his more closely, but completely ignore the online estimated times as they're notoriously inaccurate. Figure about a year for the I-130 as a rough guide. Good luck.

No problem. As you're benefitting from others timelines, it would be nice if you 'paid it forward' and completed yours, to help others in the future. 🙂

Yes, they're eligible to be sponsored for a green card if the company agrees and the person meets the criteria for it.

His social security card has nothing to do with him applying for a visa. Here's the guide you need -

Him having a SSN isn't relevant. Where are your husband and step son now? Note you need to petition both of them, you don't just file for your husband.

No way of knowing how long it will take as every case is different. But there’s a very long thread about it in the Canada forum so would suggest you read that for more info. Good luck.

if you know it’s been received then why do you think you need to send it again? It’s only been about 8 working days since it was delivered and there will be a backlog of applications to open after the Xmas shut down. I’d give it a while longer.

I’m confused - your previous thread says you’re already married? He can visit but can’t enter with the intention of staying, as that would be immigration fraud.

I'm sure they will, but you only asked 3 hours ago. As my mother would say 'patience is a virtue'. 😂

And what about the CBRA/citizenship that @JeanneAdil asked about? If your child isn't a citizen, then they need their own I-130.

OK, so I'm struggling to understand why you've wanted to move here for years to be honest if you've never been here. Don't get me wrong, America is a great place, but you need to look at the practicalities i.e. healthcare, high cost of living, lack of vacation time etc. Don't build it up to be like you see it on the tv because it really isn't! As with everywhere, there are downsides so I'd ask yourself what you want out of a country - you may find you would be better suited to somewhere else that is easier to move to, or even somewhere else in the UK. Best of luck to you.

Does he already have the B visa? If not, he's likely to fall at the first hurdle!

Can you give more info - are you the petitioner or beneficiary? Is s/he the biological child or step child of the USC/LPR?

You'll certainly be able to pay for and take your own interpreter if you wish, I don't think there's any right to have one provided for free by the doctors office. There's no requirement for genitals to be examined these days, but if your spouse is in the US with you, then can you not accompany her and act as interpreter? I'd imagine she'd be more comfortable with your presence than a strangers. For vaccines, the info you need is here - https://www.uscis.gov/tools/designated-civil-surgeons/vaccination-requirements And most doctors send the records electronically these days. Good luck.

If it does have an impact (yet to be seen - as processing times have sped up recently, not slowed down) then maybe. Personally if I was a spouse visa applicant I'd be far more annoyed about other factors i.e. employment based green cards being processed so much more quickly, or lack of funding and staff to process existing applications, than I would about people risking their lives to try and better them.

Being married to a USC confers no automatic right to enter the US. Lots of people are married to USC's but can't enter the US, perhaps they have a ban from a previous overstay, or they have a drug conviction that makes them ineligible to enter etc.

Maybe start a new thread without the anti-immigrant stuff in the relevant forum and then hopefully you'll get pertinent responses. But as I tried to say above, the online processing timeline thing has always been inaccurate, it's best to always stick to the USCIS processing times quoted on the website which are usually more accurate (I'm sure that the online countdown is just somebody having a laugh most of the time). That says 14 months which would be about right for most people. And you can search timelines and see how much quicker it has been recently compared to the past, it used to take much longer. Good luck.

As a UK citizen, don't apply for a B visa. You have the VWP available to you so it's not worth risking. If your B visa application is refused then you'll always have to declare that on any other visa or ESTA application, and you may find it scuppers your chances of visiting for a while as any ESTA app is also likely to be refused as a consequence. I have to ask, have you visited the US before?

Ah, you're still super young then! Plenty of time to work toward a move. As above, any of the STEM fields would be a good option (I work in energy/engineering). EB2 NIW is an employment based route to a green card that doesn't need employer sponsorship (I did the EB1 which is similar). Full details here - https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-second-preference-eb-2 You need to tell your friend that his plan won't work! Remote/online work in the US is absolutely not permitted on a B visa, he'll be working illegally and runs the risk of being refused entry/being banned if he tries.

What do you actually do? You've not said and without that info it's impossible for anybody to know if you would be eligible or not. In my experience, both as an employee (headhunted from the US) and employer, if you need to apply for jobs then generally speaking you would be out of luck. No employer is going to go to the cost and hassle (not to mention waiting months or even years for you to be able to start work) of hiring you, when they'll have other US citizen applicants that can start tomorrow at no cost. To be in with a chance, you need to have specialist skills, and ideally a degree as a minimum (masters preferred), and then the job offers will find you. Headhunters will be tasked with finding people with skills they need on LinkedIn, and will often search outside the US. I would only consider somebody that needs visa sponsorship for a fairly senior role, or one that requires skills I can't find locally. Plus if you are headhunted, you'll likely be in a very strong position to negotiate a seriously good expat package (house, car, cost of living, etc all paid for by the company, it can be very lucrative). So ideally you'll look at this as a long term plan, figure 10 years or more. Get yourself in a good industry where your chances are high, get a degree, work your way up (ideally in a multi-national company to increase your chances, a transfer is much easier than a brand new job). It's absolutely possible if you want it badly enough. Or if you're happy to just do a short stint, and don't mind what job, then have a look at H2B jobs i.e. ski seasons, Disney etc. Best of luck to you.