Walter G.

Hi,

So here's the situation--I've lived in Germany since '99, and have been
married to a German woman since '00. We have two children, both U.S.
citizens through me. We are now planning on moving to the U.S. in
summer of 2007.

Here's the deal; how do I establish a domicile (needed for the I-864)
when I live in Germany? I had planned on travelling to the U.S. before
the rest of my family to find a job and a place to live, but only a
month or two in advance. Will I have to be separated from them for
several months, waiting for the paperwork to go through?

Money shouldn't be an issue. I have at least one person who's said
they'd be a joint sponsor, and I'm guessing I could find others if that
fell through. It's really the whole domicile question.

I'm currently looking for a job, which (I've read) helps in that
regard. What else could I do? I can't register my children for school
since they're too young, but maybe for a day-care or something? What
if I show I've given notice to my current employer, given notice to the
landlord, etc. etc. etc.? Could I use a close relative's address as
our future address?

Is it true that the definition of a domicile differs between
consulates? If so, does anyone have experience with the consulate in
Frankfurt? And when will I need to send the I-864--as soon as I send
the I-130? During the interview? I haven't found any clear indication
of when it's required.

Thanks for wading through a fairly rambling message,

Walter G.
Freiburg, Germany

P.S. reverse the letters left of the at sign to e-mail me directly:
[email protected]

Wnukem

I can't speak for the Consulate in Germany but the Consulate in
Montreal had no real issues with establishing domicile.

My wife filed the I-130 for me back in 2002 while living with me in
Canada. At that time, we called the consulate to get their 'definition'
of domicile. They said that all my wife would have to do was show the
intent to move back to the US. They indiciated that establishing a US
bank account would be sufficient as she was going to use her parents
address as our move-to location in the US. We didn't have a problem at
all with this process. The consulates understanding of 'domicile'
however may have changed since then. As you indicated, one consulate
may be different from the other.

I would recommend calling the consulate directly for their
interpretation of domicile. Explain your circumstances. Good luck.

Wes

Walter G.

Hi Wes,

I certainly hope that the Frankfurt consulate proves as easy-going as
the Canadian! I did call the consulate--finally broke down and paid
the 1.86 euros per minute that it costs. I got some good information
about the specifics of the first step (filing the I-130), plus another
toll-free phone number, so I'm getting there. Nothing about what a
domicile is yet, but it seems that I don't have to worry about that
right away, anyhow.

Anyway, thanks again,

Walter

wnukem wrote:
    > I can't speak for the Consulate in Germany but the Consulate in
    > Montreal had no real issues with establishing domicile.
    > My wife filed the I-130 for me back in 2002 while living with me in
    > Canada. At that time, we called the consulate to get their 'definition'
    > of domicile. They said that all my wife would have to do was show the
    > intent to move back to the US. They indiciated that establishing a US
    > bank account would be sufficient as she was going to use her parents
    > address as our move-to location in the US. We didn't have a problem at
    > all with this process. The consulates understanding of 'domicile'
    > however may have changed since then. As you indicated, one consulate
    > may be different from the other.
    > I would recommend calling the consulate directly for their
    > interpretation of domicile. Explain your circumstances. Good luck.
    >
    > Wes