Married to US citizen but residing in UK - Understanding process to move to USA
Hi Everyone,
My wife is a US citizen with indefinate leave to remain in the UK as her mother is a UK citizen and has lived her since she was 3. We current both live in the UK.
We have been married for nearly three years (April will be 3rd anniversary) and are looking at a potential move to the USA close to where her dad lives in NM. We were married in Las Vegas.
As she is working for a US based company (Sallys Beauty) she could potentially look at transferring there if there was a opening. However the plan would be, if possible, for me to move over there once employment was established and setup a small rental property while finding something permanant and then have her move with our pets and belongings at a later date.
Obviously i would either need a visa or GC to complete an employment application but wanted to be sure of the correct process to follow to set this all up.
Many Thanks,
Scott
First Form I-130 must be approved, second, the foreign spouse’s "Priority Date" must be current. Later Application to Adjust Status to Permanent Resident(Form I-485) or concurrently can file both. Thats not very useful for this situation. His wife is a US citizen, so they dont need to watch priority dates. And he is outside the US, so adjustment of status is not an available option at this time.
Obviously i would either need a visa or GC to complete an employment application but wanted to be sure of the correct process to follow to set this all up.
First she would file form I-130 to petition for you to immigrate. A consulate in the UK should be selected on question 22 of that form, unless you have citizenship elsewhere that you would prefer to interview.
Some months later, after the I-130 is approved you will be contacted by the consulate regarding additional paperwork (see http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?202993, post #5) and the fingerprinting, interview, and medical.
Upon approval at the consulate, they will stamp your passport with a 6-month immigrant visa. When you are admitted to the US with the visa, you become a permanent resident and the physical green card will be automatically delivered to your US residence within about 30 days.
http://london.usembassy.gov/immigran...relatives.html
Take a look at this link on the London US Embassy website - it lays everything out.
Good luck.