P055UM

Stay strong. I hope you at least have EAD/AP?

Interesting to know. Thanks!

Out of curiosity, why this caveat? I have generally found CBP at pre-clearance (Dublin, specifically) to be more rigorous interviewers, and I’m wondering if this is your reasoning, or if there is something more concrete in CBP policies?

Ah, the fun of trying to navigate DMV websites. I see the 60 days you are referring to on the MN DMV website, but the DL for All fact sheet also contains the attached wording (30 days). So I guess my advice would be to go as soon as you have to documentation required to satisfy conditions. I didn’t see anything specific about SSN (definitely possible I missed it) in the DL for All wording, rather it all seems to be about legal presence. A warning: my experience in WI (admittedly not as liberal as MN) is that if you are eligible for an SSN (eg K1,CR1) you cannot get a DL without one, whereas others who are also here legally but aren’t eligible for SSN can just certify that fact and get the DL. Seems needlessly burdensome on those who are eligible, but those are the rules. Obviously a different state and all, but just trying to illustrate that sometimes the rules aren’t necessarily that intuitive.

Every single case is different. Even if the average wait were only a few months (it’s not), that is no guarantee that your wait will be close to the average. Some people in my AoS cohort waited well over a year, despite the average being well under.

Omg I had no idea. Thanks for this!

There’s a little from this discussion I had about a year ago. Also, perhaps it is different for you as you are self employed, but I applied to make voluntary NICs as an employed person last August. HMRC JUST replied to me this week. Hopefully I’ll get the reply in the mail this side of Christmas.

Pretty sure WEP only applies to benefits paid by the Social Security Administration. So this is not a consideration when comparing NI and 401k.

Ridiculous or not, in immigration terms it is a pretty low hurdle to have to clear.

Good luck!

Can’t emphasise enough how important that SSN may be for the DL. My state also allows you to get DL with no EAD/GC as a K-1 (AoS 797s are sufficient), but if you don’t get the SSN, there is no DL til EAD/GC. Fully agree that all K-1s should make getting SSN a priority. OP, heed @Mike E advice.

For three times a year I’d definitely say it’s worth it. Honestly, the last time I entered the US before GE, the line at immigration was approximately three hours long, and the first time after, I was through in five minutes. Two extremes, but even if I never used it again (which I will, but nvm) I still think it was worth $100 and a couple hours of PTO from work.

I mean I get some people don’t want a zoom marriage…but I’d argue it is far more stupid to arrange your entire immigration journey simply around the wedding day. CR1 clearly superior in this day and age (even if marriage is via Utah Zoom).

I’ll leave the link to the useful Twitter bot below. It makes finding an appointment pretty breezy. https://twitter.com/globalentrynow

I guess I never went back to update in that thread. My appointment got cancelled at very short notice but a I snapped up another one and got my GE approved. Used it this past Christmas and honestly went from the door of the plane to the door of the bus at O’Hare in less than 15 minutes. It was excellent.

I’m going with this. I swear there was another one of these stories around here in the last couple of months? I think it maybe was also in Florida.

Woof. That just seems silly. I’m sure they think they have statistics and stuff to support the policy but on the face of it I just don’t get it. You have so much more experience than a new driver. I also don’t know how it can be legal to discriminate against you based on your nationality, but I am no lawyer. In any case, good luck getting it sorted. Rest assured there are a million insurance companies in the US who would be only too happy to have you as a customer!

I would second this. Do they just not insure any new drivers til 18 months post licensing? Doesn’t seem to add up.

In addition, this one little word is an excellent example of something ones takes for granted until it is gone. I’d like the minimise the risks of something similar happening to my ability to live in the US.

This resonates with me and is one of the reasons that I will naturalise when I am able to. May as well have the right to settle in two places you may not fit in, rather than just one. I am happy that you are now a happy dual citizen! ☺️☺️

We bought a car when I was AoSing from K1 and had a learners permit in my 30s. Insurance was not a problem - it was arranged just as @Mike E said. Different states and all, but hopefully it’ll be just as easy for you. An insurance agent will be able to help you out! Good luck!

In some states, you can’t get a Learner’s Permit until you have a Social Security Number. So given the above statement, best look into the rules in Michigan and arrange your first few days accordingly.

When did this change? I was married when I first went to the Social Security office. Being married did not pose a problem in any way. It was only August 2021 so it must be a very recent change in policy.

This. One million times this.

I really hope you guys get it soon. Good luck (and happy holidays ☺️)