Deker1972

seems to have gone very quiet again on the May 2023 approvals 😕 

33 minutes ago, ItsMeTom said:

Any folks between 10-20 May 2023 still awaiting approval on i-130 (consular)? Mine is 11-May-23, Nebraska SC

Yes, May 18th here

most supermarkets will sell pay as you go SIM cards, usually between £10-£15 per month with calls and data, it will probably work out cheaper to get one of those and call back to the USA (if you need too) via WhatsApp

I've been watching the April filers thread too and someone who filed 4/4 has recently been approved so it looks like we're currently around 4-6 weeks away

Hi all,

While not a new member here my previous scrolling didn't get past the CR1/IR1 timelines sub pages, only recently ventured further down the forum pages as we're hopefully getting closer to the NOA2 notice (just hit the 300 days in milestone).

My wife is the USC from just outside of Detroit Michigan and I'm from the North East of the UK

We met online around 6 years ago and finally got to meet in person as soon as the covid restricted travel was lifted from the US to the UK in 2021, then several US holidays later (and a proposal) we decided to get married, we knew the process would take a while and didn't want to continue the long distance relationship so last year my wife entered the UK on a fiancé visa and we married in May, we then updated her visa to UK spouse visa so that we could stay together through the US visa process.

We've had a few more trips to the US to look at where to relocate but initially we're going back to Michigan so that we can be with friends and family for a while before venturing further, I work in a remote IT role for a global company and currently it looks like my current role may be made available in the US for me so hopefully we may be able to hit the ground running when we land.

Thanks for reading

Derek & Jo

2 hours ago, ninabd said:

Thank you! How do you ask Emma? Like in what format?

 

click on Need help? Ask Emma and then type: live agent, answer the questions then ask which service centre is looking after your case

One thing I've noticed while preparing mine is that the auto population doesn't work as well when completing the pdf file using a browser, when I opened the document using Adobe Acrobat everything worked better.

Regards

Derek

I may be wrong (so following to see any updates) but I was under the impression you could return at any time while your green card is still valid without having to re-apply, the only issue would be with citizenship if/when you apply as I believe you have to be in the country for at least 3 years and have not been away for more than 18 months in that 3 years before applying (but if your visa runs until 2031 this should be possible)

3 hours ago, rks_emelander said:

Is that situation acceptable in the eyes of USCIS - marrying while visiting on a tourist visa (whether spontaneous or planned), returning to home country, and then the USC submitting an I-130? Or could that cause problems during the CR-1 process?

That's a perfectly acceptable way to do it, I wish we has as we would have been in the US now, instead we planned to get married in the UK which meant more visa waiting t(his side) and delayed us around 14 months 😕

On 1/5/2024 at 10:39 PM, Penguin_DE said:

Thank you all for your answers. She has an unexpired DL but it's in her old name (before marriage) and attached to her parents' old address (they just moved). She does apparently have some letters with their old address.

 

Yes, we will use our savings as liquid assets. We have 3x poverty line.

I'll let you know how we get on as my wife and I are in the same situation, my (USC) wife has been in the UK since last Jan (first on a fiance visa and now remains here on a spouse visa), she still has a US driving license and bank statements registered at her parents house (where she lived until moving here with me) and we're also using our savings and assets for the AoS as we have much more than 3 x the poverty line.

We applied last May so will hopefully hear something in around 3 months

We have my wifes parents as a 'plan b' just in case

2 hours ago, Rhoadie said:

Hello all, this is my first post.  I filed May 24th online.  The estimated counter told me 13 months, than 8 months (a few days later).  The 8 months have passed and now the counter displays,  "this case is taking longer than expected".    My case was in Texas but transferred to Potomac.  I have no idea when it transferred, because I did not receive notification.  I found out about the transfer when I called USCIS to inquire about my case.  

Similar to me, the counter dropped from 11.5 months to 4.5 months and eventually (on day 0) went to "this case is taking longer than expected", I was also switched from Nebraska to Texas at some point without an update

5 hours ago, Lucy1982 said:

Thank you very much for your answers.

Yes, I do know the minimum amount is three times the income requirement. For a household size of two, I do have enough in savings.

 

So, even though I'm the intending immigrant, it’s fine for me to use my own savings? My spouse files I-864 and I file I-864A - is this right?

I'm in the same situation, I don't think that you need to complete I-864A as I-864 part 7 has sections for the "Assets of the sponsored immigrant" where you can detail your savings and assets.

Taken from the instructions for I-864A

"If the Intending Immigrant Is a Household Member, Must He or She Complete This Contract? If you are the intending immigrant and the sponsor is including your income on Form I-864 to meet the eligibility requirements, you need to complete this contract only if you have accompanying dependents. If you are the intending immigrant and the sponsor is including only your assets on Form I-864, you do not need to complete this contract, even if you have accompanying dependents."

Regards

Derek

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

Some Consulate make a fuss of this, London does not. 

 

I would use her US Address, that of her Parents on all documentation. Presumably as the time for your appointment comes you will have more evidence relating to the move, job applications, you said you are looking to buy a house so Realtor stuff etc.

 

The bigger issue is meeting the I 864 requirements, simple solution is likely to use a Parent as a Joint Sponsor.

Thanks, we'll update the applications to use her parents address, I'm 

We should be fine for the I 864from our savings so shouldn't need a joint sponsor

Regards

Derek

1 hour ago, Dashinka said:

Do you plan to move into your wife’s parent’s house when you get the visa, or are you planning on leasing an apartment or buying a house?  

We're planning on buying our own place, my current house will go on the market next month so hopefully by the time we get to the AOD stage we'll have the money in the bank (either way the equity in my house is more than the required amount for the AOD). however her parents and brother have both said we can move in with them if we don't have already have a house when we come to move.

I've just noticed where you're based, my wife is from Michigan too and that's where we're looking to buy (probably Sterling Heights)

Thanks

Derek

Hi all, 

My wife has been in the UK with me since Jan 2023, we were married in May 2023 and she has remained here on a UK spouse visa so that we could continue to be together while waiting on the visa process as we knew it would be over a year, we've been making sure we have all of the required documents ready when we need to submit the affidavit of support, we're using her savings and my assets to cover the financial requirements as she isn't working in the UK, one of the documents we need is proof of domicile, before moving here my wife lived with her parents in the US, she will submit a US tax return when due in 2024 and has a US driving license, passport and bank account but how would we prove proof of domicile?

Thanks all 

Derek

You can also add your partners assets when it comes to filing the Affidavit of support (we're doing just that with my house)

I did the same and got mine in advance, although they're valid for 2 years, I believe that they have to be within 1 year of the document submission however I can't remember where I read that 😕

3 minutes ago, J&M123 said:

Glad to have you here.
Same here with me being in the UK but wife is in the US.

Hopeful to get through by July-August 2024.

PD is 1st May 23 Potomac

We knew the I-130 process would take a while so we got married in the UK, my wife entered on a fiancé visa and then we extended that on a UK spouse visa so she could stay in the country while waiting (and she could see some of Europe while here)

Late to the party with this one, we submitted I-130 online on May 18th 2023, the initial estimate was 11.5 months but dropped to 5.5 after around three weeks, on Sunday (day 0) my status went to "Your case is taking longer than expected to process", no real surprise as I thought it was wrong (but hoped it was right), my wife is currently in the UK with me so no real issues but the unknown time does cause some planning problems (selling the house, updating work etc).

The VJ estimate for May submissions seems to be April so hopefully be able to relocate to the US in the second half of next year