When should I apply for my Wife. ? Please help.

[shanijav84]

Hello everyone,

I recently passed my citizenship test and my application was recommended for approval 2 weeks ago. They told me I will be receiving a letter in mail for my oath date. I have`nt received it yet (I know this is early). So here is the question, I got married 2 months ago in Pakistan and am planning to sponsor my wife. (I did not do my oath yet so I am still a permanent resident at this moment)

when should I apply for her visa?

1) I am currently green card holder, should i apply for her now, like send the form I 30 and then once i become the citizen after my oath - upgrade the status of my file? Will that delay the process?

or

2) Should I wait till i get my oath date, become a citizen at that time and then apply for her?



I have had mixed opinions from people. If anyone can help me out. It will be appreciated. Moreover when I looked at the Visa bulletin of August 2013. F2A category is current now. Does that mean if I apply for her now , it will be a quick process??
Waiting for expert opinions.
Thanks

thank you in advance.

 

[Jackolantern]

Is your wife inside or outside the US?

If she's outside the US, wait until you're a citizen then file the I-130. Because if you file it as a permanent resident, it will go into a slower queue and they probably won't have started processing it by the time you become a citizen, and you'll have to deal with the hassles and delays of upgrading it.

 

[shanijav84]

Thanks for the quick reply. She is still in pakistan.
so the pd being current in august bulletin will not affect me ???
I was told by some people that if you apply as a green card for spouse and then switch the application once I become a citizen will actually be somewhat quicker and I just will have to call them or send in a letter asking to upgrade the application. But again I am totally a layman when it comes to immigration things.

 

[Jackolantern]

I was told by some people that if you apply as a green card for spouse and then switch the application once I become a citizen will actually be somewhat quicker and I just will have to call them or send in a letter asking to upgrade the application.

It can be better or worse depending on the timing. If your citizenship eligibility is about a year or more away, there is a good chance of having the I-130 approved by the time you become a citizen. If the I-130 approval is already done when you naturalize, the rest of the processing can go ahead sooner.

But if you are a few days or weeks away from citizenship, the I-130 almost surely will be pending and sitting idle when you become a citizen. So you'd still have to wait for its approval, and you have to deal with the hassle of getting it upgraded to reflect your citizenship status. It's a hassle because they are often slow to process the upgrade request, and/or won't acknowledge whether they have upgraded it or not. Some people wait over 6 months for the upgrade to be processed and confirmed. You would avoid those hassles and potential delays if you submit the I-130 when you're a citizen.

so the pd being current in august bulletin will not affect me ???

It doesn't help your situation, because she is outside the US and the I-130 isn't approved or even filed yet. If she were inside the US she'd be able to file for Adjustment of Status in August. If the I-130 had been already approved and she's outside the US, she could potentially interview at the consulate in August.