JDD1

you are comparing apples to coconuts. chinese degrees are generally not accepted in USA. euro degrees are.

Justashooter: Degrees don't entitle you to practice medicine. Passing the medical boards does. The U.S. accepts Chinese medical degrees as making the holders of the degrees eligible to sit for the exam. My first wife, solely based on her Chinese degree, sat for and passed the 1st of several medical board examinations. That being said, I don't know if European doctors are able to obtain residencies easier than Chinese doctors or if there are other factors that practically affect European doctors differently than American or Chinese doctors. On the other hand, there is generally a shortage of residency slots, and anyone coming to the U.S. needs to be aware of that. Also, I have observed that Chinese doctors have more difficulty obtaining residencies than American doctors.

JD

Hi Mary,

I have been married to 2 Chinese doctors. (My first wife is deceased.) The main problem for foreign doctors is that it is very difficult to obtain a residency in the U.S. I know one Chinese doctor who passed the medical boards but couldn't get a residency. My current wife was an ultra-sound doctor in China, and she has decided to get certified as an ultra-sound technician here because she knows of the difficulties of getting a residency here.

Best wishes,

JD

She should be able to get her SSN with her green card. The green card plus SSN will allow her to work.

See this site and select child> original> noncitizen to see what documents you need. The I-551 is her green card. http://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/ss5doc.htm

Thanks so much for your help. That was a great link.

JD

Hi,

My 15 and 1/2 year-old step daughter holds a green card following the successful use of a K-1 visa. (My wife came in December on K-1 visa, and both she and her daughter have received green cards.) I had thought that my step daughter needed an I-765 to work, but in doing an internet search 2 sites stated that if you were a green card holder, you were automatically entitled to work.

The reason this came up was that my stepdaughter needs a social security number to get a temporary driver's license in Ohio (according to the license bureau), but social security has refused to grant her a social security number. Having done some research, it seems that because my step daughter is entitled to work, she should be able to get a social security number on that ground. Hoping that someone can answer my questions.

Best wishes,

JD

Darnell,

There is no "correct" terminology that I am aware of. I did a google search that entered "marriage intervi" and Google automatically came up with "marriage interview for green card." My terminology is clearly common and accepted by a lot of people. If you don't like it don't read my posts. Also, a useful article in the New York Times refers to marriage and interview but does not mention AOS. See link http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/marriage-test/

Darnell,

Prior to granting an adjustment of status, immigration gets the married couple in and asks them questions to see if they really live together and know each other or whether the marriage is a fraud.

JD

Thanks so much to everyone who replied. The responses were very helpful. Should add that I filed an I-485 on behalf of my first wife (who was from China and is now deceased)and there was basically no interview because my first wife was pregnant and that convinced the interviewer of the validity of our marriage. My interactions with the people at the immigration offices have been positive. However, my experiences with the people who answer the phones nationally have been awful. It seems like their only purpose is to get people off the line. (My last call to the national number dealt with an ICE employee who told me to follow the directions. I told her the reason I was calling was that the directions were not clear. She finally reluctantly answered my questions.)

Our marriage is real, so I am not concerned with proving its genuiness. We can easily document our marriage. However, the notice referred to proof of immunizations. My wife is a Chinese doctor, and she had very good records in China when she applied for her K-1 visa. Is the fact that she supplied all of the necessary information on the K-1 visa adequate for the purposes of the marriage interview.

JD

I got married on 12/30/11 and applied for AOS in mid-February. My wife already has her EAD. We have our marriage interview scheduled for June 1. Are there any general tips posted anywhere with respect to the interview. Also, any tips from recent interviewees would be welcome. Should add that my wife has a 15-year-old stepdaughter and that she will also be interviewed.

Thanks for any help that can be given.

JD

Thanks for everyone's help. Already tried to get an ITIN and was rejected. Will file for an extension tomorrow, which is also what an accountant told me to do.

JD

My wife came to the U.S. on 12/13/11 from China on a k-1 visa. We got married on 12/30/11. Social Security wouldn't give her a Social Security No. when she arrived. We filed an I-485 & I-765 2 months ago and the applications seem to be going smoothly. (We had biometrics about 1 month ago.) I had planned on filing a joint return. However, someone with some experience in these matters said that he thought that the IRS would kick out the return if there was no Social Security No. but that once her 765 came through that we could elect to file a joint return. I am wondering if anyone else on the board has any knowledge on this issue. Thanks for any help that can be given.

JD

My wife arrived in the U.S on a K-1 visa from China, and we were married within 90 days and filed for adjustment of status within 90 days of her arrival and the adjustment of status request (I-485) is pending. One of her close colleagues died in Canada recently. Does anyone know what her chances of getting an advance parole to travel to Canada for the funeral would be? Also, are there any disadvantages to applying for and getting an advance parole. Additionally, the funeral will probably take place within 2 weeks. Is it possible to get an advance parole quickly enough for my wife to arrive in Canada for the funeral?

Thanks,

JD

Thanks to everyone for their contributions. When I initially went to Social Security, I believe I was told that if my wife received employment authorization, she would receive a ssn. (Can't imagine why not. If she is authorized to work, she should have an ssn. Should also mention that I was previously told by our K-1 lawyers that some immigration stations gave employment authorization on the first landing in the U.S. ) Also, the Ohio Driver's License Bureaus seem to be cooperative. We received a temporary license before the biometric exam was scheduled. It seems to me that if the Biometric is scheduled, it means that our 485 and 765 are presumptively valid and that we should be able to get a driver's license up to the time a 485 or 765 is denied. (Not saying in any way that I expect a denial. Merely stating the principle that I believe applies) If we have a problem getting a license, I have no issue with contacting my congressperson or state representative to help things along. As far as I am concerned, if my wife is legally in the U.S., she is entitled to a driver's license.

Best wishes,

JD

The I-485 and I-765 for my wife were sent to Immigration Services on 2/14/12. (following the acquisition of a K-1 visa and our marriage on 12/3012) Her biometrics was scheduled for 3/13/12 and was completed. How long does it typically take for the I-485 and I-765 decisions to be made? My immediate concern is that my wife's temporary driver's license permit expires on 4/10/12 and that if we don't get an I-765 soon, it may be difficult for my wife to get a driver's license without a social security no. (I realize that my wife is legally in the U.S. under something like pending status before the Attorney General, but it may not be easy to explain this to Ohio Driver's license agencies.) Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

JD

Thanks to everyone for their help on this matter. It makes things a lot clearer for me.

JD

My fiance arrived in the U.S. on 12/13/11 on a K-1 visa. We got married on 12/30/11. My i-485 for my wife & another for her 15-year-old daughter were received by the USCIS on 2/17. (Also, 325, I-765 and affidavit of support for wife and her child.) I received a notice of receipt about 5 days ago, saying that the applications were being processed. The two checks that I sent were cashed.

Several questions. 1. The K-1 was only valid for 90 days. Does my filing of the I-485 toll the running of the time on the K-1 or in some other give my wife the right to stay in the U.S. 2. How long should it be before I hear from the USCIS about their decision on the applications that I filed.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

JD

Thanks for your responses. All of my research was pointing to Guangzhou, but I wanted to make sure.

JDD1

In last part of post meant to ask whether interviews took place in GUANGZHOU, not whether they took place in BEIJING. Sorry for typo.

JDD

My fiance lives in Beijing, and I just assumed that her K-1 interview would be there. In checking on various issues, it appears that the only interview locations for K-1 visas are Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Am checking to make sure that that is true. Also, it appears that the interviews for Beijing residents take place in Beijing. Is that true? Thanks for any help that can be provided.

JDD

I Received a request for evidence concerning my request for a K-1 visa for my Chinese fiance that stated: “MARRIAGE TERMINATION; Submit a legible copy of the final divorce decree signed by a judge or magistrate that shows proof of filing.”

Am assuming that calling the USCIS at its 800 no. is worthless to attempt to find out what they mean by legible. (Have called before, and they ask about 15 meaningless questions, and then refuse to discuss my real question) The formal divorce certificate that I submitted was clearly copied, with the possible exception of the cover page. I have received new scans of the certificate, and will be extra careful to insure that my new submission is extremely clear, including the cover page. Just want to make sure that the real problem leading to the RFE was legibility and not that it wasn’t signed by a judge or a magistrate. (It was signed by a marriage registrar and stated that it was made by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.) Thanks for any help that anyone can give.

JDD

many people sell it to a relative prior to becoming a USC, so it stays in the family.

Hi Darnell,

Thought you might be interested in knowing that my deceased wife (DOD Aug. 08) was from Wuhan, and her sister is temporarily taking care of my 5-year-old girl (Karen) until I and my fiance (Wei, who lives in Beijing) pick up Karen this summer, when hopefully the K-1 Visa comes through. I am taking care of my son Mark (9-years-old) in the U.S. I will be visiting Wuhan, obviously, when I pick up Karen.

Best wishes,

JD

Hi Garfield,

I read the guidelines. They were useful. However, you referred to a Chinese forum, and I couldn't find it. Could you tell me how to find it.

Best wishes,

JD

Inky,

The USCIS website says the Texas Service Center takes 5 months to process. See https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/ProcTimes.do However, you are right that the NOA refers to the CSC. Does it make any difference in time as to where your application was initially sent.

Thanks,

JD

Hi,

I filed a K-1 application on January 14, 2011 at the TSC seeking to bring my fiance from China to the U.S. (I live in Cincinnati OH) The application was accepted and my check was cashed. Currently on the USCIS website, it is showing that my application is at the “initial review” stage of processing. I have never had any problems with the law. My deceased wife was from Wuhan China, and my fiance is a physician in Beijing. On the USCIS website, it is showing 5 months to process the application. Is that 5 months to do the whole matter, or 5 months to get it out of Texas? I also see a reference to NOA2. What is that?

On another website, I saw a statement that the whole process could be done in 5 months, but I am getting the sense here that 5 months only applies to the initial U.S. review. Should I expect any notifications while my application is under “initial review?” Any other comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you,

JDD