Post here if you are an American citizen but your FI is not

~Melissa~ · February 24, 2008

any new info?

Kat81 · February 24, 2008

I am a US citizen. My FI is from Canada. He is here on a work visa that doesn't expire for two more years. I have no idea about the process but any help would be great!!

Kat81 · February 24, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauraw

i dont think we need to do the I-131 for travel because my FI has a valid work visa that doesnt expire until like 2011...shit i didnt think about that. i better ask the lawyer on monday!

shit didnt realize that you have to use specific docs they pick. guess i better find a list!!!!

maybe we should start compiling links on this thread too for all the documents needed...

My FI has a work visa that doesn't expire for like two years.. we don't have to fill out a form for a request to leave the country do we?

Maura · March 19, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kat81

My FI has a work visa that doesn't expire for like two years.. we don't have to fill out a form for a request to leave the country do we?

ok, need some info to answer your question. first, are you getting legally married here in the US first?
if YES, and his work visa is still valid at the time of your wedding, then no, you do not need to fill out any forms for advance permission to travel. he should travel with his visa as he would normally do otherwise. you will file all your documents with the government after you are legally married, so if you are getting married in mexico after your legal wedding, dont submit your legal docs until after you return from mexico to avoid any snafus.

second, will the work visa still be valid at the time of your wedding?
if NO, (you should be absolutely sure of the expiration date), then you will need to get married legally before the expiration date, and then YES, you WILL need to fill out the advance permission to travel form.

-----

also, i have a whole bunch of documents our lawyer gave us about requirements for your interviews and such, so if anyone is interested, i will scan them and post. also, if you want me to send to you, you can PM me your email address and i will send. just let me know!

Kat81 · March 19, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mauraw

ok, need some info to answer your question. first, are you getting legally married here in the US first?
if YES, and his work visa is still valid at the time of your wedding, then no, you do not need to fill out any forms for advance permission to travel. he should travel with his visa as he would normally do otherwise. you will file all your documents with the government after you are legally married, so if you are getting married in mexico after your legal wedding, dont submit your legal docs until after you return from mexico to avoid any snafus.

second, will the work visa still be valid at the time of your wedding?
if NO, (you should be absolutely sure of the expiration date), then you will need to get married legally before the expiration date, and then YES, you WILL need to fill out the advance permission to travel form.

-----

also, i have a whole bunch of documents our lawyer gave us about requirements for your interviews and such, so if anyone is interested, i will scan them and post. also, if you want me to send to you, you can PM me your email address and i will send. just let me know!

His work Visa is valid for two more years. We are getting married before we leave so there isn't any extra complications during the citizenship process. Ryan talked to his lawyer that got him the Visa and he said it would be 4500 to get his Greencard then the citizen process. I would WAY rather do what I can myself. Ryan isn't worried about it but I am a lot cheaper than he is lol. So, any extra info you all can give me would be great. My email is [email protected]

marip123 · March 19, 2008

My FI is from Britain working here in the states. He has his H1b? I think that's what is. His lawyers at work have been taking care of green card issues, but they are seriously lagging. Ben's goal was to have his greencard before we were married, but that is not going to happen. His work lawyers are in the process of extending his Visa for 2 more years, so I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen after we get married... if we pursue the greencard through marriage, or if he continues pursuing it through work. Yes, it's a bit confusing.

~Melissa~ · March 19, 2008

Does anyone know about the economic stimulus payment if you're a green card holder, do you get it?

Heidi · March 20, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raeka

Does anyone know about the economic stimulus payment if you're a green card holder, do you get it?

I'd assume it's for anyone who pays taxes...

Maura · March 24, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by marip123

My FI is from Britain working here in the states. He has his H1b? I think that's what is. His lawyers at work have been taking care of green card issues, but they are seriously lagging. Ben's goal was to have his greencard before we were married, but that is not going to happen. His work lawyers are in the process of extending his Visa for 2 more years, so I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen after we get married... if we pursue the greencard through marriage, or if he continues pursuing it through work. Yes, it's a bit confusing.

steph, ben will have a much easier time getting his green card by applying through marriage. also, you have to go through all your interviews and stuff before you get a permanent green card anyway, so theres no way he wouldve gotten his permanent card before your wedding anyway. maybe his temporary one only.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raeka

Does anyone know about the economic stimulus payment if you're a green card holder, do you get it?

from what our lawyer told us, you only get the stimulus money if you paid taxes in the US for 2007. unfortunately for me, my FI doesnt pay american taxes, he still pays mexican taxes (which are super super high!) so he doesnt get stimulus money, but i do.

Maura · March 24, 2008

Ok, I'm posting here 2 documents given to us by our lawyers that I thought might help.

One is a list of ways you can prove you married in good faith. This is basically a checklist of everything that they can ask you for at your interviews. Everything on it is fair game, although they will likely not as you for all of it, or there are ways around certain ones.

The next one is the instructions for the letter the American citizen needs to get from their employer to prove they make enough $ to support their partner at the poverty line (which by the way was like $13,000 for last year according to our attorney, which means you need to make double that to support two people).

The third document I have is a list of documents required by attorneys when they represent an adjustment of status case. This document has sensitive info on it, which I need to remove before I post it. But I will also email you girls copies once I do that.

Ways to prove you married in good faith.pdf

Employment letter.pdf