Lemonslice

It depends on so many things, I am confident you will know what feels right for your family. If you end up staying long enough in Canada, Canadian citizenship is not a bad option for kids going to college in 10+ years...

I would apply a week or so before you May vacations. You might receive communication from them during your vacations, but you will be able to act on it when you are back. What are the current timelines at your local office?

You will have to apply for them and see. Realistically, it might not be possible for them to visit before having their immigrant visas in hand. About this "Crazy that Canada will welcome us as a family but the US will not!" - I don't find it that crazy, both countries have very different immigration policies. Are you guys planning to become Canadian PRs after a few years?

Thank you. Good background info. I wrote a long paragraph, but this answer from @Crazy Cat summarizes it well:

Haven't you filed taxes since 2021? If so, you will have more tax transcripts to send. Even with separate bank/financial accounts, you can still list each other as beneficiaries. If you have separate insurance policies, you would have some correspondence sent to the same address. "Everyone lives different", yes, I agree. However, it is a little bit the responsibility of the immigrant (and their spouse) to see what might be required of them in the future to keep their residency. Husband and I still do not have a joint "bill" after 16 years. We still have plenty of other stuff to show that we live together and commingle, in our own way, our finances. See about: Wills/Living wills Any official communication sent to your common residence Setting up each other as beneficiaries on financial/bank accounts. State ID (if you do not have a DL) to show common address. Formal (or informal) lease from your friend. Best of luck.

It is hard to avoid, even when being super careful That was a good read: Her Children Were Sick. Was It ‘Forever Chemicals’ on the Family Farm? Pastures were fertilized with toxic sewage decades ago. Nobody knew, until the cows’ milk was tested.

The marriage certificate showing the maiden name, birth date and location, pictures, or other biometric details (most new passports are biometric) there are other ways to confirm it is the same person.

Lawyers or not see the bolded this part from @pushbrk

More than one of us has given you the instructions, directly from the source. Also, please follow to instructions listed on the reciprocity schedule to get the right documents.

This is an old thread. Where is your child currently located?

Check if your state has a non-driver ID card. Here, it is issued by the motor vehicle agency. ETA: in some states, she won't be able to get anything until she has an EAD or her physical PR card. This is a known downside of K1 visas.

Same, none of us changed name, zero hiccup with immigration.

I just want to add that this is a good plan, if she wants to change her name. If she prefers to keep her maiden name, that would not be an obstacle to immigration.

It could be, depends a lot on the context. If they don't know because they are not in contact, it is what it is. However, when the relationship does not seem genuine (only for immigration purposes), officers sometimes investigate. They have called/visited friends and family to verify that so and so were married. A while back, there was a story about the family revealing that the immigrant was married, not to Ms. American, but to his cousin. I'll post the link if I find it.

If she wants to change her name, now is a great time to do it. Passport in married name=Permanent residency card in her new name. Should she keep her passport in her maiden name, then her PR card will be in her maiden name. Always possible to update later, but it is costly (card replacement), or further in the future (at removal of conditions, or citizenship). No issue with your current i130. She will bring her(new) passport to the interview, and fill everything after changing her name in her married name.

The documents you will need are listed under each section on this page: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-5-collect-financial-evidence-and-other-supporting-documents/step-7-collect-civil-documents.html Then, to find which version of the documents/instructions to order them, you can look up the the reciprocity schedule (for each country): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country.html Also, this quote from @Demise is super important, not sure if you saw it:

@nyoleg Many libraries and community centers offer "citizenship classes", with mock interviews. This might be a good idea to be 100% ready. From what I see from your post here, your written English seems fine, so I am confident that with preparation, you will do great next time.

She is your wife, she lives with you now, she should get covered by an American health insurance. You say the one offered by your employer is expensive, but maintaining two households, in two different countries for 12+ months, the trips to visit each other, the filing fees for the spousal visa... that won't be cheap either. Does she have her EAD? If so, she could also get her own coverage from her employer. Finally, you might want to see how much the tests would be if she were to visit a community clinic, or a doctor's who offers self-pay rates. It might be more logical for her to stay with you and self-pay now. Best of luck.

Then, you might want to reach out and copy the information from their own instructions, ask if this might have been a mistake.

Is Thailand her country of citizenship? If so, she will need to submit a police certificate. See "Police Certificate" section here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-5-collect-financial-evidence-and-other-supporting-documents/step-7-collect-civil-documents.html You will find the instructions on how to get it on the reciprocity schedule: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Thailand.html

Did you see each other in person after getting married?

Thanks for adding details to our prior discussion. How many family members of yours are stuck now @wazzujoel?

Destroyed or archived You might want to order new copies, should you need them in the future.

They usually only request copies, did you send the originals?

The type of documents required is listed in the reciprocity schedule. Look it up for the country where you got married. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country.html