Vi Daskalova

I am Bulgarian and live in US as a permanent resident since April 1999. In December
1999, I got married my boyfriend who is Bulgarian, too. He applied for tourist visa
couple times, but of course a visa was refused. He applied once for student visa, but
the result was the same. American Consulate officers consider him as a potential
immigrant. We didn't fill a petition for family-sponsored immigrants, because I don't
see myself living here 5 years without him and because I understand that in this case
he will be always "a potential immigrant" and cannot obtain a tourist visa. I am I
wrong in this conclusion?

I am looking for a legal way to get my husband here in next 6 months. I will
appreciate any ideas and suggestions. It doesn't matter what kind if visa will be
used. My other question is - Is it possible for a permanent resident to obtain US
citizenship if live in the US for less then 5 years?

Thank you so much!

Vi

Ingo

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Unfortunately, it is too late to fix it, but it turned out to be a mistake. Had you
filed before December 21, 2000, your husband would be eligible for a V visa after
three years.

I would still recommend that you file as soon as possible; there is some talk about
more similar law changes coming up. Who knows, maybe the quota will be abolished
altogether soon? Such proposals are introduced in Congress - although I wouldn't give
them more than a 30% chance of passing.

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If you serve honorably in active duty in the US military, the time is three years.
And if you serve in combat, you are eligible immediately. I heard of a case of
somebody who served in the US military in Kosovo and is now pursuing this avenue even
though he lives in Europe again.

Ingo

I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. For reliable advice, please consult
with a professional immigration attorney.

For further information, check the following frequently-requested links.

For many questions, you may find answers at
http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html (Department of State)

or http://ins.usdoj.gov (INS).

For consular policies and visa reciprocity fees, find your consulate in
http://travel.state.gov/links.html

For DOL Faxback status information: http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/

For information on affidavit of support for marriage to US citizens (I-864), go to
http://travel.state.gov/i864gen.html and http://travel.state.gov/checklist.html

For information on entering the US as a K-1: http://www.k1poelist.com/

For poverty levels, see http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/poverty/00poverty.htm

For information on H/L/O/P visa extensions at Dept. of State in St. Louis, MO, see
http://travel.state.gov/revals.html

For non-official information, check:

(When using these sites, and any Web sites, please watch out for privacy, as I do not
know all site operators.)

http://www.visalaw.com http://www.shusterman.com http://www.immigration.com
http://members.aol.com/MDUdall http://www.murthy.com/ http://www.srs-usvisa.com
http://www.getusavisa.com http://greencard-lottery.virtualave.net/
http://www.jcvisa.com (H-1B) http://www.h1bresources.com (marriage and fiancee)
http://www.kamya.com/misc/ (marriage and fiancee) http://www2.apex.net/users/thehydes
http://www.formshome.com http://www.workpermit.com

This is not an endorsement of any of these Web sites. I am not affiliated with any of
the Web site owners and do not receive nor accept payment in return for listing them,
and typically don't even know them.

(if believe you have a good immigration-related Web site and want your Web site
listed here, please e-mail me).

Dmitri Krivosheyev

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refused.
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I am afraid you are correct in this conclusion.

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The only way to get him here is to file I-130 family-based immigartion form. No other
way to the best of my knowledge. I am in the exactly the same situation, except I
have been a permanent resident for four years. I married a Russian last year, and now
I am going to file I-130. I am also looking for some way to even tempararily bring my
wife here while the I-130 form is being processed. Let's share any new information
with each other on this matter!

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US
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How did you get your green card? You have to be physically present in US for 30 month
in order to qualify for the citizenship, and you longest trip out of the country
should not exceed 180 days.

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BRGD Dmitri