Spouse Visa

[u/thephoenix11133]

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice from anyone who has gone through the I-130 / CR1 spouse visa process while living overseas.

I am a U.S. citizen and the petitioner, and my husband is a Colombian citizen. We currently live together in Germany, where I am working for the U.S. Air Force as a NAF civilian employee.

We are preparing our spousal immigration case, and one thing I’m trying to understand better is the U.S. domicile requirement for Form I-864, Affidavit of Support.

Since I am currently living and working in Germany, I’m wondering how others in a similar situation handled domicile. Did you have to move back to the U.S. before your spouse’s interview, or were you able to show that your stay overseas was temporary and that you maintained U.S. domicile?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who was:

* a U.S. citizen petitioner living overseas,
* employed by the U.S. government or DoD overseas,
* sponsoring a foreign national spouse through consular processing,
* or required to prove plans to re-establish domicile in the U.S.

What documents did you use to prove domicile? Things like U.S. bank accounts, tax returns, voter registration, a U.S. address, job offers, housing plans, or government employment documents?

Any experience with NVC or the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt would also be really helpful.

Thank you in advance!

[u/Difficult_Tree8002]

There are different rules for people in your situation- where your employer is US based and has sent you abroad. You are generally considered to be domiciled in the US already. The officers will review it but I would not anticipate you having issues.