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Hi everyone!

I hope you're all doing well. I just wanted to ask for a bit of advice and share my situation.

I arrived in the U.S. last August on a K1 visa and got married shortly after. We applied for Adjustment of Status (AOS) this past January, along with Advance Parole, and I just received my Green Card today!

We didn t realize at first that it would only be valid for 2 years since we ve only been married for a short time.

We re set to PCS to Okinawa this September for 3 years, and I m already included in my husband s orders.

I was hoping someone here might be able to help me with a few questions:

1. Is it okay to PCS overseas for 3 years with a 2-year conditional Green Card?

2. When can we file for Removal of Conditions to get the 10-year Green Card? Is there any way to speed up the process?

3. Is filing for Removal of Conditions really required, or can we just contact USCIS to amend it?

4. Since we ll be stationed outside the U.S., is it possible to apply for citizenship before my conditional Green Card expires? I ve heard that spouses of military members stationed overseas may be able to apply for expedited naturalization.

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who can share their experience or offer advice!

Hi VJ,

As I've recently received my EAD, I'm thinking about giving my CV an update ahead of looking for work. My last employment in the UK ended 1st January, ahead of me moving to the US as a K1 in mid-January.

That's a 6 month gap in employment, and it will only increase as time goes on as I don't anticipate that it will be quick to find employment. I'm wondering if I should address this in some way on my resume.

Im worried that employers, who don't understand the immigration process, might assume that being out of work for 6+ months was my choice and look unfavorably on me.

Any thoughts or advice from your own experience?

For marriage based green cards at the embassy, do you still need to present proof of relationship even though the I-130 was already approved? If so ae photos alone ok?

Also, what kind of questions will they ask a step child for their interview as well?

Hi! If anyone could offer advice on this, that would be helpful!

My husband, LPR, and I recently got a P.O. Box for our new mailing address. He updated the form AR-11 online and I need to update the form i-865. Our physical address is staying the same, but do I just re-enter it on the I-865 even though they have my other I-865 on file with my current address and this physcial address is not "new" OR do I leave "new physical address" in part 1 blank and only enter my new mailing address?

Right now I have the form filled out with both sections for physical and mailing address with correct dates of start for those addresses.

Any advice appreciated!

Thank you!

Just wanted to share experience getting my wife's Ohio driver's license after recently immigrating with a IR1 visa, in case it is helpful to others. In Ohio driving is very necessary to live regular life (no good public transportation), so we wanted to make sure my wife could drive soon after immigrating. I am still not 100% if she would have been able to drive with her foreign Chilean license before getting Ohio license -- because visitors are permitted to drive for up to 90 days with a foreign license, but she technically is not a "visitor". And even if legally allowed to drive, there is also a question if my insurance would cover her, because they require everyone living in the same household to be named in the policy (and with local a local driver license) -- insurance will typically cover someone borrowing your car, but again my wife is not "borrowing", she is living with me. All that to be said, that getting her Ohio driver's license ASAP was a big priority for us, i.e. before she would receive her physical green card.

So for Ohio, for a new driver's license (no reciprocal agreement with Chile), you need to first get your "temps" (temporary permit) -- which requires passing the written test, either online (proctored) or at the BMV (no typo, it is BMV not DMV in Ohio). Once you pass the test you have to go to the BMV and show proof of the following: legal presence in the US, photo ID with proof of name / DOB, proof of SSN, and proof of Ohio Residence. Foreign passport / US visa works for photo ID, and luckily we had been married a while so we already had my wife's name on bank accounts and credit cards that showed her Ohio residence, because sometimes that can be a bit tricky as a new immigrant. And because my wife had lived in the US previously, we had her SSN before she even immigrated again -- though they even list that requirement as "if assigned", so may not be 100% needed. The big question was how the local BMV officers would handle the I551 stamp with her IR1 visa as "proof of legal residence".

For all of us experts in immigration, and for USCIS, it is abundantly clear that the I551 stamp serves as proof of residence, as even on the IR1 visa it says: "UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR." But this is not so clear to the BMV workers. The first time we went to the BMV, the first worker my wife interacted with didn't seem sure at all, and kept asking her for her green card. But she was finally able to speak to the office manager, and she was much more familiar with the process and cleared her to get her "temps." After getting the temps, you need to pass a driving and maneuverability test, after which we had to go back to the BMV -- and the fun part is we have to present all the same proof again, for some reason. This second time, again the initial worker seemed to have 0 idea what this visa and stamp was, and spent a lot of time on the phone talking to someone about if it was acceptable. After the phone call she was ready to accept it, but said we needed to mark that my wife was a "temporary resident". I tried a bit to explain that she isn't a "temporary resident", rather the stamp is "temporary evidence for permanent residence" -- but it was no use, and I wasn't going to push it too hard anyway.

So after all that, she was issued her Ohio Driver's License, though it does only have validity up until the 1 year mark on her I551 stamp -- which I was expecting. So she will have to go back after a year to renew, with her physical green card in hand to get the normal 4 or 8 years of validity.

Again just wanted to share, because there is limited information on this topic state-by-state, so hopefully can help someone in the future!