Today’s topic is: What is the Timeline to get a Spouse visa

From watching the rom coms, one gets the impression you can meet someone overseas, fall in love, marry, then whisk your partner, on to the next flight to the USA for a “happy ever efter”.

It doesn’t work that way. Sorry, but you have your work cut out for you. It’s going to take a major investment of time, patience and energy to actually go from honeymoon, to :”honey I am home”

Before you decide to marry, and embark on an application for a spouse visa, it’s important that you understand how long it will take.

Many of my clients were unpleasantly surprised when AFTER they returned from their honeymoon, they began researching the process.

Best is you understand the details, now, early, before you marry.

Because at this time you still have different options to bring your partner to the USA, you still have the option of doing a K1 Fiancee Visa instead.

I am Fred Wahl the VisaCoach and I help you get through a confusing and frustrating Immigration process so you can have a happy life together in the USA with your foreign partner.

Now, lets talk about: How long does it take to get a Spouse visa?

The visa process involves two US government departments: USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and the US Department of State.

Here’s a breakdown of the timeline:

at USCIS: Your application is initially sent to a USCIS lockbox then redirected to a regional processing center in California, District of Columbia, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, or Vermont.

At the regional processing center, USCIS officers examine your application forms, documents, and evidence, to confirm you are eligible to apply for your Spouse.

Their review includes an FBI background check on any criminal history, and also your spouse’s if she or he had ever lived in the USA.

The current expected processing time at USCIS has recently been 13 to 18 months

Some cases may go faster and some may take longer.

How long your specific case will take is a function of the quality and completeness of your petition, how busy the processing center is, how up to date your FBI file is, and finally the individual offier is assigned to review your case. Some reviewers are quite professional and fast and efficiently, but unfortunately not all work to that same standard.

Common and avoidable sources of delay come from making mistakes in completing the forms, and and missing or illegible evidence.

Once USCIS is satisfied that you are eligible to apply, they pass your case to the State Department’s National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire

NVC has instituted an online document submission system.

First, we scan then upload to their website, the relevant civil documents like birth, marriage and divorce certificates.

Then we add your proof of financial eligibility, such as signed affidavit of support, tax returns, employment verification, pay stubs, And finally your spouse’s police clearances.

On submission of the documents, NVC reviews the evidence, and usually in about 2 months confirms that the materials are “acceptable” that your case is documentarily qualified.

Then for about two more months NVC goes dark. And there is no further contact with NVC, until they finally email you to confirm a date and time for your partners consulate interview.

Then NVC forwards your case to the embassy and consulate. Usually the interview has been scheduled to take place two months later.

Once the interview is held, your spouse’s passport including it’s CR1 or IR1 spouse visa inside is returned to your partner, who can then start making travel arrangements..

To summarize, the timeline usually breaks down as follows.

USCIS: review: 13 to 18 months.

NVC: review: 2 months.

NVC: scheduling interview: 2 months

Consulate: interview in : 2 months

Visa issued: in 2 weeks.

Grand total 19 1/2 to 24 1/2 months

Just like in the medicine commercials on TV, “your results will vary”

some cases will be faster, some slower.

For your planning purposes, I suggest you roughly anticiopate your case to take about a year and a half from start to finish.

At the end of the day you probably won’t be too far off.

Some Factors that affect Processing Times:

Whether your application is Complete and Accurate

USCIS: Processing center workload

FBI: background check results

NVC: processing workload

Consulate:processing workload

Sorry there is no way to speed up how quickly the government processes your case. But there are many ways you can accidentally slow things down.

The best way to avoid delays, and ensure a smooth process is to submit a well-prepared, thoroughly documented application from the get-go.

And hopefully you will choose VisaCoach to help. .

This was Fred Wahl, The VisaCoach