K-1 visa Work permit HELP!

[neyla_romero 2]

Hello everyone,

My fiance and I got our k-1 visa approved this week. We were wondering if after I get my passport with my visa I can fill out a form to get a work permit while I'm still in my country?? I'm going to the US in January and we're planning on getting married that same month, but we've read that the work permit takes over 60 days to get approved. Also we read that it's better to wait till after you get married and send the change of status and the work permit form together. We would like to hear some advices considering that if we send the work permit form now it'll cost 380$ and we really want to save money.

Thank you all for your help.

[belinda63 2,981]

You have to enter the US to file for the work permit. If you file for one prior to filing for AOS you will have to pay for it and it will expire when your I-94 expires (90 days after arrival). It takes 2-3 months to obtain so it will expire within weeks of receiving it.

[Zedayn 485]

You cannot file the work permit abroad, you must file it after you enter the US on the K-1 visa.

If you file for the EAD (Employment Authorization Document) based on your entry on the K-1 visa, then:

• The EAD will cost $380
• The EAD will expire when your I-94 expires, and is not renewable

If you wait to file for EAD with your AOS, then:

• The EAD fee is waived
• The EAD is valid for one year, and is renewable

Filing for the EAD before AOS is a waste of time and money. Save your money by waiting to file for AOS.

[Boiler 43,419]

If working on entry is a major factor the K1 was not the right option, assume EAD 90 days after filing to adjust, will probably be quicker.

[Andrea&Henry 311]

You must enter the country and get married first! There is not such a thing as applying for a work permit before getting married. That's the 1st you need to do because the k1 visa is just a way to entry the US in order to get married with an US citizen, that's it!. After you guys get married you must apply for your greencard and the EAD. The works permit has a fee but if you apply for it at the same time you apply for AOS the fee of the EAD is waived. The gc takes a lot but the EAD is around 60 days which is fairly quick. With the EAD you can work, get a driver's license and a SSN card. Before that you can't do not much but wait.

[hir0 49]

I agree with all the previous answers.

If you don't want to stay without working maybe you could do a job from a distance in your country?

You'd still have to transfer your money from your home country but if you can find that it should be okay. I don't know how it will be when you'll have to file for taxes but it could be an alternative

[neyla_romero 2]

Thanks to everyone for your help. We'll wait till after we get married to ask for the EAD

[Pitaya 2,576]

~Moved from K1 Process to Fam.-based AOS Process Forum~

~Inquiry about AOS-associated processes~

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

You must enter the country and get married first! There is not such a thing as applying for a work permit before getting married. That's the 1st you need to do because the k1 visa is just a way to entry the US in order to get married with an US citizen, that's it!.

This is incorrect. There is indeed such a thing as applying for an EAD after entering with a K-1, but before getting married. See the posts above yours in this thread. You can apply based on a K-1 entry, which is category (a )(6 ), but it is a worthless waste of money.