hello,
i just wanted some advise regarding filing for my wife for her green card...
i have about 3-4 months left for my permenant residence time (5years) to finish and then apply for my citizenship..

1) should i go ahead and file for her and then upgarde her status after i become a citizen or...

2)should i just wait untill i have become a citizen and then go ahead and file for her ?

will there be any differances in the waiting times if i file as a P.R or a citizen?
what would be the best way to go about it?

also i wanted to know once i put in my application for citizenship am i allowed to travel outside of the U.S. ?

please advise...
thank you

Dear Anonymous:

In the vast majority of cases it is better to file the I-130 petition as soon as possible, and not wait until you obtain citizenship. One exception would be if your wife has had some problems with INS that might trigger action on their part if the petition is filed before she is eligible to file for adjustment.

The reason we suggest filing the I-130 as soon as possible is because you never know how long it will take to obtain naturalization, or you might fail the interview, or your application could get lost, or other potential problems.

If you file the petition while only a resident, it can be upgraded once you become a citizen.

You can travel while your application for adjustment is pending as long as you do not remain outside of the US for lengthy periods of time that could indicate that you have abandoned your permanent residence status. Good luck.

Thanks for you help, I am going to apply to my citizenship v.soon based on 5 years P.R, the problem I have is my wife is here on a B2 visa, she got her six month ago, I applied for an extension for her last week 12/15, I mentiond she is here with family, we are waiting for an answer.

in the N400 form, they ask about the wife name, address and status. I am confused wheather to mention that she is here on B2 visa which may get INS to deny her extention requist.
My question are, 1- Do i mention that she is here on a B2 visa.and would this affect her chances to get the extention 2- does the INS have any cross referncing with the I539 and the N400. 3- would this affect her if she tried to come back to the state.
Please Replay asap.

Thanks a lot.

Dear Anonymous:

You must tell the truth on your N-400 application. Disclosing the fact that your wife is here on a B-2 visa is highly unlikely to affect the decision on her application for extension of stay. First of all, the INS offices adjudicating the two applications are different and are not likely to communicate with each other and, secondly, by the time they get to your naturalization application your wife's application for extension would most likely have already been adjudicated. It also should have no effect if she later wishes to return to the US as a bona fide visitor for pleasure. Good luck.

Thanks you v.much, you guys are great help. One last question, In N400 Application,
They are asking about her status which is B2 visitor.
My question, How about her address , does they mean her current address (which is with me for now) or her permenent address which is back home, which she is going to return to after her B2 visa expires.

Again thanks a lot for you fast respose.I will be filling today.

Dear Anonymous:

Show her permanent address outside the US and add that she is currently in the US as a B-2. Good luck.

I entered the US on a student's F1 visa. My visa has expired and I am currently out of status. My husband had a green card earlier when we got married but he applied for a US citizenship a year ago and has been granted one. Now should I apply for my adjustment of status (I-485) along with my husband's petition (I-130) for my immigrant visa? Please let me know how long does it take for these applications to be approved?

I entered the US on a student's F1 visa. My visa has expired and I am currently out of status. My husband had a green card earlier when we got married but he applied for a US citizenship a year ago and has been granted one. Now should I apply for my adjustment of status (I-485) along with my husband's petition (I-130) for my immigrant visa? Please let me know how long does it take for these applications to be approved?
I would really appreciate if someone could help me with this. Thanks.