My situation:
- US citizen (me), British husband, together 12 years, married 2
- Two US citizen kids (5 years old, 7 months). Both born abroad, CRBAs for some and daughter oiled for coming months.
- Currently living in the UK, want to return to the US as a family
- Husband is an incredibly hands-on dad. Long separations aren’t something we’re willing to do to the kids
- I don’t want to move my son mid school year, if it can be avoided. Also he’s in private school here, so giving a full terms notice is required to avoid paying excess fees.
What I think I understand:
- From what I’ve read, we’re looking at CR-1 spousal visa, currently running 14–22 months from I-130 filing to visa in hand. No real way to speed it up, no way for him to “just come with us” and sort it later without risking the whole process.
So realistically: file now, wait it out together in the UK, move whenever the visa comes through, even if that lands awkwardly mid-school-year for my eldest.
Am I missing anything? Is there any legitimate route I haven’t considered that would let us move as a family this summer? Or is it genuinely just a file-and-wait game?
Sorry if naive, I don’t recall it being like this when i was growing up. My British dad just moved back and forth with us without issue.
I-130 tips:
I’ve got 12 years of relationship evidence: joint accounts, tenancies, photos, travel, two kids together, the lot. My instinct is to throw everything at it, but I’ve also seen people say overloading the petition can slow things down or annoy the officer. What’s the sweet spot? What did you wish you’d included (or left out)?
Any other things I should know about going in?
Thanks in advance 🙏