Darren&Laura

Thank you for that! I was sat here trying to work out how to reformat to standard text rather than proportional fonts and you beat me to it Thanks again.

Hey, v333k! It looks like your format doesn't look proper much ...

Let me do it again

I managed to get my affidavits done today, so off to mail the package in a few minutes. I've added my name to the list, I hope I did it properly.

California Service Center (1 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....

DARREN&LAURA..10/04/10..........--/--/10............--/--/10...........--/--/10....

Vermont Service Center (0 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....

YOUR NAME HERE.....--/--/10..........--/--/10............--/--/10...........--/--/10....

Yes, you can visit. I visited my partner three times in the USA, (for two weeks, six weeks and then three months), once my K1 process was underway. In fact, I was in the USA with her when we sent our I-129 package off originally too.

One thing I'm sure has probably been mentioned on the site is to take some documentation with you showing ties to the country you currently reside, (i.e. a letter from your employer stating you will return and the date, a letter from landlord stating you have a current lease, etc, recent household bills, mortgage statement), or whatever you can think of that shows you have ties to the country you are traveling from and will not over stay in the USA. This is only required if you get challenged by an official when entering the USA if your visa application is logged on their system. 999 times out of 1000 you won't be challenged but just to be safe....

Just be sure not to overstay as this would cause problems with your application.

Also, if the K1 isn't approved by February and you decide to get married while here on a tourist visa, you may create all sorts of problems -- you could be banned from the USA for visa fraud.

Good luck! Mine is ready to got out in the mail too .... next Saturday

Thanks, and good luck to you too. I guess this is the last major step we have to do for up to ten years, unless we wish to apply for citizenship sooner.

Once again VJ's guides made the process simple for this stage of my case. This really is a great site.

Hi everyone!

It feels strange being back on this forum after an extended absence where I didn't have to do anything!

But now I'm back, I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and evening getting my package for my I-751 together. I'll be ready to send it in a day or two, as soon as I can track down a friend of a friend who is a notary to sign the affidavits.

I hope to see some old faces again as the people I got to know in the K1 forums a couple of years ago return to this forum for their I-751 petition. Please say hi!

Here's the contents of the package I'm sending. I hope to have the package mailed tomorrow, (4th October). If I'm missing anything obvious, please let me know!

• Completed I-751 Form

• Copy of Permanent Resident card, (front and back)

• Copy of Social Security card, (front and back)

• Copy of US Employment Authorization card

• Copy of current US Drivers License

• Copy of passport, including copy of original K-1 Visa Insert and Entry Stamp.

• Check payment enclosed.

• Sworn affidavits by two U.S. citizens, attesting to our relationship and marriage

• Copies of the birth certificates and social security cards of the children born to Darren and Laura. (We’ve also included copies of Laura’s documents too.)

• Copy of our most recent joint tax return

• Copy of the title of our car, showing joint ownership.

• Copy of our vehicle insurance, showing both our names on a joint policy.

• Copies of several bank statements, showing a joint account held in both our names.

• Copy of a Health Insurance claim for Darren illustrating coverage for him on Laura’s account.

• Copies of household bills addressed to our home address in both names across the range of our marriage

• Copies of various property documents from when we bought our property together showing both our signatures relating to the property.

(Unfortunately Darren is not listed on the mortgage itself due to us buying the house while we were awaiting Darren’s adjustment of status to permanent resident after entering the country on a K-1 Visa. A lack of credit history and income in the United States may also have contributed to the financer’s decision. We tried several times with different companies subsequently to have Darren added to the title/mortgage without success.)

• Contained within the property documents is a copy of a check showing our joint bank account listed in both names.

• Copies of airline reservations/itineraries showing trips made together by Darren, Laura and their children.

• Copies of Christmas cards and other holiday cards addressed to us both, as well as other related items we feel may support our case

• Photographic evidence – various photos across the range of our marriage. Full details of each photo are written on the reverse side of the photos.

Well, after many, many months of not logging into VJ, I can empathize with the thread starters sentiments! I've just logged on to find out what I need to do next (granted I don't need to do anything for six months or so but I want to educate myself on the next steps), and got myself quickly confused and stressed. I think I'll make myself a cup of tea and come back to it in a few minutes.

Edit: Looks like I need to update my profile somewhat! Will do it now.

I had a similar issue here in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The lady at the SS office tried to send me away when I applied for my SSN a couple of weeks after entering the USA on my K1 visa but prior to getting married, telling me I could not apply. Thanks to VJ I came armed with a copy of their own regulations printed from their website and read the relevant section out loud to her. She then passed me to another lady who processed my application and my SSN card was delivered a week or so later.

Hi all,

I've just got back from Denver, Colorado after having my interview at 8:50 this morning.

I'M APPROVED and now a conditional permanent resident.

The lovely lady who interview Laura and I said she would be approving us later today and I should receive my green card within the next week or two.

NO MORE FILING AND PAPERWORK for nearly 2 years until I can lift my conditional status, then a further year until I can apply to become a citizen.

Best of luck to everyone else who is awaiting their interview, and congratulations to everyone who recently was approved.

Thanks so much to everyone on Visa Journey for providing us with so much help and assistance over the past 18 months that this whole process has taken. It's been invaluable and it's hard to comprehend that my personal visa journey is drawing to a close and now Laura and I can put all our energies into building our lives together. Anyway, gotta run I'm desparate to go and pick up my twin daughters who have been staying at my brother in laws since last night.

soooooooooo if you haven't gathered yet ... I'M APPROVED I wanted to shout and dance but kept my composure and hubby said wait at least til we're out of the parking lot

Oh and by the time I got home saw this:

Receipt Number: MSC**********

Application Type: I485 , APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: Card production ordered. On December 4, 2008, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register.

Absolutely fantastic news, a big congratulations to you both!!!

My interview is Monday morning and I'm snowed in here at the moment hoping the weather improves. It's currently -16 degrees Celsius or 3 degrees F, so no sign of the snow melting at the moment! It will no doubt be a slow 100 mile trip to Denver on Monday morning, (my interview is at 8:50 so I'll need to leave here by 6ish)

So long as you were married before your I-94 expired 99.9% of the time you won't have any problems with regard to staying in the country. However, if it is important to your emotional well-being to adjust status at this time then I believe you should be supported in every way and your needs should not be ignored by those closest to you. Perhaps you could sit down with your husband and explain to him that it is important to you that you apply and obtain a legal status as soon as possible as you feel that obtaining legal residency and eventually citizenship will help you to settle in the new country and able to "feel at home" and not stuck in limbo.

Hi,

I got my interview letter yesterday - my interview is scheduled for 8th December in Denver, Colorado.

Congratulations to everyone else who is progressing through the system.

All the best everyone,

Darren.

Ooh, just noticed several sites including this one http://www.britishdelights.com/ sell Hp Sauce!!!!! Wow, how I miss it!

Pataks Curry Paste too! I'll be in heaven!

All I need now is to find somewhere local that sells proper bread, (i.e. without corn syrup), and decent Danish bacon instead of the streaky stuff here and you'll have to winch my out of the house...

When I moved here I transfered most of my money from the UK to the USA using First Direct who were superb and offered me a commercial rate on par with xe.com to transfer my money over here with no charges other than a minimal cut from the middle rate of 0.01%.

However, I was banking upon the sale of my car in the UK to pay off a bank loan I have several payments left to make on that I took out in 2004. Unfortunately, the car needed a lot of work doing on it that I've had done and got a friend to sell it for me, but I am going to have a shortfall in my UK account to finish paying off the loan and need to transfer some money back to the UK from the USA to cover the monthly payments.

Can anyone recommend the best way to do this, without incurring excessive fees and ensuring I get the best possible exchange rate? I've seen the ads on TV for xoom.com, are they any good?

Thanks for helping.

Darren

Sorry for not updating earlier, I've got my EAD now - it was approved on 5th Sept, and I received the card on the 15th, (sent on the 10th)

All the best to everyone,

Darren.

P.S. Here's a video of Emma climbing the stairs. Charlotte hasn't quite worked it out yet, but Emma is everywhere. They were both 9 months old on 15th Sept. : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPIe4FY_B9E

Got my biometrics appointment letter in the post today - strangely it's scheduled for a Saturday - August 2nd. I didn't realize they operated weekends. It's 9am in Aurora, Denver CO, so it'll be an early start that day, we live in Wyoming.

As my wife has to continue working I'm kept busy by being a stay home dad with our seven month old twins. That takes up all my time bar a few minutes each day!

We've also just bought a bigger house and move within the next couple of weeks, (we complete the sale on July 31st), so I imagine any spare time will be taken up with home improvement projects thereafter.

Once things settle back down I'd like to do an online degree here to make myself more employable once I decide to return to work, (I've got enough money saved up to live off for a couple of years so aren't relying on Laura to fund me.) I've always worked for myself back in the UK, so am a little apprehensive about getting employed by someone over here in the USA, but a degree should help nonetheless.

As I flew from the UK and was only allowed a pathetically small carry on bag, I packed my X-Ray in my checked luggage and didn't have any issues. My hand luggage was already bulging full with all my immigration paperwork anyway, and I wouldn't have been allowed a storage tube for it on the plane with any other hand luggage. So far as I was aware, the X-Ray is pretty useless anyway after it's given back to you and is only of use to give to your new doctor in the USA for comparison purposes in the future should you want to.

We went to our local office 4 or 5 days after our wedding and got four official copies with no problems.

Don't worry if you can't file for AOS before your I-94 expires, so long as you got married within the 90 days of entry you can stay with no problems and apply for the AOS and new EAD at your leisure. However, you will not be able to work past the 90 day limit without a new EAD which you can apply for when you adjust status at no additional charge if filed at the same time as the I-485.

There's no pressure on you to find a job, this doesn't affect your AOS or EAD application at all as you will are sponsored by your partner and/or co-sponsor. So long as they are earning 125% above the poverty level and can fill out the affidavit of support you won't have any issue.

thanks but i didnt enter as a k1 holder...i entered as a visitor...so this is why im concerned about it

Sorry, . My mistake I thought you were on a K1, (must have had you confused with someone else I replied to.)

If you entered as a visitor and got married you may need to prove to the authorities that you did not commit visa fraud and had no intention of staying in the USA prior to your visit. Be prepared for this.

I have absolutely no experience in your circumstances so will leave it to someone else who is more aware of what would happen now. What I do know is that it is imperative that you contact USCSI prior to your Visa expiring otherwise you could be looking at a ban from reentering the USA.

thank you guys....one more question...do i have to get the noa for the aos before my visa expires? if i dont get my noa by then i have to leave us? thanks for your help so far....

Not at all. You'll be fine. I didn't even apply for AOS until a couple of weeks after my I-94 had expired - some people leave it many months or even years. There really is no rush to adjust status so long as you got married within 90 days of entering on your K1 visa, but applying sooner rather than later is always better so you can enjoy the full benefit of being a permanent resident sooner.

For a K3 you need EAD or greencard before getting an SSN.

A K1 can apply for SSN without EAD.

Yep, this is true unfortunately. Here's what the VJ guide says:

:: For K2, K3, K4 Visa Holders ::

As a holder of a K2, K3 or K4 visa you must first have an EAD from the USCIS. You will be required to

show this to the SSA agency to be eligible to receive a SSN.

To apply for a SSN you will need to go to your local SSA office and bring:

1.

The SS-5 form you downloaded and filled out (they have some at the office if you forget).

2.

Passport (with the K-2, K-3, or K-4 Visa in it)

3.

your valid I-94

4.

another form of valid ID (as defined in the SS-5 instructions)

5.

A valid EAD

Only persons age 12 and older must apply in person. A derivitive visa beneficiary (K2 for example) may

elect to have their parent (the K1 for example) apply on their behalf (they will still need all the required

documents). The SSA will most likely need to verify the validity of the EAD and will make a copy to send to the USCIS as part of the SSN processing. Once they verify the EAD you will receive your SSN card in the mail.

You can check on the status of your SSN application and/or often get the SSN in advance by returning in person to the SSA office. If you need your SSN before it arrives in the mail you may ask them for an SSA-7028, Notice to Third Party of Social Security Number Assignments, to be sent to your employer or other interested third party once a SSN has been assigned. Your card, when you receive it, will be marked with the words "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION" indicating to an employer that you must also have an unexpired EAD to be eligible to work.

Read here for the full guide: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=ssn

hi guys...me and my wife got married on july second 2008 and my visa expires on 15th of august. we are trying to put the packet of i130, aos, ead, and advanced parole together but we have a lot of doubts my questions are:

can i stay in us after my visa expires?

in the packets do i have to repeat the documents? ex: the all ask for passport types photos do i have to send photos for each or just one for all? same question for the other documents, birth certificates, i-94, passport copies, and g325a forms.

should i send my certified translation of my birth certificate or just a copy of the certified translation?

do i need to send my orginal birth certificate in my languague? in case affirmative do i have to send the original or just a copy?

how should i divide the sub-packets (ead, advanced parole, aos and i130) inside the envelop?

any other tips that you guys have for me would be great!

im worried about this... and i would appreciate help...because im running out of time and i dont want leave my wife behind...

thank you in advance

Tiago

can i stay in us after my visa expires?

Yes, you will legally be out of status, and possibly rarely could have removal procedings instigated against you, but this would be very unusual. A lot of people don't bother filing for AOS for a year or more after entering on a K1. Sooner rather than later would always be advised though.

in the packets do i have to repeat the documents? ex: the all ask for passport types photos do i have to send photos for each or just one for all? same question for the other documents, birth certificates, i-94, passport copies, and g325a forms.

I'm not 100% what you are asking here, but if duplicate forms/photos are asked for, treat every aspect and form in this process as a totally separate entity and supply whatever is asked for. Copies of documents are acceptable unless otherwise specified in the documentation.

should i send my certified translation of my birth certificate or just a copy of the certified translation?

Just send a copy, but take any originals with you to the interview.

do i need to send my orginal birth certificate in my languague? in case affirmative do i have to send the original or just a copy?

Again, you will require an English translated original at the interview stage along with an original birth certificate in your native language, but copies of both the translated birth certificate and a copy of your birth certificate will suffice for the application.

how should i divide the sub-packets (ead, advanced parole, aos and i130) inside the envelop?

I just folded a piece of bright orange card around every different sub-packet and printed on it what the application was for, then secured it in place with two paperclips.

Hope this helps.

Darren.

Hi,

I just called and left a voice mail for Dr Arnold Texas.

I also tried contacting few civil surgeons in my area..and everyone wants to charge atleast 150$ and up.

One of them said she HAS to do another complete physical on me when i kept telling her that.

Most of them are insisting on a physical..and I have been telling them that i already got that done just a month abck for

my k1 visa purpose.

Has anyone done all this in and around Chicago for a lesser and decent amount of money.

PLEASEEEEEEEEE let me know.That will save me some money and trauma!really!

Thanks

What country did you come from to the USA? If it's the UK, there's a strong possibility you will be approved without filling an I-693 at all so long as you send in the vaccination supplement with your I-485 package that you should have been given at the medical.

Thanks for the input and advice. Maybe I'm just finding everything to seem really overwhelming when I don't need to. Ugghhh. You know finding the right partner is hard enough in this life, being together should be the easy thing.

Sounds like those who chose a lawyer haven't really found it to be advantageous. I guess I'll start to the process and if I feel I can't get it done, go with a lawyer.

Thanks again everyone and best of luck.

-Mark

Mark,

I know how you are feeling, at the start of this process I didn't have a clue what to do and the USCIS website isn't a great deal of help in making you feel confident that you are doing everything required. However, VJ is an amazing site that made every aspect of the process simple - literally just ticking off each section on the guides until an assembled package was constructed. I am so pleased that I stumbled across this site prior to starting the process, it really made things so much easier. As someone said above, please check out the guides and familiarize yourself with what is required before you hire anyone, the more times you read it I'm sure the less complicated it will seem.

Unless you have special circumstances, i.e have overstayed in the past, have a criminal record, etc. then VJ is all you need. I know it can seem daunting at first as it's a long, convoluted process, but it's well worth doing it yourself if you can to ensure everything is done properly and error free and as quickly as possible. As people's experience in this thread shows, a lawyer can slow things down, and definitely does not expedite the process as you would have to provide the information required anyway. So long as your case is straightforward I'd save the money you would otherwise allocate to an attorney and put it towards a fantastic honeymoon once you marry your partner.

If there's anything you are unsure about, please ask questions on here. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and future.

Darren