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Is it possible to open a bank account in US after immigration without waiting for SSN? If yes then what documents are required?

I do not know where to post this so I am putting it here. Some of this I have asked before but we have new information, an evolved situation, and new advice from attorneys so I am seeking guidance here because I do not know which path to proceed with and have limited time and resources. Any information or advice is welcome! The summary of our case history is as follows: My wife (Russian citizen, possibly stateless) first came to America in 2011 on a K-1 fiancee visa. We married and she received her conditional green card. We lived in America together until personal issues caused us to separate and her to return to Russia with our daughter in 2014 a few months before we were to file for the removal of conditions on her green card. I remained in America and filed when it was time but was told that they could not process it as my wife left the country. I moved to Russia in 2015 where we reconciled and had a second child together. When the Ukraine war started in March of 2022, we filed for an IR-1 spousal visa and humanitarian parole. We never heard anything about the humanitarian parole but later found out it was approved in March of 2023 but never sent to the Embassy and we were never notified. We continued the IR-1 process and she did the medical and interview at the US consulate in Almaty, Kazakhstan in March 2023. They suspended processing as they demanded original copies of my divorce decree from my previous marriage and we could not get those documents to them due to the sanctions. DHL was the only company willing to attempt delivery and the documents were seized at the Kazakh border by customs who refused to release them. While this was happening, we were forced to flee Russia under emergency conditions due to political persecution and threatened imprisonment/execution in July 2023. We fled to the US embassy in Astana where my wife was given a new emergency humanitarian parole valid for 2 years. We entered the US in August 2023 and she was inspected and paroled for said 2 years. As of July 2023, her IR-1 case on the CEAC website shows refused as the status but we have never received any documentation regarding this. My initial plan of action was to file an I-485 to adjust her status based on being an immediate relative (spouse) of a US citizen and using the I-130 that we filed with her IR-1 visa application. I have been told by an immigration attorney that her green card from 2011-2014 should still exist but in a 'suspended' state. That we could file an I-751 to remove the conditions but upon reading the instructions it states you can only do so within 90 days of returning to the US. We are outside of that window and I was not aware that this was a possibility until today. I was also told by the same attorney that we can file an I-824 to request action on her IR-1 visa and effectively have it transferred from the US consulate in Kazakhstan to the USCIS here in America but upon reading those instructions it states this does not apply to denied or pending applications and only approved ones. It is my understanding that the I-485 is the only real option open to us but I am not sure if that is true and am seeking opinions on this. I was also told that the medical exam she had done in Kazakhstan in March 2023 is still valid for the I-485 as they are now valid for 2 years instead of 6 months. Even if that is the case, we do not have a completed I-693 as everything there was done electronically. All we do have is her vaccination record for all the vaccines she received. I assume she will need a new civil surgeon appointment for the I-693 to submit with the I-485. Please correct me if I am wrong. I have written several letters and made several phone calls to the State Department, USCIS, and multiple US consulates regarding our case but have not been able to determine the correct course of action as most of my inquiries go unanswered. At this point, I plan to just proceed with the I-485 as it seems to me it is the only valid option.

Hello members, we have just received our entry visa, category F2A, The detail is that, I am about to pay the immigrant fee so that once we enter they start producing the green card of one, but the person who asks us has changed address and I would like to know if I have to write to uscis before paying or how? thanks.

Hi all, My husband and I we really need some help on how to proceed on my immigration papers. I entered the US on ESTA back in March (I'm an Italian citizen) my husband (US citizen) and I we got married in April in the US I was supposed to leave the US but at the end we decided to do adjustment of status. But at the end of August my mom got sick and I needed to go back to Italy before I got the travel document. We still have the I-130 form pending we sent them a letter explaining the situation and that we wanted to proceed with consular processing we really hope that they would take it into consideration. Since we have been apart for a long time and even just visit him it would help our marriage. Is it worth trying to get inside the US? Would they deny me entry for sure? Is there a small chance of them letting me in? Technically I never overstayed my ESTA if we take into consideration the time that I was in the process because once we submitted the papers my status is changed right? If not I never overstayed more than 180 days so I'm also not banned "technically" Is it worth trying? Is it better not to? Is there something that I could tell them? Is there an airport that's easier? Thank you all for answering

I'm planning to move to the US 2 weeks before my immigrant visa and medical expire. (IR2, son of a US citizen.) If I get in the US while my visa is still valid but my visa expires before my Green Card arrives (already in the US), would this be a problem? I have already paid the Immigration Fee for my Green Card even before departure.

What is the the actual time expected till I receive green card after I enter USA? is there a way to expedite the issuance of green card?

Hello everyone, I received IR1 VISA when my marriage wasn't two years old yet. I and my spouse got married on August 17 2020 in the USA cause I was here for an internship. I entered the USA on June 28 2022 it wasn't two years old yet but just a month and half away. Now I received my card and it's saying 10 years of validity. I'm asking if it's a mistake if so what should I do? Or what I have to do? Please share your thoughts, opinions, experiences...

Hi everyone. I’m going to try and make this short but any help is appreciated. I’ve been living in the U.S. with my spouse after an unplanned elopement last July, we filed for my Adjustment of Status concurrently with my I-130 petition, as well as my I-765 EAD, and I-131 AP. I am Canadian and crossed via land border to visit my wife for the Canada Day & 4th Of July holiday week in 2022. So I was not issued an i94, as well as did not have any valid visa status. But since I am Canadian I did not need a visa to visit. when we got married and decided I stay, we contacted a lawyer and he said it would be no problem since our wedding wasn’t planned. Fast forward to a year from then, my EAD has been approved and i’m about to start my new job on this coming Monday, but I just got a letter in the mail saying my interview has been scheduled for this Wednesday. When it comes to Bonafide evidence of our marriage, my wife and I have affidavits from our family and friends (we even lived with my father in law for many months while we worked through this process), we just very recently signed a lease and moved into our own apartment in the city so we do have a lease. I am on her health insurance card as a dependent, as well as I am a named insured on our car insurance. We do not have joint bank accounts because we just use an online no-fee bank and they don’t allow joint accounts. however, we just downloaded my wife’s tax transcript from the most recent filing year (we filed her i864 with the 2021 tax year and she’s since filed for the 2022 year) and we realized that her tax agency filed her as “Single” and not “married filing separately” (as I did not work in the U.S. that year and have filed in Canada for myself.) we did not realize this error until today, which is one week from the date of my interview. will the other evidence we have as a married couple be enough that the IO won’t question it ? Or will this severely hinder our chances of a successful interview ? She is filing an amendment for 1040-X to change her marital status with the IRS tomorrow, but it takes about 3-5 weeks to receive that confirmation. It was an honest mistake, as she has been using this tax preparer for years and we truly didn’t realize until right this moment. many advice on next steps? Or if I should or should not be worried?? thanks xx

I lost my wallet with my green card yesterday, I have my path ceremony next month. I do not want to pay $540 for a new one. Is it okay if I report it as lost and bring the document instead?

Hi - not sure if I named this topic right - but I will be coming up on time for me to apply for my ROC later this year. My only question at the moment is: I have a valid Ohio drivers license that will expire later this year (I applied for it based off of my EAD - and received a green card after I had already gotten the DL) My GC will not expire until 1/3/24, so I considered going in to renew my DL based off of the GC. However, the earliest I can file for my ROC is October of this year, so when the I-751 is submitted, will there be an extension letter for the I-551? Will there be NOAs? Am I able to use the extension letter to renew my DL? I cannot seem to find anything on the Ohio BMV site about the particular verbiage for the form name, mostly just the usual: Proof of Residency, SS, name, DOB etc. That is my only concern as I do need to drive to work, I'd like to keep making money, after all lol Thanks for all your help and any corrections!

Hi all, I'm new here and really hope some of you can help me by sharing thoughts and experiences. I came to NYC on a J1 Visa for a traineeship and moved in with my American boyfriend right away (we've been together for 5 years and did long distance for a long time as I was still a student in Italy). We got married 4 months before my J1 Visa expired. We filed everything at the end of November, also applied for a temporary work and travel permit (I have an offer letter from the company I did my traineeship for 18 months expiring in September 2023 and submitted in the application) but I still haven't heard about anything. It's been 7 months now and I know the process always take a looong time but I was wondering if you could share your experiences or just tell me anything I could do to expedite the process. I really miss home and I really want to be working again. Thank you!!

Dear VisaJourney forum users, I have been reading chats for days, and firstly, I would like to say I am impressed by the quality of the pieces of advice and shared experiences I have found on here. This is the BEST US Immigration forum I have found til this day :) I would like to receive your advice & guidance on the following topic please: My Case; I have been a US permanent resident since 2012. I first entered the U.S with a student visa (F1 if I remember well). After 4 years being a student I got sponsored by my ex wife in 2011, and got my Green Card this way. In April 2019 I went back to my native country (France) due to major personal & family issues. I did not file for a re-entry permit because my trip was temporary. I decided to extend my stay in France because my grandpa was dying from a brain tumor and was diagnosed with less than 12 months left to live, and I wanted to be there for the funerals and to be with my family. At the time my grand father passed away, I had been out of the country for about 10 - 11 months. This is when E. Macron, our President, declared the state of emergency and restricted the ins & outs of the country. Knowing I'd be in trouble to go back to the U.S later on, I filed a Returning Resident visa (SB-1). It took a very long time before I actually got an appointment with the U.S embassy based in Paris. My case got declared eligible, and after gathering all the requested pieces of evidence and taking the medical exams, I finally got an appointment for the second round of interview. Within less than 5 minutes the immigration officer denied my visa and gave me back my Green Card. I asked if I could make an appeal and/or go back to the U.S, and he told me it was not possible because of the denial. He said I failed proving of my intent of coming back before departing the U.S, so I assumed he meant I was accused of abandoning my permanent residency, which I of course contested. My petition for a Returning Resident visa (SB-1) was denied at the end of Feb. 2021. After the denial, I immediately started searching online to see if there would be a way for me to get back and challenge the verdict. I of course realized it is totally up to the CBP officer I'd have in front of me. Honestly I got scared because there is no guarantee I'd be let in, no matter what I do at a U.S port. of entry. In addition to the fear of rejection, the vaccine against the Covid-19 was mandatory to travel to Los Angeles and was mandatory to come back to France in case I'd be rejected at the POE. I finally got vaccined on Oct. 2021. QUESTIONS: 1) If I go back to L.A now, do you think I have a chance to enter the U.S even with a denied SB-1 visa on my records? 2) Do you think a CBP officer would let me in if I request a hearing before an immigration judge? 3) Do you think a CBP officer would let me in if I voluntarily sign a form I-407 in order to voluntarily abandon my permanent residency? 4) If I end up signing a form I-407, does it have any negative consequences later on if I ever petition for permanent residency again, and/or for naturalization purposes? 5) What would be the best strategy to do in my case? I thank you in advance for sharing your experience & knowledge with me. I already contacted 3 immigrations lawyers as soon as my SB-1 got denied, and none of them have been helpful. I can't wait to hear from you, kind regards, Anthony ~

Sister of my father sponsored us via F4 category and we went to US in 2015 and in just 3 months we got GC and then for some family reasons we had to come back and never returned to US till date (August 2022) I have not applied for SB-1 because that is high prone to rejection. I am 29 yo now and my GC has not yet expired. I wish to return now I have my Aunt still there and an Uncle too. What are my chances I get admitted into US without any trouble and I keep my GC as well? Someone suggested to go to Canada first and try to enter by land. Is that so easy? Won't they have some proof of me when did I leave US last time? The passport i traveled with last time (which has US entry/exit) stamps, has expired, I will have a new passport, does this thing help or make my chances worse?

hello, my name is Graciela I entered the United States with a J-1 visa, duration of one year and I only have 3 months left until my visa expires. A month ago I married my boyfriend, he is American, who is now my husband, I met him 3 years ago. My program is in Arizona and he lives in Florida and now I am processing the status change papers to be able to stay here. Law 212 (E) does not apply to my visa, the two-year rule. I would like to know if I have to notify USCIS if I change my residence in 3 months or do I simply process all the documents as if I lived with him? I am very confused because if I say that I still live in Arizona and at 3 I move to Florida and I already handed over the documents to USCIS, I don't know if there are problems because of that. Thank you!

My family got green card in 2016 we are 5 family members 5 of us got the green cards.. but they do not want to go back .. except me .. when i got my green card i was studying and financially dependent on the family since they dont want to go back they dont want me to go also.. in the mean time i did business as an artist collected money learned a skill to go on my own. In the meantime covid hit my family hard , we are a family of doctors and after that my mother had a knee surgery and few months after that i had a road accident all of which is documented .. i'll be entering US via JFK what should i be prepared for?

Can an immigrant visa holder return back from US to home country after he/she pays USCIS but before he/she receives a green card? Meanwhile, would USCIS still count the waiting time for receiving the green card whille he/ she still in home country?

Hello! My sister-in-law is petitioning for her parents to come to the USA and both I-130 applications have been approved (parents live abroad). We have decided to continue with her mother's process as her dad's case hasn't been created at NVC yet. She made around $30k this year which is enough for her to file an affidavit by herself. However we're not sure if she would need a co-sponsor when we she files an affidavit for her father. We're willing to help as we live in the same household. We made $38k this year plus have a house, bank accounts etc. Should we let her file only her as a sponsor for her mom and then add ourselves as co-sponsors for her father?

I am a U.S. citizen and looking into helping my parents migrate to the US. Long story short, my parents do not live in the States; however, they have a 10-year ban on entry into the US. They left in 2013, making it exactly ten years this year (They left the US voluntarily). For me to petition them and give them a Green Card, can I apply for an I-130, or do I need to do something else before?

Hi I am having an issue on my DS-260 Form - I previously had selected on my Getting Started Page that I want to "Yes, send my case to USCIS". However, now I do not want to rather seclet "No" and choose an interview location but it is all greyed out and I can't change it. Can someone please help - I haven't submitted the form or filled much of it out yet becuase I want this fixed before submitting it! And KCC aren't responding to my email!

As a USC, I wish to sponsor both my parents. They currently live outside the United States. What route would you recommend: (1) bring them here on a tourist visa, file I-130 and then I-485, or (2) have them go the consular processing route? I hear that wait times for I-130 approval are quite long (roughly 12.5 months). So does it make any sense for them to come here and go the route of I-485 when it's just going to take a really long time even getting to I-485 due to I-130 wait time? Or are they able to obtain Advanced Parole and EAD while waiting for I-130 approval? Hope someone can provide which is the best route to take. Thanks!

Hello everyone! My wife already got approved I-130 and I-485 and green card made and on its way here, she received social security card today! And because she got the green card first, she won't need to rely the I-131 or EAD. I hope everyone's cases get approved soon!

Hi everyone! My partner and I got engaged last weekend. We live in New York City, I am a US citizen and he is a Canadian citizen who's been living in the US for several years on a TN work visa, which is currently in the process of being renewed so he can stay in the country for the next three years. He is interested in exploring other options for work, though, and on his TN visa, he's tied to his current employer. For that reason, we're thinking it may be best to get started on the green card process ASAP. We are planning to get married at the courthouse in June and then plan the actual wedding. Our concern is that we were really hoping to plan our wedding in Canada for the summer of 2024, and we're worried that if/when we start the green card process, he won't be allowed to leave the country until he's approved. This would obviously make it impossible to plan a wedding in Canada given that we won't know when exactly that will happen. That said, since he will still be on the active TN visa while his green card processes, I'm not sure if the 'no leaving the country' rule would apply to him. Does anyone have any info on this? I'm also curious what the green card timeline for Canadian citizens looks like... is it typically faster than it is for citizens of other countries? Thanks in advance for any/all advice!

I am on H1B visa currently which is valid till late 2025 and applying for my Green Card through marriage. I want to know if I should apply for Advance Parole (I-131) with my application in case I need to do international travel to see my family? I have read some conflicting information- -Some say if I do international travel without Advance Parole while my application is in process, USCIS might cancel my application. - Some say advance parole is not required since I have a valid H1B visa. - I have also read that If I use advance parole while I'm on H1B, I will lose my H1B status. Please advise.

Please recommend an experienced immigration lawyer to handle my case in front of judge. I’ve had a green card (LPR) for many years and was out of the US for 5 months this time (and also out of the US for 7 months just before that, not great, I know). At the land border to enter the US, they sent me to secondary inspection: they wanted to take my green card (10 year LPR car) which I refused. I was blocked there for 5 hours. They then gave me a “Notice to Appear” (NTA) in front of an immigration judge in 1 month where I can defend myself. Can someone please recommend an experienced immigration lawyer to handle the case? (ideally not too far from the immigration court which is Hartford, Connecticut, but I guess lawyers from other neighboring states could represent me there too…) It was not a pleasant experience. Any help in getting an experienced lawyer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance,

Hi everyone, I have a pending i751 application and I'm planning to go on a trip to South Korea in few months. Did anyone travel to South Korea with an expired green card and the extension letter ? Are they familiar with it ? Did anyone have any issues ?