Job Discussion Forums

[dynow]

Well everybody, it's getting almost time to flee Poland, and now i gotta work out the legalities of getting my Polish wife to America to live and work.....legally.

We're looking to leave for America January, February latest, so time is of the essence.

Does anyone have experience in doing this?

She already has her travel visa. Is the next step simply getting her a greencard?

[maniak]

Dude she has got the wrong visa. I hope you mean by "almost" about 6-8 months, as thats how long it takes to get one. She can only enter the US if she has her fiancee-immigration visa if she actually wants to stay here. I mean she can enter on her travel visa but then she is committing fraud since she isnt traveling to the US for tourism but to stay put with you. And then she probably wont get a greencard at all. Im not joking. I looked into this some time ago

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a16066e7d9fd4210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=7cd99ddf801b3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

[lundjstuart]

It's your spouse, meaning that you are legally married, correct? If so, take her to the embassy, file the documents to change her travel visa to an immigration visa. Since you're married to her, it's easier. For example, 6 months of marriage is a bit harder to do it for obvious reasons but if you've been married for 6 years, it's much easier. Try finding her a job in the States before filing the documents.

Good Luck!!

[dynow]

maniak wrote:

[sparks]

Dynow,

I am looking to make a similar move in the near future...

So if you marry your Polish fiance in the states on a tourist visa they automatically get the right to work and live?

[dynow]

sparks wrote:

[maniak]

good to hear, sorry for the panicky message, it would suck big time being denied entry or immigrant status because of a simple mistake. good luck my friend

[dynow]

thanks bud. I'm actually going to call the Consulate directly today, according to their website they have office hours till 8:00 p.m. so instead of playing email tag all week, I'm going to call them and see what I can dig up. in my experience, when i email the Consulate with a list of questions, i either get sent back a link that is of no help to me, or they choose one question to answer, omitting the rest.

[scottie1113]

dynow are you in Poland now?

[dynow]

scottie 1113 wrote:

[scottie1113]

dynow, call the embassy in Warsaw and ask to speak to Kasia Hutchinson. She's married to an American friend of mine, Chris, and if she doesn't have the answers you need, she can put you in touch with the right person to help you. Good luck amigo.

[dynow]

thanks scottie1113.

does Kasia have an american passport, meaning, did she go through the greencard process? i only ask because they live in Poland, and the only way an american passport can be acquired through marraige is by living in America with your American spouse for several years.

i guess for the sake of the thread, it's worth mentioning that it costs 5zl per minute to call the Embassy. also, Immigrant Visa office hours are 10:00-12:00, and 14:00-16:00.

i have so many questions that for me to get all of them answered over the phone.....i can't imagine how much that phone call would cost, so i tried sending them an email first with all my questions. the automated response, "please allow 8-9 days for a response."

looks like i'll have to load up my phone with 100zl, call the embassy, and hope i can get all my questions answered in under 20 minutes.

[scottie1113]

dynow I don't think Kasia has an American passport. She traveled to the US to get married to her American husband but they live in Warsaw. I have a friend who lives in LA with his Polish wife. It was a hassle for her to get all the necessary documents, but she's been there for about a year. Kasia knows her too. If she can't answer your questions, she can put you in touch with someone who can.

It might be easier just to make an appointment at the embassy and ask your questions in person. Good luck.

[dynow]

So, went out to Krakow yesterday to submit the I-130 petition. Below is a checklist I found online with things you need for this. I found several checklists online but this one turned out to be the most accurate. I have comments next to each one:



�I-130 form - 2 pages, very straight forward.

�G-325a form - both you and your spouse need to fill one of these out. it's 1 page.

�Photocopies of passport bio data - i was not asked for this, but WAS asked for real passport. bring it.

�Proof of citizenship or lawful resident status of petitioner - make copies of your residency card. in order to petition for your spouse to get an Immigrant Visa, you must have residence in Poland for at least 6 months. ALSO, you must have an original copy of your spouse's FULL birth certificate, not the abridged version.

�Proof of relationship - have a copy and the original marriage certificate. they asked for both.

�Proof of termination of previous marriages (if applicable)

�2" x 2" ID photos - when you get these done, specifiy 2" x 2". a passport photo is not 2" x 2".

�Translations - everything, aside from your spouse's birth certificate, must be in English.

�Cover letter - a short description of why you are petitioning for your spouse to receive an Immigrant Visa.

�Table of contents - list everything in your I-130 packet.

�Photocopies of entire package

�Fee - processing fee for this stage is $355 or 1134zl at today's consulate exchange rate of 3.2.

One very important thing to keep in mind if you're going to Krakow....they are merely a collection center for Warsaw, so if you have any questions, don't bother asking them there. there is no Immigrant Visa dept. in Krakow, they simply collect paperwork and mail it to Warsaw. when I called the Immigrant Visa dept. last week they told me I "can" go to Krakow because it's in my area (5 1/2 hours by train from Wroclaw) but in retrospect, i probably could have gone to Warsaw and done this and I would have been able to get all my questions answered. it's a longer train ride, sure, but when you're burning an entire day sitting on a train anyway, why not ride a little longer and go to the right place.

Anyway, all is taken care of for now and now I just wait for notification from the Embassy. I will receive a letter in the mail.

The final step is the interview in Warsaw which your spouse must attend alone. Before the interview the Embassy will send you another checklist of all things your spouse will need to bring for the interview.

Also, if you want to receive updates and other confirmations via email, you can fill out a G-1145 E-notification form. It's just a form that asks for your name, address and phone number. I did this so I'll let you know how it is if and when I receive notifications to my email.

If anyone has any questions regarding this part of the process, feel free to ask/send a PM.

[Blasphemer]

She should get her working visa withing about 4 - 6 weeks after you get married. You could go to your nearest immigration office [I had to go to Newark NJ] and request a letter with her "A" number which will allow her to work, provided that she already has a functional SS number. Even if it's the temp number which says: "Not valid for employment", she could still work as long as she receives her A number...
After receiving the work visa... give or take 2 - 4 months later, she should receive her green card which will be valid for two years time. After that [IT"S VERY IMPORTANT] she'll have to apply for the 10 year green card. Make sure to send out about 8 to 9 months BEFORE it expires or you'll have to start the process again.
I had a problem because I sent it out couple of months before and my check expired before they processed it, so then I had to resubmit a new check with a new set of docs, which basically pushed my process back by another two years... yep...
She'll get her US passport AFTER 10 years of living in the states and going through the citizen test and the oath...