spasiba

18 minutes ago, Daisy.Chain said:

Tell them your address! (Of course you should always be honest). Among other things, this will help your paperwork be sebt to the correct address!

Thank you, that's what I'm thinking.  For some reason we were left to believe that changing the address would involve some form of payment and a long delay in the immigration status.. But from what I'm hearing it's not such a big deal to change the address?

@geowrian

That's helpful, thank you!

Hello,

I am a USC and my wife is on her way to getting a green card.  Our green card interview is in a couple days, and we are both preparing for that.

Here's the thing: our registered address is different than our current address.  My wife did not update the address because she heard that this could stretch out the process of receiving certain documents such as her work authorization card and travel permit.  We officially signed the lease for our CURRENT address March 1st of this year.  We have a good amount of relevant documents mailed to this current address, including our utility bills, recent pay stubs, etc.

We are deciding whether to be completely honest about having two addresses, or whether to not even mention the current address (although this may be unavoidable).  Any suggestions or advice helps, thank you!

Thank you guys, this is very helpful information, I am not good with bank stuff, but I think going to the a good credit union sounds like the best option to me.

Hi Everyone,

My partner is from Ukraine and I am a USC.  We got married about 9 months ago, filled/mailed our paperwork together (big thanks to this site for helping us with that), and since then my partner was given a work authorization card along with the permission to travel outside of the US (advance parole).  We are just waiting for our in-person interview.

The question I had was: how necessary is it to have a joint bank account?  We opened one a few months ago, but the bank requires us to have at least $1,500 in the account once my partner turns 24, and we are not in the position to comfortably meet that requirement, so we are planning to close the joint account.

Thanks for any help.

K and N

@sweetadams @Damara

So just to confirm, my parents don't need to fill out the I-864?  Just the I-864A?

What would happen if I send both forms completed?

Hi there,

My wife and I are in the process of filing for AOS.  I am the U.S. citizen and she is not.  I'm 25 years old and am technically a dependent for my parents financially.  Since I do not make the minimum income to be the sole Sponsor, my parents (who are listed in the same household as my wife and I) are helping out as joint sponsors.  My questions is:

Do they need to complete both the I-864 and I-864A?  And what is the main difference between the two?

Thank you so much.

@acyland

hey, thanks so much for that!  we'll keep it in mind

@Suss&Camm @Coco8
 

Do any of you know if I need a NY ID (i.e. driver's license) in order to get married in NYC and go through the interview process?  We both recently moved here and plan to continue living here.  I was born and raised in Virginia and was going to put my parents' address on the USCIS Forms but I was told that I should put a NY address in addition to obtaining a NY ID.  The lease at my current address is about to end and I am still searching for my next home in NYC.  I may actually end up moving in with my future spouse who has a more permanent address than mine.  

Thanks for all the help.

14 minutes ago, aleful said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

what is your legal status? are you a US Citizen? if so, it doesn't matter that her visa expires, overstay is forgiven for those who entered legally and are married to a USC. the first thing you have to do is get married, live together and start getting together proof of bona fide marriage. that your marriage is real

 

so you have time to get together the adjustment of status packet. the commitments are the same as yours, if she incurs in means tested benefits, the government could go after you to get the money back. if you don't have the money, then they would go after your father. you are the primary sponsor as the petitioner regardless of what income you make and must fill out the i864. your father would fill out another i864 as your joint sponsor

 

the commitment is until she becomes a USC, dies, decides to return to her country and abandons the GC, or works 40 quarters the commitments are in the instructions of the i864, please read the instructions

Thank you, this is very helpful.  I'm a USC.  How I'm interpreting your answer is that once we get married at City Hall she'll have some time to fill out the AOS applications and mail them to USCIS.  I hear it is better to send these forms as early as possible in order to increase our chances of her getting approved to become a USC.

16 hours ago, azblk said:

She is on OPT. It allows you 60 days to get your affairs in order and leave before you are out of status.

So does this mean she needs to leave the country after this 60-day period ends if the application is still pending?  We plan to submit the AOS applications to USCIS by August 19th.  Her visa expires the 11th and her EAD card expires the 28th.

2 hours ago, aleful said:

same as yours, and the amount depends on their household size

 

if the person is married, married, with dependent children, children or parents that are their dependents

 

you always will be the primary sponsor and will fill out an affidavit of support, regardless of what you make, you will need a joint sponsor

 

and be a USC or LPR

 

Thank you for the info

1 hour ago, CEE53147 said:

Any cosponsor needs to understand the commitment. I would not sponsor for anyone other than a child. Why will your father not assist you?

He hasn't met her yet.  He'll be visiting us on the 17th of August and her visa expires the 11th of August and her EAD card expires on the 28th of August (she is here via F1-OPT status).

Could you elaborate on the commitments of being a co sponsor?

Hello,

I was wondering what the requirements are for a co-sponsor in a marriage context.  My future spouse is a Ukrainian citizen and we are in the process of filling out the forms to send to USCIS.  I do not make the minimum salary of $19,662 so I am told I need a sponsor.  I was going to ask my father but he is still deciding and we do not have too much time since her visa is expiring soon.  Before we ask some close friends of ours to help, I just wanted to clarify what the minimum salary of a co-sponsor must be and other requirements in order for them to legally sponsor us.

Thank you!

K and N

13 hours ago, Coco8 said:

This is not accurate.

 

When you have an F1 visa, what matters is not the expiration of the F1 stamp on the passport but the date on the i-20. 

 

In this case, the i-20 was finalized because she graduated and is on OPT. If she has not been without work for more than 90 days during OPT, she has 60 day grace period after the expiration of the EAD card. Otherwise, she would have to leave by the date of the EAD card.

 

Technically, because students are admitted D/S (duration of stay) to the US, she would never accrue time so there would be no ban (someone posted the law in which you can find this information in another thread). However, it would be a violation of the visa not to follow the rules. 

 

That said, I recommend that you marry before her EAD expires or, if she has grace period, before that ends, and submit AOS. The issue here is that if you decide not to marry+AOS, she will be in violation of her visa and she could get into trouble to get another visa. Even though she would not have a ban, it would be a visa violation. Plenty of people on VJ say they are going to marry/AOS and then they don't, and the foreigner ends up in a really big mess. Some marry and not AOS, and then the foreigner is also in a mess.

 

 

 

12 hours ago, Suss&Camm said:

Thanks for correcting - Ok so admitted D/S will only accrue unlawful presence if a formal decision of overstay is made, but they would still be in violation of the visa - which carries the same consequences for future visa applications, if I understand correctly.

Apologies for any confusion.

Thank you guys so so much, I really appreciate the answers

- K and N

Hello all,

My partner is a Ukrainian citizen, currently residing in the U.S. legally through a F1-OPT visa.  Her visa expires August 11th of this year, however her EAD card allows her to work and live legally in the U.S. until August 28th.  We want to get married and have her apply for a green card (through Adjustment Of Status [AOS]) in order for her to stay and continue our relationship.  This is a recent decision and we want this process to be as smooth as possible without the help of a lawyer.  So that brings us here with some questions regarding the legal side of things.

We are hoping it is not too late to go through this process.  I hear there are lots of forms and documents to have prepared and mailed.

1. Is it necessary for USCIS to receive these forms before her visa expires or before her EAD card expires?  OR is she able to submit these forms during her 2-month grace period?

2. Does she have to get another kind of visa while she's waiting for her green card?  If yes, is it possible to do this in the U.S.?

3. If applying through AOS, do we have to fill out separate I-131 (permission to re-enter U.S.) or is this included?

4.  Do we need to go to city hall ASAP to go through the ceremony or do we have some time?

We are determined to make this marriage happen in time and appreciate any help from this community.

Thank you,

K and N