WTF

Sorry - that's smells like a problem.

Remember - she has 6 months from VISA ISSUANCE DATE to come into the USA. Check the visa stamp, look at the dates, redo yer calendar for that 'first jump to Guam'. Redo yer vacation plans, as well.

IMO, 3 months is 'better' than 6, always.

@jonswifey

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately the only thing military about me is my haircut.

@Darnell

I think the Korean consulate does things differently because we didn't get 6 months from the visa issuance date. The visa was issued on July 14th and it expires on December 24th, which is 6 months from the medical exam.

Actually - she can come into USA, leave within a week - NO PROBLEM -

Thanks Darnell and tokyo.lovers. The second time we hit the USA with green card in hand, our details will look like this:

Inside USA: less than a week

Outside USA: almost 6 months

You don't think this will be a problem? Granted, the second time we land in the USA, we will have a newborn baby with an American passport and I will be traveling with her. The second time is a permanent move and we have no plans to leave again, but I think the timelines above are going to look bad to the immigration officer.

Thanks for the info everyone. Yes we used direct consular filing. I will contact the embassy to see what they say.

I updated our timeline. There is no option to select the Seoul embassy in South Korea.

I'm an American living abroad in South Korea. My wife received her CR1 visa TOO EARLY. The whole process took us LESS THAN 2 MONTHS. It's a problem because we have a baby due on November 28th. We have Korean health insurance and we want to have the baby here. We cannot afford to have the baby in the USA. After the baby is born, we need to wait for the newborn's American passport. This usually takes 2-3 weeks.

As of now, her visa expires on December 24th. We may not be able to leave South Korea for good until the end of December or end of January.

I have a week-long vacation coming up at the beginning of August. If we take a trip to Guam for 7 days, come back to South Korea, and then move to the USA permanently at the end of January, will this work?

I worry that because my wife's first entry to the USA will only be one week, an ensuing departure of 5 months and 20+ days would look really bad.

I have an I-864 sponsor. For proof of American citizenship, I have a copy of her passport and birth certificate. Do these copies need to be notarized? Thank you.

The visa itself is valid for six months from the date of issuance. Has her visa been issued yet? I believe that statement means that the visa itself can only be issued if the medical exam is still valid.

This is definitely wrong. I just got word from the Seoul embassy, and they tie the expiration date of the visa to the chest x-ray. Here is their response to my question:

Medical examinations conducted in connection with immigrant visa applications have a maximum validity 12 months while the chest x-ray is valid for 6 months. In case you are found Class B Tuberculosis on your medical examination, it will be valid for 3 months from the date you receive the result. Visa applicant’s chest x-ray and medical examination must be valid by the time of their entry to the U.S. Therefore, the visa validity is limited to the validity of the applicant’s chest x-ray.

Can anyone confirm that the CR1 visa expiration date won't be tied to the medical exam?

She will get a stamp at whichever US POE she enters at....

Is it legal for us to enter Guam in July with no intention of staying, come back to South Korea, and then make a permanent move to the USA in December?

My wife will get her CR1 visa soon. The process at the Seoul Embassy in South Korea is much faster than we expected (about 4 months total). It's a problem for us because my contract does not expire until the end of the year. Could my wife fly to Guam and get an I-551 stamp, fly back to South Korea, and then later we both move to the USA mainland together?

Unfortunately, I think South Korea is different.

VISA VALIDITY. IVs and fiance visas are generally valid for six months for a single entry into the U.S., but the immigrant visa validity is limited to the validity of the medical examination.

Here visa has not been issued yet.

Are all CR1 visa valid for six months from the date of issue? Are you sure that they don't print the visa expiration date six months from the medical exam? Thanks!

I think we made a big mistake by getting the medical exam too early. Here is something I overlooked in our information packet:

The medical exam is valid for 6 months, if a Class A or B TB condition exists it is valid for 3 months from the time the evaluation is complete. The immigrant visa validity is limited to the validity of the medical examination.

My wife is pregnant, and we plan to have the baby in South Korea. Since we completed the medical exam on June 25th, does this mean she must leave the country before December 25th? The baby is due on November 28th, but we need about a month to apply for the baby's American citizenship and U.S. passport.

Let's say we get the visa on September 25th. Does this mean the visa will only be valid for 3 months because of the medical exam validity? Thank you for your answers.