Blobstopher

Hi folks,

Second post in as many days, please bear with me as I figure this out.

My I-130 petition has been approved, my wife is a US citizen living in the UK with me.

I intend to join Xxx and will need my green card to apply. I understand that I have a 6 month validity on the Visa to enter and 6 month validity from issue date of medical, both being relevant to gain entry.

Once the application process with <<<SNIP>>>has been started in the UK (which may take up to a year to process) I had intended to perform a 1st trip with my wife & kids and, after a short stay of around 3 weeks, return to the UK for work/life. During this 3 week trip I would apply for a driving licence, setup a bank account, begin looking for a place to rent/buy. The point being to lay the groundwork and get a good idea of where we want to live + schools. We intend to use my father in laws address for various paperwork. I could potentially buy a car during this time but not keen to do this so early.

The plan would be to return to the US on a 2nd trip (by myself this time) after 5 months and perhaps look at buying a car. Key point here, my wife and kids would still be in the UK on this 2nd visit. Again I would return for work for the last (hopefully) 2-3 months before receiving orders to attend basic.

I know that I should discuss this with an immigration lawyer but my funds are limited. The more I spend here, the more debt I will have to clear when leaving. With this in mind, I would appreciate any advice or personal experience the forum has on lengthy stays outside the US after receiving green card.

I am aware that it is advised that a period of greater than 6 months should not be spent abroad, with the usual caveats etc. I believe my application to <<<SNIP>>>and establishment of bank account/driving licence in US will provide sufficient grounds for favourable judgement on my time back in the UK (that will be shorter than 6 months at any one time). I also know that it would be wise to obtain a re-entry permit for lengthy stays abroad.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated.

Pulaski

No, the visa is valid from the date of issue until six months after your medical. So if your medical was one month before your visa was issued you will have only five months of validity on your visa.

morpeth

I am a bit confused, if you are joining the Xxxx will you have any final say on where you will live ?

Blobstopher

Understood and agreed. Sorry I should have made that clearer. My question relates to the 2nd and 3rd entries. I need to secure some form of income during the year long wait to get approval from Xxxx so I'm trying to keep my job here in the UK for as long as possible.

Blobstopher

None whatsoever though they will try to accommodate my preference where possible. The roles I am eligible for as a non-citizen will likely keep me in San Antonio but will either be in Xxx accommodation or renting/buying. Cash buyer so again no problem renting out my place if they post me anywhere other than San Antonio.

morpeth

I assume you get your US citizenship when you finish boot camp as occurs in some other branches of the service ?

Blobstopher

Not after boot camp. I believe I can start the citizenship process after 180 days (new regulations) and it takes 1 year after that. Citizenship is not my goal. The job is, but I will need citizenship for a chance to get there. In either case, I'm committing to a minimum of 4 years service and aiming to retrain into the field I want after 3. This is a career move, not looking for a quick fix citizenship solution.

morpeth

I was just curious, didn't know about the new regulation. We had one child who entered into military service ( Marines) , all the non-citizens in his battalion received their citizenship papers at graduation ( including his), if they requested. Xxxx lawyer was great at pushing INS to get the whole process finalized.

Blobstopher

Ah I see. Understood that previously recruits could apply from day 1 at basic. This has been changed recently to 180 days. The military needs to issue some form of endorsement to submit with the application and they wont issue this until you've served the full 180 days. From that point it will take up to a year to get a response from the relevant authority and get sworn in. I have 3 years min before I can retrain so 1 day or 1 year wont make a difference to me.

Noorah101

In theory, your plan should work. How long do you plan to stay in the USA on that 2nd trip?

Rene

Blobstopher

Around 1 week but may be able to stretch it to 2 (and probably should).

From what I've read I think the plan should work too. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything important.

Noorah101

That's not very much time in the USA. Theoretically the plan should work. Just keep in mind you could be seen as having abandoned your PR status at any time, and could have to go before an immigration judge to plead your case.

Might be better to have the wife and kids stay in the USA, helping establish your ties to the USA.

Rene

Rete

What are planning on doing if the Xxxx does not take you? I searched your surname and see that its a common surname in Iran. I only bring this up due to the political climate of the US at the present moment. Is your security background and that of your family clear so that you can pass the security checks for admission? Are you physically able to pass the medical?

Will you still come to live in the US with your family or will you remain in the UK?

Why does it take up to a year for the Xxx to make a decision as to whether or not you are a candidate for their branch of the service?

This might all be water under the bridge as you still have to obtain the CR/IR-1 visa in London.

Blobstopher

Will probably not move to US if they don't take me. Might try another branch, dont know yet. Will cross that bridge later. Xxx is 1st choice, I have other options in the UK too though limited due to the fact that UK military is rather archaic in its interpretation of "citizenship". Not born in the UK and they've treated me as a liability since the age of 16 when I first tried to join Xxx. I expect them to be cautious but they wont even consider me for jobs as a linguist which they will not easily fill with someone who has the knowledge that I do, not without significant investment and a great deal of luck anyway.

USAF needs up to a year to perform security checks on any potential non-citizen candidate. It could take as little as 3 months to complete the checks but add to that vacancies to train new recruits then 1 year or longer is not unreasonable. I need to plan for worst case/reasonable scenario.

Agreed on all points. Might not get that far but I've got a goal and I'm going for it. Already dropped from 106kg to 91.5kg. Another 10 to go but 0.5kg away from a minimum pass. Couldnt run 200m just 3 months ago, I've done three 5k's in under 40 minutes and my 1.5mi run is down to 11.47 which is a pass. Meet all the minimum requirements. Same thing I would have done for the Xxx plus more except they never gave me the chance.

Rete

It was kind of you to reply to my post. Thanks for not taking offense at my asking. Again, good luck to you.