shawndoc

Received the EAD yesterday, 5/7/2009. So almost exactly one week from the status change to "Card production ordered" to receiving the actual card.

Now we can get her SS# changed and hopefully get her a state issued ID card. I'm hoping SS# + EAD will be enough proof for the California DMV that she's here legally. Anyone know for sure?

If you decide to have "just" a religious ceremony, be very careful about NOT mentioning anything about it during the K1 interview or putting photos from the event in with your evidence of relationship. If you do a search on here you will find a number of people who were not legally married, but the embassy interviewer still rejected it based on the fact a ceremony had been performed.

Its just going to cloud the issue and give the interviewer one more possible reason to reject your application.

Did you file? Or did you get an extension?

I thought if you were on K1 you didn't need to fill out the supplement, that all the information should be included in the brown packet you turned at POE. In some cases the paperwork is incomplete or lost and then you need to see the civil surgeon, but otherwise just file your AOS and see if they give you an RFE for additional paperwork.

With Rosetta Stone there's not Thai to English. There's just learn English. Or Learn "whatever language".

Its an immersion style learning. You can set it up to only teach speaking or to teach reading/writing as well. Level 1 is showing photos and speaking the names of the nouns in the photos. It than proceeds to identifying actions and getting the person speaking basic sentences.

Not sure if there's a free demo or not, but it works pretty good.

I'm so jealous you got the AOS approved without having to do the interview. Congrats!

Whoops. Just realized I was calculating Out of Status wrong. We were "out of status" for just over 90 days, not 180. I was calculating from arrival date by mistake. Whoops. So looks like we're good to go.

Sorry for this post reading weird. I actually posted 2 (now 3) messages in a row and it combined them. I don't see an edit button.

I just tried the online system again. Previously it wouldn't let me add our case. I just checked the status of the EAD document. It was changed yesterday to "Card production ordered".

So everything's moving forward. I see on the site says it can take up to 30 days for EAD to arrive. Anyone know in practice how long it usually takes?

I'd also like to suggest a laptop and Rosetta Stone English. The newest version is leaps and bounds above the previous versions. It is super configurable in setting up lesson plans, and teaches reading, listening and even helps with testing their accent (using a microphone and saying words in).

Ok. I think we were past 180 days when we filed our AOS. I'm too lazy to do the math, but it was close.

But since she now has AP, and has received her NOA1 for AOS, its ok for her to travel outside the country and come back. Correct?

Oh yea, she received her AP today. Still waiting on that EAD so we can changer her name of the SS card.

This is confusing...if you look at the document page 5 posted above and use the 2 right-most columns (one for ID and one for work permission), it looks like as long as you have a social security number, you can work (unless the Social Security cards issued to K-1 holders specify they can't work on them?)

That is exactly what they say.

Never been out of status, I could leave the US anytime now.

I've seen this mentioned before but I'm not sure what it is. What is "out of status" and how does one get "back in status"?

I'm now going to rush and get her added using her maiden name. Based on the timelines I wasn't expecting to have the interview until August/September and figured I'd have the EAD in May/June. My lease was set to expire in June, so I was just going to add her when I reupped. Plenty of time to add her with her married name, or so I thought.

I wanted to avoid the hassle of setting everything up, and then having to change everything again a few months later. I've already lost quite a bit of work time taking care of her paperwork and medical (Lots of dental work), and wasn't looking forward to asking for more time off to change her last name on everything (Going to the bank, DMV, etc).

Oh well. Probably one of the only times the USCIS doing something quicker than expected hasn't been met with 100% joy.

Filed March 9th. Got notice in the mail yesterday that our interview has been scheduled for June 5th in Santa Ana.

No word on EAD or AP. I hope we get the EAD soon, as the SS office won't let my wife change her name without it and I've been holding off adding her to my bank account, credit cards, etc until her new name is on her SS card. I previously tried to check status online and it wouldn't take any of our case numbers. I'll try again tonight.

In my understanding the petitioner need to include his photo in the G-325A aside from his spouse.

This is for AOS, the instructions for the I485 only request a G325A for the immigrant and photos of the immigrant. Unlike the original K1/K3 request, the immigrant is who is filing the I485, so technically they are both the petitioner and immigrant. Or at least that's my interpretation, and there's no mention of sending in a G325A or photos on the AOS guide for K1's on this site.

If I'm wrong, please point out where you're getting the information or what I've misread as I'm about to send in my AOS paperwork.

For the I765, it requests 2 photos and a copy of your I94. Since I am already submitting these documents to satisfy the requirements of the I485, do I have to submit a second set? (2 copies of I94 and a total of 4 color photos)

Anything extra I need to submit for the I131. My AOS package already includes a copy of the biographical page from her passport.

Hello every body,

yesterday i sent 2 passport size photos with my AOS package(i-485,g-325A,i-765,i-864,medical form and other supporting documents).my question is

1)is 2 passport size photos is enough with AOS package? if not than what should i do? should i wait for their reply or send more photos to them.

i think i did mistake . please help me members.

I think it is 4 for the beneficiary and 2 for the petitioner.

Which form requires 2 photos of the petitioner?

I know where Wat Thai is, but its about a good 1.5 hour drive. Anyone know of any Thai temples closer to Anaheim? I did a google search but couldn't find anything conclusive.

Anyone have any suggestions for an inexpensive online translation service? The embassy took her translated copy of her birth certificate and she didn't make a backup copy, thinking the embassy would just use her Thai birth certificate. I'd like to be able to scan her Thai BC, and upload to a translation service who will email back the translated document for AOS.

Hello, question you say get copy of i-94 card doesnt customs keep this card when you arrive? How do you get copy of that card? Does customs give you one extra?

thank you

We just did the SS# thing on Friday. All we needed was the SS# form and her Passport. Inside the passport is the visa and stapled to one of the pages was the "stub" from the I-94.

That was all they needed. They copied some info from both the Passport and the I-94 stub.

Rather than quoting handbooks or guides, let's quote the actual law:

INA: ACT 274A - UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS

Sec. 274A. [8 U.S.C. 1324a]

http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/OcahoMain/274a.pdf

(1) In general.-It is unlawful for a person or other entity-

(A) to hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an alien

knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien (as defined in subsection (h)(3)) with respect to such

employment, or

Seems pretty clear, so let's see what falls into subsection (h)(3):

(3) Definition of unauthorized alien.-As used in this section, the term "unauthorized alien"

means, with respect to the employment of an alien at a particular time, that the alien is not at

that time either (A) an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or (B) authorized to be

so employed by this Act or by the Attorney General.

Since the K1 visa is not a visa for "permanent residence", that makes K1 visa holders "unauthorized". Other than being a legal resident, the only other way to legally work is to be authorized by the act or by the Attorney General.

I can find nothing in the act that would grant K1 visa holders permission to work without EAD. So, unless someone can find something from the AG's office (Not the SSA) stating K1 visa holders are authorized to work without an EAD, than they can't work. (I would love for someone to find this)

Where did she work 2 years ago? Any idea what about it may have set them off?

I know this was a big fear when my fiancee did hers, and she works in hair/nail salons, and hadn't been keeping track exactly where she'd worked and most are out of business.

After we arrived, we went to the information dudes desk., He went through the info I had put together from their

sheet. Well, sheet, he took out the photos I added, divorce papers, house copy. Everything except the noa1's, copies of both our passports (signed) marriage cert. copy. They had my wife fill out a form which I had to sign twice. Then she filled out her fingerprint form. She then got fingerprinted, and then took her photo. Gave her a paper saying come back in 7 business days and pick it up. Also, there is no mailing service. They didnt hit us up for any cash either. The "clerks" were very helpful and not a problem. ran very smoth. ITs just it ended up being different than is on the sheet given or what others went though.

Weird experience. My fiance only brought her house registration, ID, and cover letter from the packet 3. There was nothing for me to sign (I wasn't there), and they mailed the final report to her at home via EMS.

Hello Everyone...

When you email the Bangkok embassy how long does it take to get a response?

Normally the next business day. Did you get the auto-reply? If you get the auto-reply, you won't get a response. Make sure you've got your formatting correctly, and use the visabkk2 email address.

This issue with Administrative reveiw has me worried. Isnt this where a Visa Lawyer should step in and find out exactly whats going on??

It doesn't matter if you have one. They can't do anything you can't do on your own. Occasionally getting a congressperson involved will help, but very rarely.