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Kris Everett

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Posts posted by Kris Everett

  1. Thanks for your comments guys. If only i'd known i could apply for a SSN sooner, it would have helped a lot. Frustratingly i'll have to wait for it to come from my AOS application now as I have no time left on my i94. 

     

    Just as an update I had my secondary review interview today and it has all been approved - i did not need a SSN to get the AB60. Waiting on a letter which i can then take to DMV to sit my test and get the license. Incase anyone in the future needs to understand the secondary review process and it's timeline (as i could not find anything helpful online explaining the process properly) :- 

     

    1. Go to DMV with your passport, i94 and some proof of residency i.e bank statement, utility bill. Apply for AB60, they will take your picture and let you sit your written test there and then. 

    2. Wait 5 days and call the number provided by DMV - make sure they give you the correct number!

    3. The person on the phone will confirm your details and advise a letter will be sent to you in the post and can take up to 30 days (mine came in 2 weeks)

    4. Letter will provide you with a case number and a date, place and time for your secondary review interview. It will be in around a months time. 

    5. Call the number on the letter and ask for the person who has signed your letter. Ask them if you can please bring forward the interview. I did this and I was able to do mine the next day! 

    6. Sit the interview and bring the documents advised in your letter. Mine was a passport, driving license from the UK, a utility bill. I also brought my marriage certificate etc as well to be safe. 

    7. The officer will verify your documents there and then and you will get a letter in the post within 2 weeks which you can take to DMV showing you are qualified and can sit the driving test/get the license. 

     

    All in all it was actually not that bad despite reading forums online from people saying it had taken up to 6 months! You just need to be proactive with it. 

     

  2. Hi Guys, 

     

    Hoping someone can advise, please.

     

    I moved here (Long beach) back in September on a K1 Visa from the UK. As I'm sure many of you on here will agree the process for just about anything and everything is an absolute joke and they don't make it easy! We got married September 30th and i am currently waiting for my EAD/combo card to allow me to work and travel while I wait for the green card. 

     

    Anyways, I quickly realised that living in LA means you need a car to get anywhere and so looked into trying to get a car. It became a apparent that if i didn't want to pay $400 a month for car insurance with my international license, that i would need to get a CA driving license. 

     

    So, I woke up and went down to my local DMV at 7am to get in line. An hour or two later i eventually speak to someone, pay the fee and am told to go get my picture taken. They take my picture and I then proceed to take the written test which i pass right away. Once passing the test I got back in line, handed my paperwork over and said I would like to now book my practical driving test. The woman said that she could not process it and I needed to go back to speak to the original person. 

     

    I went back to the original person, who was not any nicer this time around. She said oh yes sorry you can't get a CA License because you don't have long enough on your I94, but you can get a ab 60. I said ok great, i'll go for that then! She said I needed to call the legal presence unit and then they will tell me what to do next. It will take about 90 days. Confused, but being from the UK and of the assumption people in government backed programmes know what they are talking about and are trained properly, i left and went home. 

     

    The next day i call the legal presence unit and speak to another rude woman. She flat out refused to help me and said I had the wrong number and there was nothing she could do for me. I refused to let her hang up and explained to her that I am not from this country, i don't know the process and i am just following what I have been told to do. She eventually calmed down, understood where I was coming from and said go back to DMV and tell them to do their job properly and give you the right number to call. 

     

    Sure enough the next day, 7am again, i stroll over to the DMV. This time i meet with a different (but just as rude) employee. She said exactly the same thing as the last lady however this time i refused to leave until i spoke with a manager or someone who could actually tell me what the hell is going on. Eventually, another person sits down and advises i was given the incorrect number and I needed to call record security to verify my identity and documents. 

     

    The next day i call the number and speak to surprisingly a fairly nice and helpful chap. He told me that basically because my I-94 was due to expire in December, i needed to have an interview to confirm my documents before i could get the ab60. 

     

    Fast forward to today, I now have my letter confirming an appointment for secondary review on January 7th. 

     

    On googling more about secondary review and the interview i found this chat thread, which is now making me think i've been put on the completely wrong path once again? 

     

    Re what it says on their website, i have a UK passport and proof of address/residency however i do not have a SSN. I'm noticing that a lot of people on here are saying they had a SSN prior to receiving their EAD. I'm wondering how that is possible as from what i've researched i cannot get a SSN as being on a k1 visa i am not authorised to work etc. 

     

    Does anyone have any advice for me on if i need to take another trip down to the DMV and complain or if I do in fact need to go through secondary review as i don't have a SSN? If i do need to follow secondary review does anyone know how long it will take to actually get the license after i sit the interview?  

     

    Cheers

     

    Kris 

     

     

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