zhivago

Thanks Umka36, NigeriaorBust, and kehills! All good data. Yes, I think 2 agencies, 2 sets of rules, though I guess USCIS has the trump card. Perhaps the lack of an asterisk next to K-1 on the SSA site was just an omission. Anyway, continuing on with 485, 765 and 131, and looking forward to being done with paperwork, at least for the next couple of years! I understand the Green Card must be renewed at that time. Best to all!

~Moved from K1 Process to Fam.-based AOS Forum~

~Inquiry about AOS processes, past K1~

(organizer hat off)

Yes, the K1 visa is a "work authorized" visa, however that "authorization" must be obtained through the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS "authorization" is shown by the issuance by DHS to the alien of either an EAD (usually an EAD/AP (I-765/I-131) combo card), or a Green Card (I-551). The SSA has nothing to do with work authorization, they administer the Social Security bureaucracy.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

I believe this is the webpage that the SSA clerk was referring from: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0110211530

This only shows a chart where SSA can refer for eligibility of an applicant in getting a SSN. A non-US citizen or permanent resident still has to receive approval from USCIS, which is under DHS, for employment authorization. This approval is in the form of the EAD card or GC [whichever comes sooner].

Thanks very much to both of you, and thanks for the SSA link. What the clerk showed us was a bit different, I think, with K-1 near the very top of a page, and fewer classifications, but it also showed authorized to work. In any case, what is perplexing from the page is the note about the single asterisk (*). As you can see, the K-1 classification does not have an asterisk, but the K-3 does. Here is the note from the second paragraph:

When an alien listed below has an (*) next to the description, he/she may work only when DHS grants employment authorization and issues an EAD

Hello everyone,

My new wife and I have been filling out the Adjustment of Status paperwork, plus Employment Authorization and Advanced Parole forms, expecting to get her temporary work permit/travel permission card in 2 to 3 months after filing.

Yesterday, we went into the local Social Security Office to apply for a SS number and card for her, and the customer service agent told us that K-1 visa holders are "work authorized". We were perplexed, so she showed us her computer screen that clearly showed that the K-1 visa is a "work authorized" visa. First we were very happy about it, thinking this meant she could work right away with her SS number (as the agent believed), but after some research, I see there has been some confusion on the issue. On another forum, someone even said they had heard it was only for people who came in through JFK as POE, as my wife did, so then why file the I-765? Now we are thinking that "work authorized" as far as the SSA is concerned, only means that one has the ability to apply for employment authorization, unlike a tourist or student visa, and that one has to file the appropriate form (I-765) in any case. Are we right about that?

Thanks for your help!

We got married on Monday. It's so surreal!

Best wishes for everyone still waiting.. I'm sure it will be worth it!

Congratulations!!! I do know what you mean. : ) We got married on Saturday, and it was great!!! Best wishes to everyone waiting as well.

I returned from the Philippines on August 12th and she arrived in the United States on August 13th. Today is the big day. We are going down to the courthouse today and getting married. Finally! Our official filing was sent off on November 1, 2013. Today, August 20th, 2014, we are getting married. I was faithful the entire time. It was definitely worth the wait! We are so happy and wanted to share our happiness with you all!

For those of you who are from the Philippines, the CFO counseling is what held us up from traveling back together. There is a "power-mad" monster of a lady there who runs her "kingdom" and could care less about itineraries or people. She even required my fiancé to open her yahoo messenger and read all two years of our private and personal messages before she would approve her visa. Beware of the wicked witch from the East.

Regardless, we are elated! God bless you all!

Congratulations to you both, and well done!!! Wonderful news!!! : )

I received my visa on Thursday morning !

It is good since we had already bought a plane ticket for August 12th and I was starting to get nervous about not getting my passport on time because of the computer glitch!

I am very excited and hope everything goes well at POE in Charlotte. It shoudn't be too bad, I know most of the officiers now, my last 3 trips I got stopped for further verifications.

I hope the same joy will soon come to those still waiting

Félicitations !!!

There will always be remaining names on Igor's List, because some people never return here to fill out the rest of their timelines. My comment was regarding those who have been posting.

For me, I will say, it is very frustrating to not be able to do anything but sit here and wait, while I see people getting their visas approved, their flights booked, getting married and moving on to AOS. Prayers and vibes are welcome, but thanks to everyone who I know is still crossing fingers for us.

All our prayers and good vibes for you, Sparkle, we haven't forgotten you and can imagine how frustrating it is. May things start to move soon!

Thanks! It's been a long time coming.

Congrats, tattoocpa, you're on your way!!

We got it!! Finally!! He is arriving Monday morning

Great to hear, Rebecca, congratulations!!

After almost 8 long months. Exactly 241 days from NOA1.

FINALLY, PETITION APPROVED!!!

I would like to thank everybody for all the encouragement and advice.

To Katiuska, Thank you so much, I emailed them last night. I got approved today.

Me and my fiance is so happy!

Wow, great news you guys - congratulations!!!

Congratulations!!! I'm headed to Manila early tomorrow morning to hopefully bring my Baby back here with me. Wish us luck. Again, Congrats Zhivago!

Thanks, Tattocpa! Have a great trip and lots of good luck!!!

Good luck, tattoocpa!

@zhivago: Congrats!

Thank you, Frontgear, and good luck to you guys too!

Wow! I am sorry you guys had such a hardship getting home(( Diana gets here next week, really excited! She flies in through Houston and then to Dallas.. Shouldnt be any problems I would think. JFK is way more crowded than International Airport of Houston. Congratulations Zhivago!!

Thanks, Foxxy!! Yeah, it was a trip, but my fiancée thought it was "cool", not even wanting to stay over in a hotel because she wanted to get home as soon as possible!! So, we have another "war story" to share. : ) You guys must be really excited too, and that's great that she is flying in through Houston. JFK of course was a zoo, but also very interesting to see people arriving from all over the world. I'm really glad I flew down to help her at the POE, especially because of the flight cancellations, and it can be confusing to go from the international terminal to the domestic terminals if you don't know the airport. Anyway, have a great re-union!!

Best thoughts and wishes to everyone still waiting - your day will come!

A wild ride, but we did it!!! (whew!) My fiancée arrived yesterday at JFK - such a happy reunion after waiting over a year to be together!!! Because of many flight cancellations due to strong storms in the northeast, there was a big back-up of visa entrants at Customs and Border Patrol - a 3 hour wait! Luckily an agent tracked her down for me after 2 hours, and let me know what was happening. Then our flight home was cancelled, we got as far as Boston in the wee hours, then spent the night in the baggage claim, waiting for the 6am bus north - another 2 hours travel. Then a taxi to go pick up my car at the airport, and finally the drive home! 50 hours in transit from Russia, my poor baby, but she is such a trooper! A struggle from the beginning of this process right till the end - we are exhausted, but very happy, and perhaps stronger for it all.

As to the embassy not giving a tracking number, that's not right! Moscow Embassy sent the visa Pony Express, though we lost 4 days because of the 4th of July holiday. But there definitely was a tracking number, as you guys should have. As to the change of status, we had our CEAC status go back and forth, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I'm sure you are close to receiving the visa.

Congrats, Rebecca!

Sparkle Pony, Chaeradaria and all others still waiting - I know everyone is keeping you in their thoughts and prayers. May you soon see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's easy to say, but it nevertheless is true - every day that passes is bringing you closer.

Well, I was going to wait until Friday but decided not to. I just emailed my Congressman with the full story and privacy release form. If I don't get a reply tomorrow I will follow up with a phone call

Great - keep at it!

I just booked my ticket to Manila to accompany Cecille. She's from the provinces and Manila's a big place. I've been through this rodeo before, so I'm going to help her maneuver through the process including going to the interview with her. Can't wait to see my Sweetie and, if all goes well, bring her back with me. (Fingers Crossed)

Good luck!

I just booked my ticket to Manila to accompany Cecille. She's from the provinces and Manila's a big place. I've been through this rodeo before, so I'm going to help her maneuver through the process including going to the interview with her. Can't wait to see my Sweetie and, if all goes well, bring her back with me. (Fingers Crossed)

Good luck!

Of course I am stressing a lot.. Even people interviewed the same day or after my fiance and also were missing papers have already received their visas after turning them in. He has missed my 30th birthday, two parties (not including my non-existent one), the fourth of July and might miss meeting my grandmother who is in bad condition and is on borrowed time. What is taking so long? How long does it take to review three missing criminal history check boxes that all say no? UGH!

If it goes on beyond this week I am going to ask my congressman to contact them. I don't expect much but it's worth trying.

Not to mention all the VJ people who have been interviewed/approved at Rio lately are ones who filed in April or February at the earliest.. Here we are waiting since November and they are taking their damn time.

Sorry to hear that! It's been over a month, so definitely contact your Congressman and/or Senator and ask them to intervene. I hope you will have a breakthrough soon!

WE ARE APPROVED !!!!!

Congrats !! : )

congratulations zhivago.

Thanks chaeradaria, still hoping yours will come soon, and to everybody else who is still waiting.

A note on AP (adminstrative processing). This can evidently take a while in some embassies, which made me nervous when I saw it again on the CEAC site, especially last night! My fiancée was told at the end of her interview that she would receive the visa in 7 days, so I wondered what the delay was and why we were again in AP, but this might be "pro forma", at least for Moscow. In both cases when we were updated to AP, it luckily was just a quick transition to the next step, as you can see below. If you are in AP, I hope you will soon move through it onto your next step. Don't give up hope!

Congrats Zhivago!

Thanks H&U! May things go quickly now through NVC for you!

Congrats to you both, zhivago!

Thanks, frontgear, and best of luck to you both!

Congrats on the approval!!!

You'll see, with my endless waiting, I'll be the last one of the November filers to move to the US. *sigh*

Thanks!! It took a long time for us to be together, even before the petition, being unjustly denied a tourist visa to even visit the US (nearly impossible for Russian women), etc., so we have had to overcome a lot of obstacles as well. I know it must be really frustrating, so unfair, but I do hope good things will happen for you sooner than you think - prayers and fingers crossed!!

PS - For those who have to travel to Moscow, the Narodnaya (People's) Hostel is very close to the Embassy which is also on Novinskiy Bulvar, just a few minutes' walk from there. Several out-of-town fiancées recommended it on another forum; it seems pretty nice, with a friendly staff and reasonable rates. It is also convenient to Noviy Arbat.

Nearly 8 months since our petition was filed, but we are APPROVED !!! (whew!)

Info for other Russian filers: My fiancée said that the embassy staff were friendly, and that the interview was a pleasant experience. She first waited about a half hour to give her documents to the secretary, then about an hour to wait for the interview. The interview itself was about 10 minutes and went very smoothly. (Oh, as has been noted, bring a sweater or jacket, since it evidently can get pretty cold inside the building.)

She had her medical exam on Tuesday, we took a chance on booking the embassy interview on Wednesday since there were no available slots today (Thursday), and luckily she got the medical results in time for the interview. She had the earliest appointment at the IOM (medical administration for immigrants), but it was very busy, people went out of turn until the staff started to call people in turn, so she lost time there. The exam at Romanov Pereulok took a long time too, so just be aware that it might be best to allow a day to get the medical results if you want a decision at the time of the interview. Also, it pays to get the certificate of vaccines from the IOM, otherwise it will be a hassle to complete in the US.

Heart and thoughts go out to everyone still waiting. When we were waiting, it was hard to believe we would ever do anything else, but your time will come. I know the military used to force a "cooling off period" by stalling approval for foreign brides, to try to dissuade young soldiers from precipitous marriages. I don't know if that's the case here, but keep the romance alive, and you will make it through. Thanks to everyone for their support, and God bless!

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I've been on - got a little down, seeing everyone get stuff handled while we're still in this waiting game... Our case is sitting at the Embassy while the court handles my custody situation. I've had to ask for an extension of the I-129F petition already, and we've received the basic 4 month period. Just hoping I won't have to ask for another 4months!

I'll back read tomorrow and catch up on everyone, but wanted to pop on and say hi.

Hi SparklePony,

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, and hope that everything will be handled well before the 4 months. I'm sure it's frustrating, and understandable to feel down at times, but I know your positive attitude will win out and see you through this time.

For other filers, sorry to hear about the terrible appointment difficulties which must really strain one's patience. Perhaps the monitoring system of the website that was mentioned is a good idea to be alerted to openings as soon as possible. Taking any causative action one can is better than waiting.

Congratulations to the new NOA2s and I hope more will soon follow! Finally we have our interview date of July 2! Unbelievable, since when we started the process, we thought it would be some time in April. Oh well, I know we shouldn't complain too much! We wanted the appointment this week, but by the time the administrative processing was done and we got the ok to interview from the Embassy, the medical clinic only had July 1 open. A lot of scrambling to book the flight, hotel, etc. during these summer months (whew!), but we got it done. Wish my brave girl would not have to travel 12 hours each way for the interview, but we're prepared and at least she'll have this week to rest a bit. Prayers and fingers crossed, for us and for everyone else still waiting to get out of purgatory! Courage - it will happen! : )

Just wanted to let everyone know that Diana had her interview earlier today and was approved!! We are very excited!

We wish everyone who is still waiting to interview much luck and haste in the rest of their journey))))

Congratulations to you both!!! That is really super news. We should be scheduling our appointment this evening. There was some glitch completing registration on the Embassy website last night, but hopefully it has been fixed today. Thoughts with those still waiting at various points of the process - may things move soon for you!

Hello everybody!

This morning we received Packet 4 from the Embassy in Paris, and my interview date is July 15th!

I'm so happy to be getting closer to the end of the process

I hope people still waiting will soon receive good news too, this forum has been such a great support during the past couple months

Félicitations !!!

Yesterday was my Fiance's birthday, tomorrow will be my birthday, and today June 4th, 2014 just one day shy of six months since NOA1 we received our NOA2 approval!!!!!!!!!! They did not email or text, we had to see the update on the USCIS website. I am so happy and my heart goes out to those of you still waiting. I hope that you have an answer soon.

Congratulations to you both, great news!!! What timing!!