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Hi, My wife is an US citizen whos been living here in Egypt

 
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  • Answered by:Business Imm Law
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Customer Question

Hi,
My wife is an US citizen who's been living here in Egypt since a long time, she does not have a house/apartment or a bank account in the states. she does have a social security number though and both her mother and grand mother are in the US and living there.

We are considering the possibility of moving there, especially that her mother got sick recently and needs to be close to her daughter.

My question is, would it be better/possible to apply for my residence from there, or should i apply from here? and if we do apply from here, how can we bypass the part where my wife has to prove that she can support me through providing proof of residence and bank account, as she doesn't have either.

If we go there, it would be easier to rent an apartment and transfer our money to an American bank, but if we have to do it from here, it will be very hard to pay for residence in both countries at the same time, just for her to prove her residence.

Please advice,

Thank you,
MAZ

 

Optional Information:
State/Country relating to question: Egypt

Already Tried:
Nothing yet, we want to know our options.

Submitted: 301 days and 10 hours ago.
Category: Immigration Law
Value: 49 €
Status: CLOSED
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Expert:  Business Imm Law replied 301 days and 9 hours ago.

Hello,my name is Judith. Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions.

Has your wife made any recent trips to the US?

Judith

Customer replied 301 days and 9 hours ago.

Hi Judith, thank you for your time and help,


the last time my wife was there, was in the summer of 2009.
also she does have her Grand Ma's house address as her address on her social security number.


MAZ

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Expert:  Business Imm Law replied 301 days and 4 hours ago.

Thank you Maz for this information.

This is going to be a tough one no matter which way you file.

If she files while in Egypt she has to show she has commenced plans to return to th e US and live there.

That means either looking for a job with evidence of having sent applications or made some solid effort towards securing a residence in the US.

In addition, no matter whether she files from Egypt or while in the US there will be the issue of showing the ability to have sufficient assets to meet the income requirement of the affidavit of support. That is required no matter where you get your status - in Egypt of in the US.

You and she would have to show assets of at least 3 xs the required income level of $19K in US dollars.

If you are not able to meet that requirement then she would have to have a joint sponsor for you.

The joint sponsor needs to be a US citizen or permanent resident and living in the US.

In addition, you cannot enter the US using a visitor visa with the intent to immigrate.

The visitor visa is to come and be a tourist/visitor with the intent to return to your country at the end of the visit.

The 30/60/90 day rule is applied to determine whether the 'tourist' had a
fraudulent intent upon entry.
The rule is if you apply for adjustment of status within 30 days of entry, there is
an almost unrebuttable presumption that you had a immigrant intent when you
entered as a tourist and hence are deemed to have committed visa fraud. Between
30 and 60 days, the presumption is rebuttable. Between 60 and 90 days the
rebuttable presumption reverses and unless the Immigration service has
knowledge that the intent was preconceived, it will grant the adjustment of
status. After 90 days, the issue is hardly ever raised.

You have to be very careful about your intent at entry and what they look at is whether you disposed of all your assets, emplolyment and residence abroad when you left for your vacation here.

Judith



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Customer replied 301 days ago.

wow, thanks so much Judith, i love how thorough you are with your answers.

i have a couple more questions however i'm afraid :)


1- regarding her taxes ( i read somewhere that she needs to present her tax situation , and since she's been living all her life here in Egypt we are not sure where to start and what has to be done. she's never paid taxes.

2- regarding the joint sponsorship, as she again currently lives here in Egypt with me, can her Grand ma be the joint sponsor? as in any case my wife's address is registered to her grand ma's house.

3- at what point must she leave ahead of me, and how long should we expect to be separated?

4- we currently have an joint bank account in an international bank which has branches in the U.S. would it help to exchange our savings to $ and transfer the account to a U.S. branch, when applying?

5- can we go ahead and send the I-130 form now, while my wife is still here in Egypt or must we wait till she's back?


thanks again for your time,

Cheers,

MAZ

Accepted Answer

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Expert:  Business Imm Law replied 301 days ago.



1- regarding her taxes ( i read somewhere that she needs to present her tax situation , and since she's been living all her life here in Egypt we are not sure where to start and what has to be done. she's never paid taxes.
You would need to ask a tax expert this question. I cannot advise on tax law matters.

2- regarding the joint sponsorship, as she again currently lives here in Egypt with me, can her Grand ma be the joint sponsor? as in any case my wife's address is registered to her grand ma's house.
If her grandmother had the assets or income required yes, as stated.
Any US citizen or permanent resident residing in the US can be a joint sponsor.

3- at what point must she leave ahead of me, and how long should we expect to be separated?
She can leave ahead of you a week before to show she has intent to reside in the US. It will depend on whether she can lease an apt that quickly to provide proof of intent.

4- we currently have an joint bank account in an international bank which has branches in the U.S. would it help to exchange our savings to $ and transfer the account to a U.S. branch, when applying?
No, it isn't necessary to do that. As long as the funds are equivalent in US dollars to the asset requirements, it does not have to be transfered.

5- can we go ahead and send the I-130 form now, while my wife is still here in Egypt or must we wait till she's back?
Absolutely she can file now.

Judith

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The information provided is general in nature and should not be construed as legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. The information given by me is for informational/research use only and you are paying me only for such information. The information contained herewith is not legal advice. By accepting you agree you will not rely on anything I say and you will obtain appropriate legal counsel via a traditional/office consultation with an attorney licensed to practice in the jurisdiction where your legal issue arises. I strive to provide quality information, but I make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in or linked herein and it's associated sites. You are irrevocably waiving any right to privacy, confidentiality and attorney-client privilege concerning the matters discussed in this public forum.



Expert TypeImmigration Lawyer
Category: Immigration Law
Pos. Feedback: 98.2 %
Accepts: 20584
Answered: 6/26/2012

Experience: 33 yrs attorney on all nonimmigrant & immigrant visas

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Customer replied 295 days ago.

Hi Judith,


i have another two questions if it's ok:

1- it says that with the applications they only accept checks and money orders. i checked and there are no place here that does money orders, as for checks, my check book is in EGP not in $ do it wont be accepted.

i asked the bank and they said that they do something called "DRAFT CHECK" it's basically a document saying that the bank withdrew the amount from my account, and the recipient can collect it from any bank. it's supposed to be safer and more convenient so the clerk told me.

so my question, do you know if this would be accepted? and if not, then how can i transfer the money with the form I-130.


2- would having a certain amount in the bank, like a big bulk and transferring it to an american local bank, help in immigration? and if so, starting from how much should be transferred?


Thanks.

MAZ

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Expert:  Business Imm Law replied 295 days ago.

No it has to be a US check or MO.

You can send the petition to her grandmother or mother and have them write out the check and send them the "Draft Check" to reimburse them the fee.
The check or MO can come from anyone. Then they can mail the petition to the address you tell them with the check or MO.

You have to have at least 3 times the required income so that would be approx $60K US.

Judith

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The information provided is general in nature and should not be construed as legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. The information given by me is for informational/research use only and you are paying me only for such information. The information contained herewith is not legal advice. By accepting you agree you will not rely on anything I say and you will obtain appropriate legal counsel via a traditional/office consultation with an attorney licensed to practice in the jurisdiction where your legal issue arises. I strive to provide quality information, but I make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in or linked herein and it's associated sites. You are irrevocably waiving any right to privacy, confidentiality and attorney-client privilege concerning the matters discussed in this public forum.

 
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