Help with 1st-priority application

L

Laripu

Registered Users (C)
My wife and I will be naturalized some time this year. (Our interview is in June.) After we become citizens, we would like to bring her son (my stepson) into the US, legally of course. There is no neccessity, since he makes a good living in the Montreal area, and owns a house there. It's just that being near family is better, and since we live in Florida it means he could escape winter. We also think he would have greater opportunity here.

He has no degree. He is 29. He is a roofer and roofing supervisor, and has been a roofing supervisor for over a year. No degree and this kind of job means that TN and H1B are probably out. He would never marry just for a green card, and it's unlikely that he would meet an American girl in the Montreal are anyway. Florida always needs roofers, given that the next hurricane is not far away. Unfortunately the federal government does not see it that way.

We could file a 1st-preference I-130 for him, but the priority dates for these visas are 5 years back and advancing only 3 months per year. At that rate, it would take over 20 years for him to get a visa, so that's a non-starter, of course.

Is there anything we could do to speed up the process, or should we just forget it? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Laripu said:
My wife and I will be naturalized some time this year. (Our interview is in June.) After we become citizens, we would like to bring her son (my stepson) into the US, legally of course. There is no neccessity, since he makes a good living in the Montreal area, and owns a house there. It's just that being near family is better, and since we live in Florida it means he could escape winter. We also think he would have greater opportunity here.

He has no degree. He is 29. He is a roofer and roofing supervisor, and has been a roofing supervisor for over a year. No degree and this kind of job means that TN and H1B are probably out. He would never marry just for a green card, and it's unlikely that he would meet an American girl in the Montreal are anyway. Florida always needs roofers, given that the next hurricane is not far away. Unfortunately the federal government does not see it that way.

We could file a 1st-preference I-130 for him, but the priority dates for these visas are 5 years back and advancing only 3 months per year. At that rate, it would take over 20 years for him to get a visa, so that's a non-starter, of course.

Is there anything we could do to speed up the process, or should we just forget it? Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...

your stepson lives in Canada, and is he a Canadian Citizen?
Seems taking the path on getting him an immigrant visa is so far away. If he is a Canadian Citizen, he can come to US without a visa, providing he won't overstay.

However, you have to make sure once you decide to file the I-130 for him, get approved, and still be able to come to US to visit you two freely.
 
ocworker said:
your stepson lives in Canada, and is he a Canadian Citizen?
Seems taking the path on getting him an immigrant visa is so far away. If he is a Canadian Citizen, he can come to US without a visa, providing he won't overstay.

However, you have to make sure once you decide to file the I-130 for him, get approved, and still be able to come to US to visit you two freely.
Click to expand...
Yes, he lives in Canda and is a Canadian citizen. He can come to visit without a visa, but not to live and work. He comes every Christmas, but we would like him to live near us.

After filing an I-130, is there a problem with him coming to visit?
 
I do not think there would have any other suggestions beside of

1) your wife sponsor him and he has to wait till his PD and get his immigrant visa
2) he finds a job in US and be sponsored for H1 while waiting your wife sponsoring him
3) find a girl who has US citizenship and get married. he would be able to get the green card within a short amount of time. However, make sure it is not a marriage fraud.

I am sorry for not being able to provide more options besides of the above.
 
ocworker said:
I do not think there would have any other suggestions beside of

1) your wife sponsor him and he has to wait till his PD and get his immigrant visa
That will take much too long! They only advanced 3 weeks in 4 months, and the date is 5 years back. If it takes 20 years, I may as well forget it.​
2) he finds a job in US and be sponsored for H1 while waiting your wife sponsoring him
He won't qualify for either H1 or TN because he does not have a degree.​
3) find a girl who has US citizenship and get married. he would be able to get the green card within a short amount of time. However, make sure it is not a marriage fraud.
This would be good, but it's very unlikely, especially as he is completely against marrying except for love. Also it is unlikely that he'll meet an American girl in Montreal.​

I am sorry for not being able to provide more options besides of the above.
Thanks, anyway!​
Click to expand...
 
Pinturicchio said:
Those are the only options dude. Sorry.
Click to expand...

i have to agree with that. Those are the only options for the OP.
Well, 4) try to apply for the green card lottery and hope he would be picked. Changes are very slim for Canadian thou (quota issue)

may be traveling to US with Canadian passport once a while is not too bad.
 
July Visa bulletin

The State department's visa bulletin for July 2006 is out, and the 1st priority family category has dropped back from April 22, 2001 (where it had been since Oct 2005) to Jan 1, 2000.

This is very disappointing. Up to now, progress has been so bad that the state department was falling more and more behind. But now, they're actually retrogressing. I guess the message is, if you have a son or daughter over 21, then they should just stay home. No need to bother to apply to reunite in the USA.

:(
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Laripu said:
The State department's visa bulletin for July 2006 is out, and the 1st priority family category has dropped back from April 22, 2001 (where it had been since Oct 2005) to Jan 1, 2000.

This is very disappointing. Up to now, progress has been so bad that the state department was falling more and more behind. But now, they're actually retrogressing. I guess the message is, if you have a son or daughter over 21, then they should just stay home. No need to bother to apply to reunite in the USA.

:(
Click to expand...

Lapiru, I understand you, because Im in same boat! But let me tell you, dont be negative. Just apply form I-130, stay in line, because lots off debates are coming before elections in November regardind Immigration. Not saying will happen tomorrow,but soon. Because lots of Bills in Senate for and pro-illigal immigration and you never know what comes.
But one of the bills, is to increase visas for Immidiate Relatives visas, so surelly, legal way will only the way this time. So, dont spend anytime of thinking negative or loosing your battle!
Your last statement about dont bother to reunite, is bullshit! I will never or ever stop fighting to see my Children, even the are over 21! The will ALWAYS BE MY CHILDREN!
 
Nest said:
So, dont spend anytime of thinking negative or loosing your battle! Your last statement about dont bother to reunite, is bullshit!
Click to expand...
You're right, I shouldn't be negative. You're also right that legislation and circumstances change, so I should be optimistic about that too.

I just got a little downhearted that the priority date actually went backward 16 months. How does that happen? If the priority date was April 2001 last month, doesn't that mean that all the applications with a 2000 priority date had already been processed? Or is their paperwork so bad that they actually had the current date wrong for over a year?

The more I think about it the angrier I get! I think that once I get citizenship I'm going to write a letter to my senator and representative. For the last 9 years I've been paying them (in taxes) without a vote, so at least now I will have something to say.
 
Priority date retrogression

So now the priority date for 1st priority family sponsored immigration is back to Jan 1, 1997. This almost seems to be a message: "try another way".

What do all of you think?
 
Laripu said:
... There is no neccessity, since he makes a good living in the Montreal area, and owns a house there...
Click to expand...

Just to remind you of what you posted earlier. It could be worse, don't you think?
After all your son's old enough to take care of himself and he's appearantly not in a bad situation at all.

Maybe you should just calm down before you storm Capitol Hill
 
Laripu,

Just file the 130, nothing to lose except $200. I don't think it'll be 20 years, maybe 10. Like others have said he can come visit whenever he wants and let's be real here, do you think every roofer in Florida is working legally? I'd be surprised if 25% are.

As for escaping winters...I went to McGill and good god those were tough winters, Brrrrr!!!! But I also do miss Montreal, best 4 years of my life.
 
eddie_d said:
Like others have said he can come visit whenever he wants and let's be real here, do you think every roofer in Florida is working legally? I'd be surprised if 25% are.
Click to expand...
I'm know you're right. I've met people who told me they started out illegally in this country. Some are in very respected positions right now, legally. Nevertheless we will do things 100% legally. I won't pass judgement on others - I will just do things legally because that's what I do, and because of the position I'm in.

eddie_d said:
As for escaping winters...I went to McGill and good god those were tough winters, Brrrrr!!!! But I also do miss Montreal, best 4 years of my life.
Click to expand...
I agree. Montreal is a great city, except that the winters and the secessionist politics wears on you if you live there. I went to Concordia in the early 80's, and always had a great time, because I didn't care about politics then and I live across the street fro a subway station. :)

Look - I know he's on his own, makes a good living, there's no economic neccessity etc... but I think he'd be good for Florida and it's understandable that I want him here. It's no crime :) to want to get him here legally, and before it makes no economic sense for him to pull up roots.

If I find a way I'll post it in one of these forums.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
rex1960 said:
Just to remind you of what you posted earlier. It could be worse, don't you think?
After all your son's old enough to take care of himself and he's appearantly not in a bad situation at all.

Maybe you should just calm down before you storm Capitol Hill
Click to expand...
Now there's an idea! Why didn't I think of that before! :D

OK instead, maybe I'll write my senators and my representative.
 
It's filed; what now?

Now that I'm a citizen, I've finally filed the I-130 application for my wife's son. I sent it to Texas, as required for someone from Florida, but it seems to have been sent to California. What's up with that, and what happens now?

I see that the state department priority date for 1st priority applications is April 22, 2001, while the California Service center is processing cases from January, 2003. How soon can I expect something to happen, and what will it be?

I am grateful for all answers. Thanks in advance for any information or help you can extend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top