Is marriage GC faster than Employment GC?

CanMan

Registered Users (C)
Hi All,

I currently am waiting (like everyone else!) for an employment base I-485 application filed at the CSC. My number is WAC-02-138-xxx. I am also married to a US citizen.

If I understand the statistics correctly, it will be a few years at the current rate before the INS gets to my case. My question: would going through a spousal application be any faster? It appears that a spousal sponsored visa would still require a 485 to get filed, which leaves me no further ahead of the game.

Thanks in advance!

CanMan
 
CanReply, there's no doubt in my mind that marriage GC which is to processed by your district BCIS office is faster than employment GC. Before going for it, do some research about processing times of the district office that will process your case.
good luck
 
Thanks for your reply!

My questions still (kind of) remains unanswered:

1. Are the papers that need to be filed an I-130, and then an I-485?

2. If I still need to file an I-485, does somehow the CSC act on marriage based 485 petitions faster than on employment based 485 petitions?

3. Can I have both an employment and a marriage 485 petition pending at the same time?

Again, thanks a million in advance, and goog luck to all my fellow "waiters".
 
CanMan,

1. Are the papers that need to be filed an I-130, and then an I-485?
I am not proficient in marriage-based immigration matters. However, it is my belief that you can file both I-130 and I-485 concurrently.

2. If I still need to file an I-485, does somehow the CSC act on marriage based 485 petitions faster than on employment based 485 petitions?
Marriage-based petitions are not filed with service centers. Therefore, you will probably not face such a drastic delay. However, depending on how far you are in the employment-based process, it may be already faster to get your Green Card through that. Nevertheless, it is still a very good idea to file for a marriage-based Green Card now, because with this you will become independent from the employment-based crap, such as permanent employment offer, etc.

3. Can I have both an employment and a marriage 485 petition pending at the same time?
Absolutely. Let the best win.
 
Thanks for the info BitterMan.

I went to the BCIS web site, and it appears based on my residence (I live in Contra Costa county) that I am served by the San Francisco office. I did a few web searches, but I can't seem to find any waiting time tables for this office. I know (as everyone else here does as well!) what the waiting time is at the CSC (oh, just a few more years, at this current rate!).

Does anyone know how to get the waiting times for field offices?
 
What I found is http://www.immigration.com/processing-times/national.html, which does not say what type of I-485 applications they are talking about. But given that they do not accept employment-based I-485's, I guess everything else just falls into the same pipeline.

On the "San Francisco About Us" page http://www.immigration.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/sanfran/aboutus.htm they say:

ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS INTERVIEWS
It is taking approximately 10 months from the time your application is received until you will be called for an interview.


So, you are probably looking at 1-1.5 years total until you get your conditional Green Card.

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BTW, a Green Card obtained through a marriage to a US Citizen gets you closer to your own Citizenship (if you are interested in it, that is) by two years.
 
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