KozmicBlues

Here's what my husband does while waiting for his EAD (4 months pending): 

1) Play lots of video games

2) Watch lots of Netflix, Youtube, etc.

3) Cook your wife delicious Indian food

4) Play with the dogs/take them on walks

5) Read lots of books

6) Sleep....a lot

In all seriousness, maybe you can volunteer as long as it's not considered work. If money isn't an issue then you can also look into taking some courses at a local college. It's gonna be boring and frustrating, so just try to enjoy it while it lasts - cus' it's not often that someone gets to have a 4-6 month forced break from working!  

I'm not sure, but it seems like it. The one my husband received with his K1 interview has a checkbox checked that says: "US vaccination requirements COMPLETE"

So happy to see EAD approvals happening!!! Our received date is Apr 23 (I think) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will see an approval next month! The other night I had a dream that after 6 months of waiting we received a letter saying we filled out the wrong form and had to re-do the entire thing - I woke up in a panic and almost went in the middle of the night to check the copies of what I sent!  

On 8/14/2018 at 11:24 AM, pajobra said:

Yes he does have FMLA but he had already used up all those days this year. He had lost track and had been sick for like two weeks straight.  Thus the written warning.  Luckily he has a great lead right now to teach English online to Chinese kids from a reputable company. I also have a friend that does tech support for Apple from home that told me she could find out if they are hiring and get him in for that too. Right now he just wants to have a low stress part-time job.  I make enough to support us both so I am not worried about AOS or ROC due to that and a couple of his friends said they would be a joint sponsor if we needed because they adore me too. LOL

 

The reason is because they are teaching us so much information in such a short time that if we miss a day we would miss a huge part of our job. Luckily I am very healthy and I did talk to the supervisor of our training division and she told me that they would work it out if they had to with me due to the fact that they want me there. So I am not worried. I only have 5 more weeks now though and after that I can take time off if needed although they do not particularly like that until you graduate from the academy. I am working on good attendance because we get a raise after academy and we move to the floor on a team then. Its 3.5% raise and I am already paid well plus I get 10% differential pay from 7pm-10pm so that is nice.

ah ok that makes sense! Well his health is absolutely most important so it's great that you guys have made this decision. Good luck with the rest of your training - I'm sure you will do great!!  

On 8/12/2018 at 6:14 AM, pajobra said:

Actually it was because he got a written warning for having to be off due to his illness so much. That is his third warning and next would be firing. If he got fired he would have a hard time getting a job. That is the way it is around here. So we decided as a couple that until his illness is more under control it would be best for him to just give his two weeks. Part of his illness is impacted by the stress of his current position. They were very sad to be losing him as he has been a dedicated employee for nearly 8 years. He also has received many awards. However, they understood why he did it and told him if he gets his health back under control to apply again as they would definitely hire him. It is just the way they have to handle everything.

My position is likely ok because this company is very hard to get fired from due to the fact they invest so much time in you before you actually make it to the job part. I did talk to the supervisor who oversees the training and academy portions before we are moved to a permanent team. She said that they would work something out if I needed to and that I only have 5 weeks left of I must be there every day anyway. After that I can take time off if I would like to. Once I am on a permanent team though I can submit make up time if I have to miss a day due to my interview so that is wonderful. I really really like it there so far and that is only after two weeks of training. Our trainers say the next 5 weeks will be a blur due to it becoming more intense now. The manager of the trainers came and sat in on our class last Friday because she could not believe that our trainers were not having any problems with us. We have no sleepers, no on the phone constantly, no whiners etc. She and another of their trainers  were sitting in while we did call role plays and both said that we all sounded like tenured reps. They have 5 classes being trained right now. They are currently hiring 500 more people and have plans to hire another 1000 next year in our location. Business is booming and they pay extremely well. My trainers already pulled me aside and told me that they feel after my first required year on the phones that I should apply for a training internship, or a processing internship or an IT internship as I have already proven myself very capable. We get recognition for helping out fellow trainees and I got a couple kudos bucks for helping others with learning the system. Computers and software are passions of mine. We can use kudos bucks for the raffle drawings they hold every winter and spring. You can put in to win things like gift cards, small appliances etc. My husband has won us lots of fun things including an omaha steak package.

I also still volunteer at the library once a week. The lady who heads up the Amazon online store for the library told me that she was so happy I was staying on despite my now full-time job. She said she would hate to lose me as I am such a valuable member to their team. I volunteer every Thursday morning for two hours.  It is nice to be appreciated.

Completely understandable that you guys came to that decision. Your husband is very lucky to have you to take care of him and support him without hesitation! But doesn't the company offer FMLA or something? I don't know much about worker's rights (however ignorant that may be), but it seems like a HR nightmare to be firing someone because they missed work due to ILLNESS. This makes me insanely grateful for the company I work for - even you as a spouse would be entitled to FMLA so you can take off work as needed with no consequences to care for your family member in need (dr. appts, etc.). And what is this 90 day period of no days off you guys speak of?! I can't even fathom such a thing, but then again, I get like 2 months of PTO per year so I'm beyond spoiled in that regard.

Anyway, wishing you all the best! Sounds like it's a really great job with lots of potential for advancing! Congrats!  

On 8/9/2018 at 11:29 AM, BRENTWOOD said:

Thank you for your well thought out response I reallly appreciate it! Especially talking to an arizona native haha you are definitely the expert here!

I don't know what it is about Cali but I just can't be sucked into it. It feels just exhausting the life people are living just to stay above water. I can't imagine having kids here and adding that cost into it. I want to have a family in the near future and California just makes it seems like the small normal dreams I want are unachievable and I just don't like that! Yes brutally hot so make sure to have A/C and stay out of peak heat times... for sure especially I'm from Canada haha so either deal with snow or extreme heat  I am just pretty lost and since I'm new to the US it feels like there are a million options, I just want somewhere that we can live out our dreams a little easier......

Do you think it is a good place to start a family? or start out a life as a new married couple? I feel the pros outweigh the cons in arizona whereas cali the cons seem to outweigh the pros, people suffer for the perfect weather every day I guess haha I will admit the weather is perfect here can't complain about that but my dreams are more important than the weather!

Thanks for your advice! 

I think AZ is a fine place to start a family and start out as a new married couple. Really it just depends on what you make of it. There are many different types of neighborhoods across Phoenix - more family friendly ones in the suburbs and then more vibrant, entertainment friendly ones in the city. Dependent on your political views and general morals, AZ can be frustrating as its a pretty 'conservative' red state. Personally, I try to stay positive and keep my hopes up that it will change some day. It's the biggest downside of AZ for me, but you experience it less in the city areas where there is more diversity and cultural views. 

Anyway, I read your newer posts and 2 weeks seems like an impossible amount of time to move anywhere let alone across the country!! Unless money is no object and you guys have thousands of dollars to spends on moving, staying in a hotel or short-term rental while finding a permanent place to live, etc. I've also been to Chicago and it's amazing, but it's also expensive and has its own pros/cons. I don't think either place is a BAD choice - just make a decision and commit to it. And who knows, it may end up being a good thing that you didn't have time to overthink it or change your mind  

Just now, BRENTWOOD said:

That is very tempting........ seems like the life in California is just a hamster wheel no one can get ahead even with TWO jobs and I can't have a job obviously so it is just frustrating watching everyone doggy paddle to just make ends meet. Just an adjustment but I don't think I want to stick around for it.

yea, exactly! Now I'm sure the wages are probably less on average here as well, but I imagine the cost of living difference alone would still make a significant impact. 

3 minutes ago, KozmicBlues said:

Arizona native here. It's definitely got its perks in terms of affordability compared to other places, esp. the bay area. Property costs have been rising a lot here over the past few years, but nothing compared to what you're paying now. Rent is average around $1000 for a great apartment or older/small houses, depending on the area. My mom is from San Diego and moved back once us kids were older, so Cali is like my 2nd home, but I personally have never had the desire to move to Cali so I don't think it's crazy to consider moving out of Cali. 

 

The main negative is that it's brutally hot at least 3-4 months out of the year, but the good weather months are amazing. Also, metro phoenix is super spread out so good public transit is basically nonexistent, unless you live in downtown phoenix - but no matter what you need a car to get around everywhere. A lot of people who live in AZ hate on living in AZ, but I've been all over the country and I appreciate AZ a lot more now than I used to. Sure, there are better places to live, but AZ is definitely not a bad place to live - so long as you can put up with a few 120 degree days  

 

Since it's so close to Cali I would recommend visiting to get a feel for it, unless you already have. I can answer any other questions you might have, but I can't really think of a reason to tell you NOT to move to AZ. Just comes down to what is best for you and your husband.

Oh and I'm sure 300K would get you a great house - I'm currently living in a 1200 sq. ft home (4 bedrooms, 2 baths) in a great suburb neighborhood and the zillow estimate is $180K - so that gives you an idea of what you can get here. 

Arizona native here. It's definitely got its perks in terms of affordability compared to other places, esp. the bay area. Property costs have been rising a lot here over the past few years, but nothing compared to what you're paying now. Rent is average around $1000 for a great apartment or older/small houses, depending on the area. My mom is from San Diego and moved back once us kids were older, so Cali is like my 2nd home, but I personally have never had the desire to move to Cali so I don't think it's crazy to consider moving out of Cali. 

The main negative is that it's brutally hot at least 3-4 months out of the year, but the good weather months are amazing. Also, metro phoenix is super spread out so good public transit is basically nonexistent, unless you live in downtown phoenix - but no matter what you need a car to get around everywhere. A lot of people who live in AZ hate on living in AZ, but I've been all over the country and I appreciate AZ a lot more now than I used to. Sure, there are better places to live, but AZ is definitely not a bad place to live - so long as you can put up with a few 120 degree days  

Since it's so close to Cali I would recommend visiting to get a feel for it, unless you already have. I can answer any other questions you might have, but I can't really think of a reason to tell you NOT to move to AZ. Just comes down to what is best for you and your husband.

I'm waiting on the Phoenix office, but for EAD/AP. We're going on 4 months of waiting and I really hope the EAD comes soon! 😡

I don't have any relate-able advice (my husband is only 1.5 years younger than me), so all I can say is to be 100% genuine. If you guys truly are in love and doing this for the right reasons then you have to stay positive and trust that everything will be fine. Be confident with your answers and take lots of photos of you guys together. 

Be prepared for questions like:

Has she been to India or only you to the US? Has she met your family? How do they feel about your relationship? Is she also Indian or is it interracial as well? Are you same religion? Think of all the things, besides age, that could come across as suspect to a CO and make sure you have solid, confident responses. Be prepared for them to ask you tough questions, including if you ever want kids because they will see her as non-childbearing age. 

My husband (then fiance) also met through work and were best friends for several years before making our relationship official. I think that will benefit you guys, but you already know that you have a big obstacle to overcome with the age gap. Don't go into the interview feeling like the decision is the end all be all because that puts too much pressure on you which will make you nervous. Just stay positive and hope for the best. If it doesn't work out, apply for the spouse visa and then if all else fails have her move to India so you can be together. As tough as it is, a K1 denial (should it happen), does not mean a relationship is over - if it is then the relationship wasn't genuine in the first place.  

All the best!!!

UGH this process is so frustrating!! I can't believe it takes this long to give a person who is in the country legally the temporary authorization to work. What benefit does it do for the country to have people just sitting around when they could be adding to the economy!? My husband is being so patient, but I am going crazy. I try not to talk to him about it much because it's not his fault he can't work, but having 100% of the financial burden on just me is so stressful. How do you guys deal with it??? I make plenty of money to support us, but I've definitely had to sacrifice a lot (which I would do my entire life if I had to, don't get me wrong). Sometimes it just feels so overwhelming to know that everything relies on you. 

I keep coming back to this forum hoping to see other April filers getting their EAD approved, but seems like there still is no movement. We also had filed an expedite request, but the job offer he was supposed to get fell through because he didn't have the EAD (how freakin' ironic, right). So now I'm worried that requesting the expedite just screwed things up even more - we sent a fax response asking them to disregard the expedite request and just process it normally but who knows if it's been properly handled or not.

And the worst part of all, my husband's grandpa passed away last week. He was devastated and felt so guilty that he couldn't go home to be with his family because he doesn't have AP. It made me sick knowing that him being here in this country to be with me kept him away from being there for his family when they needed him. 

Anyway, no real point of this post. Just felt like venting to people who can relate to what I'm going through!

12 minutes ago, Jr, Iris & Jay said:

Has anyone attempted to try and find a job out here in order to expedite their EAD/AP?

 

I am not sure if this is a risk worth taking, considering how long I have already waited.

We tried it, but it's a tough situation because most jobs won't consider you without authorization to work and they won't expedite EAD without a job offer letter. So how do you get a job offer with no EAD? We requested an expedite and they sent an email asking for additional evidence (proof of financial hardship, job offer, etc). So my husband started inquiring with some small restaurants and such, but most people have already asked about the work authorization. We're struggling a bit for sure, but definitely not in financial hardship so I'm not going to submit anything based on those grounds. Now I'm realizing it wasn't such a great idea to request an expedite and I'm more worried that asking for an expedite took it out of the normal processing. So I just hope the EAD/AP gets processed in general. LOL. 

21 hours ago, Heather&Kevin said:

Hi!   Hope you can help...

 

I am a British ex-pat, married to a US Citizen, living in Vegas.  

I have a Greencard thru marriage - two years are up on Dec 12th and I'm aware I can apply for Conditions To Be Removed 90 days before (mid Sep) using I-751.  And it will take maybe 4-12 months for that process. 

After that I can apply to become a citizen using N-400 and that will take maybe 6-12 months.

 

My wife is being offered a job in San Diego.

As housing and other costs are so high in San Diego we are wondering if we can live in Tijuana.

I thought initially that would invalidate my Green Card - but I read about 'Commuter Status' from Mexico and Canada.

 

1. Any idea if this status can be used BEFORE conditions are removed?  or only AFTER conditions are removed?

2. I see that I have to have a certain amount of employment in the USA (and not just work from home in Mexico) to retain my Green Card - any idea how much work would be needed to keep my status? Would teaching a few hour-long classes each week in the US be enough?

3. Anything else I should think about in terms of my Greencard - journey to citizen etc?

 

We are leaning towards DO NOT DO IT! - but I have to check everything before we put the idea on hold and just pay the $price of San Diego 

 

I assume once a citizen - and I have the US passport - that we can live anywhere on earth we choose and just come and go to the US when we like?

If that is the case then maybe just worth toughing it out until I get the passport and then we could move to Tijuana no problem?

 

Ok - hope that's enough clear info without going OTT.   Please be advised that everything else is perfect - marriage is super strong - we have no criminal records! etc.  We also have no need to bring people to the US etc. or any of the other things that people often need to do.                                     Many thanks for you time!!!   Kevin & Heather.

 

Not sure about your specific question, but related to moving to San Diego - try looking at locations outside of central San Diego. La Mesa, Grossmont, El Cajon, etc. You can often find housing pricing comparable to other major cities. I live in Phoenix but my mom and dad are from SD so its my 2nd home. 

My mom has a nice 1-bedroom apartment in La Mesa for around $1200/month rent with ALL utilities included. It's only 20 minutes from central SD/beaches, and that price is not much more than what you can find here in PHX. If you go further out to El Cajon you can find even more affordable. Also there are some cities further out (i.e; Temecula), depending on where your wife's job offer is and how far she is willing to drive, where you can find even more affordable housing. 

I know of a few people who commute back and forth between TJ and SD, but to my knowledge they are US citizens so I have no clue about the impact to green card holders. Good luck and I hope it works out for you guys to move because San Diego is great! 

5 minutes ago, mcromer said:

Hi friends! 

 

Just wondered if anyone has had experience with this: it is day 9 of working days since his interview, which he passed with no other information needed. Embassy told him he would have his passport back a week ago- online, there’s still no updates. Neither CEAC not the ustraveldocs site even recognises his passport, it says “no updates available”. 

 

What’s going on? Did he get stuck in AP for some reason? 

Doesn't seem too unusual...my husband's passport was returned in exactly one week so you are only a couple of days passed that. Not having any updates on the site is odd though since it usually says something like passport ready (I can't remember the exact language). But I think if you got sent to AP I think it would be updated to say so. 

Have you tried calling the UStraveldocs customer service line yet? I would give it another day or two before you get too concerned. You could also try sending an email on UStraveldocs as well. 

On 5/14/2018 at 1:53 PM, Amit M said:

@KozmicBlues thank you so much for your suggestion. There was nothing I was hiding but I definitely feel like clearing things up with her. I’ll try to find an email for the embassy but could you share the email for Delhi embassy and maybe I can reach out to them to further contact the Mumbai one? Please that’ll be really helpful. And can one reach out to embassy just like that regarding interview stuff? Can it be me or just us citizen? How to approach them?

Hey Amit...sorry for the delay. Had to track down the email cos' I couldn't remember where I kept it, but was able to find it in our old Whatsapp messages.

Here's the info I have:

email: infousdelhi@vfshelpline.com

phone: 91-11-2419-8062 (10am-12pm only)

and actually I googled the email address with mumbai in place of delhi and it seems its valid for mumbai embassy: infousmumbai@vfshelpline.com ... just google it and you will find tons of posts online with that email mentioned.

I'm not sure if there are any restrictions on who can reach out. My husband reached out, he is the Indian citizen, during the time his K1 was pending. He had to go for sputum medical testing and it caused delays, but then the process was getting moved to Mumbai so even though his case was at Delhi the system wasn't letting him schedule the interview at Delhi. They replied from that email he sent and told him to go to Delhi for the interview. Just make sure you give all the details about your case like case#, passport ID, etc. 

Seems like she got focused on the point which was confusing and then maybe became skeptical of the situation if she thought you were hiding/covering up anything about that trip. Even though it's not related specifically to your fiance/K1 visa, it could impact the decision if she felt you were not being honest. The approval is completely at their discretion. My husband didn't have any issues during his K1 interview in Delhi and we are also interracial couple. I don't think its that uncommon anymore in India and I haven't read anything recent where interracial couples have had any issues because of it. 

You could try contacting the embassy directly. We had to contact Delhi embassy directly because of issues with my husband's visa (medical delays, K1 process moved to Mumbai while it was pending) and they were responsive and helpful. See if you can find the email for Mumbai embassy and try sending your details with a request for status of what is needed/result of the interview. That's my only suggestion. Sorry and good luck!!

I used a western union money order for my I-129F and had no issues. 

On 4/25/2018 at 10:14 AM, AZSunshine78 said:

Anyone in AZ who has their biometrics appt yet?

 

was wondering where they send us to and if AZ was one of the states where we can do a walk in.

Hey! I'm in AZ also so wondering the same thing. We have a friend who is also filing for AOS, but it's employment-based not family/marriage based. He got their biometrics appt letter about 2-3 weeks after their NOA1 and went for the appointment last week. It was at a location in downtown Phoenix, not sure if there are any other locations in AZ. 

Hi everyone! I'm a new April filer. So glad I found this thread, had no idea there were threads for AOS progress. We filed AOS on 4/17, received date is 4/24 and notice date is 4/27 which I just finally got in the mail today. Hopefully the biometrics appt letter comes soon also. 

My husband is going crazy not being able to work, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we land closer to the 3 months approval time than the 5 months I've been reading its taking lately!! 

Anyone else in AZ have any experience with obtaining a state-issued ID/driver's license? We went to the MVD soon after he arrived on the K1 and he was able to get a state-issued ID but it was only valid until his i-194 expired, which was last week. So now we have to carry his passport with us all the time which I hate doing because I'm terrified of us losing it. I highly doubt the MVD will accept the NOA1 as any proof since it's not an approval notice, but wondering if its worth a try to go down to the office and see what they say. This time in-between K1 visa and EAD approval time period is so frustrating!! 

Hey everyone! I'm confused so maybe you guys can help me out. We sent the AOS package on 4/17 and received the e-notification of receipt with the case#s on 4/24. Still have not received a NOA1 notice in the mail. How long did it take you guys to get notification by mail? And what about the biometrics appointment letter, does that come automatically in the mail and how soon after receipt of the AOS package did you guys receive a biometrics appointment?

Others have mentioned that it was received by their local office but I have no idea how to know that. We're in Phoenix so my assumption is that it will be handled by the Phoenix office. 

57 minutes ago, meiliani said:

My uncle applied for Visa last month and was approved. I didn't give him I-134 but I gave him letter stating I will be responsible for his accommodation while in USA. I give my brother in law I-134 when he applied last year and got denied. He said the CO didn't even look at the I-134 form. What the officer wanted was proof of strong ties in Indonesia. I guess what I'm trying to say is I-134 is not necessary for tourist visa. You can fill it out and give it to your friend but if she can't proof a strong ties to India, she might get denied. 

Hope this is help.  

Thanks! Yeah I will definitely provide her a letter but may not even bother with the I-134 since it's not technically required. She has a steady job and family in India so hopefully she has enough to provide her strong ties to India, but if not there's nothing I can do about it. I always understood that and didn't think my financial support would change the outcome of any decision. I was just given the impression that it will help with proving that she has enough money to fund the trip.

Now I have a much better understanding and I appreciate everyone's responses!

2 hours ago, Muffinji said:

Thanks for the terminology correction. True. Not everyone gets approved Using the same method because everyone have different background and additional history that will be taken into account. 

 

Hopefully OP understands that there is no sponsorship for tourist visa. 

4 hours ago, NuestraUnion said:

Legally, there is no sponsorship for s visitor visa whether it is a relative or not. Financing a person's trip is not the same as sponsorship. The OP wanted to provide a legal document like the I-134 as a means to represent a legal way to support a person on a visitor visa. Like already said, there is no legal ground for a person, including a family member, for a person to sponsor a visitor visa.

 

The only thing that happened in your case is that you showed how your trip will be paid for. Technically, it wasn't a sponsor. It is just a misuse in terminology. And although, it worked out for your family, we see on a weekly bases people who try to use the same method for family and friends and get denied.

 

 

 

 

Thanks! Yeah I think the wrong use of words on my part added confusion. I 100% understand that by no means am I sponsoring her visa - that was never my intention and I know it's not possible. I just meant the financial support document such as the i-134 to supplement her application for a tourist visa. 

11 hours ago, CEE53147 said:

 

Unless you own the residence in which they will be staying, your landlord may limit the number of visitors and the length of time they may stay.  When we visited DS for a week (even though it was our first visit in his several uears of tenancy), he had to get special permission because the apartment complex limited visits to 2 overnights.  Cities too limit the occupancy of residences - even those occupied by the owner.

Makes sense, never even thought about that. Appreciate the info!