Wife here in states after approval of i-129 and i-130............what now!!!

M

MKIV4EVER

Registered Users (C)
My wife is finally here in the states. She arrived in July 2008. When we first arrived at the airport in Los Angeles the immigration officer informed us that we would recieve a packet in the mail in about 6 months which will give us instructions on how to go about getting permanent residency for my wife.

I am a US Citizen and my wife is a Fiji Citizen. I havent recieved any packet from USCIS. She came here on a K-3 Visa.

I was wondering if anyone on here had the same experience. Since she is here now what can i do to get her permanent residency. What are the necessary paperwork to be filed. Anyone been through this before. Please help.

I realize there is a time frame before she has to go back. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Also what are the steps to get her a social security card.

Thanks
 
You wife will not receive any packet if she came here on a K3....had it been a CR1/IR1 visa then she would have received her conditional/unconditional greencard in the mail a couple of weeks after her arrival...however, as she is a K3 then it is up to herself and you to apply for her permanent residence.

What your wife needs to do is apply for her adjustment of status (greencard application). All the relevant forms can be downloaded from USCIS website. Here is a step by step guide detailing the forms needed and documents required to apply for adjustment of status.
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=k1k3aos

Upon applying for adjustment of status, your wife will wait approx 8 months until she receives her greencard. The cost of this is $1010. If your wife wants to work while her greencard is pending, then along with the greencard application, she can apply for a work authorisation document which will take approx 90 days to arrive from application.

Im currently going through the adjustment of status process (filed in August)..even though Im K1, theres very little difference (if any difference) between what Im going through and what your wife will go through.

As for SSN......make sure your wife still has the white I-94 stapled in her passport. As she is K3 then the expiry date on this should be 2 years after her entry to the US. She just needs to take her passport with her visa and I-94 along with her marriage certificate and a completed new SSN application to her local SSA and they should be able to process her application and get a SSN to her in 2-4 weeks. Her SS card will say 'valid only for work with DHS authorisation'...this means if she wants to work, she will need the employment authorisation document that I mentioned earlier. In order for these words to be removed from the card she will need to wait for her greencard.

If you have ANY questions then please feel free to ask. I managed to navigate the system myself and I understand that it can get complicated and confusing, so if you need anything clarifying then just ask away.
 
Thank you very much for the information. I have been looking very hard to get information regarding permanent residency for my wife. This will help alot. I will go ahead and file for the adjustment of status application.
Thanks
 
No problem. Good luck with the process. I can get a bit mind boggling and you'll probably soon feel like you have paper work coming out of your ears, so please come back and pick my brains if you need help.
 
Oh- and another thing to note. You wife would have undergone a medical in her home country in order to get her visa approved, however, the vaccination records need to be transcribed by a US civil surgeon onto form i-693 for adjustment of status. Form i-693 is a medical form, and provided that she had her medical in her home country less than 12 months ago, then the medical part of the form DOES NOT need to be filled out...only the vaccination part. The reason why I bring this up is because the civil surgeons that you call up will more than likely demand you take the medical and will not transcribe the vaccination records without the medical. Certainly for me that was the case, and from reading other forums it definitely seems to be the norm. The instructions on the form even spell it out for the civil surgeons, but they'll do anything to perform an unnecessary medical on you to make extra $$, and no amount of arguing will change their mind (believe me, I tried). The cheapest vaccination transcribing (and unnecessary medical) I could find locally was $175. However, after reading other forums, a lovely civil surgeon in TX was noted and she will do the whole vaccination transcribing for $20. You just call her up (if theres no answer leave your contact number clearly on the answer phone and theyll call you back), she will tell you what she needs from you, you send it to her, and in a weeks time you get a sealed completed i-693 in the mail. Im not trying to tout her business or anything as shes listed as a USCIS civil surgeon on their website....it just makes me angry how money hungry and greedy the majority of civil surgeons are.

Heres her contact details.

Dr. L. E. Arnold
4534 Westgate Boulevard, Suite 106
Austin, TX 78745
Tel: (512) 444-3131
Fax: (512) 447-4699
 
Hey thanks alot man you are a life saver. You have done more then what the USCIS immigration officers told me. I really appreciate it. Thanks again.
 
Hey i appreciate all your help, i am in the process of filling out the I-485 and need some additional help. The only medical report i have so far is the DS-3025 which is a Vaccination documentation worksheet which my wife recieved from the civil surgeon in Fiji.

My question is do i have to get her medical done by a civil surgeon here in Oregon and then submit my I-485 or will USCIS request that information after submitting the I-485, i am kind of confused.

Thanks
 
The DS-3025 needs to be transcribed onto a I-693 by a civil surgeon and I would definitely include it with your full AOS packet.
 
So if i send the DS-3025 to Dr. L. E. Arnold, will he transcribe it. I live in Oregon so i cant travel to Texas for him to do that.
 
Yep.
Just give him/her a call and the receptionist will tell you what they need (ie, passport number, visa used to enter the states, date of birth etc). They'll also prob ask you to send in an I-693 with the first section of your personal details filled in, signed and dated (they did with me). Also when you send them the DS 3025, make sure you make a copy of it just incase it gets lost in the mail.

From sending mine to TX from SC and getting the transcribed documents back in a sealed envelope (which you DO NOT open- this sealed envelope will be in the initial envelope that DR Arnold will send back to you as he/she will also enclose a copy of what they have filled out for your records) took around 1.5 weeks.

One thing to note though......did your wife have her medical less than a year ago as as far as Im aware, medicals are only valid for one year, therefore if you file your AOS packet after the 1 year anniversary of her medical, then she will need a new one.
 
Just filed her I-485 and recieved two notice letters, one for the AOS and the other (I-765) employment authorization. I wasnt able to find the case status online but the reciept number starts with "MSC" but how long will it take for them to process all of this. According to her passport, she only has 13 months left in the US before she has to go back.

Thanks
 
Since she has filed for AOS, it does not matter if her I-94 expires.

MKIV4EVER said:
Just filed her I-485 and recieved two notice letters, one for the AOS and the other (I-765) employment authorization. According to her passport, she only has 13 months left in the US before she has to go back.
Click to expand...
 
MKIV4EVER said:
I wasnt able to find the case status online but the reciept number starts with "MSC" but how long will it take for them to process all of this.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Sometimes case status' never show up online. its not the most accurate thing either. My AP document number was never recognised by the online system, and according to that same system, my GC application is still pending (ive had my GC in hand now for over a month). So dont worry if you cant see it. It may just take a while for your info to be inputted into the system.....or it could be an error that means you are never able to check online.

As for processing times. Expect around 60-90 days for the employment authorisation. Expect around 6-8 months for the GC...of course it could be quicker than this time frame, so if it is approved at a quicker rate, then thats a nice bonus for you :) (though on the otherhand, it could also take long).
 
I have a quick question. My wifes I-485 for permanent residency is still in process and her interview date is set for July 15th. She recieved her Employment Authorization card already. Can she now apply for her social security card so that she can start applying for jobs.
Thanks
 
K3 processing time

Hi Guys,

How long did you process your wife's K3 visa?

What are the time differences when filing I-130 straight to immigrant visa compared to filing a K-3 non-immigrant visa?

Please help me, I wanted to bring my wife here as soon as possible, but I'm afraid to make a wrong move that instead of speeding up the process, it will cause a lot of delays due to wrong interpretation.

Please advise if K3 visa is really faster and what is the approximate timeline?

Btw, me and my wife are married in Philippines for 3 1/2 years. I will be a US Citizen on May 28 (my oath sched) and will immediately apply I-130 on May 29 to petition my wife.

Your input is very much appreciated. God bless!


Thank you so much!
 
musashi said:
Hi Guys,

How long did you process your wife's K3 visa?

What are the time differences when filing I-130 straight to immigrant visa compared to filing a K-3 non-immigrant visa?

Please help me, I wanted to bring my wife here as soon as possible, but I'm afraid to make a wrong move that instead of speeding up the process, it will cause a lot of delays due to wrong interpretation.

Please advise if K3 visa is really faster and what is the approximate timeline?

Btw, me and my wife are married in Philippines for 3 1/2 years. I will be a US Citizen on May 28 (my oath sched) and will immediately apply I-130 on May 29 to petition my wife.

Your input is very much appreciated. God bless!


Thank you so much!
Click to expand...


What i ended up doing was filling a k-3 visa for my wife and after filing she was here with me within five months. going the k-3 route is alot faster then just filing the i-130 alone. But i believe its different rules for different countries. my friend who i work with is also from the phillipines and he aslo filed a k-3 for his wife and he is still waiting and has been for the last 2 years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top