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frylock

Canadian w/ disability engaged to USC: options?

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Filed: Country: Canada
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(This post is cross-posted from another immigration forum. My apologies if it's redundant—I haven't been able to find anything that addresses my particular situation.)

I am a Canadian citizen currently engaged to a US citizen. We lived together in Florida between October 2013 and the following April, at which point my B-2 visa was set to expire, so I returned to Canada. (Prior to this extended visit, she had visited me in Canada.) We are looking for a way for me to stay with her in the US until we are able to get married, most likely in March of next year. However, there are a few different factors that make this whole process overwhelming for me—I'm hoping that someone here will be able to shed some light.

• In Canada, I am the recipient of disability benefits due to a congenital condition (Cerebral Palsy). My intent is to seek employment in the US A.S.A.P., but, if I were somehow able to qualify for SSDI in the meantime (i.e., relating to my fiancée's work-history), that would certainly take a lot of pressure off me, and make the transition that much easier. My understanding is that, as soon as I begin the immigration process, my Canadian disability payments would cease.

• I have been taking steps to make myself employable in the States since last year, but I've never held a steady job before, and my physical disability adds an extra layer of strain.

• As I said, we are looking to get married in the spring of next year. As such, it would seem that my obtaining a fiancé visa wouldn't give us enough time. At the same time, there are reasons that make it difficult for me to remain in Canada until a fiancé visa would be useful (e.g., mental health conditions/emotional support on both sides, without which support I have concerns about hardship). One possibility would be to enter the US on a B-class visa, and then apply for a change in status, but I've heard this would be tricky (since I will have met my fiancée prior to entering).

That's all that comes to mind, at the moment, but I will update this post if I think of anything else . . . I'm very grateful for any assistance that might be offered.

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Wales
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The obvious move would be to Canada.

I am no expert of SSDI but I do not think you could qualify on Spouse work history?

Lots of Canadians winter over in Florida, doing so again should not be an issue. No need for a B unless there is something else.

my assumption again is that the Canadian work situation would be much more friendly to you than the US one.

If you want to move to the US in March you need to get a move on, k1's seem quicker and you should be OK starting now.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

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Filed: Country: Canada
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The obvious move would be to Canada.

I am no expert of SSDI but I do not think you could qualify on Spouse work history?

Lots of Canadians winter over in Florida, doing so again should not be an issue. No need for a B unless there is something else.

Thanks for the reply -- I'll mull over what you've said.

I agree that having her move to Canada would be easier, in some respects, except my reasoning is that I don't have such strong "roots" (with the exception of my disability benefits) that would be disturbed by a move. My SO has a job w/ ample opportunity for advancement, and is also working on her Master's.

As far as the B visa: when I entered last time, it was automatic, as you say (Canada-US travel isn't that hard), but the notation in my passport did, in fact, specify a visa type (B-2) and departure date.

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Canada
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More thoughts: If you visit your wife for six months at a time , a do not establish residency does, that access to health care or insurance during your transition? Can you move to her plan?

Here is the link to ssi and immigration, http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-11051.pdf

Your Sponsor(s) will also sign an afadavitz of support during your immigration that makes them responsible for your support.

The content available on a site dedicated to bringing folks to America should not be promoting racial discord, euro-supremacy, discrimination based on religion , exclusion of groups from immigration based on where they were born, disenfranchisement of voters rights based on how they might vote.

horsey-change.jpg?w=336&h=265

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Filed: AOS (pnd) Country: Australia
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Honestly, your best bet is likely for her to move to Canada after finishing her master's. The information you've laid out here suggests that you're going to have a difficult time working, there are no disability payment options for you here, and while Boiler is apparently more optimistic than me today, I think it's pushing it to assume you'd have a K-1 by spring. (And yeah, no, there's probably no real way for you to live here while your VISA is being processed. Don't you think most people would, if they could and it was easy?)

Re: health and other issues, you could try for an expedite of the process, but it's not going to solve the issues of disability income or your ability to work.

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Filed: Country: Canada
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More thoughts: If you visit your wife for six months at a time , a do not establish residency does, that access to health care or insurance during your transition? Can you move to her plan?

Here is the link to ssi and immigration, http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-11051.pdf

Your Sponsor(s) will also sign an afadavitz of support during your immigration that makes them responsible for your support.

Interesting idea. My gut says that the Canadian government would take issue with that arrangement, but I'll have to check.

Moving to her plan would not be ideal (her company allows her to get free insurance, but adding me would be expensive), but it would be possible. That said, I would lose income support until I secured a job. Still worth considering, though.

Apart from my fiancée, I do have a half-brother who lives in the States/is married to an American citizen, but he is only a Permanent Resident, at this point, and they don't live in the same state as I'd be going—not to mention that I don't think "half-brother" counts as immediate family, for the purpose of sponsorship.

On top of all this, I thought I might have had a claim to US citizenship by acquisition (paternal grandfather born in VT in 1910, maternal great-grandfather born in WY), but that was also a dead end :P

Edited by frylock
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Filed: Country: Canada
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Honestly, your best bet is likely for her to move to Canada after finishing her master's. The information you've laid out here suggests that you're going to have a difficult time working, there are no disability payment options for you here, and while Boiler is apparently more optimistic than me today, I think it's pushing it to assume you'd have a K-1 by spring. (And yeah, no, there's probably no real way for you to live here while your VISA is being processed. Don't you think most people would, if they could and it was easy?)

Re: health and other issues, you could try for an expedite of the process, but it's not going to solve the issues of disability income or your ability to work.

Very true. Tough love is sometimes needed—I appreciate it.

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Canada
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. (And yeah, no, there's probably no real way for you to live here while your VISA is being processed. Don't you think most people would, if they could and it was easy?)

He cannot be a US resident, and he cannot work without a work visa, but Canadians can visit for 6 months at a time without a visa. If he can work out the medical and disability pay issues, he might want to be with his wife. It might give him the opportunity to search and network for work. The OP stated his intent to try to work.

The content available on a site dedicated to bringing folks to America should not be promoting racial discord, euro-supremacy, discrimination based on religion , exclusion of groups from immigration based on where they were born, disenfranchisement of voters rights based on how they might vote.

horsey-change.jpg?w=336&h=265

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Filed: Country: Canada
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He cannot be a US resident, and he cannot work without a work visa, but Canadians can visit for 6 months at a time without a visa. If he can work out the medical and disability pay issues, he might want to be with his wife. It might give him the opportunity to search and network for work. The OP stated his intent to try to work.

Thanks for this. I think you hit the nail on the head as far as what we'll have to do if I want to end up there in the long term.

I may set up a consult with a lawyer so I can touch on the hardship angle (that is, that we would both be negatively affected through not being permitted to cohabitate), just to be safe. For instance, SO helps me with some things I really can't manage by myself, such as physical therapy. Without getting into specifics, I also help her manage in her daily life.

I should also mention that I did a bit of networking on my last trip, and I have some promising leads for work, but the real question is whether or not I can handle jumping in right now, from a physical perspective.

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Filed: Other Country: United Kingdom
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One possibility would be to enter the US on a B-class visa, and then apply for a change in status, but I've heard this would be tricky (since I will have met my fiancée prior to entering).

I'm surprised no-one's picked up on this part of the post yet.

Forget this plan, it isn't 'tricky', what you are considering there is immigration fraud and is not looked upon kindly.

August 2000: We start e-mailing. I'm in Bosnia, she's in Florida

October 29th 2000: She sends me e-mail asking if I would marry her

October 29th 2000(5 seconds later): I say yes

November 2000: She sends me tickets to Orlando for when I get back

December 6th 2000: Return from Bos

December 11th 2000: Fly to Orlando, she meets me at airport

December 22nd 2000: I fly back to UK

January 3rd 2001: She flies to UK (Good times)

Mid February 2001: Pregnancy test Positive

Mid February 2001: She flies back to US

March 2001: Miscarriage, I fly to US on first flight I can get

May 2001: I leave US before my 90 days are up

June 2001: I fly back to US, stopped at airport for questioning as I had only just left

September 2001: Pregnancy test Positive again

September 2001: She falls sick, I make decision to stay to look after her as I am afraid I may have problems getting back in.

April 16th 2002: Our son is born, we start getting stuff together for his passport

March 6th 2003: We leave US for UK as family

Early April 2003: Family troubles make her return to US, I ask Embassy in London about possibilities of returning to US

April 16th 2003: London Embassy informs me that I will be banned from the Visa Waiver Program for 10 years, my little boys first birthday

June 13th 2006: I-129f sent

August 11th 2006: NOA1 Recieved

After our relationship breaks down she admits to me that she had never bothered to start the application process

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Filed: Country: Vietnam (no flag)
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I'm surprised no-one's picked up on this part of the post yet.

Forget this plan, it isn't 'tricky', what you are considering there is immigration fraud and is not looked upon kindly.

Actually, it is looked at very kindly.

According to case law, the preconceived intent to immigrate alone is not a valid reason to deny the AOS of an Immediate Relative if a USC as long as the beneficiary did not lie at the POE.

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Nigeria
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Posting here can be seen as prior intent which ups it to immigration fraud. ( this site is monitored to some extent by immigration it has been mentioned at several interviews )

This will not be over quickly. You will not enjoy this.

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Filed: Country: Canada
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Noted. In my defense, I'm posting here because I want to do things in an above-board fashion. It crossed my mind to take a gamble and stay in the US past when my visa last expired, but clearly, I decided to do the right thing, and I'm interested in finding the right way back.

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Nigeria
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The obvious routes to the US are the K1 and the Cr1 both of which will take some time. Your fiancé's work history has nothing to do with your ability to get ssdi. It would be based on your own work history.

This will not be over quickly. You will not enjoy this.

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