What are the step-by-step process of AOS for K1?

[SteveKarlaMayer 21]

Good day, friends! I'm a K1 visa passer and right now, I'm just waiting for my visa to be delivered. I might ask some AOS tips in advance.

What is the first step should me and my fiance do once I arrive in the USA?

Where and when we should file AOS?

Lastly, any important documents I MUST keep to be presented during the AOS interview?

Thank you all in advance and God bless everyone!

- Steven & Karla

[TBoneTX 43,406]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the main AOS/Family-Based forum -- OP is on the doorstep of that stage. ***

(Organizer hat off)

The AOS Guides here (see link atop any VJ page) are very helpful. In brief:

Marry within the 90 days of entry into the U.S.

Take every step to get more than one copy of your marriage certificate, rapidly.

Have the funds already allocated to be able to file for AOS as soon as possible.

File just as soon as possible after you've married.

Most definitely file for AP & EAD at the very same time.

General advice on important documents (not necessarily immigration-related, but to ease your path in your new country):

Depending on how much time you can stay in your country after receiving the visa (meaning, are you traveling within days of receiving it, or can you stay longer?), get more than one copy of these and similar documents:

Your birth certificate.

Divorce or death certificates of previous spouse(s), if applicable.

Birth certificates of children, if applicable.

University transcripts or school records.

All medical, dental, & vaccination records (see below) that you can lay your hands on.

Your driver's license from your country, with as long a term of validity as possible.

Any other official document that would be impossible or expensive to request from the U.S.

In regard to vaccinations, get all of them in your country, as is possible. Have a doctor transcribe them onto an officially signed/stamped paper that you get at least two copies of. If you got vaccinations as a child, ask your doctor or clinic to provide or reconstruct your record for you. Vaccination information is required during the AOS process, and these papers could prove to be invaluable to you.

The above is a "quick & dirty" overview. Study the VJ Guides, and pay attention to what knowledgeable VJ members have to offer in this thread and in the ones that you'll surely review in the main AOS forum.

Edited July 15, 2013 by TBoneTX

[KayDeeCee 4,892]

After about 10 days, file for your SSN > http://www.visajourney.com/content/ssn

Before or after the SSN, get your marriage license. Get married within 90 days of entry. Get your certified marriage certificate back from the court.

Read through the AOS guide and the form instructions before filing > http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1k3aos

If you have an interview, you will need evidence of co-mingling finances and co-habitation.

[SteveKarlaMayer 21]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the main AOS/Family-Based forum -- OP is on the doorstep of that stage. ***

(Organizer hat off)

The AOS Guides here (see link atop any VJ page) are very helpful. In brief:

Marry within the 90 days of entry into the U.S.

Take every step to get more than one copy of your marriage license, rapidly.

Have the funds already allocated to be able to file for AOS as soon as possible.

File just as soon as possible after you've married.

Most definitely file for AP & EAD at the very same time.

General advice on important documents (not necessarily immigration-related, but to ease your path in your new country):

Depending on how much time you can stay in your country after receiving the visa (meaning, are you traveling within days of receiving it, or can you stay longer?), get more than one copy of these and similar documents:

Your birth certificate.

Divorce or death certificates of previous spouse(s), if applicable.

Birth certificates of children, if applicable.

University transcripts or school records.

All medical, dental, & vaccination records (see below) that you can lay your hands on.

Your driver's license from your country, with as long a term of validity as possible.

Any other official document that would be impossible or expensive to request from the U.S.

In regard to vaccinations, get all of them in your country, as is possible. Have a doctor transcribe them onto an officially signed/stamped paper that you get at least two copies of. If you got vaccinations as a child, ask your doctor or clinic to provide or reconstruct your record for you. Vaccination information is required during the AOS process, and these papers could prove to be invaluable to you.

The above is a "quick & dirty" overview. Study the VJ Guides, and pay attention to what knowledgeable VJ members have to offer in this thread and in the ones that you'll surely review in the main AOS forum.

Thank you very much for the information.

[HeatDeath 430]

Another thing: fill out all of the AOS forms and gather all the documentation - get the I-693, passport photos, write the check, everything - before your wedding, but date the forms and check for the day after your wedding. That way the instant you get a certified copy of your marriage certificate, you can slip it into the envelope and mail it off.

Also, make either 3 duplicate signed original copies of your AOS packet (everything you will send them). Send one of them in and keep the other 2. That way, if it gets lost in the mail or they lose something after the fact, it's trivial to send them a replacement, and you still have a copy for your records.

This makes a good project for one of the couple to do while the other is eyeballs-deep in final wedding preparation. Believe me, neither of you will feel like dealing with AOS paperwork after the wedding!

Edited July 15, 2013 by HeatDeath