The EAD hath arrived! Two questions, and some gushing.

[ClayinChina 0]

Happy days, happy days! Finally, we got the EAD. We've desperately needed a second income, since I'm a full time student and have about 20K in credit card debt (I know, don't put school on credit cards, I learned my lesson, and now qualify for Stafford Loans since I'm married). My gorgeous wife already has a job waiting, and they've been having her intern unpaid for a few month. And tomorrow, we're walking triumphantly in (we're both in the same company, she is purchasing and I in Marketing) and giving them her EAD and Social Security Card. A week from Friday, we'll finally have two paychecks coming in! It's one step toward helping me be able to take more classes starting fall, and able to get my Bachelors in Finance with a minor in Chinese in Spring 2011.

It kind of feels like nothing can be wrong in the world, finally, after all the waiting for her I-129F, having to move back to America for financial reasons before she was able to leave China, getting stalled up by some lost documents, finally getting the AOS application in with 15 days to spare, waiting a few months, getting an RFE, having lost one job, found another and then having to get creative with the support... and finally, it arrived. The AP arrived a few days ago, but that wasn't exactly a big deal, since we missed Chinese New Year anyway with the process taking so long. But to have the EAD in our hands, it feels like we've really accomplished something in the process. Something solid. It just feels like our life together can finally begin, without constantly worrying as much.

Only one kink, though. They wrote her country of birth as Taiwan, even though, for extra clarification, I put People's Republic of China on all the applications. I'm guessing it's a typo by someone who, despite working in a government department focusing on international citizens, doesn't know the difference between PRC and Taiwan. But that worries me a bit, that her GC might have the same mistake, which might cause big troubles down the line. Oh, forgot to mention a typo on her SS card, which they say can't be fixed because her I-94 expired between applying for and receiving her SS card in the mail. Not a huge problem i hoped, except so far I've had a request for a copy of her social security card from the Utah State Tax Commission because they say it's a last name/ss# error (even though the typo is in her first name, not the last name, and the number was correct). Oh, and she hasn't been able to get a Utah state ID because the DMV also got the same last name/SS# error message when attempting to issue her a card.

So, as you can see, with the problems we've had, I'm hesitant to give up our one piece of government identification for untold weeks/months while the problem is fixed. So what I was thinking was that we could give the copies of the card to our employer, give the SS office another try, and also the DMV another try, and see if we can make any headway, and once we knew the results of that, then report the problem with country of origin. Does anyone know if that would cause a big problem? The name is correct, the birth date, it's just the darn country of origin.

Oh, and then, more as a side thing I just remember to ask. I'm sure there's an answer, if I dig it up, but if anyone would like to help me out... I was wondering about her mama. She is five years past the age where most employers force women out of the job to make way for younger job-seekers (with governments... not encouragement, but a kind of "do what's best for your country and young people" message). She's an awesome woman, and really unique among the Chinese I met that grew up during the Cultural Revolution. Astonishingly open minded (she let me live in the same house, though not bed, of course, with her daughter while I studied and taught English there during our engagement). She's all by herself in Tianjin, with all of her family living far away now, especially the daughter that never spent more than 2 days away for the first 24 years of her life. So I would like to see about bringing her mama to America. At what stage can married children bring their parents to the states? Or is that impossible, from China? I know China isn't on the Diversity Lottery list. Is there any other way?

Thanks for your patience in my looooooooooong winded letter.

Clay, happy of husband of Lisa and her new EAD.

[Otto 83]

uhm... Congratulations...???

Is is safe to assume her birth certificate and/or passport list China as birthplace?

[ClayinChina 0]

uhm... Congratulations...???

Is is safe to assume her birth certificate and/or passport list China as birthplace?

I know I made it sound gloomy, but it actually is pretty exciting, despite the troubles.

Yeah, her passport does. We only have a photocopy of an english translation of her birth certificate. We gave the original certified translation of her birth certificate when we applied for her I-129F. Is that a problem?

[justashooter 430]

Congrats, Clay. My wife got her green card with a Taiwan flag, and we sent it back in early August. Nothing yet, despite invoking senatorial inquiry.

The country of origin is prolly on a drop-down menue some jobs program monkey uses to generate the cards. Promotion to the level of incompetency, ya know. Keep the card till you get the green card, and then you can send them both back (LOL).

Next time you go back to China, get more notarised and translated originals of the birth cert. Ma can't come to US until Lisa gets citizenship, even if she treats you like lao xiang.