K-1 approved, she wants to work and not sit at home, what's quickest way?

[DaPoets 1]

So I'm a U.S. Citizen and the lady is Canadian. We just got approved for our K-1 this week (Montreal consulate) and she is waiting in Toronto for it to come in the mail w/ her passport. We have not started on any social security number or EAD yet obviously. What's the quickest route for her to be able to work after she comes to the states on the K-1 visa. She doesn't want to just sit on the couch watching TV all day long.

[baron555 934]

Get marriage license from the country clerk's office the day she arrives, then get married by the county judge the following week (usual time period). Order about three or four certified copies of the marriage certificate and wait for that to come.

Find the nearest Civil Surgeon and inquire what their rates are to transcribed the vaccination information from the DS-3025 form she received from the medical. If she didn't get one, see if she can return to the facility and get one. Many CSs are scammers who want to charge very high rates or perform a full blown medical exam and charge for that. Shop around.

After about three weeks, go to the the closest SSA office and order the SSN.

Fill out the 485 form and 864 form and the two forms for the free EAD and AP and submit all required documents for AOS. Follow the Guides and Example Forms (links at top of this page).

Wait about 3 months.

Edited January 30, 2014 by baron555

[Pitaya 2,576]

~Moved from K-1 Process to Family-based AOS Forum~

~Inquiry about AOS processes~

(organizer hat off)

Get married as soon as possible, then apply for SSN 10-14 days after POE, then concurrently send in the AOS/EAD/AP applications as soon as possible. EAD/AP combo cards are usually approved within 60-90 days.

In particular, the K-1 AOS Guide and the Family-based AOS Forum for specific information.

[DaPoets 1]

So basically it seems that she will be bored for 3 months before she can start working. That's a lot of TV time.... I'm really amazed that there isn't a quicker / simpler way, even if it's just temporary.

[Anna Grant 169]

There are lots of things she can do before she gets her EAD, as long as she can drive! She can explore the area, go to job fairs, go to local job workshops to learn things for the US job market. She can start applying for jobs (at least when she's submitted the AOS). Potentially, she can request an expedite of the EAD if she gets a job offer (as I did).

The most important thing when getting married, is getting your marriage certificate ASAP so you can submit your AOS paperwork. Our minister gave us the paperwork and we walked it over to the clerk's office and had our marriage certificate with an hour of getting hitched!

[baron555 934]

So basically it seems that she will be bored for 3 months before she can start working. That's a lot of TV time.... I'm really amazed that there isn't a quicker / simpler way, even if it's just temporary.

There is.....get married in her country and then apply for CR-1. You receive upon arrival in the US.

Edited January 30, 2014 by baron555

[slowlyman 118]

Three months goes by pretty quickly. Take a course at the local tech college. Research potential employers.

[sharky-rex 76]

She could always volunteer.

[slowlyman 118]

That's right, I forgot about that. My wife likes to cook. She has been volunteering at a local food kitchen.

[KayDeeCee 4,892]

Since the I-94 is automated now, you should not have to wait to go apply for the SSN. The info should be in the system right away. The wait time use to be for the info to be entered into the system when paper I-94 forms were used.

You can file for the EAD before filing for AOS. However, it will cost $380 and will expire when her I-94 does. It takes 60-90 days to receive an EAD so she would not have any time to use it for employment anyway. It is a waste of money. Getting married and filing for AOS and the EAD/AP as soon as possible is your best bet. The fees for the EAD and AP forms are waived when filed with a pending I-485 and the EAD/AP card will be valid for a year.

If she wanted/needed to work right after entering, then the K-1 was a poor via choice. You should have married first and filed for a CR-1 spousal visa instead. That way she would have been a permanent resident upon entrance, be no need to file for AOS and she could have worked right away. As it is now, she must wait for the EAD or green card. As others have said, she can volunteer her time if she does not want to just sit around the house doing nothing.

[Enigma23 68]

I came across this topic recently... after applying for your AOS after marriage... you can request an expedite of the EAD in some situations.

How to request to expedite your EAD based on a job offer - Adjustment of Status Case Filing and Progress Reports - VisaJourney.com

I hope this helps.

[DaPoets 1]

Thank you everyone, if there are any other ideas as well I thank you in advance too!

[NikLR 13,220]

There are none. She cannot work, (even volunteer in the USA if she's compensated in any way, shape, or fashion) until she has the EAD.

This is one of the reasons I did the CR1. I didn't want to wait to work or travel.

[ricnally 258]

She can't volunteer to do anything that somebody COULD be paid to do.

[raven52 233]

I would just offer one bit of advice, get the SSN before marriage, as if you wait until after marriage, and the name is changed from the P.O.E. name, it is a nightmare getting your SSN number, as the Dept. Of Homeland Security does not know who the person is with a married name, it took us 5 trips, and the office manager, to get my wife's SSN.,. maybe it does not happen everywhere like this, but here, it was a huge mistake, and we lost a lot of time.

Good luck, and good luck getting that real good job!