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Filing from Abroad Questions
My approach has changed in the past few days, I have decided to go with the Filing from Abroad option.
I have dual citizenship and have lived in Brazil just about my whole life. I intend to move to the US and apply for the CR-1 for my wife. I’m currently looking at two options:
Plan A: Seattle – I have a couple of friends who do well and would have us stay at their home until we got settled. They also own a company and could potentially give me a job offer. Cost of living is a bit higher and it’s more expensive to visit other family members I have around the US.
Plan B: Dallas – My brother lives here but shares an apartment with three other people and is unemployed. Cost of living is cheaper, we think about moving here eventually even if we initially live in Seattle. The biggest concern is overcoming the hurdles of immigration.
NVC Stage – We are selling an apartment here so we could try to use assets (money in bank). We also have co-sponsors available.
Intent to establish domicile – The Seattle option, as I’ve said, might lead to a housing agreement and maybe even a job offer. Strong proof of intent, no doubt. I plan on traveling there beforehand to open bank account, get driver’s license, voter’s card, car insurance, etc. If I go with the Dallas option I would probably have to travel beforehand and lease a home and have to pay that every month with my Brazilian income, besides all the other expenses I have from living here. Plus in Dallas I have no immediate job offers, therefore, weaker proof of domicile.
Questions:
1. At which point in the immigration process would I have to have my body of evidence of proof of intent to reestablish domicile? Can I send out the I-130 today, get the ball rolling, then a few weeks down the line travel to the US to establish these things? Is this evidence expected at the USCIS, NVC and Interview stages? I’m a bit lost in the whole timeline thing.
2. (this question is tied to #1) – If we decide to take the Dallas route, would we have to take out a lease on an apartment, a car, pay insurance, etc every month for how long? This seems like a huge financial burden for what is an undetermined period of time, especially if you have this all set before even sending out the I-130.
3. If my wife is granted the visa, say on the Seattle scenario, do I have to actually begin work at the said job immediately? What if I don’t like working there and decide to quit after a few weeks? And also, what if I decide to move into my own apartment with my wife instead of sharing with these friends of ours? What if we move to another city? In essence, how are you actually legally bound to your proof of domicile arrangements?
4. What is the shortest period of time I would have to stay in the US to get all those little evidences done? Eg.: insurance, voter ID, bank account, take out a car lease, etc… Do these things have long processing times, background checks, etc? Is two weeks enough?
5. Using assets (money in bank) as sponsoring, can this money be partly in Brazil partly in the US bank account? It’s just that the dollar is super high right now and a new law made transferring money even more costly… We would definitely like to not have to transfer all of it at once.
6. Can I maintain my current job in brazil through to the end of the process?
By the way, Brazil does NOT have Direct Consular Filing option.
Thank you! Any help is appreciated!
I have dual citizenship and have lived in Brazil just about my whole life. I intend to move to the US and apply for the CR-1 for my wife. I’m currently looking at two options:
Plan A: Seattle – I have a couple of friends who do well and would have us stay at their home until we got settled. They also own a company and could potentially give me a job offer. Cost of living is a bit higher and it’s more expensive to visit other family members I have around the US.
Plan B: Dallas – My brother lives here but shares an apartment with three other people and is unemployed. Cost of living is cheaper, we think about moving here eventually even if we initially live in Seattle. The biggest concern is overcoming the hurdles of immigration.
NVC Stage – We are selling an apartment here so we could try to use assets (money in bank). We also have co-sponsors available.
Intent to establish domicile – The Seattle option, as I’ve said, might lead to a housing agreement and maybe even a job offer. Strong proof of intent, no doubt. I plan on traveling there beforehand to open bank account, get driver’s license, voter’s card, car insurance, etc. If I go with the Dallas option I would probably have to travel beforehand and lease a home and have to pay that every month with my Brazilian income, besides all the other expenses I have from living here. Plus in Dallas I have no immediate job offers, therefore, weaker proof of domicile.
Questions:
1. At which point in the immigration process would I have to have my body of evidence of proof of intent to reestablish domicile? Can I send out the I-130 today, get the ball rolling, then a few weeks down the line travel to the US to establish these things? Is this evidence expected at the USCIS, NVC and Interview stages? I’m a bit lost in the whole timeline thing.
2. (this question is tied to #1) – If we decide to take the Dallas route, would we have to take out a lease on an apartment, a car, pay insurance, etc every month for how long? This seems like a huge financial burden for what is an undetermined period of time, especially if you have this all set before even sending out the I-130.
3. If my wife is granted the visa, say on the Seattle scenario, do I have to actually begin work at the said job immediately? What if I don’t like working there and decide to quit after a few weeks? And also, what if I decide to move into my own apartment with my wife instead of sharing with these friends of ours? What if we move to another city? In essence, how are you actually legally bound to your proof of domicile arrangements?
4. What is the shortest period of time I would have to stay in the US to get all those little evidences done? Eg.: insurance, voter ID, bank account, take out a car lease, etc… Do these things have long processing times, background checks, etc? Is two weeks enough?
5. Using assets (money in bank) as sponsoring, can this money be partly in Brazil partly in the US bank account? It’s just that the dollar is super high right now and a new law made transferring money even more costly… We would definitely like to not have to transfer all of it at once.
6. Can I maintain my current job in brazil through to the end of the process?
By the way, Brazil does NOT have Direct Consular Filing option.
Thank you! Any help is appreciated!
