meauxna

Recently we've had an uptick in people choosing to marry and apply for the Immigrant Visa instead of the Fiancee K-1 visa, and more requests for detailed information about the processes.
The current wiki entry http://britishexpats.com/wiki/CR-1 was written to be sparse and is insufficient for the level of detail people want.

Everyone with knowledge of the Immigrant Visa process is welcome and requested to participate in the thread.

Keep in mind that the details will be different from 'DCF' cases (where the petition is filed overseas) and what we need the most information on is the NVC part of the process.
One reason I'm opposed to very detailed flow charts, time schedules etc is because processes change quickly, but no one goes back to update or make corrections. The info at familybasedimmigration is dated now, but I don't know by how much. I know she has not been updating the guides since we wrote them. Same for the guides at VJ. The ultimate result of this project should be a short and easy to understand guide for doing your own IV case.

In this thread, post your questions, answer suggestions, the things you think would make it more helpful (yes, you can even post your complaints). We'll compile it into something useful for the most people possible.
Many of us 'old timers' think that it is important for you to understand what it is you are doing, not just following directions. There are several good reasons for that that I'm not going to go into, just keep in mind that there is a fine line between "DIY" and "helping you".

Finally, please understand, I personally get great satisfaction from helping people figure out how to reunite with their loves as quickly and painlessly as possible. My UKC spouse has now been a US citizen for almost 5 years. I have no personal need for this information other than to make the forum more useful to YOU and the people who come along after you. This group was founded on the idea of people helping each other translate and understand government-speak and overall we have a high expectation that you will ask questions for yourself, get a resource & go learn more, and return to share with the group. Some questions have definite answers, others do not.. sometimes you have to gather information and make your own best judgment call. Clearly, for that, you'll need to have a holistic understanding of your immigration procedure.

Alright, let's let it rip.

Brucky

I'll certainly contribute to this thread, and I'll edit in my thoughts and I have a couple of idea's already. I'll have more time on Sunday.

One thing it will help with is that we can all learn about the CR1 whilst we're researching it.

gnasher12

I'll definitely get involved seen as I am in the middle of CR-1, just not quite sure where to begin. think this is a great idea.

oh an mine is not DCF filing, that is one thing i will say first, when i started looking into visa's, all i could find at first was DCF filing, which to me was like great visa in 5 months, it wasn't for a little while that I realised there is DCF and long distance filing haha, I felt like I had to really find other spouses who were in my situation, sitting at home alone, while there spouse is in america waiting for them.

TimNiceBut

A couple of thoughts off the top of my head:

• t should probably be mentioned that someone entering the US after the successful CR-1 petition, who has been married to their USC spouse for more than two years, should keep an eye on their visa being stamped correctly as an IR-1 instead of a CR-1 so they get the correct unconditional green card.
• Do we want a list of the paperwork/documents people need to collect for each step?

Wolfy

In the past I have been wrong and or misguided, however I will contribute, but only what we have completed so far and know the process up to date or as we go.

We Got married on 1-1-11 and filed our petition on the 7th of Jan, it arrived on Saturday the 1oth but obviously no one was there to sign for it so a second attempt was made on the 10th...Success, it was received and put on the system on the 12th of January. Last time our application was touched and updated on the system was Feb 23rd. We are now in the process of compiling required documents for the next step.

· No two cases will ever be the same and to be fair a comparison chart to show others progress may be futile, but may help give an indication of how they are doing.
· There's a saying in carpentry " Measure twice, cut once" The same could be said for the paperwork mountain people are about to embark, "Read carefully and check everything more than once even for signatures as one missing signature could and will lead to a RFE. Causing delays
· Experience: when contacting the NVC...Unless you have a case number, don't bother, they will not help you or give you answers to things.

Gingerert

We did a CR-1 in 2007, but it was during that mad time when they weren't accepting DCFs (Aaron's Law or summat?) and we had to do it the long way round. Took about 13 months, start to finish.

The main thing I found frustrating, before I understood why the rules are the way they are, is that I couldn't just live with my husband in the USA while the petition was being worked on. I felt like a criminal, and I hated having to explain to people why we were forced to live apart when I didn't really understand it myself. You feel like you're in limbo, and it can strain a marriage like you wouldn't believe. Trying to navigate the paperwork when your partner is living in another country is also really tough.

The first thing I would advise people is to get your finances sorted out. Get to know the restrictions on sponsors, and if, like my husband, you were a student when you married and can't provide enough financial security, find someone else to joint sponsor you who can. It took us until my interview at the US Embassy before we worked out we needed my in-laws to co-sponsor, and it delayed my visa approval by about a week. A week is a long time when you're at the end stage and searching online for flights!

I hope I can help out. I like this thread!

gnasher12

I would start by mentioning USCIS its the first step, you need your USC spouse to file a petition to say you can take the next steps in applying for a visa.

the petition is called I-130 and this step starts with USCIS - once this form is filled by the petitioner (USC) it is sent to USCIS - with the correct fee - all additional forms - photocopies of supporting evidence - and you wait for them to say they received it, then you wait the long wait for the first stage approval. which is also known as NOA1 (Notice of action 1)

putting the 1-130 package together can be stressfull, its quite straightforward once you have done it - of course
there is a form called the G-325 this is one form, the petitioner fills it on his/her behalf then fills the other on the alien's behalf.
package also needs passport pictures of both USC and alien
once the whole package is together, in order, photocopy the whole thing, so you have a complete copy of what you are sending in. make a cover letter to sit on top of the whole package, this is not required, but helps you to tell the USCIS what is in side the package, and in what order.

once this is sent in, wait for your notice to say 1. USCIS has recieved the package here is your WAC case number and 2. USCIS has approved your petition.

use the WAC number to register with USCIS website for case updates, and be notified by anything via email/cell phone.

gnasher12

Meauxna I have a copy of my cover letter for the I-130 package, that might be useful to some people.
not sure how to upload it. might be a good to mention I included things in my petition, that i now realise was more for people applying for the finacee visa petition - K1

but its also good to mention, no harm in including all these things, maybe thats why I got approval in 3 months, while others waited 6-7 months.

I included letters from friends/family confirming our marriage and relationship, wedding and honeymoon photos, emails between us when we were engaged etc.