So i noticed that we have all kinds of threads but there is none for wives of permanent residents and id like to open this thread so that people going through the process can share their experience.

cookiejar99:
So i noticed that we have all kinds of threads but there is none for wives of permanent residents and id like to open this thread so that people going through the process can share their experience.
Id be getting married later this year and my fiance is a permanent resident, i heard it takes two years to get a visa.please anybody in the house with reliable information should please post it here...
Thanks guys

You're right. There seems to be no dedicated thread for discussions on Spousal Visa. Perhaps this thread can serve.

I however noticed you included K3 Visa in the title. K3 Visa is no longer issued. So I suggest you modify it to just CR1 and IR1 Visa.

I hope to be active on this thread even though I didn't apply for Spousal Visa. I rather went through the Fiancee Visa route but there are some similarities. I will contribute the much I can and share some experiences I had in my fiancee visa journey that I feel will be beneficial to those on the Spousal Visa journey.

Regards.

Let me start by saying the much I know about Spousal (CR1, IR1) Visa.

CR1/IR1 Visa is issued to the spouse of a US Citizen or US permanent resident. The major requirement for the issuance of the CR1/IR1 Visa is marriage. If the marriage is two years or more the visa issued is IR1 Visa but if less than 2 years then CR1 Visa is issued.

The process starts with the US Citizen or Permanent Resident filing a petition for his/her spouse using the form i130. The filled form along with the required documents is submitted to USCIS. It takes quite a while to get approved (I hear it could take up to a year). Once its approved, the case file is sent to NVC for further processing. The NVC then transfers the casefile to the embassy and schedules an interview for the beneficiary.

If the interview is successful, the visa is then issued. The beneficiary gets the greencard the very moment he/she enters the State (unlike fiancee visa where he/she has to file for green card which could take up to 6 months or more).

I guess thats the summary.

Spousal Visa is cheaper than Fiancee Visa. Both US Citizen and US Permanent Resident can apply for Spousal Visa unlike Fiancee Visa that can only be filed for by a US Citizen.

However Spousal Visa Petition takes a longer time to be approved compared to Fiancee Visa (1 year vs 6 months). This means the petitioner won't be with his/her beneficiary for quite a while if going through the Spousal Visa route but the advantage of the Spousal Visa is that the beneficiary gets the green card immediately he/she steps into the States unlike the beneficiary of the Fiancee Visa who woild have to apply for green card (that takes up to 6 months minimum or even over one year).

I recommend you click on this link for the official info on how to apply for Spousal Visa: https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens/bringing-spouses-live-united-states-permanent-residents

This link is the wikipedia of Spousal Visa: https://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/IR1_and_CR1_Immigrant_Visas. You'll get lots of info there.

Honorable Mentions

LegitBachelor:


You're right. There seems to be no dedicated thread for discussions on Spousal Visa. Perhaps this thread can serve.

I however noticed you included K3 Visa in the title. K3 Visa is no longer issued. So I suggest you modify it to just CR1 and IR1 Visa.

I hope to be active on this thread even though I didn't apply for Spousal Visa. I rather went through the Fiancee Visa route but there are some similarities. I will contribute the much I can and share some experiences I had in my fiancee visa journey that I feel will be beneficial to those on the Spousal Visa journey.

Regards.

I also invite my fellow nairalanders to this thread. Please let's discuss.

I’m following

LegitBachelor:
Let me start by saying the much I know about Spousal (CR1, IR1) Visa.

CR1/IR1 Visa is issued to the spouse of a US Citizen or US permanent resident. The major requirement for the issuance of the CR1/IR1 Visa is marriage. If the marriage is two years or more the visa issued is IR1 Visa but if less than 2 years then CR1 Visa is issued.

The process starts with the US Citizen or Permanent Resident filing a petition for his/her spouse using the form i130. The filled form along with the required documents is submitted to USCIS. It takes quite a while to get approved (I hear it could take up to a year). Once its approved, the case file is sent to NVC for further processing. The NVC then transfers the casefile to the embassy and schedules an interview for the beneficiary.

If the interview is successful, the visa is then issued. The beneficiary gets the greencard the very moment he/she enters the State (unlike fiancee visa where he/she has to file for green card which could take up to 6 months or more).

I guess thats the summary.

Spousal Visa is cheaper than Fiancee Visa. Both US Citizen and US Permanent Resident can apply for Spousal Visa unlike Fiancee Visa that can only be filed for by a US Citizen.

However Spousal Visa Petition takes a longer time to be approved compared to Fiancee Visa (1 year vs 6 months). This means the petitioner won't be with his/her beneficiary for quite a while if going through the Spousal Visa route but the advantage of the Spousal Visa is that the beneficiary gets the green card immediately he/she steps into the States unlike the beneficiary of the Fiancee Visa who woild have to apply for green card (that takes up to 6 months minimum or even over one year).

I recommend you click on this link for the official info on how to apply for Spousal Visa: https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens/bringing-spouses-live-united-states-permanent-residents

This link is the wikipedia of Spousal Visa: https://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/IR1_and_CR1_Immigrant_Visas. You'll get lots of info there.

Honorable Mentions

Good one dear. You're right with regards to all the information you have provided so far. However, the petition actually gets approved between 3 to 9 months depends on the state where your petition was filed. Mine got approved within 3 months. A friend also had his approved with 6 months cos he filed through New York. If you file through states that have less petition such as Texas, it's usually very fast. And since visa is always available for Immediate relatives, there's no waiting time allocated to their priority date.

ifunanyamaka:


Good one dear. You're right with regards to all the information you have provided so far. However, the petition actually gets approved between 3 to 9 months depends on the state where your petition was filed. Mine got approved within 3 months. A friend also had his approved with 6 months cos he filed through New York. If you file through states that have less petition such as Texas, it's usually very fast. And since visa is always available for Immediate relatives, there's no waiting time allocated to their priority date.

mine took 12 months to be approved and sent to NVC. Still waiting for it to get to NVC and be notified.

ifunanyamaka:


Good one dear. You're right with regards to all the information you have provided so far. However, the petition actually gets approved between 3 to 9 months depends on the state where your petition was filed. Mine got approved within 3 months. A friend also had his approved with 6 months cos he filed through New York. If you file through states that have less petition such as Texas, it's usually very fast. And since visa is always available for Immediate relatives, there's no waiting time allocated to their priority date.

3 months? Wow, yours was fast! Awesome.

Please can you tell us the questions that were asked during the interview? Also concerning the interview scheduling, I'm told its the NVC together with the Embassy that schedules the interview, so does that mean that there's no need to create a portal with ustraveldocs? If so, how does one track his or her passport after the interview?

ojay2053:
mine took 12 months to be approved and sent to NVC. Still waiting for it to get to NVC and be notified.

Well we thank God it has been approved. I suggest your petitioner calls the NVC guys. That was what my petitioner did even though mine was K1 Visa and not CR1/IR1 Visa.

LegitBachelor:
Well we thank God it has been approved. I suggest your petitioner calls the NVC guys. That was what my petitioner did even though mine was K1 Visa and not CR1/IR1 Visa.

okay, I will tell her that. But it was approved on 31st May as it is written on the approval notice they sent and was asked to contact them after 30 days if we didn’t hear from them (NVC)

ojay2053:
okay, I will tell her that. But it was approved on 31st May as it is written on the approval notice they sent and was asked to contact them after 30 days if we didn’t hear from them (NVC)

Yeah don't wait for 30 days. Its usually a generic statement. Let her call. They will ask for your details and hers...so she should have them handy.

LegitBachelor:
Yeah don't wait for 30 days. Its usually a generic statement. Let her call. They will ask for your details and hers...so she should have them handy.

oh thanks a lot. I sent her my police report and my recent passport photograph already which she asked for. She wanted to call NVC but I told her to wait for the said 30 days, I will tell her to call them real quick. Thanks once more sir I appreciate.

LegitBachelor:
3 months? Wow, yours was fast! Awesome.

Please can you tell us the questions that were asked during the interview? Also concerning the interview scheduling, I'm told its the NVC together with the Embassy that schedules the interview, so does that mean that there's no need to create a portal with ustraveldocs? If so, how does one track his or her passport after the interview?

Sure I will share a copy of my transcript as posted on other related forums. For CR1/IR1, after you get a case complete from NVC, you have to wait for your interview date. NVC works with the Embassy to schedule an interview for the beneficiary. When that is done, you will be sent an email containing your appointment details as well as links to detailed instructions on the various steps to take before the Interview. They include creating an account with UStraveldocs, you need to do this as the information you provide there will be used to contact you once your visa is ready. Then you complete a medical exam at any of the 3 designated hospitals, 2 in Lagos, 1 in Abuja. I used the the one at Abuja, had to book an appointment, they don't accept walk-ins. Result was ready after 4 business days.

LegitBachelor:
3 months? Wow, yours was fast! Awesome.

Please can you tell us the questions that were asked during the interview? Also concerning the interview scheduling, I'm told its the NVC together with the Embassy that schedules the interview, so does that mean that there's no need to create a portal with ustraveldocs? If so, how does one track his or her passport after the interview?

Hi guys, I had my interview today and I was approved!!! Questions were as follows
Vo: good morning
Who's filling for you?
What does he do in the US?
How did you two meet?
What's the name of the friend who introduced you?
Where and how did this introduction take place?
When did you become involved romantically?
Who proposed and when did he propose?
How did your parents feel about the proposal?
Was he married before?
Does he have kids?
Do you have kids?
Does he have siblings?
Do you have siblings?
What kind of building does he stay in and who does he live with?
What kinda of car does he drive?
What state does he live in
How old is he?
How old are you?
So you have pictures of the both of you?
Ohk congratulations, you have been approved.
Then he gave me 3 white papers that contained instructions on how to pick up my passport, pay immigrant fees and rights as a spouse of a us citizen.
Then he said I wish you Good luck in the United States of America!!!!
It was a really smooth process, my appointment was for 6:30, I arrived 5:30, got through security and got into the building by 7:05am. Was only asked for original copy of police report, IP and PP. I was out of the building by 8:30am.
Thank God we made it!!!

cookiejar99:
So i noticed that we have all kinds of threads but there is none for wives of permanent residents and id like to open this thread so that people going through the process can share their experience.
Id be getting married later this year and my fiance is a permanent resident, i heard it takes two years to get a visa.please anybody in the house with reliable information should please post it here...
Thanks guys

CR1/IR1 is only issued to spouse of a U.S citizen. For spouse of a Permanent resident, the Visa category is F2A and I heard the wait time is about 2years. This is because F2A have to wait for their priority dates to be current on the Visa bulletin, whereas CR1/IR1 has no waiting time, priority date is always current and as such the whole process can be completed within 9 months to 1.6 year depending on the state where the petition was filed. The process is the same though, only difference is the timeline

ifunanyamaka:


Hi guys, I had my interview today and I was approved!!! Questions were as follows
Vo: good morning
Who's filling for you?
What does he do in the US?
How did you two meet?
What's the name of the friend who introduced you?
Where and how did this introduction take place?
When did you become involved romantically?
Who proposed and when did he propose?
How did your parents feel about the proposal?
Was he married before?
Does he have kids?
Do you have kids?
Does he have siblings?
Do you have siblings?
What kind of building does he stay in and who does he live with?
What kinda of car does he drive?
What state does he live in
How old is he?
How old are you?
So you have pictures of the both of you?
Ohk congratulations, you have been approved.
Then he gave me 3 white papers that contained instructions on how to pick up my passport, pay immigrant fees and rights as a spouse of a us citizen.
Then he said I wish you Good luck in the United States of America!!!!
It was a really smooth process, my appointment was for 6:30, I arrived 5:30, got through security and got into the building by 7:05am. Was only asked for original copy of police report, IP and PP. I was out of the building by 8:30am.
Thank God we made it!!!

wow, congratulations.. I hope mine goes smooth too when I’m invited for interview. Pls, what’s ip and pp ?

ojay2053:
wow, congratulations.. I hope mine goes smooth too when I’m invited for interview. Pls, what’s ip and pp ?

I'm guessing International Passport and Passport Photo.

ojay2053:
wow, congratulations.. I hope mine goes smooth too when I’m invited for interview. Pls, what’s ip and pp ?

0
Thank you!!!. Sure it will. Just be confident and speak clearly, as long as your relationship is a genuine one you have nothing to be afraid off. Also go with as much evidence as you can gather, most likely they won't ask for it but still go with it anyways. I found that having all those documents and stuff that proved my relationship helped to boost my confidence on that day. IP= International passport, PP= Passport Photograph

ifunanyamaka:
0
Thank you!!!. Sure it will. Just be confident and speak clearly, as long as your relationship is a genuine one you have nothing to be afraid off. Also go with as much evidence as you can gather, most likely they won't ask for it but still go with it anyways. I found that having all those documents and stuff that proved my relationship helped to boost my confidence on that day. IP= International passport, PP= Passport Photograph

Thank you.

ifunanyamaka:
0
Thank you!!!. Sure it will. Just be confident and speak clearly, as long as your relationship is a genuine one you have nothing to be afraid off. Also go with as much evidence as you can gather, most likely they won't ask for it but still go with it anyways. I found that having all those documents and stuff that proved my relationship helped to boost my confidence on that day. IP= International passport, PP= Passport Photograph

Please what state did your spouse file from?
Can I contact you?

marvolexi:



Please what state did your spouse file from?
Can I contact you?

Texas, file was sent to Nebraska service center. Yes send me an email. Joyagunobi@live.com

ojay2053:
mine took 12 months to be approved and sent to NVC. Still waiting for it to get to NVC and be notified.

What state did you file from?

marvolexi:


What state did you file from?

Nebraska

Hello.
Please does anyone knows how long it takes to get NOA1 after submitting the application with money order to the processing center?

lasthero:
Hello.
Please does anyone knows how long it takes to get NOA1 after submitting the application with money order to the processing center?

Usually a week or two. Depending on where you sent the application to

good morning everyone, for those of us who has gone for spousal visa interview at US embassy Lagos, I wanted to know if

1. call history
2. Whatsapp chat history
3. e-mail conversation
with your married US citizen are required during the interview to show evidence of genuine relationship.
Thanks

Somebody will answered to your question, be good

Enasdan:
good morning everyone, for those of us who has gone for spousal visa interview at US embassy Lagos, I wanted to know if

1. call history
2. Whatsapp chat history
3. e-mail conversation
with your married US citizen are required during the interview to show evidence of genuine relationship.
Thanks

Very important. Just make sure u have them with you.

Finally, a thread I have been looking for.

Please when is the best time to process and apply for birth certificate at NPC?, while waiting for NOA2 or after receiving NOA2?.

Cc : Legitbachelor, ojay2053, every other persons.

Meanwhile, let me share my progress so far.

Wedded at ikoyi : June 7th,

Wifey sent application with $535 money order: June 20th,

NOA1 received. : July 4th


Wifey is a permanent resident and not USA citizen yet until may 2020 that she will be naturalized, I heard the process is longer compared to USA citizen's spouse petition. Please how true is this?, and what is our likely waiting period to get NOA2?,

@YoungIncredible, it takes less than a week to get your NPC Birth Certificate. I advice you get it asap as you would need it in your application with NVC (after getting NOA1). Note that what you'll get is the NPC Birth Certificate along with the Court Affidavit. Both are very important and must be submitted together to NVC.

The wait time is long. I hear it could take over 2 years. However the good news is that your wife can always update her petition the moment she acquires citizenship.

LegitBachelor:
@YoungIncredible, it takes less than a week to get your NPC Birth Certificate. I advice you get it asap as you would need it in your application with NVC (after getting NOA1). Note that what you'll get is the NPC Birth Certificate along with the Court Affidavit. Both are very important and must be submitted together to NVC.

The wait time is long. I hear it could take over 2 years. However the good news is that your wife can always update her petition the moment she acquires citizenship.

Thanks.
Please do you have any idea about the procedure of obtaining a birth certificate at NPC, and it's requirements?

YoungIncredible:


Thanks.
Please do you have any idea about the procedure of obtaining a birth certificate at NPC, and it's requirements?

If you live in Lagos, go to the NPC office in surulere. If you live in other states, go to the nearest local government office. You'll go with your passport photo and photocopies of your international passport. You'll also have to go there with money (N10,000 or thereabout) to pay them. That money goes into their pocket which is quite unfortunate.