Has anyone here Immigrated to the U.S.?

[chilcutt]

My wife(Singaporean born) has asked me what is the process for obtaining a 'Green-Card', and I simply do not know.

Perhaps someone here knows the proceedure, or has a link?

[lutzTD]

Originally Posted by chilcutt

My wife(Singaporean born) has asked me what is the process for obtaining a 'Green-Card', and I simply do not know.

Perhaps someone here knows the proceedure, or has a link?

my wife is in the second stage, the first stage is a 2 year conditional green card then you apply to get the conditional status removed. for us it was different as she came to the US on a tourist visa then we got married and applied for a spouse green card. For you it would be direct to the spouse green card but she would need to get a spouse visa first which is harder. I hired a lawyer to make sure it was all done properly as inproper paper work will cause you to flounder in red tape. It was $8000 for my wife and 6 year old to be done at the same time then another $3200 to get the conditional status removed. I suggest you use the free consultation that most lawyers provide to get the facts before you do anything else, if you start the process wrong it will hinder that application

[aklim]

What is the problem? It should be fairly simple if you are a citizen for your wife to come across.

Talk to the US Embassy. If you are not a citizen, talk to

www.durrani.com

[MTUpower]

My wife has a green card and we did it ourselves. We applied, they obviously looked at the paperwork we sent in and the next step was a interview. We had to see a gov official to see if we were married "for real". We went it and after seeing our kids and listening to us he was close to approval. We (the wife and I) argued about some small detail and that sealed the deal- we were married "for real" in his eyes. Most people hire an attorney. I do not believe you can get a green card while living outside the states however- you have to live inside our borders to apply IIRC. Your living in Singapore will not help your case.

[suginami]

I applied for a green card for my wife when I was in the U.S. and she was in Japan.

She received her green card at the U.S. embassy in Osaka, and came to the U.S. to live.

It was that simple.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by suginami

I applied for a green card for my wife when I was in the U.S. and she was in Japan.

She received her green card at the U.S. embassy in Osaka, and came to the U.S. to live.

It was that simple.

Were you a US citizen? I think the OP has renounced his citizenship since he has voted in his new home.

[chilcutt]

Originally Posted by MTUpower

My wife has a green card and we did it ourselves. We applied, they obviously looked at the paperwork we sent in and the next step was a interview. We had to see a gov official to see if we were married "for real". We went it and after seeing our kids and listening to us he was close to approval. We (the wife and I) argued about some small detail and that sealed the deal- we were married "for real" in his eyes. Most people hire an attorney. I do not believe you can get a green card while living outside the states however- you have to live inside our borders to apply IIRC. Your living in Singapore will not help your case.

Sounds correct,that she would have to live inside the borders in the States for at least 6 months. I dont think that the fact we were married in Singapore and the marriage is not registered in the States should matter, provided we can provide documentation.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by chilcutt

Sounds correct,that she would have to live inside the borders in the States for at least 6 months. I dont think that the fact we were married in Singapore and the marriage is not registered in the States should matter, provided we can provide documentation.

No, we were married in singapore. Got here and got remarried in SD. Tore up the first one and use the 2nd one. It won't matter. However, if you have your citizenship, it will be much easier.

[chilcutt]

Originally Posted by aklim

Were you a US citizen? I think the OP has renounced his citizenship since he has voted in his new home.

There is no way in hell I would give up my U.S. citizenship.
Singapore Government is toying with the idea of granting dual-citizenship.
Until that actually becomes law, my passport will contain the Bald eagle.
If they were to approve dual-citizenship, I dont think it would be a bad idea to do it.

[suginami]

Originally Posted by aklim

Were you a US citizen? I think the OP has renounced his citizenship since he has voted in his new home.

Yes, I'm a U.S. citizen.

I'm a 13th generation American and a Mayflower descendant .

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by suginami

Yes, I'm a U.S. citizen.

I'm a 13th generation American and a Mayflower descendant .

Oh right - do they have Mayflower clubs? I think the Mother of my wife's best friend is a descendant of one of the first European settlers in Maine...

[Jim B.]

I have been through all of this process with only one brief $300 visit to a lawyer for $300 to be sure I was following the procedure correctly.

It was to bring a Peruvian woman to the USA on a fiancvee Visa to get married. this was in the early 1990's.

Key to a relatively easy and hassle free experience was documentation documentation and documentation.

We corresponded for two years in total, and I kept 3 ring bindcers of every letter, photograph and indicia of the relationship , each one in a plastic page protector arranged chronologically.

The Immigration officer that caught the case when we went in for the interview said it was the most thoroughly doumented case he had ever seen in his career. There were 3 binders full of letters pictures and documents.

Key were photographs of us togerther in recognizable places in Peru. That is very important indicia of lack of fraud.

Subsequent to this we got married in a local Presbyterian church in San Francisco where I lived. The fiancee Visa was only good for 90 days. It was get married or be deported. It was good for ONE entry only to ther USA.

We contemplated a honeymoon in Cancun beecause all rich Peruvians enjoy vacationing there but we co7uldc not do it because she had already used up her one entgry the first day she came to San Francisco from Peru, on the plane, so I could have come back from there but she would not have been allowed to get back into the USA from Mexico.

So we went to Hawaii instead. (ugh.)


If the rules are followed, the fees paid, the time deadlines for everything observed, and you are honest, there should be no problem whatsoever.


I helped her with all the steps to become subsequentoly a US natguralized citizenship, which of course, she wanted, after I explained the difference between permanent legal residency and naturalized US citizrnship.

[MTUpower]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

I have been through ...

You are lucky- many people that try to do this route are attempting to scam the system. Mail order brides are not looked upon with favor. Your career with the judicial system did not hurt either. Suginami's case is not common either- but Japan is on the favorable side of the INS. If your wife is from an "unfavorable" country god bless and good luck. Getting married inside the 50 will make life easier. I could not bring my wife and our son into the USA from Panama- after 6 months after being married in Hawaii with a son born in Panama. They nearly refused him citizenship because the consulate did not know the CNMI was part of the USA and claimed in I did not live inside the USA borders for the prerequisite time period. I had to bring her and our son plus her other son in as visitors and request a change of status, then apply for the green cards for her and him. I studied and kept after it but paid no lawyers or helpers.

[suginami]

Originally Posted by Army

Oh right - do they have Mayflower clubs? I think the Mother of my wife's best friend is a descendant of one of the first European settlers in Maine...

I believe there are Mayflower clubs, but I've never been involved in them.

My immigrant ancestor's son married a woman named Elizabeth in New Hampshire and settled in Southern Maine, where they had a large number of children.

They were the first children of European descent to be born in Maine.

My immigrant ancestor purchased a ton of land from an Indian chief in that part of Maine, and were the largest owners of land in the history of Maine.

Their deed to the land was lost at the end of the 17th century, and the descendants of the immigrant sued the state to get the land back in the 18th century.

They appealed to the Supreme Court and lost. I found the actual trial information on an internet search.

[TMAllison]

I did the Fiance Visa thing. Was not difficult, took a few hours to read, understand the requirements and gather paperwork each time status changed. Did the Fiance visa followed by Marriage and then Conditional, Unconditional, Permanent Residency, and finally Citizenship.

If you can read and follow instructions (equiv to filing a 1040 form) you should be able to get your spouse a visa yourself.