Shortening time for possible immigration to the US in the future

M

mgg2222

New Member
Hello,
Me and my wife (she is an american citizen and I am not) are currently living outside of the US. We are contemplation moving to the US, but we are not sure if we want to do it, and if so, when. It could be in a year, 5 years or never.
From what I understand, if we decide to move, the process of getting a green card could take around a year and a half, and we don't want to wait that long to move once we have decided that is what we want.

Is there anything we can do now that could expedite that process if we want to in the future?
Something like do have the process now and complete the rest later, or maybe complete it now but with a caveat that we can activate it in the future.

It would also be OK if there is anything that will allow me to go to America and work (without getting a full green card) and then finish the process of getting a green card there.
Thank you for your help.
 
you can start you CR1 petition (your wife filing it), but she has to meet the normal requirement, 1. US domicile, 2. income level etc, and once the petition is approved, i believe it will be valid for up to a year, unless there are activities done (if, once approved, you did nothing, it will be invalid after that period).

Then you have to start all over again.

No other avenues i am afraid.

Or you can just go through with it, get your CR1/immigrant visa, activate it, apply for I-131 Re-entry permit, stay up to 2 years out of the USA and then think whether you wanna move permanently or not.
 
Domicile and income only have to be proven at interview.

Apparently as abumiqdad alludes to, once you file an i130 you don't have to act on it as long as you contact USCIS once a year to keep it active. Apparently. It seems hard to find people who have actually done this.

"Or you can just go through with it, get your CR1/immigrant visa, activate it, apply for I-131 Re-entry permit, stay up to 2 years out of the USA and then think whether you wanna move permanently or not. "
The downside of this is having to file taxes with the IRS as a green card holder in the meanwhile.

Alternatively, just plan ahead a little longer than you were originally intending...
 
that's what i had been told (on the way to delay/drag the process). though i am unsure how long can you drag it for (say you submit your petition, and you take your time to respond to requests, and keep rescheduling your interview etc, whether USCIS and NVC would care that the process is taking too long).
 
I understand that I can drag the process, or get the Green card and just not use it until it expires, but my fear is that if I get to the point that it expires and I decide that I do want to live in the US after that, it would make it difficult for me to get approved again.

Alternatively, is there any other route I can take (that is not a full Green card), like another visa type that will allow me to enter and work in the US and then finish the process of getting the Green card while I am there?

Thanks.
 
there should not be any issues with your wife sending another petition for you, the issue would just be the time you would have to wait. for IR1, i see no reasons why they would deny a 2nd petition for the same person if the first one is approved.

no other visa type that is easier than CR1/IR1 for you.
Unless you are Canadian/Mexican that can work in fields covered by TN visa. Then you might have a shot.
 
mgg2222 said:
Alternatively, is there any other route I can take (that is not a full Green card), like another visa type that will allow me to enter and work in the US and then finish the process of getting the Green card while I am there?
Click to expand...

Short answer is no.

Unless you're qualified for a Specialty Occupation, a la an H1 job which no American is available to do and an employer is willing to spend thousands of dollars to petition you. It's like a lottery with many hurdles.
 
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