How long does it take for a spouse visa to be ready?

Question

Who got married outside US with a non US citizen? Do you have any idea how long does a spouse visa to be ready?

Answer 1

ON the average about 7 -10 months. That is if everything is in order.**

Answer 2

Hi! It varies for everyone and greatly depends on where the petition was filed from and what country your spouse is from. Keep in mind that the embassy accepts a certain number of applicants per year for each country around the world.

I applied for my husband and he is Pakistani. Due to political issues as well as religious controversy it was a very long wait. I lived with him there and applied from there and I truly believe that the only reason our paperwork went along faster was because it is a rare case for a US citizen to reside there for any extended length of time. But I did and I stuck with him in every scenerio and called them weekly as well as kept records and documents in perfect order.

We applied in December 2004 and were accepted November 2005 and received the final packet in January 2006. He finally got his visa in his hands in March 2006. Unfortunately we had to stay another few months because I was too far along in pregnancy. So I had our firstborn daughter there and we again had to rush to apply for her birth abroad certificate and US passport. It was a mess but we had no choice.

My strongest bit of advice to you is to live with your husband in his country for a while. At least during the process. And if you can't then you should be prepared to travel there for his interviews. It can be done without you there but it will honestly only slow things down for your spouse and they are more likely to interrogate and disbelieve him. They were AWEFUL with my husband and had I not been present I think it would have been much worse for him.

I even got to the point that I was scared that he would be denied because it was taking so long. But I didn't know that it is common to wait several months and they CANNOT deny you if your paperwork is perfect and you are honest. They will investigate you and in our case due to political suspicions we were even followed a few times and our phone was tapped as well as our internet. Of course I can't prove it on paper but I caught a few suspicious things during our case. Don't let anyone intemidate you! Be tough and stand firm. Call and bug them frequently, it helps keep your case moving. Also if you don't hear from them for a while and they refuse to disclose anything about your case over the phone, then go there! Be sure to always take copies and originals of all doc's when you visit them as they love to make you chase papers so that they don't have to do any serious work. If you don't have the paper with you then bring it back within a few days, don't delay!

Best of luck but remember it is a long journey however in the end it is a great reward and for me it renewed my faith in our great country to know that we earned the lawful right to be here. My husband is now on his way to becoming a US citizen. He is in the military and has made our family very proud.