I applied for my husband in March this year. We have been married exactly 1 year. I recieved a notification that my application and fee was received.

The letter also reads that my type of application takes 180 - 780 days to process. This is just a little over 2 years, but everything that I have read here says it takes between 5 - 6 years except if the spouse becomes a citizen before the due date.

Please advise which is correct.

My husband lives outside the USA. Is there any chance that he can be allowed to travel to the US on a tempory visit. Would any of the LIFE visa apply to our case? Our baby is due in August and it was our wish for us to be together as we bring in our first child into the world.

Any advise you can offer is appreciated.

Dear Samantha:

We are assuming from your question that you are only a permanent resident, and not a US citizen, and that you filed an I-130 petition for your husband. The time period you are referring to is the length of time it takes to process the I-130 petition. Even when that is approved, the total time for permanent residence is still 5-7 years.

However, the new V visa will help in your case. Your husband will be able to obtain the V visa to join you in the United States 3 years after your petition was filed. Naturally, if you can obtain US citizenship, then the petition is automatically upgraded to the immediate relative category, and he will be immediately eligible for an immigrant visa.

The US consul in his country will have to make the decision on whether to issue a tourist visa to him. However, based on the fact that he is married to a permanent resident, and you have filed a petition for him, it is highly unlikely that they will issue a visa to him. Best wishes.