Britfrombristol

Hello all,

I am presently in the US with my American wife as a conditional permenant resident. In short, providing we stay married for two years after entering the country (which I have no doubt we will!) the "condition" is removed.

I am wondering what the visa situation is when the "condition" is removed. i.e is it visa game over or are there ongoing reviews of your residency and visa status. If so I would like to know what they are. I have done some research on the internet but can only find info on up to the point of the removal of the "condition" and not afterwards.

Can anyone shed any light on the situation please?

L D Jones

Britfrombristol wrote:
    >
    > Hello all,
    >
    > I am presently in the US with my American wife as a
    > conditional permenant resident. In short, providing we stay married for
    > two years after entering the country (which I have no doubt we will!)
    > the "condition" is removed.
    >
    > I am wondering what the visa situation is
    > when the "condition" is removed. i.e is it visa game over or are there
    > ongoing reviews of your residency and visa status. If so I would like to
    > know what they are. I have done some research on the internet but can
    > only find info on up to the point of the removal of the "condition" and
    > not afterwards.
    >
    > Can anyone shed any light on the situation please?

Yours is a question of "status" and not "visa" since you (probably) do
not actually have a visa anymore. A visa is a sticker or stamp in the
passport used to seek entry to the US. Status is what you maintain after
your entry to the US

to "lift" conditions use the I-751 form, as you probably know. After
this should receive a greencard with a 10 year expiry date (your status
as a permanent resindent does not expire)

After 3 years as a permanent resident and if you are still married to
your US spouse you are eligible to file the N-400 to naturalise as a US
citizen

uscis.gov has all the details

Britfrombristol

Thanks for the advice LD.

Thorsten

Britfrombristol wrote:

    > I am presently in the US with my American wife as a
    > conditional permenant resident. In short, providing we stay married for
    > two years after entering the country (which I have no doubt we will!)
    > the "condition" is removed.

    > I am wondering what the visa situation is
    > when the "condition" is removed. i.e is it visa game over or are there
    > ongoing reviews of your residency and visa status. If so I would like to
    > know what they are.

As L D Jones already explained, you don't have a visa anymore (but
that's really just a terminology issue, which needn't concern you.)

After removal of conditions, you'll be a "legal permanent resident".
Basically, as long as you don't commit any crimes (you *don't* want to
get caught with a joint, e.g.!), don't leave the U.S. for more than six
months at a time, and always notify the immigration service (whatever
its name of the month is, right now it's USCIS) whenever you move to a
new address [1], you will be allowed to live in the U.S. without further
scrutiny.

You'll have to renew your "Green Card" every ten years (but that's not
much of a hassle, either) unless you decide to become a U.S. citizen
before than.

There is one (possibly) more requirement, especially if you consider
naturalization. If you resided (legally or illegally; time spent in the
U.S. as a non-immigrant doesn't count) in the U.S. before age 26, you
are required to register with the "Selective Service". (This has to do
with young men potentially having to serve in the military.) Failing to
register may prevent you from becoming a U.S. citizen.

Cheers,
Thorsten

[1] Even though this may sound trivial, it is not. You are required to
file a form (currently AR-11) with the immigration service any time your
address changes. The government actually tried to deport people whose
only "offense" was to fail to file this form when they moved.

Dave

Thorsten <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    > Britfrombristol wrote:
    >

    >
    > [1] Even though this may sound trivial, it is not. You are required to
    > file a form (currently AR-11) with the immigration service any time your
    > address changes. The government actually tried to deport people whose
    > only "offense" was to fail to file this form when they moved.

And you don't have much time to file this form; it must be filed
within 10 days after your move.

Becoming a naturalized citizen is the only way to leave all the
hassles of
immigration forms behind you, and you can come and go into and out of
the US as you please (e.g., no worries about being out of the country
for more than 6 months), as long as you have a US passport of course.