MiniKoala

Thank you so much! This is very uplifting and I have read this to him and he wanted to say thank you to you as well. I will keep all of this in mind. Do you think if I help him to make his resume or cover letters grammatically correct in English that doing so is kind of misleading? Did you do this when you put your resume up on Linkedin?

Hey, I'm so glad to read that you found my words encouraging!

I don't think it's misleading if you have someone proofread your resume. I'm pretty sure everyone does that, even native speakers I usually worked on my resume and cover letters quite a bit until I showed them to my husband. But I would not have wanted to put them online or send them out without him correcting my grammar first!

BTW, I basically started my career in the US. I had just graduated from University when I started the immigration process and didn't have any work experience. I don't have any exceptional qualifications other than my foreign language skills and my extreme ambition And yet I still managed to get a good job right away, and got an even better one 6 months later (I now work in Tech Support/Content Marketing/Translation ). Sure, it's not easy to find a decent job in the US, whether you're an immigrant or not, but it's definitely POSSIBLE. Having a good online portfolio, building a network (that was my least favorite part because I'm not very sociable,lol), and being clever about the whole job searching process all definitely help a lot!

If there is one thing I wish people had told me about before I started my job search in the US, it would have been to not look at my foreign language skills as a disadvantage. It pays off to actually make it your special skill!

I was extremely worried about finding a job despite not speaking perfect English when I moved to the US. I tried really hard to hide the fact that I'm a non-native speaker (I struggle when talking to people, and I make some obvious mistakes in emails, too). It didn't help me at all because I put myself under too much pressure and all my job applications sounded stiff and awkward.

But then I started searching for jobs on LinkedIn and Craigslist that had "German" (my first language) as keyword in them -- and I found lots of jobs where international companies were searching for people with certain foreign language skills! Many employers give bonus points for applicants that are fluent in another language. And there's a surprisingly big variety of jobs where such skills are extremely valuable - translation, customer support, language testing, quality control, retail, hospitality, transport, etc. For many of those jobs it's not a big deal if your English isn't perfect as long as you can communicate with other people in the team.

Once I put my foreign language skills in my title on LinkedIn, I kept getting messages from recruiters that needed people with foreign language skills. I've been offered jobs at Google, Apple, etc. just because of that! So, I don't think your husband has much to worry about. And once he finds a job, his English will probably rapidly improve, as well. Good luck to him with the job search!

They ARE exploiting you. A good response might be, "If you respect my skills this highly, pay me accordingly for this project, and let's get going with it."

Yes, I agree that in the cases were I was asked to work for a full week without getting paid (UNLESS they decide to hire me), it was blatant exploitation and I don't regret ignoring those offers.

But with a lot of online marketing jobs, for which I was in the running, I was also asked to do things like look at their website and social media and come up with ideas for improvements. In that case I was never quite sure. In one instance I made it to a final round interview but lost out against a candidate who had better ideas -- I was holding back because I didn't want to reveal all my ideas during the interview! I follow the company on social media, and they definitely hired the other person. In another case I was asked whether I had looked at the company's social media and where I saw room for improvement before I even got any details about the position. I politely told the interviewer that I didn't think I wanted to proceed with the interview process

I'm sure these more subtle instances of data and idea hoarding happen more often than we think. There also seem to be millions of pseudo-positions on reputable job boards like LinkedIn, where companies are not actually trying to fill a position -- they just want to gather as much data as possible.

It's sad because it makes the whole job seeking process even more stressful than it already is. We spend hours and hours filling out online applications, researching companies, arranging phone calls, writing cover letters, preparing for interviews, etc. and most of our hard work is just dumped into a black hole and leads to nothing, except for potentially helping those companies with various marketing, money laundering, etc kind of purposes. Very frustrating!

I find it quite scary how many scammers there are around on US job boards. Some of them are very obvious, some of them are not obvious at all.

For example, I have been contacted per e-mail by people claiming they had found my resume online and wanted to talk to me about a position I would be a good for when NOTHING on my resume had anything common with their "open position". If you take a very close look at e-mails like that you will usually find something fishy like the company name being misspelled in the e-mail ending or something like that, which is a definite confirmation of it being BS, of course. So those are somewhat obvious. At the same time, though, I have found good jobs with renowned companies through recruiters that reached out to me in a similar way, so I don't want to completely ignore those messages.

I have definitely gotten that invitation for an interview on Yahoo Messenger before, too -- never answered that at all, seemed too weird to me from the start. Good that you reported them.

What bugs me the most, though, are actual companies that exist and do have a few real employees, but their whole way of operating is setting up test phases where you are doing real work for them for no money or very little money. But then they won't actually hire you, they will just let another "candidate" continue the work for them a week later. Whenever a company asks me to complete some sort of work for them during the interview process I get very cautious now (and I have probably missed out on some good job because of that) because I am worried they are just exploiting me!

My status on the USCIS website changed to "Card/ Document Production" last night I didn't get a text or e-mail, btw.

Our interview was at 1.20pm. Luckily, I already got my EAD a couple of weeks ago, so I've been able to work already. But it would still be nice to get the decision about the GC soon, of course.

We also had our interview in San Francisco yesterday. With the same result! No decision, under review, but with the info about removing conditions in two years. The interviewer was nice but a little tough on us, but we also think we did well (and my husband mixed up and forgot some dates, too ). I'm sure we will hear from them soon, and that it will be an approval

My EAD also got approved today, yay!

We sent in my AOS/EAD/AP application on Feb 27, got NOA1 on Feb 28, had Biometrics on Mar 28. We have an interview scheduled for May 20. So everything keeps moving pretty fast, we have been very lucky throughout this whole K-1/AOS journey!

Got it, thank you

The interview on Monday went well but I ended up not getting the internship. I thought it was awkward that the first interviewer I talked to on the phone a while ago asked me why I moved to the US and then the other interviewer on Monday asked me the same question. I answered honestly and said that I came here as a fiancée of a USC and that I was also excited about the new challenges that are awaiting me here career-wise. But I still felt weird having to mention my husband during a job interview, I think that is none of their business Have other people been asked this question during interviews? What is a good response to it?

... then asks if I intend on moving to the US or if my fiancé plans to move to Canada. I said "I'll be moving to the US" and he asked how. "We've applied for a K-1 visa" And that was the end of it. Instantly he shook his head and said okay no.

I learned on VisaJourney that the correct answer to the question about immigration plans is, "Not until my K-1 is approved". Being vague in your answer is suspicious, and making it absolutely clear that you are NOT intending to immigrate on this trip is absolutely crucial.

It is sad and unfortunate that you had to spend all the money you did to find out how incredibly difficult CPB can be. Just from the experience my fiance has had over the years I know each group of officers will treat you differently on each trip you make. And all of the wonderful people on this site have had different experiences. It's amazing how a country created, built, and ruled by people whose families were all immigrants at some point in time can be so difficult.( disclaimer - native americans that have or are currently working in our government). I am sure these officers see everything over years of working at customs and immigration. Sad that we all suffer for those individuals that do use the system to immigrate illegally. My heart goes out to you and your future husband. And I am sure most of the people on this site have felt the sadness and frustration you are currently experiencing. Just know you are not alone.

I agree with this post entirely!

I had various weird POE experiences, too. The first few times I visited my husband (then-bf) I was completely clueless about the possibility of being denied. Every time they asked me about the purpose of my trip I would excitedly tell them that I'm visiting my USC bf, not realizing that this could be a cause for denial of entry. And every single time the officers made it super easy for me, smiling at me and wishing me a good stay. After graduating from University I went to visit again, for a full three months, with no job or apartment or school to return to in my home country. I was brought into second inspection by accident (I had stupidly updated my ESTA the day of departure and it screwed up their info in their system) but was grilled once I told them about my situation. I was allowed into the country after the officer talked to my then-bf on the phone. He told him about the K-1 and my then-bf he assured him he understood what the law was and that we were not getting married during this visit.

We sent in the I-129f towards the end of that stay. I visited again after two months, for over five weeks. I had ZERO problems at POE. I did tell them, 1) We're in the K-1 process, 2) I'm not intending to marry or immigrate during this visit. I didn't have to go through second inspection or anything.

I am sorry you were denied entry again. I hope your K-1 journey goes smoothly and that you can be reunited with your fiancé soon!

Thank you for your answer!

I've been enjoying looking up jobs, companies I'd like to work for, etc. but don't want to waste anyone's time by applying for a job if my uncertain situation could end up being a problem. I'm glad you think there's no harm in already applying.

I was hoping I would get a status update on my EAD before the weekend, but nothing so far.

Anyways, thank you for your help and enjoy the weekend.

I have a 'final round interview' for an internship on Monday and I'm a little nervous, for several reasons. One of them being that I do not have my EAD yet

I sent off my AOS + EAD + AP application in late February. The internship would start in mid-June, so technically I should have my EAD by then (I volunteered that information to the interviewer during the first phone interview). But you never know with USCIS...

The thing is, I graduated from University in my home country last summer. My original plan was to do an internship in the US after that, but I had no luck getting one. So I came to the US for 3 months on ESTA instead and during that time my now-husband proposed and we decided to do the whole K-1 thing. So when I went back to my home country I didn't even try to get an internship there (I still had my part-time job that I had been doing during my time as a student, which has nothing to do with my field of studies; and of course the whole Visa thing took up so much time and energy that finding an internship was not a priority at all).

I have hardly any work-experience in what I eventually want to do and I know it's extremely hard in the US for new graduates to find a job, so doing an internship first definitely seems like the way to go for me. And all the summer internships are posted now. So if I didn't apply for them now, I would probably have to wait for another few months after receiving my EAD to start one, and I don't really want that

Anyone else been in a similar situation? Is it OK to already apply for internships now or should one definitely wait until having the EAD in hand?

What would I need to do if I got the internship but don't have my EAD by the time the internship starts?

I didn't get this form either. I had my medical in January. All my vaccines were completed then (they wouldn't approve my medical until all of them were done). I was given a CD with the x-rays that I was told to keep. And later I got the sealed envelope from the embassy. At POE I handed in the envelope. But I definitely never got this form and no one ever mentioned it. I sent off my AOS application a month ago, so we'll see what happens :/

I had a similar experience at the SSA. First time (2 weeks after arrival on K-1) everything went smoothly, didn't even have to wait in line for long (less than 5 minutes!).

Went shortly after the marriage with marriage certificate, passport and old card and waited for nearly 2 hours. Was then told by the woman behind the window I should come back once I have my Green Card. I told them, no I will most likely get my EAD before I get my Green Card and I want my correct name to be on my SSN if I start a job before getting my actual GC. She rolled her eyes but agreed to do it. Took her 2 minutes, got my new card in the mail a week later.

Call the Courthouse where you got married and explain that you are doing the K-1 visa immigration process and that you need the certified copy sooner. Our marriage certificate was supposed to take 6 to 8 weeks to arrive (we got married at San Francisco City Hall). I e-mailed the Office of Assessor-Recorder here and they responded within just a few hours saying that we could pick up our certified copy a day after the ceremony. Sometimes Government people are nice and are willing to help It's worth a try!

Great news!

yayyy !!

Yes, I'm so happy and so grateful this is working out well, too! Thank you

Where does your fiance live?

I'm getting married in Pennsylvania and it only takes 3 days to get a marriage cert. and it is good for 60 days.

In San Francisco.

I sent them an email and explained our situation. They responded just a few hours later saying we could bring the signed licence back to the County Clerk's office right after the ceremony and we could purchase the certified marriage certificate on the following day!

On their website they state that getting the certificate on an expedited basis is not an option, but I'm sure glad I asked anyway! It's almost crazy how much luck we've had throughout all of this visa stuff!

Argh, I'm so mad at myself, I need to vent.

The whole visa process had been going so smoothly for us (NOA1 Oct 2, NOA2 Oct 30, Interview Jan 23, Visa picked up Jan 24, US Entry Jan 30) and we did everything we possibly could to get me to the US quickly and have me apply for AOS ASAP. Our wedding is on Feb 18 and stupid me never bothered to check how long it would take for us to get the marriage certificate. I thought it would take a couple of days, maximum. As it turns out, it may take up to 8 WEEKS. The thought of it taking about 3 months for me to get EAD was already terrifying enough for me, but to add another 2 months to that just because of having to wait for one document... I just can't If I had know I would have chosen another county to get married in, but I had never heard about this possibly taking so long!!! I'm so upset about this!

I'm in the same situation. I contacted the legal department of the Us Company I do the online work for and they were not 100% sure about this either, but they advised me not to work for any US based company while the AOS is pending. The problem being that you can not pay taxes for an income made without having a work permit, according to them.

I did a lot of research on this and couldn't find a definite answer. But since there is a possibility it would jeopardize my Green Card application (my author page is the first thing that shows up in a Google search), I want to be on the safe side and I'm taking a sabbatical from the online job.

Please correct me if anyone knows more about this and can give a more accurate answer.

I had my medical yesterday and they wanted me to do the vaccinations there; they would have charged me much more than my doctor. They said they won't send me the Medical Examination documentation to take to the embassy before I've sent them a copy of my vaccination record proving I've gotten the missing shots! I was a little annoyed by that.

Also, regarding having a history of depression. I asked the psychiatrist who treated me in the past to issue a certificate that states he has known and treated me for many years and that he believes I'm not a threat to myself or anyone else. The doctor doing the medical examination was very glad I brought that. She said she would have asked me to get one for the interview if I hadn't already gotten one anyway. It can't hurt if you get a certificate that you can bring to the interview, I think

I have a very positive experience to share!

I arrived at SFO late in the afternoon yesterday. I was extremely nervous about whether they would let me in. This is my 5th trip to the US this year! (2 weeks in January, 2 weeks in March, 2 weeks in May, 3 months from July to October; and also 2 weeks in October 2012) My fiancé and I applied for the K-1 in September and just got our case number yesterday. In July I got sent to Second Inspection at POE and had to wait for an hour until they finally let me in. This time, luckily, everyone at the airport was in a great mood and I had no difficulties at all.

At Immigration I was asked about the purpose of my trip. Then I was asked if I was staying at the same address as on my last 5 visits and the Immigration man asked whose address it was. I answered that it was my fiancé's place. He asked about my job and I told him that I was self-employed. He then looked up my history of visits and mumbled "2 weeks, 2 weeks..." and I chimed in "yep, 2 weeks, 3 months...". he smiled and asked how long I was staying this time (5.5 weeks, I said). He made a note on my Customs Form and wished me a great stay!

I then had my baggage (my handbag and one carry-on bag) inspected but the woman doing that was funny and joking around with me the whole time, so it didn't make me nervous at all. She did write down further notes on my Form about my fiancé, his occupation, etc. and asked when we were getting married. I answered truthfully that we're hoping I will have my interview right after arriving back in Switzerland and that we will hopefully have our K-1 by February so we could get married then. She was very nice and wished me good luck with everything.

I did take some documents with me (return ticket, NOA1 and NOA2, travel insurance copy, etc.) but wasn't asked to show anything.

I'm so beyond happy it went so smoothly and that I can spend the holidays with my fiancé and his family this year!

Good luck to everyone else who's trying to visit their sweetheart again soon!

Hi everyone!

I read through some of the topics in this sub-forum but could not find an answer to my problem. (The only similar discussion I could find was about doing online work for a UK-based company)

I'm a Swiss citizen/resident. I am currently self-employed but am also a paid writer for a US website. I did not need any kind of work authorization for this but had to sign the W-8BEN form.

My USC fiancé and I are currently in the K-1 visa process and the only thing that makes me a little anxious is not being allowed to work once I'm in the US. I would really love to at least continue writing for that website until I can start a real job. Will I be allowed to do that while waiting for my EAD? Would I need to inform the employer and sign another form? (W-9?)

We're not talking about a large sum of money, btw. I'm not a full-time employee or anything like that but just a freelance contributor. It's normally around $150/month and I do it for fun and to keep myself busy.

I hope someone can help. Thank you

Hi everyone, my first post here!

My fiancé (USC) and I got engaged on 09/11/2013, sent our I-129f on 09/26/2013 and received NOA1 on 10/02/2013. I know it's still a while to go until NOA2 (it's being processed at CSC so it could be sooner than I think, though!) and all the embassy stuff, but I want to be perfectly prepared for everything, so I hope I can get an answer to some of my questions that have arisen.

1) According to the VJ guide about my embassy (Bern, CH) Packet 3 contains all the forms and the instructions for the next steps. It looks like DS-160 now replaces all those forms and it can be completed online, is that correct? My family takes care of all my mail whenever I'm abroad; if they scan the content of packet 3 for me, it shouldn't matter when I'm not around when Packet 3 arrives, right? (I've already gathered some of the documents needed for the interview and will get the I-134 from my fiancé on my next visit and I should obviously be able to schedule the medical from abroad)

2) I'm planning to visit my fiancé again in early December and I want to stay there until early January so I can spend the holidays with him! I have visited 5 times in 1 year; I returned from my last trip (I stayed for almost 3 months) on 10/07/2013. Is it very risky to already visit again after 2 months with now having a K-1 pending? Last time I was held back at POE, got asked about my employment situation and my many visits and they also called my fiancé (who was still my boyfriend at the time) to tell him not to marry me on this trip, etc.and then was eventually allowed in anyway.

I don't have strong ties to my home country at all, I'm practically homeless (staying with various friends or family members whenever I'm here!) and I'm self-employed with a very flexible schedule!

3) I was treated for depression in my teenage years and had still been seeing my psychiatrist every 3 months until quite recently, although I have been fine for the last 5 years or so. I read that it's a good idea to get a certificate where he states that I'm not a threat to myself or anyone else. Would I need to bring that one to the medical only? Or will it have to be written in English and brought to the interview as well?

4) In my country it's mandatory to have health insurance and it can't be cancelled until I have a new insurance somewhere else. The lady I spoke to on the phone was puzzled about why I don't make sure I have insurance in the US before moving there. Is that even possible? Don't I need my SSN first? My fiancé is insured via his work, when is the earliest he can try to get me included in his health insurance?

Sorry for the long post and the complicated questions, but I hope someone can help! Thanks in advance!