Long time lurker here.
I’m by no means in expert here, so I must give you the obligatory disclaimer to talk to a professional that actually knows what they’re talking about. With that being said, I’m a natural US citizen who sponsored my Singaporean wife for a green card years ago, so hopefully I can give you a few points to consider. Our situation was quite a bit different because we were both in the US at the time, so the method we used was to file an i-131 and then an i-485. My wife was already in the US on a work visa so once the petition (1-131) was approved we simply needed to adjust her status via the i-485. We did this ourselves without any attorneys and the process was fairly straight forward and quick.
In your case:
Section 319b of the N-400 requires you to hold a visa status that is eligible for immigration before applying. I see that you are intending to file the IR1 for this purpose. Your assumptions in points 1-4 seem correct as far as I can tell, and IMO if you can go this route it looks like a great plan because many people do not qualify for this and it can save you some hassle.
One other alternative process to consider. Once you have filed an 1-131 you are immediately eligible to file for a K3 visa via i-129f I believe. But beware that once you get a K3 you can not apply for the IR1, it’s one or the other.
http://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-c ... rant-visas
You can then file an i-765 to apply for employment authorization on your K3 visa, which then allows you to receive a social security number. You may have to travel to the US to do this. After your 1-131 is approved you can then file an i-485 to adjust your previous K3 visa status and then receive the “green card” (if my memory is correct).
So why would I even suggest this? It’s not because I think it’s a better option, just a different (and less preferred) one in case you do end up leaving singapore. Should you decide to physically move to the US with your wife it may be easier and quicker this way. Even if you stay in Singapore, it may give you an alternate path to getting your SSN, which is what you need to pay into SSI. Contrary to common belief you do not need to be a US citizen to be liable (or receive) social security benefits if you meet other eligibility requirements.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi/spotl ... tizens.htm
If you are a US “greencard” holder you are technically subject to the same tax expectations as US citizens (a whole different topic). For the purposes of your goal to gain SS eligibility ASAP, as soon as you gain the appropriate legal status and an SSN you should be able to pay into SS regardless of whether or not you are a citizen since you work for a US company.
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Internat ... ing-Abroad
There are two hurdles you are trying to jump through at once - gaining “PR” visa status, and gaining citizenship. The paths to each can vary quite a bit. With that being said, just gaining a greencard should provide a path to your goal. Personally I would probably try the original plan you suggested (i-130>IR1>N400/319b) even though it may take you longer in the intermediate step (the IR1). Either way, your eligibility/obligation for SS begins when you receive the greencard, not citizenship so keep that in mind as I’m sure you want to start paying into SS asap. The big problem of course, would be keeping your “green card” status if you are not physically resident in the US. A greencard holder can lose visa validity living abroad but a citizen can not (again, first hand experience here). On the other hand, with expedited naturalization it seems that you will be expected to immigrate to the US once your wife’s qualifying employment ends.
One thing you may want to look into with someone who knows more about this than I do is whether it might be faster to go i-130>K3>i485, and then do the N400/319b - or whether or not that is even a logical/possible decision.
It would be great if you can get the US citizenship asap and be done with it, but if for some reason the N400/319b path doesn’t work out and you don’t get citizenship approved right away - you should still be fine with getting the greencard/ssn to pay into SS while in singapore for a couple years and then immigrate to the US before the window runs out on your greencard. I’m sorry if any of this is confusing, and again I’m not an expert at this but I have been through some of it. Essentially what you need to do is follow the pattern of petition->visa->adjustment into an immigrant class that grants you work rights to pay into SSI. Citizenship is icing on the cake and guarantees your long term status.
So in summary, if you’re planning to stay in Singapore I would stick with your original plan but try to start paying into SS once your IR1 goes through while waiting for citizenship. I have personally used the US embassy in Singapore for similar issues with good results and I was going to suggest your wife file via DCF but it doesn’t look like that’s an option any longer.
