At what point do I file for AOS after arriving?

[faramir777 0]

I just immigrated on my K1 visa last night, I am now in Seattle with my fiancee, although I am a little confused. The POE officer told me, after I asked him how long it would be until I could return to Canada, that I could return at any time without any trouble since my I-94 states 'multiple' at the bottom, I asked him to check and make sure this actually was true and he told me that he would let me back in the US and his colleagues would do the same. This seems contradictory to what I have heard on here.

My second question is: They told me that I needed to wait for them to mail me forms before I could file anything. My fiancee and I were planning on getting married as soon as possible in order to hurry up the process, how long do I need to wait before they mail me the forms and information to file? Was the POE officer correct concerning this?

The process of immigration was positive, the POE officers at the border crossing were all kind and supportive (Sumas border crossing), yet they were very confused about what was going on and it took them over a hour collectively to put together my information. Due to there confusion about the general procedures of the K1 process, I am a little hesitant to take there word for the travel and filing advice they gave me, thus I thought I would present these questions to the board in order to here some feedback.

Thanks.

[Otto 83]

You can file AOS (Adjustment of Status) as soon as you're married - you do not need to have forms mailed to you - they're readily available here on VJ and on the USCIS web site. (Follow the Guide for K1/K3 AOS.)

Best practice is to file AOS (and EAD) before the I-94 expires in order to protect your legal status here in the US. You don't have to of course, but it is a best practice kind of thing. Sooner you do so, the sooner you'd get your EAD and then PR/Green Card and can enjoy all the benefits of Permanent Residency.

On a personal note - give your new life a chance before hurrying back to Canada - let things settle down, get your documents in order beforehand. (Just my 2 cents.)

[Jenni and Bo 0]

I just immigrated on my K1 visa last night, I am now in Seattle with my fiancee, although I am a little confused. The POE officer told me, after I asked him how long it would be until I could return to Canada, that I could return at any time without any trouble since my I-94 states 'multiple' at the bottom, I asked him to check and make sure this actually was true and he told me that he would let me back in the US and his colleagues would do the same. This seems contradictory to what I have heard on here.

My second question is: They told me that I needed to wait for them to mail me forms before I could file anything. My fiancee and I were planning on getting married as soon as possible in order to hurry up the process, how long do I need to wait before they mail me the forms and information to file? Was the POE officer correct concerning this?

The process of immigration was positive, the POE officers at the border crossing were all kind and supportive (Sumas border crossing), yet they were very confused about what was going on and it took them over a hour collectively to put together my information. Due to there confusion about the general procedures of the K1 process, I am a little hesitant to take there word for the travel and filing advice they gave me, thus I thought I would present these questions to the board in order to here some feedback.

Thanks.

I'm not sure why the officer told you you were allowed to go back to Canada with a K-1. This visa is not usable more than once - it expires as soon as you cross. You are supposed to wait to get your Advanced Parole documents (which is filed with your AOS) before you travel. From what I've gathered, you can go back to Canada, but getting back into the US would be the issue. K-3 Visas are multiple entry visas, and possibly the Border officer had these two confused.

Karin and Otto were right in saying that you do not need to wait for forms to be mailed to you - in fact, I don't think they would unless you speicifically asked for them. As soon as you are married and have your marriage certificate, you can do up your AOS paperwork. All the forms are downloadable here or on the USCIS website and you could probably start looking at them now so you know what all you have to gather for them..

Hope this helps

[payxibka 10,045]

I just immigrated on my K1 visa last night, I am now in Seattle with my fiancee, although I am a little confused. The POE officer told me, after I asked him how long it would be until I could return to Canada, that I could return at any time without any trouble since my I-94 states 'multiple' at the bottom, I asked him to check and make sure this actually was true and he told me that he would let me back in the US and his colleagues would do the same. This seems contradictory to what I have heard on here.

My second question is: They told me that I needed to wait for them to mail me forms before I could file anything. My fiancee and I were planning on getting married as soon as possible in order to hurry up the process, how long do I need to wait before they mail me the forms and information to file? Was the POE officer correct concerning this?

The process of immigration was positive, the POE officers at the border crossing were all kind and supportive (Sumas border crossing), yet they were very confused about what was going on and it took them over a hour collectively to put together my information. Due to there confusion about the general procedures of the K1 process, I am a little hesitant to take there word for the travel and filing advice they gave me, thus I thought I would present these questions to the board in order to here some feedback.

Thanks.

You can file for AOS as soon as you are eligible (married) and have gathered all required evidence

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

The guy was obviously clueless as to what a K-1 visa is. It's a one-time entry visa. It's no longer valid.

They don't mail any forms to you. You are able to download the forms from the USCIS website, and once you get married (within 90 days), you can mail them in to be processed.