Please help me decide....

[wj07]

Hi All! I am very new at this but i have been reading and following some posts/threads for sometime now and have learned so much. please bare with me as this is my very first post/thread...

anyway, I am really in serious need of help/advice. I came here to the US a couple of years ago on a B2 visa just to visit somebody, etc. now days after i arrived, i found out about something that i honestly had no idea was even possible to do here. so after making some phone calls to confirm that it is indeed possible. so after a couple of months from my arrival, i got divorced and yes i got married to the somebody i came to visit. long story short, i now hold a GC and in fact eligible to apply for citizenship. i was actually about to apply when i stumbled upon this site and then started reading and then BECAME AFRAID, VERY AFRAID IN FACT. now i do not even know if i should be thinking about applying or what.

so sorry for the very vague story. would like to give details but i know a lot of people will not understand the relationship that i have now.

 

[Jackolantern]

So what is your question?

Are you eligible for citizenship under the 3-year rule, or the regular 5 year rule? If it's the 3 year rule, are you still married to and living with the US citizen who sponsored your green card?

 

[wj07]

yes i am eligible under the 3 year rule and yes i am still very much married to my wife. my question is this, knowing how i ended up here, is it advisable to apply for citizenship or should i just forget about it???
I know i can defend the reason how i got here, but i am just afraid for my wife.

 

[Jackolantern]

They approved your green card while knowing about the circumstances of how you arrived here and got divorced and married soon after, correct? So why are you worried about it now? Is there something they don't know, and you're worried they'll find out when they scrutinize you in the citizenship process?

 

[wj07]

no, i'm not hiding anything. i have truthfully told them during my AOS and i think also when we did the "gruelling" marriage interview as to how i arrived and what happened after. during AOS, the officer said she needed to have her supervisor review my case, days after, got the approval, same with the RoC, review then got my 10-yr GC. like i said, i was actually ready to submit when i stumbled here and read some threads/posts. both my wife and i were thinking that it should be ok now while we're still under the same DO, coz they knew the situation and approved it, right? then i read somewhere here that not all IO's are the same... what if the IO/Super approved me then and deny me now? what will happen to me and my wife? this is what scares me the most!

 

[wj07]

just to be clear on my previous post... i am scared of the idea of having to leave my wife here if ever i get denied(oh please lord don't). i can live without the GC but not my wife. i always tell her, i married you and not the card/benefit, that just came as a consolation.

 

[BigJoe5]

just to be clear on my previous post... i am scared of the idea of having to leave my wife here if ever i get denied(oh please lord don't). i can live without the GC but not my wife. i always tell her, i married you and not the card/benefit, that just came as a consolation.

Are you familiar with the expression: "Making a mountain out of a mole hill." ?

That is what you are doing. They have already grilled you about this. IF there was no fraud involved it will not come back to bite you.

Maybe you read about someone who did commit fraud and got scared for nothing???

This article discusses a couple of cases where earlier fraud came back to haunt folks. You have not revealed anything similar to these idiots.

The Issues of a "Bona Fide Marriage" & "Meritorious In Fact" for a Jointly Filed I-751 Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence
http://www.ilw.com/articles/2012,0210-Whalen.shtm

 

[wj07]

thanks very much for the replies Jackolantern and BigJoe5...

yes we've been already grilled "BIG TIME", there's really no question about the marriage for it is really bonafide. i'm sure the guys from the FDNS unit could even attest to that however, it is not about them questioning our marriage that is scaring me from applying.
i have read somewhere here about the 30/60/90, don't really know what it signifies but from what i read there, it says that when somebody enters the country and then does something so abruptly, they tend to think of it as something fishy. not sure though if i understood correctly. THAT's what is preventing me from having the courage to apply. i know i did no fraud/misrepresentation when i came here. it's just things went so fast, i entered the country and in less than 90 days i got divorced and remarried. but believe me there's nothing fishy involved here. i guess i really do just believe in the saying "why do something tomorrow when you can do it today?!"

suppose i file for citizenship and then at the interview, the IO decides to deny me (God forbid), what will happen to me and my wife??? i really do not want to be pessimistic about it, but after reading a lot of things here, i can't help it.

 

[Jackolantern]

i have read somewhere here about the 30/60/90, don't really know what it signifies but from what i read there, it says that when somebody enters the country and then does something so abruptly, they tend to think of it as something fishy. not sure though if i understood correctly. THAT is what's preventing me from having the courage to apply.

Yes it can look fishy when you enter the US and marry that fast, but whatever suspicions they had would have already been cleared up when they interviewed you and granted your green card.

suppose i file for citizenship and then at the interview, the IO decides to deny me (god forbid), what will happen to me and my wife??? i really do not want to be pessimistic about it, but after reading a lot of things here, i can't help it.

Denial of naturalization usually doesn't mean the green card will be revoked. Most people whose naturalization is denied keep their green card, some of them reapply or appeal, some stay put with the green card. And if they try to revoke your green card, you will have the opportunity to challenge them in court.

For them to revoke your green card due to the iffy circumstances of your arrival 3+ years ago which have already been vetted, they would need some basis in fact supported by evidence, not mere suspicion. For example, suppose they somehow discover an old email that revealed your wedding plans prior to arrival, but in the interviews you said you didn't decide to marry until after you arrived.

Unless there is more to your story that you're not telling us, you should not worry one bit about losing your green card over this.

 

[wj07]

For example, suppose they somehow discover an old email that revealed your wedding plans prior to arrival, but in the interviews you said you didn't decide to marry until after you arrived.

Unless there is more to your story that you're not telling us, you should not worry one bit about losing your green card over this.

no there's nothing to find coz i don't have anything hidden. i guess my situation, being out of the ordinary, just makes it a little bit harder to convince other people.

maybe you guys are right that i'm just worrying too much about this. i just can't shake off the what ifs!!!