My fiancee wants to immediately start working within 1 week of her arrival. Only problem is she does not speak English. Just a slight problem, right?! ...But I think I can find her a job as a cook at this Spanish restaurant 5 minutes from my house. Is it worth the extra $200 and few hours of airport/plane hassle? SI O NO?

Did you go and talk to the restaurant people? If they are open to it and she will definitely get the job, I would say yes, it is worth it. She will make that $200 back in a week or two of work! My hubby went to a lot of trouble to get the EAD at JFK, because he then had to wait 17 hours for the flight to LAX (and then to Fresno). But it was worth it. He could start working right after he made contacts of other Indians here.

We filed for AOS about a month after he arrived, and there was a 2-week gap from when his 90-day EAD expired till getting the 1-year EAD. So get that AOS filed quickly!

Yes, it is worth it.

it will take at least 2-3 weeks before she can actually work.. she needs to wait around 2 weeks to be in th SSN system. then wait for the actual card.

Do you get in the SSN system automatically, is it something you apply for separately from the AOS filing, or is it something that occurs simultaneously with the AOS filing?

Only CR-1/IR-1 filers can get an SSN automatically. Everyone else has to apply for one.

On a K-1 visa, you can apply for one between arrival and two weeks prior to the expiration of the I-94. Otherwise you have to wait until you have your EAD/GC.



You can start work before you have the SSN card. She will need to show it within a couple weeks of starting.

After two weeks of arriving in USA, you are in a govt computer system that qualifies you to apply for a SSN. You have to personally to to the Social Security office and apply for the card. It might take a week or two for the actual card to come in the mail. In the meantime, you can still get married (in some states, without a SSN) and gather all paperwork for AOS.

Are the people at the "Spanish" (whatever that means) restaurant willing to hiring someone who is legal and demands a fair wage? That's the question you need to be asking...

However, say they pay her 7.50 for the whole 3 months (12 weeks, to make it easy), and take away 20% for taxes (which is what is taken out of mine approx in taxes, so that number is overshot, they'll probably take less), for 40 hours a week ... that's about 2880 dollars.

Worth the 200 dollars and airport hassle? Uh, yeah.

Spanish restaurant means that the owners are from Spain and that they cook Spanish food and that they speak Spanish.......

I have a slight problem that I believe my fiancee will be encountering through her travels to New York. She will land in New York (JFK) at around 10pm at night and the flight to Detroit, MI does not leave until 9:00am the next day. So I looked up hotels nearby and the closest one that I found was located less than a half mile away. The problem is she does not speak English. I think it will be too difficult for her to get to that hotel considering that she doesn't speak the English language. Is there a hotel inside of the airport?

I went to the JFK Airport site and there doesn't appear to be any onsite hotels. But, truly, GreatGate.... practically everyone speaks Spanish here so I don't believe she'll have a problem.

The seats right by the security checkpoint in the AA terminal are very comfortable for an overnight stay.
I say this because my husband and I have stayed overnight at JFK and it wasn't all that bad. You would be surprised how many people do that.

I've never flown through JFK, but OMG, the seats at MIA are terrible. I had a 12 hour overnight stay there before I had to go catch a train. You would think a major POE would buy benches that are comfortable, not just look good.



To a lot of people it just means the food is from a country where they speak Spanish ... though it's not really important it's still a small business and a lot of restaurants don't want to hire legal staff. Point is still valid.

We thought it was worth it to fly into JFK, although we had a longer gap between temp EAD expiry and permanent EAD issuance (not as on-the-ball as ELW )... she's right though, that's the way to do it.

I've slept overnight at JFK... while I wouldn't say it was exactly comfortable, it wasn't too bad. There was a large carpeted area where lots of folks were sacked out and nobody bothered us until maybe 5 am when the cleaners arrived. Not sure how it is these days though.... that was 2005... so try this site:

www.sleepinginairports.com

And ask yourself whether that's a good idea for your SO, too. A lot of women would not be comfortable (safety-wise) sleeping in an airport in NYC (or anywhere). If she's an intrepid world traveler like MOI , then maybe it would be OK. But if she's used to minor details like a bed, etc... it may not make a favorable first impression of the US. You don't want her to be MOA (mad on arrival) do you?

Best wishes,

Maya

Just wanted to chime in since I've been fairly vocal on this topic.

YES, it's worth it IF you understand the "gap potential", i.e. that you might have to stop working between the time your I-94 expires and your 1 -year EAD arrives. While you may influence the length of the gap, by applying for AOS promptly etc, it is NOT up to you. USCIS decides when you get the EAD.

Moreover, you have to be prepared for employers who might not understand and/or like that situation.

And you will need a Soc Sec Nr, but like others wrote you don't need it to start working, just when you talk to the payroll people...you cannot get paid for legal work without one. In most cases you should have one by then.

So, while there be difficulties (e.g. the gap, confused/unwilling employers and issues getting a SSN) it can be "worth" it. To the tune of several thousand dollars no less...

Just don't pay too much attention to the nay-saying folks who claim it ain't worth it without providing any (real) reasons. They are likely projecting.

As long as we are honest about any potential pitfalls, then it is up to each and every person whether they want to go through these motions, from getting the job to traveling through JFK (use the search feature to read about the recent arrival who got a EA stamp at SFO)

Over and out.


Good luck!

Agreed with Maya. My hubby had 17 hours in JFK (alone, and he didn't know English) and sleeping in the airport is a good option if your SO feels comfortable doing so (and doesn't want the frightening option of going out alone at night into New York City, spending a huge amount and not even knowing English!!). The website http://www.sleepinginairports.com/ states that the only terminal that allows all night sleeping (without security officers etc., bugging you to get up) is Terminal 4. Hubby had a relatively restful night there and even slept a little. I copied this from the above website:

Terminal 4 has two levels. On the upper level, where the check-in counters are located, there is a large red carpeted area on the far right hand side of the terminal where you are welcome to lie down and take a nap. The carpet area probably measures 100 square metres and it is perfectly sleepable there. The upper level is connected to the lower level by two flights of stairs as well as an elevator. On Lower Level you will find an 24-hour cafe, rows of seats with segregating armrests, concrete round benchseats and restrooms. The difficulty here is it is very well lit and almost impossible to sleep because it is a busy thoroughfare for incoming and outgoing passengers.

The signs are not clear as to where you need to go and how to get to your next connection. Lots of signs say "exit" when in fact you do not want to "exit" the terminal but want to move from one area to another.

Try to find out where to check-in. Hint: go up the stairs.

When i first got off the plane at 11 pm, I asked a Delta attendant for any advice on a good place to sleep. She didn't have much, but loaded me up with water, blankets, and pillows, and told me where to find more if I needed them.

Tell your fiancee, she needs to relax. Dile a tu prometida que se relaje, antes de que empiece a vivir la tipica vida. Para todo hay tiempo.

i live in new york and am constantly traveling, my girl is also from Mexico and trust me, you don't want your girl leaving JFK to a hotel because they are far as hell, since JFK is right next to JAMAICA, QUEENS, she would be sleeping in a very bad neighborhood and if she stayed in the airport believe me its not comfortable for anything in the world. cab fare from the airport to a hotel is around $25 to $35 bucks each way plus around $80 a night for a (cheap)hotel room, so your gonna spend $200 bucks to keep her in a bad neighborhood but its is more recommended than staying in the airport

Dear GreatGate,

Absolutely, i think it is worth it, especially if she can start working quickly... it will help her with cultural-adjustment and she won't have to sit home long hours waiting for you to come home... Would be great if she could start working ASAP.

As for JFK, it is not the worst place in the world to spend the night... and no worries, so many people speak Spanish here, she'll find her way. Really, a lot of people speak Spanish, either native speakers or people who randomly know enough Spanish to help her.

Suerte!
hz

i also agree with TiraMe, that the hotels directly near the airport are kind of scary (unless you are willing to shed out the $$ for a Mariott or Sheraton or something like that... but if you are thinking to put her up in a budget hotel in Queens, might be safer just to spend the night in the airport...