Any information is useful, I-130 in process

[lookingforhelp]

I'd really appreciate if someone can help me. My mother (a permanent resident) filed a I-130 for me on March 2001. I'm currently in preference 2B but she's eligible to apply for citizenship in May 2005, which will put me in preference 1. Here are my questions:

a) How long will it take for her to become a citizen (assuming she resides in Florida)?
b) What is the difference between Visa Bulletin processing times and the Service Centers processing times? Which one should I be looking at?
c) How may she change the service center (she moved so she should be eligible to do so) to take advantage of faster processing?
d) When will be a good time to marry (for a potential spouse to apply for a GC together with me), when she becomes citizen or when I get my I-130 approved or after I can file I-485? It's about the same processing time for preference 1 and 3 looking at the service center's processing times?

Please, let me know what could be done in my case. Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Jim Mills]

I'd really appreciate if someone can help me. My mother (a permanent resident) filed a I-130 for me on March 2001. I'm currently in preference 2B but she's eligible to apply for citizenship in May 2005, which will put me in preference 1. Here are my questions:

a) How long will it take for her to become a citizen (assuming she resides in Florida)?

It depends on where in Florida. Somewhere between 6 and 18 months, if all goes well.

b) What is the difference between Visa Bulletin processing times and the Service Centers processing times? Which one should I be looking at?

The Visa Bulletin publishes PRIORITY DATES for availability of an immigrant visa.

c) How may she change the service center (she moved so she should be eligible to do so) to take advantage of faster processing?

She moves and notifies the District Office (N-400s are not filed with the Service Center, they are filed at the appropriate District Office) that she has moved. Everything stops and the file is transferred. Generally, this does not save time.

d) When will be a good time to marry (for a potential spouse to apply for a GC together with me), when she becomes citizen or when I get my I-130 approved or after I can file I-485? It's about the same processing time for preference 1 and 3 looking at the service center's processing times?

Please, let me know what could be done in my case. Thank you very much in advance.

Your category will change when you marry from an Family Based First Preference to a Family Based Second Preference category. This will result in a different priority date and a longer period (in some cases, a much longer period) before a visa is available and you are eligible to file an I-485. Look at the Visa Bulletin to determine the precise priority dates.

 

[lookingforhelp]

More info

Thanks so much for the information. She lives in Miami so is this going to slow down the process of becoming a citizen? Also I found out that now the service centers process I-130 applications when alien numbers are available so why is there such a big difference in processing time? May be it will take some time until they even things out.

About the move to another service center I was thinking of the I-130 because Vermont processes I-130's from 1999 while Texas is on 2001 (1st preference) so it will definitely save me time once my mother becomes a citizen. Am I correct?

What if I marry once an alien number is available for me? Can I add a spouse and then file the I-485?

Thanks again for the valuable info.