US Spousal Immigration Visa Thread

[Teachersa]

My wife and I are planning to go back to the states either in like 6 months or maybe wait a full year haven't decided yet.
Should I just go ahead with the i130 and appointment now or if I do it too far in advance before flying does it expire?

You have six months to enter the country from the date of the medical exam. So, you could probably start the process and then wait to do the medical until you're sure of your move date.

[DIE5EL]

You have six months to enter the country from the date of the medical exam. So, you could probably start the process and then wait to do the medical until you're sure of your move date.

Thanks for this info!I found in another thread that the medical is shots for tetanus, MMR and flu. So we can just go to any hospital I guess? Anyone know what the medical is called in Korean?

[kjmerri2]

You have six months to enter the country from the date of the medical exam. So, you could probably start the process and then wait to do the medical until you're sure of your move date.

Thanks for this info!I found in another thread that the medical is shots for tetanus, MMR and flu. So we can just go to any hospital I guess? Anyone know what the medical is called in Korean?

There are only 3 hospitals in Korea that are approved for the US immigration health check.  I'm attaching the Packet IV document the US Embassy in Seoul would email to you after submitting your Petition for Immigration and having it approved.  It lists detailed steps of what you will need to gather and submit along with an application for immigration.  It's in English and Korean.  It even includes links of sample translations for the main Korean documents you'll need.

Also, here's a link to the official flowchart with detailed information about the immigration process.  Click on any part of the chart to take you to the details:

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process.html

You can complete all of the steps except the health check as early as a year in advance (possibly 2 years - I've read both in the documents and online steps.)  The health check, however, as stated above, is only good for 6 months.

Tip about scheduling your second appointment:  they don't post appointments chronologically.  They'll post some for future dates, then post more that precede those dates at a later time.  So, keep checking if you need an earlier date and none are available. 

Read up and good luck!

[DIE5EL]

There are only 3 hospitals in Korea that are approved for the US immigration health check.  I'm attaching the Packet IV document the US Embassy in Seoul would email to you after submitting your Petition for Immigration and having it approved.  It lists detailed steps of what you will need to gather and submit along with an application for immigration.  It's in English and Korean.  It even includes links of sample translations for the main Korean documents you'll need.

Also, here's a link to the official flowchart with detailed information about the immigration process.  Click on any part of the chart to take you to the details:

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process.html

You can complete all of the steps except the health check as early as a year in advance (possibly 2 years - I've read both in the documents and online steps.)  The health check, however, as stated above, is only good for 6 months.

Tip about scheduling your second appointment:  they don't post appointments chronologically.  They'll post some for future dates, then post more that precede those dates at a later time.  So, keep checking if you need an earlier date and none are available. 

Read up and good luck!

I don't know how I missed that immigrant process page. That's just what I needed.. was started to get overwhelmed but seeing it laid out like that is nice.
And I'm showing the instruction packet korean version to my wife now :)

[DIE5EL]

Just submitted our i130 this morning. I just thought I would add that the fee was not $420. We got to the lady on the 3rd floor (who had a stick up her a5$) and at the end she said 'Now you go pay $535'. We had prepared exactly $420 US dollars. The cashier on the second floor would not take any Korean cards, only international credit cards. Luckily my wife had a credit card on her that was international.
I definitely got the disgruntled-gov-office-worker attitude from both of these interactions. But whatever we were out of there in about 30 mins.
Oh yeah, and she said it will be 60days when we receive an email. I'm really hoping that is just what they say to everyone and that's the maximum it would ever take.

[doumie80]

Hi guys, I've been married for 2+ years. I'm an American and my husband is from Ghana. We both live in Korea and have been here for the past 5 years. I want to file for him. I know the paperwork involved but can someone walk me thru the process step by step like filling out the i130 is that done after you file for an appointment in Seoul? Feeling lost...Thanks.

[DIE5EL]

Hi guys, I've been married for 2+ years. I'm an American and my husband is from Ghana. We both live in Korea and have been here for the past 5 years. I want to file for him. I know the paperwork involved but can someone walk me thru the process step by step like filling out the i130 is that done after you file for an appointment in Seoul? Feeling lost...Thanks.

I'm guessing you found it in this thread but if not then see this post
http://www.waygook.org/index.php/topic,58891.msg605042.html#msg605042
and for a general detailed process outline see this
https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process.html

[country09]

Just submitted our i130 this morning. I just thought I would add that the fee was not $420. We got to the lady on the 3rd floor (who had a stick up her a5$) and at the end she said 'Now you go pay $535'. We had prepared exactly $420 US dollars. The cashier on the second floor would not take any Korean cards, only international credit cards. Luckily my wife had a credit card on her that was international.
I definitely got the disgruntled-gov-office-worker attitude from both of these interactions. But whatever we were out of there in about 30 mins.
Oh yeah, and she said it will be 60days when we receive an email. I'm really hoping that is just what they say to everyone and that's the maximum it would ever take.

I did my I-130 in November. It took about 30 days. If you are in a rush for time then I suggest you start collecting your documents. The tax transcripts took the longest for me to get. I ultimately had them faxed to the parents house then scanned to PDFs so that I could print them out here in Korea.

[DIE5EL]

Oh yeah, and she said it will be 60days when we receive an email. I'm really hoping that is just what they say to everyone and that's the maximum it would ever take.

It's been 60 days and still no packet 3 email...
Anyone else waiting for it extra long right now?

[Seoul cruiser]

Oh yeah, and she said it will be 60days when we receive an email. I'm really hoping that is just what they say to everyone and that's the maximum it would ever take.

It's been 60 days and still no packet 3 email...
Anyone else waiting for it extra long right now?

Something must be wrong. I got the packet 3 email in just three days. We applied 4/4/2017 and got the email packet 4/6/2017 (full disclosure though, my wife previously had a green card that we abandoned about 10 years ago, so that may be why). I suggest you call the USCIS section at the embassy. You could have been approved but, never received the email. If that is the case, don't worry to much, you have two years before they permanently terminate your case. You also could have been denied, if that is the case, they should tell you why and how to fix it.

[DIE5EL]

Something must be wrong. I got the packet 3 email in just three days. We applied 4/4/2017 and got the email packet 4/6/2017 (full disclosure though, my wife previously had a green card that we abandoned about 10 years ago, so that may be why). I suggest you call the USCIS section at the embassy. You could have been approved but, never received the email. If that is the case, don't worry to much, you have two years before they permanently terminate your case. You also could have been denied, if that is the case, they should tell you why and how to fix it.

You were right, something was wrong.. They couldn't get either my wife's or my email address right.  Our petition was approved on March 7th and they sent the email. But we found out that they took the last 4 letters off my wife's email and then changed the 5th to last letter to the number 9.
What? We filled out the form and handed it in in-person for the sole purpose of submitting the email address for this one email. And they run the email address through a scrambler?
Anyways after we found this out we corrected her email over the phone and they said they would expedite our case and we should get the email in 1-2 days.
Nope. A week later and multiple phone calls we found out again that they never corrected the email address and sent it again to the same wrong address.
I had them change it to my address and still no luck after a few days. By now I just resorted to my wife calling the korean line since I was so frustrated. She eventually got through to a nice lady rep, explained the whole situation, and she fixed it for us over the phone and we got the email while we were talking with her.
I know i'm just blowing smoke but this doesn't make any sense to me. I have worked customer support before so I know to be nice and respectful in order to get what you want, but it just feelis like someone there has it out for me haha

Anyways! once we got the packet 3, our first available interview date was for 2 days later. We set the interview for 3 days after (which is tomorrow). I think we've got everything together and ready now. We'll see how it goes tomorrow

[Seoul cruiser]

Something must be wrong. I got the packet 3 email in just three days. We applied 4/4/2017 and got the email packet 4/6/2017 (full disclosure though, my wife previously had a green card that we abandoned about 10 years ago, so that may be why). I suggest you call the USCIS section at the embassy. You could have been approved but, never received the email. If that is the case, don't worry to much, you have two years before they permanently terminate your case. You also could have been denied, if that is the case, they should tell you why and how to fix it.

You were right, something was wrong.. They couldn't get either my wife's or my email address right.  Our petition was approved on March 7th and they sent the email. But we found out that they took the last 4 letters off my wife's email and then changed the 5th to last letter to the number 9.
What? We filled out the form and handed it in in-person for the sole purpose of submitting the email address for this one email. And they run the email address through a scrambler?
Anyways after we found this out we corrected her email over the phone and they said they would expedite our case and we should get the email in 1-2 days.
Nope. A week later and multiple phone calls we found out again that they never corrected the email address and sent it again to the same wrong address.
I had them change it to my address and still no luck after a few days. By now I just resorted to my wife calling the korean line since I was so frustrated. She eventually got through to a nice lady rep, explained the whole situation, and she fixed it for us over the phone and we got the email while we were talking with her.
I know i'm just blowing smoke but this doesn't make any sense to me. I have worked customer support before so I know to be nice and respectful in order to get what you want, but it just feelis like someone there has it out for me haha

Anyways! once we got the packet 3, our first available interview date was for 2 days later. We set the interview for 3 days after (which is tomorrow). I think we've got everything together and ready now. We'll see how it goes tomorrow

Are you sure you have everything together? You can't get the medical check until you have the E-packet. You also can't complete the DS-260 without the case number. I would double check the E-packet to make sure you have everything ready, if you do an interview without having everything ready, they are going to delay your case.

[DIE5EL]

Are you sure you have everything together? You can't get the medical check until you have the E-packet. You also can't complete the DS-260 without the case number. I would double check the E-packet to make sure you have everything ready, if you do an interview without having everything ready, they are going to delay your case.

I'm pretty sure everything was good. The interviewer said they just needed the medical results. the medical is scheduled for one week from today. The hospital sends the results to the embassy and we just have to send her passport over then with a special taekbae

[Pattinsons]

Just a question pertaining to the financial support. My wife read online that it is possible to submit a Korean tax return, but I read that it must be an IRS. Has anyone filed their Korean tax return during the visa process.

[Seoul cruiser]

Are you sure you have everything together? You can't get the medical check until you have the E-packet. You also can't complete the DS-260 without the case number. I would double check the E-packet to make sure you have everything ready, if you do an interview without having everything ready, they are going to delay your case.

I'm pretty sure everything was good. The interviewer said they just needed the medical results. the medical is scheduled for one week from today. The hospital sends the results to the embassy and we just have to send her passport over then with a special taekbae

Good deal, sounds like they are working with you two well. Good luck in the future.

[Seoul cruiser]

Just a question pertaining to the financial support. My wife read online that it is possible to submit a Korean tax return, but I read that it must be an IRS. Has anyone filed their Korean tax return during the visa process.

You should be filing your U.S. federal income tax which shows your foreign income. I don't think they will accept a Korean tax statement. The affidavit of support does indeed say that it has to be a U.S. document for taxes. Have you not been filing your taxes in the U.S.? If not, I would suggest setting up an appointment at H and R block to have them prepare your taxes. They can not E-file them so, you would have to mail them in, have them sent to a family member, and then have said family member ship them to you (I don't think I would trust the IRS to send them overseas). You technically only need 1 year tax proof. Even if you bypass that specific section and show assets worth 110%, I think they still need the last years tax statement.

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm no immigration specialist. All the information above is just from my own research. My spouse also reads things online, it has been 50/50 with the information she has told me. So, don't put to much merit in the Korean threads discussing immigration.

Edit: I'm not sure but, I think you can still file your 2016 tax returns electronically through H and R block. Doesn't overseas folks have till June or something like that? It's something to check into, and would save you a lot of hassle.

[toddingumi]

Are you sure you have everything together? You can't get the medical check until you have the E-packet. You also can't complete the DS-260 without the case number. I would double check the E-packet to make sure you have everything ready, if you do an interview without having everything ready, they are going to delay your case.

I'm pretty sure everything was good. The interviewer said they just needed the medical results. the medical is scheduled for one week from today. The hospital sends the results to the embassy and we just have to send her passport over then with a special taekbae

Good deal, sounds like they are working with you two well. Good luck in the future.

Is this the e-packet??? They sent this to me but not my wife. And i don't know if they are sending a hard copy or by email. Confused.

Dear XXXXXXXXX
 
We received the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)-approved visa petition filed on your behalf.

You should visit this website: http://www.ustraveldocs.com, or call the Visa Information and Appointment Service at (632) 976-8500 to 02 from the Philippines or (703)-520-2235 from the United States, between 7pm-7am EST / 6pm-6am CST / 5pm-5am MST / 4pm-4am PST to schedule a visa interview appointment. The call center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Manila time), except on U.S. and Philippine holidays. Callers must have the case number, passport number, and passport expiry date for each applicant (principal applicant and derivative family members) ready when requesting a visa appointment.

All applicants must register their delivery address online. We are unable to deliver your passport and visa if you fail to register a delivery address. To register online, click on the “Select Document Delivery Address” link under the Immigrant Visas section of our website (http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/). Once there, click on the first link under the “More Actions” to register a delivery address for the first time, or to change an existing delivery address.
 
If you have any question(s) on how to register a delivery address, please contact Manila’s Visa Information and Appointment Service Center at (632) 976-8500, (632) 976-8501 or (632) 976-8502.

You should read and follow all application and interview preparation instructions for immigrant visa applicants located on the Embassy’s web site at https://ph.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/. The instructions contained in the website will provide you the required documentation and procedures to follow prior to the interview date.

All immigrant visa applicants are required to complete the Form DS-260 (Online Immigrant Visa Application and Registration) at https://ceac.state.gov/ceac and print the confirmation page to be presented at the time of interview. Any applicant without the completed application form will be advised to reschedule the interview. If you are unable to keep your visa interview appointment date, please visit the same website or call the Visa Information and Appointment Service to reschedule your interview appointment.

Applicants are advised to visit https://www.uscis.gov/tools/green-card-resources/welcome-united-states for practical information to help you settle into everyday life in the United States.

 

 
                                                           Sincerely,
 
                                                           Consular Officer
                                                    Immigrant Visa Branch
 
 
Case Number: MNL2017XXXXX
Name (P)   : XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Seoul cruiser]

Are you sure you have everything together? You can't get the medical check until you have the E-packet. You also can't complete the DS-260 without the case number. I would double check the E-packet to make sure you have everything ready, if you do an interview without having everything ready, they are going to delay your case.

I'm pretty sure everything was good. The interviewer said they just needed the medical results. the medical is scheduled for one week from today. The hospital sends the results to the embassy and we just have to send her passport over then with a special taekbae

Good deal, sounds like they are working with you two well. Good luck in the future.

Is this the e-packet??? They sent this to me but not my wife. And i don't know if they are sending a hard copy or by email. Confused.

Dear XXXXXXXXX
 
We received the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)-approved visa petition filed on your behalf.

You should visit this website: http://www.ustraveldocs.com, or call the Visa Information and Appointment Service at (632) 976-8500 to 02 from the Philippines or (703)-520-2235 from the United States, between 7pm-7am EST / 6pm-6am CST / 5pm-5am MST / 4pm-4am PST to schedule a visa interview appointment. The call center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Manila time), except on U.S. and Philippine holidays. Callers must have the case number, passport number, and passport expiry date for each applicant (principal applicant and derivative family members) ready when requesting a visa appointment.

All applicants must register their delivery address online. We are unable to deliver your passport and visa if you fail to register a delivery address. To register online, click on the “Select Document Delivery Address” link under the Immigrant Visas section of our website (http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/). Once there, click on the first link under the “More Actions” to register a delivery address for the first time, or to change an existing delivery address.
 
If you have any question(s) on how to register a delivery address, please contact Manila’s Visa Information and Appointment Service Center at (632) 976-8500, (632) 976-8501 or (632) 976-8502.

You should read and follow all application and interview preparation instructions for immigrant visa applicants located on the Embassy’s web site at https://ph.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/. The instructions contained in the website will provide you the required documentation and procedures to follow prior to the interview date.

All immigrant visa applicants are required to complete the Form DS-260 (Online Immigrant Visa Application and Registration) at https://ceac.state.gov/ceac and print the confirmation page to be presented at the time of interview. Any applicant without the completed application form will be advised to reschedule the interview. If you are unable to keep your visa interview appointment date, please visit the same website or call the Visa Information and Appointment Service to reschedule your interview appointment.

Applicants are advised to visit https://www.uscis.gov/tools/green-card-resources/welcome-united-states for practical information to help you settle into everyday life in the United States.

 

 
                                                           Sincerely,
 
                                                           Consular Officer
                                                    Immigrant Visa Branch
 
 
Case Number: MNL2017XXXXX
Name (P)   : XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yes, that is the E-packet. You will not receive a hard copy by mail. If you registered two e-mail address, I would assume they would send it to both addresses. You just print it off and follow the directions in the links.

[donovan]

When submitting the petition (Form I-130), does the spouse for whom you're petitioning need to be present as well? Even if she doesn't *need* to be, *can* she be present? Is it a good idea to bring her along one way or the other?

Also, I find it very curious that there seems to be so many more documents that need to be submitted for the petition than are listed on the official website of the USCIS. Why would that be, and how did you learn about the need of all these other documents?

Required Documentation

To complete the process, the petitioner must submit:

*Form I-130 (signed with proper fee), with all required documentation, including:
*Two completed and signed G-325A forms (one for you and one for your spouse)
*A copy of your civil marriage certificate
*A copy of all divorce decrees, death certificates, or annulment decrees that demonstrate that all previous marriages entered into by you and/or your spouse were terminated
*Passport style photos of you and your spouse (see Form I-130 instructions for photo requirements)
*Evidence of all legal name changes for you and/or your spouse (may include marriage certificates, divorce decrees, court judgment of name change, adoption decrees, etc.)

If you are a U.S. citizen, you must demonstrate your status with:
*A copy of your valid U.S. passport OR
*A copy of your U.S. birth certificate OR
*A copy of Consular Report of Birth Abroad OR
*A copy of your naturalization certificate OR
*A copy of your certificate of citizenship

https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens/spouse/bringing-spouses-live-united-states-permanent-residents

[Seoul cruiser]

When submitting the petition (Form I-130), does the spouse for whom you're petitioning need to be present as well? Even if she doesn't *need* to be, *can* she be present? Is it a good idea to bring her along one way or the other?

Also, I find it very curious that there seems to be so many more documents that need to be submitted for the petition than are listed on the official website of the USCIS. Why would that be, and how did you learn about the need of all these other documents?

Required Documentation

To complete the process, the petitioner must submit:

*Form I-130 (signed with proper fee), with all required documentation, including:
*Two completed and signed G-325A forms (one for you and one for your spouse)
*A copy of your civil marriage certificate
*A copy of all divorce decrees, death certificates, or annulment decrees that demonstrate that all previous marriages entered into by you and/or your spouse were terminated
*Passport style photos of you and your spouse (see Form I-130 instructions for photo requirements)
*Evidence of all legal name changes for you and/or your spouse (may include marriage certificates, divorce decrees, court judgment of name change, adoption decrees, etc.)

If you are a U.S. citizen, you must demonstrate your status with:
*A copy of your valid U.S. passport OR
*A copy of your U.S. birth certificate OR
*A copy of Consular Report of Birth Abroad OR
*A copy of your naturalization certificate OR
*A copy of your certificate of citizenship

https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens/spouse/bringing-spouses-live-united-states-permanent-residents

No, your spouse does not have to be present. They can accompany you to the embassy if you want.  IMO I think it is better for your spouse to be present. Their main concern is if the "marriage" is legitimate.

The official website is out of date, I think. You no longer have to complete the G-325, it is done online at the NVC website now called the DS-260.

Also, it's important to remember that there are different steps depending on where your case is being processes. When it is done overseas (in Korea) the process is much faster and is simple. If it is done stateside, you have to use the drop boxes. It's a pain in the ass and take about 1 year just to get the I130 approval. It took 3 days in Korea.

As for the documents that you need, the Pkt3 will tell you what forms you need. When you download the current forms, there is also an instruction sheet with the form to be downloaded. The instructions sheet will tell you what documents you need for that specific form.

One of the main reasons for needing more documents than what is listed online is because the rules change frequently. It used to be that you need 3 years of federal income tax, now you only need 1. You couldn't use your spouses assets for the affidavit of support, now you can. I think, it changes so much/fast, that the website can't keep up with the changes. Just think, Trump tried a temp ban a little while ago, could you imagine the problems that would have caused with immigration in that region?

This is the current link for having your case processed at the Korean Embassy.
https://kr.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/family-based-immigration/the-interview/

This is where you make your visa appointment date.
https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/

This is where you complete the DS-260 and, check the status of your case.
https://ceac.state.gov/IV/Login.aspx

In order to access those websites, you will need to have your I-130 approved (you actually make an appointment at the embassy to submit the I-130), which comes in the form of an email that gives you your case number and all the info to access the websites.