Marry on J1

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

Definitely don't use that lawyer he definitely gave you wrong advice 😧 Like the majority of users said apply for adjustment of status. Just know things can take time and personally I wouldn't make any definite plans (plane tickets, hotels etc) until you have the correct documents to travel out of the country - advanced parole.  

 

 

[caliliving 606]

1-fire the lawyer!!!!!

1-ignore the bad advice from above (ie leave the country)

3-marry and file the i130 and i485 

4-do not leave until you have your greencard (or AP) in your hand

5-enjoy your wedding and life:) 

[Grafit 0]

Hello everybody!

 

Thank you so much for all the answers!

I already told my fiancé about all that and we are so happy to finally know whats going on and not confused no more.

Now we can plan everything and you gave us the time frame how long everything could take and very good advice

 

We will get the marriage license soon and do the court wedding.

Since I got all your information now, I will talk to my attorney again (I did not hire him yet, he said he can only help me AFTER I got married ), if I feel like he knows less than I know now, I won´t hire him.

I think there was maybe just a misunderstanding.

 

I´m just very happy I´m allowed to stay after I filed for AOS.

Thank you for the tip about the EAD!!

Yes I need that, I want to work after my J1 expires.

I didn´t know it takes 4 months, good to know.

 

But so just if my greencard wont be here and we would like to go to Europe for the honeymoon, is there anything I can file so I´m allowed to leave the country for maybe 2 weeks?

I read something in the internet, you need to file for a paper and proof kinda you want to come back and have plane return tickets and stuff.

When I told my fiancé about it, we didn´t know if we should laugh or cry.

First we thought I have to leave and now I´m not allowed to leave. lol

 

Thanks again!

 

 

[geowrian 22,335]

27 minutes ago, Grafit said:

But so just if my greencard wont be here and we would like to go to Europe for the honeymoon, is there anything I can file so I´m allowed to leave the country for maybe 2 weeks?

 

I read something in the internet, you need to file for a paper and proof kinda you want to come back and have plane return tickets and stuff.

That's the I-131 that you should file at the same time as the I-485. This is AP, which lets you leave the country without abandoning your AOS application, and then re-enter (assuming there is not cause to deny entry...only USCs are guaranteed entry). ETA: ~4 months for AP.

[DrEllaNJ 288]

On 9/13/2017 at 1:44 PM, sparkles_ said:

I know someone who did AOS from a j1, they also didn't have the 2yr rule and their case actually finished in about 6-7 months.

I know another person: me! Took me less than 5 months, but as @Suss&Camm said, that has more to do with the fact that apparently my field office wasn't too busy. But yes, usually you get a combo card for work authorization and advance parole (travel authorization) so file both 131 and 765 which both take about 4 months.

 

I know it's off-topic (sorry @geowrian!) but I don't get why people are so upset about ppl adjusting from anything other than fiance visas. I lived in this country for 10 years, legally I should emphasize, as a non-immigrant, before I met this wonderful man who is now my husband. I was a student first, then employed and paying taxes, just didn't find an employer who would sponsor me for a green card. My now-husband just happened to be an American (I mean, what are the chances when you're actually LIVING in the US) and couldn't move to my home country for professional reasons. When I got engaged, I wasn't about to quit my job (don't think my employer would have been too happy about that), move back to my country (and be unemployed there???) and wait for a fiance visa to come through. 

 

The sole question related to my previous visas (and I copied every single one of them!) was why I had so many entries to the US. I explained I had lived here for 10 years and when I was in academia, I was able to spend summer breaks at home. That was it. Nothing about it being illegal/abuse etc.

 

Also, from the USCIS.gov page (emphasis mine):

Fiancé(e) Visas

This page provides information for U.S. citizens wishing to bring a foreign national fiancé(e) living abroad to the United States to marry.

If you plan to marry a foreign national outside the United States or your fiancé(e) is already residing legally in the United States, you do not need to file for a fiancé(e) visa. See the “Green Card” page.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens/fiancee-visa/fiancee-visas

Edited September 14, 2017 by DrEllaNJ

[caliliving 606]

6 hours ago, DrEllaNJ said:

I know another person: me! Took me less than 5 months, but as @Suss&Camm said, that has more to do with the fact that apparently my field office wasn't too busy. But yes, usually you get a combo card for work authorization and advance parole (travel authorization) so file both 131 and 765 which both take about 4 months.

 

I know it's off-topic (sorry @geowrian!) but I don't get why people are so upset about ppl adjusting from anything other than fiance visas. I lived in this country for 10 years, legally I should emphasize, as a non-immigrant, before I met this wonderful man who is now my husband. I was a student first, then employed and paying taxes, just didn't find an employer who would sponsor me for a green card. My now-husband just happened to be an American (I mean, what are the chances when you're actually LIVING in the US) and couldn't move to my home country for professional reasons. When I got engaged, I wasn't about to quit my job (don't think my employer would have been too happy about that), move back to my country (and be unemployed there???) and wait for a fiance visa to come through. 

 

The sole question related to my previous visas (and I copied every single one of them!) was why I had so many entries to the US. I explained I had lived here for 10 years and when I was in academia, I was able to spend summer breaks at home. That was it. Nothing about it being illegal/abuse etc.

 

Also, from the USCIS.gov page (emphasis mine):

Fiancé(e) Visas

This page provides information for U.S. citizens wishing to bring a foreign national fiancé(e) living abroad to the United States to marry.

If you plan to marry a foreign national outside the United States or your fiancé(e) is already residing legally in the United States, you do not need to file for a fiancé(e) visa. See the “Green Card” page.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-us-citizens/fiancee-visa/fiancee-visas

I agree with what you say about people on VJ getting mad! So many people are so quick to judge and say to leave and do a k1 rather then stay and get married! People just get jealous and to be honest, 90% of the people do a k1 because they can't get a b2. 

[JFH 12,189]

*~*~*moved from "K-1 fiancé visa progress reports" to "AOS from work/study/tourist visas" as OP is adjusting from J-1*~*~*