Hubby Arrives and Doesn't Get EAD

[*JG* 2]

Salaam and Hello,

As planned my husband (fiancee to the USCIS) arrived yesterday at JFK. He was given a 6 month visa and NO EAD. He kept asking for it from the Immigration Officer and was flatly ignored and told to move on. He was too intimidated to challenge the man. I'm guessing because of his age the guy must have thought he was entering on a tourist visa. 6 months? No EAD???

K

it wouldnt matter anyway, the EAD stamp from JFK would only be good for the 90 days that his I-94 is valid. Once it expired he cant work and there are very few employers who will want to hire someone who can only work for 90 days or less, and wont have a social security card for a month of that. Your hubby can legally work for 90 days but in reality probably wont be able to until he gets his EAD, which seems to be taking about 3 months currently.

Just a part of the K1 process.

Chris

I agree.

This all takes time now. It's a huge misconception that it's so easy when he comes here and find a job. Truth is, there are still a lot of hoops to jump through and it all takes time.

If you marry soon and file AOS, it will be roughly a few months for the EAD. Then, he actually has to find a job. There is nothing instantaneous here.

[~~~water~~~ 0]

The 90 day work authorization is virtually useless anyways. It would be fine if you were going to be given a job by a family member or friend, but to try and find work with it is nearly impossible. On the positive side they have been getting the temp EAD card out very fast , sometimes just after 1 month of filling. It takes time to adjust to life here and I guess this is just the first of many adjustments you two will face. My husband was the same way and it made the time he until he found a job very depressing and hard time. Its a hard time in the economy and its important to be flexible in you expectations. I wish you both the best of luck. I think it took 3 months to find part time work and 6 to get a "real job"

Edited October 8, 2008 by ~~~water~~~

[~~~water~~~ 0]

:jest: congrats on your loves arrival Edited October 8, 2008 by ~~~water~~~

[esmatsgirl 1]

This should be a joyful time for you both....please don't cloud your happiness by worry about this too much until you know for sure what the deal is.....be happy!!! Come on!!!!

I hope you found the little EAD hiding in his passport.....

Even with the work authorization it may take him some time to find a job...it seems to be the norm with immigrants..it takes a while for them to find the right niche.

Congratulations on your reunion and upcoming wedding!!

Deb

[tucson_chick 0]

I HATE SAYING THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN; BUT HERE IT GOES:

The temp EAD stamp is NOT USELESS!!!!!

Especially for people who already lived in the US for a while and have their SSN already it can be VERY usefull!

If your MAIN PRIORITY is working, than it is well worth it!

I got it, and it took me 5 weeks to find a job, and we filed for AOS 10 days after I arrived here.

If your main priority is working, get hitched right after arrival and file for AOS right away.

BUT PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT IT IS USELESS JUST BECAUSE YOUR SPOUSE NEEDED TIME TO ADJUST OR DOESN't PLAN ON WORKING AT ALL!!!!!!!

spouses who didn't live in the US before and who are having language problems might need time to adjust.

but if somebody already lived in the US, has a SSN and wants to work right away IT CAN ME WELL WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it ist just a conscious decision: I wanted to work right away so we got hitched after work in the courthouse and filed for AOS 4 days later. If working is priority B or C or there is no plan to ever work, then please don't tell me it's worthless.

dang!

[Zee Bee 61]

Temp EAD was definitely not useless in our case

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Temp EAD was definitely not useless in our case

AMEN!

Let me state again:

1) There is no little stamp hiding on the back of the I-94

2) Yes the K-1 Visa is good for 6 months but that isn't the issue.

3) The I-94 is valid until April 6, 2009.... this is 6 months, not 90 days.

Additionally, he had a job waiting for him upon arrival and we need a social security # for him to be added to the Worker's Comp coverage (never mind make him LEGAL to work!), we have a family business that he could have started working immediately upon receiving the SS card which we cannot get because he didn't get the EAD! Getting a bank account and health ins. isn't easy either without a SS#.

He has 3 children and a mother to support in Egypt. We worked so hard to arrange everything so that he could continue his financial obligations to his children. Additionally there are cultural and religious reasons that the situation we are in is totally unbearable for him. We are not young and he is not OK with being unable to support not only the children, but me.

He has not yet decided if he is able to accept this situation and stay here, so no quicky marriage and AOS until this decision is made.

Making a huge change for him at 50 is not the same as at 25, or 35.... and especially if you have been the main provider for your family for 25 years and none of the women in your family have ever held a job much less contributed a single piaster to your support.

I don't expect most to understand this situation at all. We seem to be a very small minority here, being 2 50 year olds...

K

[LaL 418]

Let me state again:

1) There is no little stamp hiding on the back of the I-94

2) Yes the K-1 Visa is good for 6 months but that isn't the issue.

3) The I-94 is valid until April 6, 2009.... this is 6 months, not 90 days.

Additionally, he had a job waiting for him upon arrival and we need a social security # for him to be added to the Worker's Comp coverage (never mind make him LEGAL to work!), we have a family business that he could have started working immediately upon receiving the SS card which we cannot get because he didn't get the EAD! Getting a bank account and health ins. isn't easy either without a SS#.

He has not yet decided if he is able to accept this situation and stay here, so no quicky marriage and AOS until this decision is made.

The K1 visa is no longer good for 6 months. It has been used, end of.

Once your fiance is in the SAVE system (about 2 weeks), there should be no issues in getting a SS#. Additionally the I-94 is stamped incorrectly, as stated previously - it still should be 90 days, although I do not know what the ramifications of this might be (might be nothing).

Most EAD's take about 90 days once applied for.

Edited October 9, 2008 by LaL

[Flames9_RN 358]

In this case since he has obligations back home,and a job waiting for him here, the cr-1 visa would have been a better choice!! If one only could go back in time!! hope it works out.

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

In this case since he has obligations back home,and a job waiting for him here, the cr-1 visa would have been a better choice!! If one only could go back in time!! hope it works out.

Thanks for your good wishes.

At the time we married in Egypt the US Embassy was refusing to issue the papers needed for American Citizens to have a legal marriage in Egypt. Our I129 for the K1 visa was nearly finished before the Embassy started providing American citizens with the necessary papers. I believe that happened sometime in January this year and I didn't know it had happened until I got home to the USA in February from my 3rd trip in 18 months.

On the other hand my dear friend on this group did go the CR1 and she has been waiting 2 years and 4 months and still no Visa for her husband. So there seems to be no good answer to this process.

I just see no reason why they should make it so difficult to work for people who marry here. It didn't used to be that way and in some other areas of the country (Miami?) I have friends who did the entire process in one visit to the USCIS office. Amazing. Maybe we should move...

Oh well, in most cases hindsight is 20/20 but getting legally married in Egypt was not an option for us. Thank God we were able to have a religious marriage there.

K

[Aymsgirl 0]

In this case since he has obligations back home,and a job waiting for him here, the cr-1 visa would have been a better choice!! If one only could go back in time!! hope it works out.

Thanks for your good wishes.

At the time we married in Egypt the US Embassy was refusing to issue the papers needed for American Citizens to have a legal marriage in Egypt. Our I129 for the K1 visa was nearly finished before the Embassy started providing American citizens with the necessary papers. I believe that happened sometime in January this year and I didn't know it had happened until I got home to the USA in February from my 3rd trip in 18 months.

On the other hand my dear friend on this group did go the CR1 and she has been waiting 2 years and 4 months and still no Visa for her husband. So there seems to be no good answer to this process.

I just see no reason why they should make it so difficult to work for people who marry here. It didn't used to be that way and in some other areas of the country (Miami?) I have friends who did the entire process in one visit to the USCIS office. Amazing. Maybe we should move...

Oh well, in most cases hindsight is 20/20 but getting legally married in Egypt was not an option for us. Thank God we were able to have a religious marriage there.

K

Karamella,

I would try after two weeks to go to the SS office. In the K1 guides there is some kind of paperwork that is in there for you to print out and take with him so he can get a SS card. We had no problems getting it but they did ask for our marriage certificate when we went. This sucks that they didn't give him the stamp!

I totally understand your situation! I hope that it all works out for you!

[payxibka 10,044]

Temp EAD was definitely not useless in our case

AMEN!

Let me state again:

1) There is no little stamp hiding on the back of the I-94

2) Yes the K-1 Visa is good for 6 months but that isn't the issue.

3) The I-94 is valid until April 6, 2009.... this is 6 months, not 90 days.

Additionally, he had a job waiting for him upon arrival and we need a social security # for him to be added to the Worker's Comp coverage (never mind make him LEGAL to work!), we have a family business that he could have started working immediately upon receiving the SS card which we cannot get because he didn't get the EAD! Getting a bank account and health ins. isn't easy either without a SS#.

He has 3 children and a mother to support in Egypt. We worked so hard to arrange everything so that he could continue his financial obligations to his children. Additionally there are cultural and religious reasons that the situation we are in is totally unbearable for him. We are not young and he is not OK with being unable to support not only the children, but me.

He has not yet decided if he is able to accept this situation and stay here, so no quicky marriage and AOS until this decision is made.

Making a huge change for him at 50 is not the same as at 25, or 35.... and especially if you have been the main provider for your family for 25 years and none of the women in your family have ever held a job much less contributed a single piaster to your support.

I don't expect most to understand this situation at all. We seem to be a very small minority here, being 2 50 year olds...

K

I would be more concerned that the POE officer recorded him in with the wrong status... Which will be a bigger more time consuming issue to correct than any temp EAD situation

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

I would be more concerned that the POE officer recorded him in with the wrong status... Which will be a bigger more time consuming issue to correct than any temp EAD situation

How do you know that they recorded him in the wrong status? It says K-1 on the I-94. And how would the date have any effect on us? And why do I need to correct the date?????? This is mind boggling....

[jundp 191]

How do you know that they recorded him in the wrong status? It says K-1 on the I-94. And how would the date have any effect on us? And why do I need to correct the date?????? This is mind boggling....

Karamella,

You might want to make that INFOPASS appointment to see if there are any ramifications of his passport being stamped for 6 months instead of the 90 days valid by law under the K1.

I'd also advise getting married and filing AOS right away to speed things up.

Good luck!

[nra19 0]

I HATE SAYING THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN; BUT HERE IT GOES:

The temp EAD stamp is NOT USELESS!!!!!

Especially for people who already lived in the US for a while and have their SSN already it can be VERY usefull!

If your MAIN PRIORITY is working, than it is well worth it!

I got it, and it took me 5 weeks to find a job, and we filed for AOS 10 days after I arrived here.

If your main priority is working, get hitched right after arrival and file for AOS right away.

BUT PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT IT IS USELESS JUST BECAUSE YOUR SPOUSE NEEDED TIME TO ADJUST OR DOESN't PLAN ON WORKING AT ALL!!!!!!!

spouses who didn't live in the US before and who are having language problems might need time to adjust.

but if somebody already lived in the US, has a SSN and wants to work right away IT CAN ME WELL WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it ist just a conscious decision: I wanted to work right away so we got hitched after work in the courthouse and filed for AOS 4 days later. If working is priority B or C or there is no plan to ever work, then please don't tell me it's worthless.

dang!

I agree with you 100%!! My husband got the temp EAD and started working 3 weeks after arriving. definitely USEFUL!