Follow To Join....

[ismaildost]

pls reply

Hello,

I got my green card and i was married even before applying my I-485. My wife is in Pakistan. I filed I-824 in August 2006 (receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006). My lawyer gave me a package to be sent to Islamabad embassy (Pakistan) which Islamabad embassy has already received couple of weeks back. Also as they processing the cases of April 2006 so as my case has receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006 will Islamabad embassy wait till my application gets approve in Vermont or they will start doing some process in Islamabad even before approval in vermont. My lawyer told me that before file was sent to US consulate only after approval of I 824 but now it can be sent just with the receipt of I 824.

Any idea how long it will take in Islamabad for my wife to get interview/immigrant visa?

Thanks.

 

[judex]

ismaildost

hi ismaildost,

we have almost the same receipt date for 824(aug. 10) and same service center-vermont. based on the SC-Vermont processing dates, we can get our approval receipt around Feb. 2007, but i get advices that it will only take 4 months for the 824 approval which means around Dec 2006 or Jan 2007 we will receive our 824 approval. after the 824 approval, give it 3-5 months for the interview.

we need to keep in touch coz we have the same receipt month and same SC,
we need to update each other...

thanks,

judex

Hello,

I got my green card and i was married even before applying my I-485. My wife is in Pakistan. I filed I-824 in August 2006 (receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006). My lawyer gave me a package to be sent to Islamabad embassy (Pakistan) which Islamabad embassy has already received couple of weeks back. Also as they processing the cases of April 2006 so as my case has receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006 will Islamabad embassy wait till my application gets approve in Vermont or they will start doing some process in Islamabad even before approval in vermont. My lawyer told me that before file was sent to US consulate only after approval of I 824 but now it can be sent just with the receipt of I 824.

Any idea how long it will take in Islamabad for my wife to get interview/immigrant visa?

Thanks.

 

[usnycus]

Please check your PM ...

usnycus said that you got married afte applying for 485 but before it's approval. When you got married, did you have to inform USCIS?

I'm assuming that you wife was in India at the time of marriage and you came back to US after that?
I'm trying to find out what did you do next, contact USCIS and tell them that you got married or just wait for the 485 approval in which your marital status was single and then went ahead and applied for I-824 and followd the FTJ procedures with US consulate in N Delhi?

Please share some details if you can and it would be great help,

Jeff

 

[usnycus]

See Inline ...

Let's post the summary of following to join cases so it would be helpful for other who are thinking of starting it or going through the process.

1. Was your case an Adjustment of Status based on employment? EB2/EB3, country of origin?
... EB2, India

2. Did you get married after applying for I-140 or I485?
... Yes

3. If it was concurrent filing of I-140 and I-485, did you get married before or after filing?
... After

4. When and how did you inform INS of change in marital status? Was it after the approval of 485 or 140?
... After I-485 approval, while submitting I-824.

5. Was anyone successful in getting I-824 approved when they had the I-140 and 485 approved with marital status as single and INS was never informed of change in marital status while the AOS was pending?
... Yes. But approval came too late. Spouse was already here in US after successful FTJ process.

6. Which consulate outside US your spouse filed and how long it took for different steps ( when was the first packet sent? second and interview)?
... It was N Delhi (India) embassy. I submitted papers in Jan 2005 and she got her interview approval in March 2005.

7. Which service center you applied, priority date and how long it took for the I-824 approval?
... VSC. I applied sometime in Dec 2004 and approval took almost 5 months

The list is not exhastive so please feel free to add more information as you see fit. I'm sure this would serve as very good central thread to see how these cases are going around the world.

Thanks in advance and keep up the good work,
Jeff

 

[jefkorn]

FTJ from US consulate in Islamabad

Hello,

I got my green card and i was married even before applying my I-485. My wife is in Pakistan. I filed I-824 in August 2006 (receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006). My lawyer gave me a package to be sent to Islamabad embassy (Pakistan) which Islamabad embassy has already received couple of weeks back. Also as they processing the cases of April 2006 so as my case has receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006 will Islamabad embassy wait till my application gets approve in Vermont or they will start doing some process in Islamabad even before approval in vermont. My lawyer told me that before file was sent to US consulate only after approval of I 824 but now it can be sent just with the receipt of I 824.

Any idea how long it will take in Islamabad for my wife to get interview/immigrant visa?

Thanks.

Hi ismaildost,
You can call Islamabad embassy and ask for Immigration. You can ask them questions about the procedure. When I asked them for FTJ, they said they would require the approval of I-824. This might vary among different consulates. As usnycus said, in N Delhi they were able to issue his spouse the visa just based on the receipt of I-824.

Please add your details to the another thread that I started to gather the status for such cases.. at some point, when we have enough data, it will be a good idea to convert that into an easy to read format.

Good luck,
Jeff

 

[jefkorn]

Things to do in US - spouse overseas

Hi,
I would like to know what should you do in US to make sure that there's no problem when spouse goes for interview in consulate overseas or during the approval of I-824.

Some of the possible things:

1. Tax filings: Do you need to file as married although wife never visited you in US and earns no income overseas either? I read somewhere that the tax returns can be amended after they have been filed. For example, you could amend them for married status after you have filed them as single?

2. Keep records of phone bills, communication, snail mail etc with spouse overseas.

3. Gift receipts of any gifts exchanged between you (in US) and the spouse (overseas)

4. Do you need to change the W4 for married or you can continue as single? It is related to item # 1 on the list.

Please add more as you see fit,
Thanks
Jeff

 

[ybnyk]

Hi,
I would like to know what should you do in US to make sure that there's no problem when spouse goes for interview in consulate overseas or during the approval of I-824.

Some of the possible things:

1. Tax filings: Do you need to file as married although wife never visited you in US and earns no income overseas either? I read somewhere that the tax returns can be amended after they have been filed. For example, you could amend them for married status after you have filed them as single?

2. Keep records of phone bills, communication, snail mail etc with spouse overseas.

3. Gift receipts of any gifts exchanged between you (in US) and the spouse (overseas)

Please add more as you see fit,
Thanks
Jeff

Yes. These are very relevent questions. If anybody has any idea about these please reply. That heps many. But I am not if we can file tax jointly if the spouse has never visited US for the tax year.

 

[kamrans]

If your wife is not here and never visited US then you need to file tax as "married filing separately".
If you do it on married basis then you are taking the benefits of a family and in fact your wife is not here. Legally you can only file tax together if your wife is physically here in USA.

Yes. These are very relevent questions. If anybody has any idea about these please reply. That heps many. But I am not if we can file tax jointly if the spouse has never visited US for the tax year.

 

[kamrans]

This has been answered million times by different people. Please check the previous posts and you will get an idea.

Good Luck.

Hello,

I got my green card and i was married even before applying my I-485. My wife is in Pakistan. I filed I-824 in August 2006 (receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006). My lawyer gave me a package to be sent to Islamabad embassy (Pakistan) which Islamabad embassy has already received couple of weeks back. Also as they processing the cases of April 2006 so as my case has receipt date of Aug. 29th 2006 will Islamabad embassy wait till my application gets approve in Vermont or they will start doing some process in Islamabad even before approval in vermont. My lawyer told me that before file was sent to US consulate only after approval of I 824 but now it can be sent just with the receipt of I 824.

Any idea how long it will take in Islamabad for my wife to get interview/immigrant visa?

Thanks.

 

[JCisLORD]

Yes GOD is merciful.

God is really merciful. We all have some options in front of us. At least we can visit our wives or husband as many times as we want. Think about people who are here in USA since 15 years and still they dont see any hope to see and meet their loved ones. Our situation is a lot better and we all should thank God all the time.
Yes I agree the immgration system here needs complete overhaul. Who will do it .......

Before my Wife got her GC, she was in america for 12 yrs. without coming back to our country , we have been apart for 4 yrs. finaly God is open an oportunity to get reunited and go on with our lives.
"Thanks GOD for this oportunity."
GOD BLESS every one here at this forum.

 

[usnycus]

See Inline ....

Hi,
I would like to know what should you do in US to make sure that there's no problem when spouse goes for interview in consulate overseas or during the approval of I-824.

Some of the possible things:

1. Tax filings: Do you need to file as married although wife never visited you in US and earns no income overseas either? I read somewhere that the tax returns can be amended after they have been filed. For example, you could amend them for married status after you have filed them as single?
... I use to file taxes as a single.

2. Keep records of phone bills, communication, snail mail etc with spouse overseas.
... I never did, but not a bad idea.

3. Gift receipts of any gifts exchanged between you (in US) and the spouse (overseas)
... Same as in item #2.

Please add more as you see fit,
Thanks
Jeff

 

[agpatti]

If you make a declaration to treat non-resident spouse as a resident, you could file Married with Joinly and get tax benefit. Check with IRS.

If your wife is not here and never visited US then you need to file tax as "married filing separately".
If you do it on married basis then you are taking the benefits of a family and in fact your wife is not here. Legally you can only file tax together if your wife is physically here in USA.

 

[agpatti]

I-824 approval

While approving I-824, Will US service centers consider marriage certificate and check the eligibility of the marriage.(whether marriage happened before I-485 approval because I don't know what my attoney sent?)

This is my situation. I got married on March, 2005 and my 485 was approved on June 7,2006 and my marriage was registered on June 17th,2006. But, my Marriage solumnized date says March 2005. Now, My I-824 got approved.
Because of my I-824 approval, can I assume that i will not have any issues by NOT registering marriage before I-485 was approved ?

Advance thanks for your help.

 

[jefkorn]

Filing Taxes, Things to do in US - spouse overseas

If you make a declaration to treat non-resident spouse as a resident, you could file Married with Joinly and get tax benefit. Check with IRS.

Thanks for your input. The purpose of asking the tax question was not if I could save money or not but to make sure that it doesn't create any problem at any stage while going through FTJ process.

 

[jefkorn]

Date of registration of marriage DOES NOT matters

While approving I-824, Will US service centers consider marriage certificate and check the eligibility of the marriage.(whether marriage happened before I-485 approval because I don't know what my attoney sent?)

This is my situation. I got married on March, 2005 and my 485 was approved on June 7,2006 and my marriage was registered on June 17th,2006. But, my Marriage solumnized date says March 2005. Now, My I-824 got approved.
Because of my I-824 approval, can I assume that i will not have any issues by NOT registering marriage before I-485 was approved ?

Advance thanks for your help.

I haven't gone through the process but based on the what is being said in the thread it seems that it is the date of marriage that matters not the registration date.

I would think since I-824 is approved so your marriage certificate is acceptible to USCIS. Also I think it's the consulate that would scrutinize more at the time of interview not because of the late registration but other aspect to make sure that this was a valid marriage and was entered into for the sole pupose of two consenting adults living together , till death do them part and not only for the purpose of immigration..

Would you like to add your details to an earlier thread that I posted where I'm trying to gather stats for FTJ cases?

you said your I-824 was approved. Did you inform INS of your marriage while your 485 was pending?

Jeff

 

[anuFTJ]

FTJ - Please Help - Where to file I824 - Anu

Hi Gurus

Can you pls help which location i shd file for I824 for Spouse FTJ(Follow To Join).

My I 485 is applied under EB 3 category in Vermont Service Center,
and i do work in California since my I485 is applied.
There was I485 interview in San Jose LOcal office(Which is under California Jurisdiction) and successful and
Green Card was issued from California Service Center, but not from Vermont Service Center, where i applied I485.


Now can you pls help me where to file I 824 for FTJ for my spouse.
a) Vermonst Service Center (Where I 485 is applied)
b) San Jose Local Office (Where Interview was happened and successful)
c) California Service Center (From where i got Physical Green Card)



There was a note in I824 application form, that it shd be applied to Service Center where last action was taken.


Can you pls help me...

I guess it is California Servcie Center.
Can i know the address.
I know it is Laguna Niguel, CA 92607
But can u pls let me know which PO BOx no i shd send the I824 application.

Note: My Greencard was issued from POBox 10765, Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0765

 

[anuFTJ]

FTJ - I 824 apply, Can you help the address of CSC to send I824

HI Friends

I am planning to apply for I824 to California Service Center, because that is from where i got my Green Card (EB3, I485)

Can you pls help which addreess i shd send.

I know it is Laguna Niguel, CA 92607
But can u pls let me know which PO BOx no i shd send the I824 application.

Note: My Greencard was issued from POBox 10765, Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0765

 

[rambabu123]

After getting GC can we study in India?

We have filed follow to join case to our child. Hoping we will get it in a year. But our child wants continue study in India for 2 more years. On what basis we are allowed? Is there a way we can file some permission or any?

 

[kamrans]

The statement "treating non-resident spouse as resident" doesn't feel right to me.
Anyway when I got married I checked with my CPA and he verified that you cannot do it legally if your wife is not here. But there are ways to do it and people are doing it and getting tax benefits. I have been throught form W-9 and W-7 and concluded that not to go for it as it may create problems.
I would suggest filing tax as single or married filing separately is a safe option. Choice is yours.

Good Luck.

If you make a declaration to treat non-resident spouse as a resident, you could file Married with Joinly and get tax benefit. Check with IRS.

 

[kamrans]

Yes it should be CA service center. Give a call to USCIS customer service and ask them about the address. I believe it should be the same address as on 485 application or on I-765. Check with them to make sure you are sending it to the right address.

Hi Gurus

Can you pls help which location i shd file for I824 for Spouse FTJ(Follow To Join).

My I 485 is applied under EB 3 category in Vermont Service Center,
and i do work in California since my I485 is applied.
There was I485 interview in San Jose LOcal office(Which is under California Jurisdiction) and successful and
Green Card was issued from California Service Center, but not from Vermont Service Center, where i applied I485.


Now can you pls help me where to file I 824 for FTJ for my spouse.
a) Vermonst Service Center (Where I 485 is applied)
b) San Jose Local Office (Where Interview was happened and successful)
c) California Service Center (From where i got Physical Green Card)



There was a note in I824 application form, that it shd be applied to Service Center where last action was taken.


Can you pls help me...

I guess it is California Servcie Center.
Can i know the address.
I know it is Laguna Niguel, CA 92607
But can u pls let me know which PO BOx no i shd send the I824 application.

Note: My Greencard was issued from POBox 10765, Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0765