Ciyin

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I realize I am overthinking the problem, but it's hard not to have anxiety and doubts about everything in this situation. There might not need to be an interview and the issue may never come up...

We submitted our I751 packet at the start of September and have gotten an appointment for my wife's biometrics, but I am very worried going into the interview.

We've been going through a rough patch for a couple months now, and there are some very real questions about our compatibility and the future of our relationship. The timing is really terrible... we have a real relationship, but I feel weird going to an interview to defend it when it make be coming to an end.

Have other people on this forum had similar experiences? What does USCIS do in this case? Is the ROC a Pass/Fail situation, or could the conditions be extended to give us time to figure things out?

Thanks for the info. We thought about applying for the Advanced Parole, but didn't think she qualified and didn't want to rock the boat. Now that she definitely qualifies, we want to make sure it's done right.

When it says local office, is that the local USCIS office where she got her biometrics done?

Background:

My wife applied for AOS in May, and did biometrics in June. She already has her work authorization card.

This month we received a letter saying that because of the heavy load at the office, it will likely be another 6 months until she can get her green card.

The problem:

Since applying for AOS and work authorization, my wife's grandmother has been diagnosed with Alzheimers, which is worrying, but we didn't think it was serious enough to receive Early Parole for her to go home and visit.

But last night, her aunt was killed by a drunk driver, and I think it's important for her to be able to go mourn with her family. How long does it take for the application to be processed? I don't think she'll be able to attend the funeral, since this was so sudden, but I am hoping she can still get back to China quickly.

Thank you for any input you have.

Sorry for the slow reply. Thanks for all the good info, everyone.

We applied for her SSN on 3/14 and got it in the mail by 3/20. The process went very fast, and we were only in the SSA building for about 15 minutes.

Yeah, you don't need to get married before applying for your SSN. Actually, in some states it's required that you have your SSN to apply for a marriage license!

I got my SSN first, since some offices are ill-informed and will try to tell you that you are no longer under "K1 status" once you get married, and that you have to wait to adjust status to apply for a SSN. Apparently it's been a real nightmare for some.

But yeah, they issued me one and they printed text on the card saying "Valid for work only with DHS authorization", meaning we need to apply to adjust our status and either wait for our green card or a EAD till we can use the SSN for work.

I just followed this guide closely and it worked out for me! http://www.visajourney.com/content/ssn

Good luck!

Yeah, her card says that. Does she need to get a new card once she has a different status, or just keep this one and present it along with other documents?

You've already received good advice about her SSN and EAD card. But after my wife received those, we were faced with another problem - she needed a resume. Something to tell potential employers what she can do, how she can help their company. She is taking ESL classes (just finished ESL 7), to bring her up to speed on speaking and understanding English. We're sending out job applications, no nibbles yet, but we are confident that it's only a matter of time.

I also signed her up for an online course in Microsoft Office Suite, to make her more employable when she does get an interview. Since you are in a holding pattern, there are things you can do now to make the process easier when she gets her work authorization. Any training you can get her will help.

Finding work is starting to be a big worry for me, because I don't think there's much good work in this area, let alone work for a non-native English speaker. Her English is pretty amazing, especially considering she'd never been out of China before last month... but that doesn't do much good in a crappy job market.

Um... did you two marry already, because that is the next step, before anything else can be done

We're planning on getting married next month, but want to work on other things if we can.

According to the K-1 flowchart, you can get an SSN even before getting married, and if she changes her name after the marriage we would have to apply to have it changed on the SSN.

Yes, I know there are guides and flowcharts and the like, but I feel like things all get fuzzy after the Point of Entry.

My fiancee arrived two weeks ago. After living apart for a year and a half, it's been a big adjustment to be together again. And that's on top of the huge adjustment she's making to being in a new country.

We're looking into getting her a SSN, since that's the next item listed on the K-1 flowchart... but not sure if we have everything we need. According to the Social Security Administration they need two documents proving: 1)identification, 2) right to work, and 3) age. It goes on to say that only original documents are accepted and not photo copies.

Now, since she's here on a K-1 visa, she technically doesn't have the right to work yet, so how do we even provide that kind of info? Also, she doesn't have her birth certificate with her, so will her passport/visa and Chinese ID be enough?

Can any of you share your experience getting an SSN for a Chinese national?

wots her 'home city' and why she choose chengdu for delivery city ?

She live in Mianyang, a couple hours north of Chengdu. The nearest CITIC location is in Chengdu, so there have been several two-hour train rides involved in this process. We'll be glad when it's over.

Visa was approved on 10/28; UStraveldocs shows it as ready to pick up as of 11/12. She just got back from spending the weekend in Chengdu and is too tired to turn around and go again, so she'll pick up her passport this weekend.

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Her status on USTraveldocs changed from "Still with post" to "Passport has been received from consular section, and is currently being processed for delivery." Took 7 business days to get there.

They really need to clean up this system. It's ridiculous that there are two sites to check the status on, and they don't give the same status.

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. Based on that, she'll probably be here for a good three months before she's allowed to start, because we won't get married until she's been here a couple months and then have to wait for the paperwork to go through. It'll give her time to adjust to life in America, but two months is a long time to just be sitting around.

My fiancee will be coming to the US this winter on her K-1 visa. While my parents have sponsored her petition, and I'm looking for better paying work, her having a paycheck would be much better than not having one. At what stage in this process is she legally allowed to start working?

After passing the interview on 10/07, the embassy informed us that we never submitted a DS-230 (which is BS and doesn't make any sense). We re-submitted the document and our case has since updated a few times, but always showing administrative processing. It's frustrated me so much that I've actually booked a plane ticket to China, with every intentions of asking about 50,000 questions at the embassy.

How long after the interview did they notify you? It's BS that they asked you to do that when you obviously couldn't have gotten that far in the process without submitting it.

We just had our interview this week, and we're still a little skeptical and won't believe it until her visa is in hand.

Congatulations!

Congrats!

Approved this morning! Got a message from my fiancee while I was asleep at she'd been approved We've hit a few speedbumps along the way, but this is finally happening. I'm so glad I had this site as a resource.

Got a QQ message at 2:50 this morning that my fiancee was approved for her K-1 visa! We're both in shock, because we didn't have the original copies of the financial documents. I guess the CO was very understanding that they hadn't arrived in the mail and was very friendly in general.

Thanks to everyone here who has coached us through this process along the way.

I'm not finding the cover sheet on the ustraveldocs website. (ETA: Never mind. My brain was apparently incapable of seeing the links right in front of me.)

Right, that's what I meant "after the interview." Having completed the interview, they hand her a piece of paper asking for more documentation.

Thanks for the help! Sorry that I am always in crisis mode. I do my best to do things right, but either I miss something or just life happens and makes it harder (like these forms not getting delivered)

You can send them documents through CITIC bank, correct?

It seems China Post might have misplaced all the financial documents I sent to my fiancee. The package should be there by today, but it hasn't shown up yet, and the last scan point on the tracking was at customs.

She has scanned copies of all the forms, but I'm sure the consulate will ask for the originals. When they ask for the originals (I'm assuming I have to send new copies) will my fiancee have to return to Guangzhou?

Congrats! I know two people interviewing in Guangzhou this week and they both passed!

Fix yourself an adult beverage of your choice and celebrate.

Good luck!

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. My fiancee and I will have a long chat session next week going over each piece of documentation she has and I'll make sure she knows that.

Ok, last question, I promise!

On the I-134 my parents are giving as co-sponsors, should they put "Relationship to sponsor = none" since we're not married so my fiancee has no legal connection to them?

One more question.

Does the first line in blue here need to be signed or initialed? All the guides I've found for the I-134 say sign and date the bottom, but no one mentions that random line.