Joanna&Bobby

I recommend that you mail your AOS without the SSN. Having a SSN is NOT a requirement for AOS. My hubby didn't have a SSN when we filled for AOS and there were no problems. Also, I think you shouldn't go back to the SSA until you have your greencard. Even if you go now and change it to your married name, you will have to go back again to change your status to permanent resident once you get your green card. The name that goes on your green card is the name that you apply for you AOS in.

Oh my GOD!

I thought I need to somehow legally change my name first before filing the AOS with the new name. I thought they look at SS records. I applied for a number with my maiden name. I will probably receive my number a couple days after sending AOS. So they will have arecord of JOANNA "SMITH" but not of JOANNA "BROWN". I quess from what you're saying it doesn't matter?

To ask my question I need to tell my story:

When I got here on a K1 visa I waited a week (as mentioned here on vj) and went to the SS office to get the ss number. I was told by a very very stubborn emploee of the SS office that K1 doesn't get the SS number untill they get a green card. She was very nasty about that and sent me and my fiance home.

6 weeks later I was reading about getting a SS number on vj and found out that she (the nasty emploee) was wrong! I went back there with proof of why I am eligible for a SS number, but she didn't even look at the document (that by the way was printed from ssa.gov!!!). She yelled at me, told me to go home and come back with my green card. I, with tears in my eyes asked for her supervisor. All the SS office emploees got involved in he problem trying to prove to their supervisor that I am not eligible for a number... So an hour of discussing the meaning of the document that was on THEIR freaggin' website, they told me to fill out an application.

So now I am waiting for my number to come in the mail. My I-94 expires JUNE 23rd which is in a couple of days. We just got married on the 14th (2 days ago) so We made the 90 day requirement. Now I want to go back to the SS office and tell them about my name change (I don't want to have my maiden name on my green card) but: I DID NOT RECEIVE THE NUMBER IN THE MAIL YET. I want to send the AOS before my I-94 expires but I filled out the forms with my new last name on them. Do I need to change my name through SS office before I can put my married name on the AOS forms? Or what else do I do in this situation. Should I file a complaint about the SS emploees lack of knowledge?

PLEASE HELP ME! I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

To ask my question I need to tell my story:

When I got here on a K1 visa I waited a week (as mentioned here on vj) and went to the SS office to get the ss number. I was told by a very very stubborn emploee of the SS office that K1 doesn't get the SS number untill they get a green card. She was very nasty about that and sent me and my fiance home.

6 weeks later I was reading about getting a SS number on vj and found out that she (the nasty emploee) was wrong! I went back there with proof of why I am eligible for a SS number, but she didn't even look at the document (that by the way was printed from ssa.gov!!!). She yelled at me, told me to go home and come back with my green card. I, with tears in my eyes asked for her supervisor. All the SS office emploees got involved in he problem trying to prove to their supervisor that I am not eligible for a number... So an hour of discussing the meaning of the document that was on THEIR freaggin' website, they told me to fill out an application.

So now I am waiting for my number to come in the mail. My I-94 expires JUNE 23rd which is in a couple of days. We just got married on the 14th (2 days ago) so We made the 90 day requirement. Now I want to go back to the SS office and tell them about my name change (I don't want to have my maiden name on my green card) but: I DID NOT RECEIVE THE NUMBER IN THE MAIL YET. I want to send the AOS before my I-94 expires but I filled out the forms with my new last name on them. Do I need to change my name through SS office before I can put my married name on the AOS forms? Or what else do I do in this situation. Should I file a complaint about the SS emploees lack of knowledge?

PLEASE HELP ME! I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Hi! I'm working on the I-485 form (I am the immigrant). It's asking for my family name. Since the mariage I am carrying my husbands name. Which one are the asking for?

Sorry if the question seems stupid. I don't want to make any mistakes.

Thank you for all your replies. I feel relieved!

Hi everybody!

My question is short: How long did it take to assemble your AOS documents after you got married? A week 2 weeks 2 days? I will appreciate to hear about your personal experience!

Thank you very much. It's getting confusing once you get here!

HI everyone!

So I finally got here to Pensylvania. We want to apply for a marriage license. I need SSN to do so.

I went to the SS office yesterday and they said I wont be given a number before I get married! WHat???????????????????????

SOmeone here has the wrong info?

I have a SSN from being here 3 years ago on a J1 student visa. They told me I am foing to keep the same number but cant use it until I get married. How am I suppose to get married????????????????

aha and the adjustment of status guide

Basically, you get married, obtain a copy of your marriage certificate, and file form I-485 with the corresponding evidence and I-864 -affidavit of support-. Use the guide for help on what you should include and how to present it. You have the option to apply for employment authorization (I-765) and advance parole with no additional cost, (this is only when you submit these forms with your I-485), and this is a good thing to do since you never know how long it will take to get approved.

Saludos,

Caro

Oh! So do we include only the $1010 fee for the AOS? I went to USCIS website and they are listing separate prices for: AOS, AP and EAD. If I file AP and EAD with AOS we include a check for AOS application only? I am confused!

The $1010 covers the EAD and AP as well. This changed from separate fees for each last year.

Thank you! It's nice to have you here to ask questions and get answers! Who started this forum? A GENIUS!

aha and the adjustment of status guide

Basically, you get married, obtain a copy of your marriage certificate, and file form I-485 with the corresponding evidence and I-864 -affidavit of support-. Use the guide for help on what you should include and how to present it. You have the option to apply for employment authorization (I-765) and advance parole with no additional cost, (this is only when you submit these forms with your I-485), and this is a good thing to do since you never know how long it will take to get approved.

Saludos,

Caro

Oh! So do we include only the $1010 fee for the AOS? I went to USCIS website and they are listing separate prices for: AOS, AP and EAD. If I file AP and EAD with AOS we include a check for AOS application only? I am confused!

Apparently the difference between the I-134 and the I-864 is that the I-864 is enforceable by law and the I-134 isn't. The I-864 will be required as part of your AOS package. I suspect the only instruction you might receive at the POE is that you need to marry within 90 days and "don't leave the US without your green card or your AP (advanced parole)". Those are the only instructions I received. Read over the guides here and ask questions on the forums and you will be fine with your AOS. Good luck on your entry and congratulations.

Thanks for info. I am just starting to look for information. My fiance has asked me to find out as much as possible. He is busy between demanding job and setting up the appartment that we will be living in together. We dont want to pay the attorney another couple of thousands of dollars. He's sent us an e-mail saying- so I guess you want us to start preparing the paperwork for AOS, please confirm. And I dont want to give him too many hours since he charges a fortune. This is just the beginning of me learning about AOS. I might keep asking silly questions.

Thanks again Kathryn

Hi Joanna,

You need to submit the I-864 with AOS. At POE you will not get any instructions on what to do after getting married, because that is not their job After you get married, you file AOS, EAD & AP. All the forms are here on VJ.

Thanks. Thats what we needed to know. Dzieki.

HI!

I am leaving Ireland on a K1 visa next week. Me and my fiance are starting to browse around visa journey to find out what to do next, filing for AOS.

My question goes:

my fiance has already filed an affidavit of support I-134 that I took to my K1 visa interview. Will we be required to file the I-864 with the application for AOS?

Will I get any type of instructions at the POE on what we need to do next after getting married?

Thanks for the advice

Once we get our petition aproval and the fiancee package, how much time do we need to have the interview? Is there a limit of time?

It is different for different consulates, but usually it takes about 7 months since sending the petition, about 2-3 months from approval. Look at the vsa journey "timelines". Check people that applied in Mexico.

Yes, you submit the copies with the application - except for the letters of intent to marry and I believe the letter from the petitioner's employer - and bring the originals of the others with you to the interview so they can compare them if necessary. We actually got two signed employment letters although that wasn't needed.

So I thought that birth cert. and police cert. had to go but do we have to send in my fiance's I-134 (Affidavit of Support) with packet three? I was thinking that it was taken to the interview! The financial support stuff is what seems to be the most confusing.

In the packet 3(Dublin embassy) they only asked me to send the DS 230 part 1 and the notification of readiness. Not DS16k. They have asked not to send any evidence to them, just bring it to the interview- and evidence of support as well.

Read yor instructions carefully. It will say exactly what to do. They printed this on my instructions with capital letters:

DO NOT SEND THEM (EVIDENCE) TO THIS OFFICE. BRING THEM TO YOUR INTERVIEW.

-passport

-photographs

-evidence of support (affidavit of support form and supporting documents)

-birth certificate- must state names of both parents

-police certificates

-marriage certificate, divorce decree

-medical examination

-evidence of relationship

Obtain the documents from the checklist. Do NOT send them to this office.

Hope I understood your question properly. Hope it helps you in any way.

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience with requesting a particular day for the Embassy interview? (Specifically the Warsaw Embassy - but info about any Embassy is also helpful.)

I wish to be there with my fiancee when she has her interview (and bring her home with me ), but I don't know the best way to go about it.

Do I wait until they give her an interview date, and then ask (email?) to "tweak" the day if needed? I'm not suggesting they do it earlier than they want - in fact probably just the opposite. (I mean if they gave her 2 weeks notice, I'd probably request 3-4 or so to make it easier to buy our plane tickets.)

Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks!

I have no experience requesting the interview date, but... a while ago I read sth... The person suggested that after you receive packet 3 and send them he documents that they request at that time (usually DS 230 part 1 and notification of readiness) you wait around 2 weeks and give them a call-find the number on Warsaw embassy website (I think its called visa information services). Try to ask them if you could work out with them the date for the interview.

Another way to do it is just what my fiance did. We got the interview letter on Monday saying that they have scheduled the interview for the next Monday. My fiance bought a ticket and flew in on Saturday. We were intervied separately and everything went so good. They didn't ask us for any evidence of relationship, because I guess us being there together was the best evidence possible.

Good luck.

Is the "last updated" date the date that we've been touched, or is it the date that we personaly updated our timeline?

Anybody knows?

Thank you

If you are talking about the USCIS website, then "last updated" means you've been touched!

Hi! It seems like you just want her to come visit you as freely as you can visit her. Do you want her to visit you or live with you in the US? If you just want her to visit I don't think you should file for a K1. IF you file a K1 she can only enter the us once time, thats it. You have to marry within 90 days of her entering the US. And she can not leave the US until she has an approved travel document or her green card. At best it will take about 3 months to get her travel documents or green card after you've filed for them. At worst it could take up to a year or more.

I think a tourist visa might be a better fit.

I agree. She can apply for a tourist visa, and if you want to get married file for K1. During the time that it takes for the USCIS to approve the petition and for her to get the K1 visa she will be able to visit you in the US.

You dont at all need help from a law firm to get her a tourist visa. She just needs to be able to prove ties to her home country (business, children, maybe she owns a house there). My parents have gotten their tourist (10 year) visas to come and visit me while I was living in the US, and they have done it without the help of an attorney. Many people do that.

I would't hire a law firm because you can do all that paperwork alone with the help of visajourney. They are just going to rob you of your money, and on top of that you will not see them do anythig. Good luck!

Ok, so I understand the basics of why you need to get a medical exam at the embassy as part of the visa approval. What I don't understand is why the Beneficiary needs to sometimes undergo such tests as ECG, breast exam, ect.....Very strange. What is the reason behind such tests, since I thought the exam was to check for infectious diseases that could be transmitted to others, such as TB, ect...

I don't know why, but some of the things they did to me were WEIRD and the nurse has told me that she doesn;t know why she's suppose to do that but thats what they require. They have even checked if I am really a Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was embarrasing, but we do IT ALL for love!

While applying for a K1 I bumped into a question-have you ever violated the terms of your US visa. I have, but I was wondering how to answer to it not to jeopardize my visa. That's when we e-mailed our attorney and he's said - answer all the questions honestly, because by trying to avoid problems in this way you will get into bigger ones.

So I have answered yes,( I have violated my status while in the US on a J1 visa), and my K1 was still approved.

Tell the truth and only the truth

HI everyone! Our visa has been approved!TODAY!

Even without the long form birth certificate and with a more complicated immigration history.

We are so happy since we received the visa right away (1 hour later) in my passport!

We are so happy that we are a part of this website and were able to learn so much from you guys!

The questions we were asked were no different from what they say in the guides on VJ so I don't need to post them here.

I just wanted to share my joy and thank you, also wish good luck, and promise I will stay commited to the website for the next part of the journey AOS.

If anyone has any Q's about Dublin embassy I will be happy to answer!

Well, its probably to late to obtain a new birth certificate before your interview Monday. So you gotta go with what you got. I'm sure it would be fine as long as all your other papers are order, but no one here is on the interview panel. Best of luck to you. I think we see an approval post on this thread come Monday.

My mom has aleady sent me the long version (she had to get it for me in Poland since I live in Ireland) but I won't have time to get the certified translation! Well... I found that error too late.

Thank you for your support.

I will let you know on Monday how it went.

My fiance has surprised me yesterday and said he's coming over to Ireland on Saturday to be with me at the interview. The best present ever! We haven't seen each other since the beginning of January.

Thank you thank you thank you!

"you should be fine" answer makes me feel so much better!

I am the foreign beneficiary. I am going to the interview on Monday and I am only worrying about my version of the BC because someone has posted sth about the long version of the BC. Do you know if they are looking for my parents dates of birth also or just their names? I have read the instructions over and over again and they weren't too specific about what kind I should bring.

In the instructions sent from the embassy they say: the birth certificate must be presented for each person named in the application and must state date and place of birth and names of both parents.

How do you interpret that? My name and place of birth plus names of both parents or also my parent's birthdays and places they were born.