temporary visa - applying for permanent visa through marriage

[jerzstyle00]

I(u.s citizen) married my wife outside the u.s.She recieved her visa and it will end in september of 2011. So I believe we need to apply for a permanent residency for her 90 days before expiration which will be sometime in june of 2011.But the problem is I need to go back with her outside the u.s because her mom is ill so she needs to take care of her. My questions are,

1)can I file for a permanent residency for her( I believe the form is I-751?) from outside the u.s.? If not, then can I have a u.s. relative fill out the form for her until we get back?

2)Once we do file for permanent residency in june,what is the process from there?
Will they call us in for an interview? If so, what is the aproximate time frame after we file they will call us in for the interview? I need to know so I make sure we can get back on-time for the interview.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jackolantern]

The form can be submitted from outside the US, but she needs to be in the US for fingerprinting, and again for the interview (if there is an interview -- most people are not interviewed, but it's not possible to predict if they will require an interview for her).

How long has she been outside the US? Does she have a reentry permit? Long trips outside the US can jeopardize her green card.

 

[jerzstyle00]

She has been outside the u.s twice but not more then 5 months.She does not have a re-entry permit(not sure if she requires one if she has a temporary visa?)

Thanks for your info.But my only question remains is, once we do submit the permanent residence form I-751, how long can we expect to wait till they call us in if they do want to interview her before they give her the permanent residence card?

 

[Jackolantern]

She has been outside the u.s twice but not more then 5 months.She does not have a re-entry permit(not sure if she requires one if she has a temporary visa?)

What she has is not a "temporary visa". She is a permanent resident with a conditional green card. She needs a reentry permit to stay abroad for more than 12 months. However, a trip over 6 months, or multiple long trips under 6 months each but close together can jeopardize the GC, so it can be helpful to have the reentry permit for extensive travel under 12 months.

But she would have to be in the US to apply for the reentry permit. Going forward, how much more time does she expect to spend outside the US?

Thanks for your info.But my only question remains is, once we do submit the permanent residence form I-751, how long can we expect to wait till they call us in if they do want to interview her before they give her the permanent residence card?

Fingerprinting will be around 3-5 weeks after filing the I-751. The interview can be anywhere from a couple months to more than a year later. Or there might be no interview.