billsafari

Great!!!!! Thanks

After receiving the EAD card can one apply for a SS#?

My wife'sr EAD card just arrived in the mail. Does this mean she can apply for a SS#? The document that came with the card does not reference anything about SS#'s or getting a SS#. Thanks!

I received the NOA for the appointment 2/26. I received the NOA's for the I-485 and other petitions about 10 days after I overnighted the package to Chicago on 1/15. So far, I think everything is going pretty smooth. Knock on wood! I was somewhat suprised to receive the biometrics appointment so soon.

As a side note question. When one receives the biometric appointment does that mean we made it through the initial process RFE free? As always I send a very detailed/organized, idiot proof, easy read packet.

Thanks alot!!!!!

Does anyone have an estimate time frame of how long it takes to recieve the EAD after the biometrics? Do they send a SS card or an approval and then we go to the SS office and get a SS#. Also, is it mandatory for the spouse to be there for the appointment? Our appointment is on Good Friday and I make double time and a half that day. I would prefer not to miss the $$$!

Any insight would be appreciated.

You might as well file for all your interim benefits now. You're paying for them anyway. Plus they will physically be in the same packet with the underlying adjustment so there should be no confusion or time lost from a clerical perspective.

She gets her SS number the same way you did - by applying for it at your nearest SS office.

Can she apply for her SS# now?

Thanks for the clarification. I am sending the I-485, G-325A, I-131, I-864 and the I-765. From what I gather this 1010.00 dollars. I noticed on the forms guide the I-765 and the I-131 said "optional". Do I need to send all of the above mentioned forms out or is the the I-765 and I-131 too late now. Sorry if I seem clueless, I am!!!! I have been getting mixed anwsers and I just began this process!!!

The I-131 (Advance Parole - which is a travel authorization) and I-765 (EAD - Employment Authorization, allowing her to work) are both optional, but the fee for them is included in that $1010. Do you need to file either or both? No.

AP (Advance Parole)

If she has no plans to leave the country (and return to US) between now and the time her green card arrives, this (the I-131) is not necessary. If there is a plan to travel outside the country (before getting the Green Card), you will need to file this so she will be granted authorization to get back in the country.

Employment Authorization (EAD)

If she plans to work, this is an advisable form to submit. The process for this (EAD) takes around 90 days and will result in a EAD card which allows her to work in the US (and get a Driver's license in most states). The green card also allows work (and all the other benefits) but can take much longer than 90 days so it is up to you whether you feel it is necessary. (We did - as I imagine most do who want to work as soon as possible.) And again - you're paying for it so why not?

Check the Guides above - they're filled with good and accurate information.

Do I need to get her a SS# or does that come with the EAD???

Someone told me based on my timeline that my wife is accruing unlawful presence and is out of status. I called the USCIS and they told me as long as we are married within the 90 day period (we were, 10/26) and the paperwork is sent in before her visa expires (2/22/08) all is good. Will someone shed some light on this for me? And if she is out of status what does that mean for us and her AOS??? thanks

It is true that once the I-94 expires (and the marriage occurred within the 90 days) one is out of status until (and if) they file AOS which will bring the status to Pending (which is legal). Are you certain about the Feb.22, 2008 date? That is about 60 days longer than typical (which is 90 days from date-of-entry.)

The I-94 expired Nov. 29. we were married 10/26. Her actual K-1 visa doesnt expire until 2/22. Sorry for the mix up. So are we ok then? What does this out status do to her? Any potential problems??

The K1 was taken at the point of entry (POE) and is no longer in play so no, it is not 'good' until 2/22 - the I-94 stamped in her passport is what matters. (If you are thinking the K1 is valid for 6 months, it is, 6-months from date it was issued to come to the US - once in the US, the 90-day clock (of the I-94) started - you've fulfilled the marriage part - and became out-of-status Nov.29.)

What does it mean? Not too much - just that to the government she has no status - it is best for you guys to file AOS as soon as possible. There are many people who have waited a long time to file and have had no issues - I don't know what the exact issues are with being out-of-status - it's just not an ideal place to be for terribly long.

Thanks for the clarification. I am sending the I-485, G-325A, I-131, I-864 and the I-765. From what I gather this 1010.00 dollars. I noticed on the forms guide the I-765 and the I-131 said "optional". Do I need to send all of the above mentioned forms out or is the the I-765 and I-131 too late now. Sorry if I seem clueless, I am!!!! I have been getting mixed anwsers and I just began this process!!!

Someone told me based on my timeline that my wife is accruing unlawful presence and is out of status. I called the USCIS and they told me as long as we are married within the 90 day period (we were, 10/26) and the paperwork is sent in before her visa expires (2/22/08) all is good. Will someone shed some light on this for me? And if she is out of status what does that mean for us and her AOS??? thanks

It is true that once the I-94 expires (and the marriage occurred within the 90 days) one is out of status until (and if) they file AOS which will bring the status to Pending (which is legal). Are you certain about the Feb.22, 2008 date? That is about 60 days longer than typical (which is 90 days from date-of-entry.)

The I-94 expired Nov. 29. we were married 10/26. Her actual K-1 visa doesnt expire until 2/22. Sorry for the mix up. So are we ok then? What does this out status do to her? Any potential problems??

Someone told me based on my timeline that my wife is accruing unlawful presence and is out of status. I called the USCIS and they told me as long as we are married within the 90 day period (we were, 10/26) and the paperwork is sent in before her visa expires (2/22/08) all is good. Will someone shed some light on this for me? And if she is out of status what does that mean for us and her AOS??? thanks

We married Oct 26. We will send AOS docs out next week. !!!

I hope this helps someone!!! If someone as a questions let me know!! I feel like a weathered pro now!!!1 I am sooooooooooooooooo happy this part is over!!!!! Good luck all!!!!

Very helpful, thank you very much!

You should get your I-485 filed soon, from the timeline seems your wife is now out of status and accruing unlawful presence...

I know nothing about this part of the journey. I did call the USCIS and they said as long as we were married within 90 days and the paperwork is in by the time her visa expires(2/22/08) all is good. Any insight???? We will send the paperwork out Jan 15.

Thankfully, this is were I will seek my info now that my fiancee , now wife is home with me.

For starters, will someone please confirm for me the current docs I need are the I-131 , I-485, I-765, G-325A and the I-864? And the all these will be sent together to the Chicago lockbox (i live in florida)? And the total cost is $1010.00? thanks!!!!

Well we did it! Got back 8/31. Married 10/26. Sending her AOS papers next week. I took a break from the whole visajourney thing. Needed a break from all the forms, worrying, the whole visa process, everything. etc.!! I'll give a brief summary of our experience. Hope it relieves some nerves for the people in the process. I'll start from the NOA2 approval.

All in all so far, everything went as smooth as possible.

- I found out 5/22 that we got approved. I was leaving May 31 to Aug 31 to stay with her and hopefully we would come home together.

- Around 6/10 I found out by calling the NVC that our interview was 8/22. The Embassy website does not update every weeek like it claims. Call the visa center and they will tell you the interview date. As for Russia, apparently the NVC sets the interview date not the Embassy. I dont know about other countries. I knew the date before the embassy site was updated.

- For me, this 3 week gap of not knowing the interview date was the most trying. Looking at other timelines it looked like on average it took about 3 months from NOA2 to the interview. I had to leave Aug 31 regardless, so everyday was crucial. I had already changed my tickets from 5/14 to 8/14 hoping the extra 17 days was going to be just enough time to squeak in the interview in and allow a week for her to get her passport back. In addition, the seats on the return flight were filling fast so we took a gamble and bought her ticket before knowing the interview date. Needless to say, I was elated to find out the interview was Aug 22 (hmm, exactly 3 months, kind of spooky!). I was a litte nervous about only having 8 days to receive her passport. I believe DHL delivered her passport on Tuesday the 28th. We left friday.

For us the medical went smoother than I ever could of hoped.

- We went to the IOM in Moscow. We made our appointment and arrived an 1/2 hour before they opened. They let all the people with appointments in first. We got our documents then went to another location for the medical. Both sites were close to the Metro, not too far apart, very convienent. At the clininc she did 3 exams in 3 rooms. she got 3 vaccinations. It was all over in a little over an hour. I've read on other posts about girls getting naked or rude behvavior by the doctors. This was not the case at all for us, she was in a gown(had her underwear on) for 1 exam. A nurse was present the whole time, every thing was very professional. No problems at all.

- After the exams were complete we were told we could pick up the results at the 1st building at 3-30pm(same day, very convienent). We did. we were done in 15 minutes. The lady said all the results were good. We recieved a sealed envelope and her xrays. As you probably know, dont open the enevlope. You dont need to bring the xray with you to the interview. In addition you get the vaccine document, I dont know the form # off hand, but you will definitely need it along with the xray in the states.

The interiew: Piece of cake!!!!!!

- I went with her to the embassy. For all that think being there at the embassy will help. It wont. At least in my case. I sat outside for about 3.5 hours. They a different entrance for U.S. citizens on the end of the embassy.

- She was the last one in the embassy of 19 . She was 12th in line for the interview. The interview lasted about 4 minutes.

Heres the exact questions (in order) they asked. I'll give her answers

" How did you meet?" ---- "internet"

" How many times has your fiance been to Russia?" -----"3"

" Does your fiance know Russia?"---- "No" " Do you know english?"------ " Yes, a little"

" Were you married before? ----"Yes" "Your fiance?" ----"No"

" What kind of job do want in the USA?" ----"Teacher or translator"

" Do you have some pictures" ------" Yes"

She said the consulate was very nice. After she said "yes" to speaking english the consulate starting speaking english. My wife said he was extremely pleased she knew english and at this point immediately started stamping documents and told her "you will have your visa/passport in 1 week" "congradulations".

As a side note, I had about 80 pictures in a little mini-album. Of those 80, maybe 10 or 12 were of us together, the rest were of her mom, grandma, cats, summer house, etc. . She just brought the whole album instead of picking out pics of us only. I thought this was more natural. The consulate looked at everyone, asked questions, he even showed another consulate the pics of her cat. This took up about 3 of the 4 minutes of the interview. So my point is: bring lots of pics, it kills time and is more convincing as well as I think they liked the wide range of pics that a normal photo album would have.

So basically the interview was 4 to 5 minutes, 3 to 4 were looking at pictures and 1 minute was asking 9 questions. Piece of cake!!!!!

POE:

POE was JFK. It took about 45 minutes!! No hassles, no problems!!! Thay said, "congrads!, you have 90 days to marry"

We married Oct 26. We will send AOS docs out next week. !!!

I hope this helps someone!!! If someone as a questions let me know!! I feel like a weathered pro now!!!1 I am sooooooooooooooooo happy this part is over!!!!! Good luck all!!!!

Good luck!!!!!

We leave for Moscow tomorrow night for the friday morning exam at the IOM. I will post the experience on monday.

I think if we decide to move to Russia I will go the temporary & permanant residence route. There is no way I would give up my U.S citizenship.

Call the State Dept. 202-663-1225. They schedule the interview. You will know the interview date before the Embassy will. The embassy website does not update every week like they claim.

I have flown both. No problems with either. Delta probably has a better maintence schedule and the planes are just a tad cleaner. Both are part of the same Sky miles program so you can collect miles either way. I personally prefer Delta.

The State Dept. sets the interview date not the embassy(why I dont know). You can call 202-663-1225 to get your interview date. You will need your NVC case number. The Embassy website is supposed to update every monday at 8am (Moscow time) but it doesnt, at least when I was waiting for our date via the website it did not update for 2 weeks (updated on a wednesday). Good luck!!!

I lived in the US Virgin Islands( St. Croix) half of my life. A great place to vacation. St. Croix is the largest, and the most laid back. St. Thomas is a tourist zoo but it is right next to the beautiful island of St. John, plus the BVI's (British Virgin Isands) are very close by. Check out Virgin Gorda. If your there for New Years go to Yost Van #######. From what my friends have told me DR is not much fun, more or less a dump and it is not wise to leave the resort properties.

The embassy sends the packet(s) so I dont think that is possible. Also your petition can be at the CSC for a week or so until they have enough to send out to the NVC, not to mention your petition can be at the NVC for a week or for 2 months or longer. I wouldnt make any plans until everything is over.

I am aware of the risks living in Russia. Fortunetly Vladimir is a pretty quiet city with minimal crime. I certainly would not wire all my money to Russia, only as I need it. I am aware of the business practices here and would never open a business here or probably even get a job here. So far, my experience has been great with the Russian people. I have had no problems with any Russian that knew I was American. The experience your friend had was probably a isolated incident and could happen anywhere in the US. I personally think America is much more dangerous than Russia. Thanks for the advice!!

I like Russia and it's pace, especially Vladimir. I dont know if we would live here forever, but I would like to have a flat here and in the US so we can live back and forth at our leisure. Plus the dollar goes a long way in Russia, at least in Vladimir.

Hey guys and gals, I've been looking all over the internet and cant find the answers I am looking for. Maybe you guys can help. Heres our sitation. After we get the K-1 and enter the US we will marry within in a week and file the AOS paperwork. We are considering after 2 or 3 years moving to Vladimir. Heres my questions.

1. Can I (a foreigner) own property in Russia? (Flat or build a house)

2. Can I have a bank account in Russia? Is it difficult to wire money from a USA account to a Russian bank account?

3. Do I have to go to a Russian driving school to get a driver's license?

4. How will this affect the AOS and my girl's green card, citizenship process here in the USA?

In addition, if and when we move to Russia my income will be from trading stock/options/bonds in my online account.

5. Will I have to pay capital gains taxes in Russia along with my taxes in the US? I hope not!!

6. Will we need to marry in Russia also to get my temporary residences visa, then permenant residence?. (If anyone can shed some light on this whole subject and process it would be greatly apreciated.)

These are all the questions I have for the moment. I have searched the internet and found only outdated and conflicting info. All help is greatly appreciated. thanks!!!