After traveling to the USA and marrying my girlfriend. Can I earn money legally in the USA or how long will it be before I can have a legal job?

[adrianlaxd 0]

Me and my girlfriend are starting the process for a k1 visa. We have a question After traveling to the USA and marrying my girlfriend, we have a question. Can I earn money legally in the USA or how long will it be before I can have a legal job? It would be great to be able to help with bills or smth

Edited February 10 by adrianlaxd

[Crazy Cat 39,267]

You can legally work once an I-765 has been approved.  That will take 1 to 8 months.  

[Boiler 43,451]

If working is important to you the K1 is the wrong way to go.

[adrianlaxd 0]

13 minutes ago, Boiler said:

If working is important to you the K1 is the wrong way to go.

¿Which way do you suggest?

[adrianlaxd 0]

45 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

You can legally work once an I-765 has been approved.  That will take 1 to 8 months.  

And all that time I have to stay in the U.S., right?

45 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

 

 

Edited February 10 by adrianlaxd

[Dashinka 23,251]

22 minutes ago, adrianlaxd said:

¿Which way do you suggest?

Spousal visa.  That way once you have an approved visa and enter the U.S. you are immediately an LPR authorized to work with no need to file the AOS/EAD/AP.  Of course you need to get legally married first.

 

Good Luck!

[Crazy Cat 39,267]

26 minutes ago, adrianlaxd said:

¿Which way do you suggest?

Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation.

K-1 
  More expensive than CR-1
  Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)
  Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 6-8 months) 
  Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 6-8 months) 
  Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period 
  Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed.
  A K-1 might be a better choice when 18-21 year old children are immigrating also
  In some situations, marriage can affect certain Home country benefits, making a K-1 a better choice 
  A denied K-1 is sent back to USCIS to expire
  K-1 entrant cannot file for citizenship until after having Green Card for 3 years.
  Once an I-129F has been approved, delaying the case is difficult to impossible if the need arises.

CR-1/IR-1
  Less expensive than K-1 
  No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required. 
  Spouse can immediately travel outside the US 
  Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival. 
  Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US 
  Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.
  Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US.
  The clock for citizenship filing starts immediately upon entry to the US.
  A CR-1/IR-1 case can be delayed indefinitely at NVC if the need arises. 
   

 

[Crazy Cat 39,267]

As reported by other VJ members, the average processing from filing to interview are not much different:

 

USCIS Immigration Processing Times - VisaJourney

K1 Visas:     563 Days (18.8 months)

CR-1 Visas: 610 Days (20.3 months)

Edited February 10 by Crazy Cat

[Lil bear 3,831]

1 hour ago, adrianlaxd said:

And all that time I have to stay in the U.S., right?

 

Yes 

[Ryan H 3,791]

Moved from K1 Process & Procedures to Moving to the US and Your New Life In America forum; topic pertains to items post-POE and not about the visa process itself.