My husband is going to be sponsoring me within the next year and we are so lost! Is there any advice that anyone could give us? My husband didn't file US taxes; we didn't know that we had to... I guess he should probably do that before we apply? Also, do we need to have a house down there prior to applying? What forms do we need? Are there any websites that anyone could recommend? Also, how long does the application process usually take?
Sorry for all the questions! Thank you all for your help! It is greatly appreciated!!
You husband is currently living in Canada? No matter where he is he should definitely file US taxes.. You will need to show those as part of your application.
You do NOT need to have a house in the prior to applying, but you do need an address that U.S. Immigration can send your green card and whatever other documents to in the U.S. For us, we used my wife's mother's address.. When you actually cross, you will need to give them this address..
The starter forums are as follows.. Depending on where you're living that would determine where you send the forms But you start with..
Petition for Alien Relative I-130 $355
Biographic Information G-325A for each of you.
Once you get that back, you will receive instructions from USCIS on what do next.. I can't remember the number of the "MAIN" form, but it basically goes over your history again and where you've lived and if you have been in trouble with the law etc.. In addition you will need to send in the I-864 which is where your Tax Forums come into play as well you'll have to prove you have enough assets to support each of you in the US. And then your spouse who is sponsoring you will have to do a I-864A which says he is responsible for you for income for the first 3 years I believe it is.
Once they have received that, you will get a interview date, where you will basically just bring everything to them for review. If you're both in Canada your interview will be in Montreal.
From the time we started the application, we waited about 6 months to send the second set of forums back because I wanted to finish a full year of where I was working at the time but the actual application time was only like 1 1/2 years told.. Remember you're a first priority as a spouse of a U.S. Citizen so the wait shouldn't be long at all..
If you have any questions please feel free to ask, I'll respond as best I can remember.
The big thing by far though is be organized.. nothing fustrates them more than fumbling around with documents or not having the proper paperwork.. MORE is always better!!! OH you'll have to do a bunch of Immigration photos as well..
