Aubrey

Hi M. Andy's wife here.

1. Are you using a lawyer who specializes in immigration law? I have seen repeatedly on here that other lawyers mishandle immigration cases (sadly). If you search VJ, you'll find some people have recommended their immigration attorneys on the boards. I've seen Marc Ellis recommended the most often.

2. I have seen people have their working while out of status forgiven for spousal-based adjustments, but it is always a risk and definitely not recommended. You might want to ask people here specific questions regarding that.

3. General VJ advice: try to ask specific questions and they usually get answered if someone knows something about it. the f-1 section is a little newer, so you can also try adding general AOS questions to the Adjustment of Status (Green Card) from Family Based Visas. Also, check the Guides and Wiki sections (in the top menu), as a lot of the family-based AOS information will also apply in your situation.

4. Good luck!

Well, I'm among the unemployed. Thank goodness my husband got the job he did, or we'd be in hell. I quit applying for my unemployment benefits because there were not even enough jobs in my field to apply for. The system is really screwy. While you're not "required" to apply for unsuitable work (outside of your field, below your qualifications, etc.), you are required to apply for 3 jobs a week. Now, tell me, is that really reasonable in every field? I can tell you that I cannot regularly find listings that match my qualifications in this economy. And when I do, be sure that there are 100+ other applications for it.

As screwed up as it is, it does help some people. I can tell you that most people want to earn their own keep and keeping the record for unemployment is a pain. For most people it does not even cover their living expenses completely. Our economy is not going to recover the best by pulling the rug out from under so many Americans or by forcing them to take minimum wage jobs.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Considering how little my fellow U.S. citizens tend to know about history (especially outside the U.S.), it explains a lot of the last 100 years here (wars, lack of voter turnout, etc.). It has not been a priority to teach history/geography or social sciences in general within our schools.

- Signed,

A B.A. in History & former teacher

Welcome to VJ. I'm sure you'll find that it is a wonderful resource. It definitely helped us tremendously.

Sorry to hear that your family/friends don't want you to go. It will for sure make your journey more difficult (and I'm sorry to say that the waiting and paperwork is usually difficult in itself), but try to keep the big picture in mind during those troubling times. I imagine that many of them will understand when they see that you've happily settled in with your spouse in the USA.

Feel free to PM people here if you have specific questions about the process or Frankfurt consulate, etc. I have been amazed by the kindness and friendships I've found here, and you will be, too. Also, ignore the haters that lurk. People get pretty feisty when they miss their loved ones or when they've forgotten how hard the process was.

Good luck!

I voted 10-29, by car by myself, small expensive house near work.

BUT I'm really not sure about that last one. How small? How expensive? What are my options? The cheaper house that's far away - how cheap, how far? It all depends. I'd rather live in a 350K 1500 sq feet townhouse a 30 minute drive from work than live in a 500K 1000 sq feet condo in walking distance from work. But does that necessarily mean I'd also rather live in a 250K McMansion two hours from work? No, it doesn't.

Well, it is all relative, isn't it? It was intended more of a question of which direction to you lean. Most people seem to find a happy medium. (Around where I live, there isn't much of a medium... it's either close and expensive as hell or really far away because of the traffic and no alternate routes due to the water everywhere.) Though obviously there are people who choose the 2 hour commute, since someone complained that I didn't include an option for 1.5+ hours one way.

We wanted the big all-family wedding, but 90 days and the K expenses just didn't make that workable. We opted for a Vegas wedding, since my family wasn't near by anyway. It was his parents, my parents, his uncle & grandma, and my sister and niece. It was nice and everyone loved it.

You could look into somewhere closer by that has packages for small weddings. many larger cities have such things. We didn't feel like it'd be the same to have a courthouse & another ceremony later.

A K-1 visa entry does not legally permit you to work. You must apply to adjust status after you marry and also for work authorization and wait until your work authorization is approved.

It stinks, but we all have to put up with it.

HA Seattle metro huh? i hear ya! well I don't work but whenever I hitch a ride with hubby or the in-laws it takes us about an hour to 75 min... it's that darn water slowing us down over here.. bus is a little faster but still about an hour door to door because of all the waiting.

We'd like to move closer downtown soon too and put up with sort of a ####### place meanwhile - rents are insane, we're actually thinking about going back to sharing an apt..

Well, my husband works in downtown Bellevue, so in typical I-405 traffic it's a 40-50 minute drive, mostly just idling on the freeway. My last job was in N Seattle, so it was ~50 minutes on a good day in traffic on I-5. I'm up for a job on Mercer Island, and ... well, just about anywhere but from Renton would be a more pleasurable commute.

But the rents are so insane. Today we looked at a condo for rent. It was $1150/month (3/2) but the doors were falling off the closets and it had holes in the walls instead of cable outlets. Other 2 bedroom rentals are $1300 and up easy for really basic housing. Even up in Kirkland and Issaquah, it does not improve much. And I thought when I lived in Austin things were expensive. Blech!

What part of the sound are you in? Did you do the seattle meetup? We weren't in town at the time, but curious if our friends jundp met you. PM if you like.

Hubby and I are looking for a place closer to work, but disgusted by pricing. Discuss!

I don't have Netflix, but was curious how the quality via the Wii is. Doesn't it look pretty terrible on a big screen hdtv?

I don't see anything wrong with a survivor dancing to "I WILL SURVIVE" with his daughter and grandkids. He clearly is celebrating his life that he somehow managed to survive that place.

We all look back at our own history in different ways. Some people throw divorce parties. Some people throw a party when someone dies to celebrate their life. It's his personal story in this case, he clearly wasn't trying to represent those who perished. Let him be.

Edmunds.com has a great car finder search tool. It should help you narrow down the choices by type of car, price, gas mileage, rating, or other preferences. There are soooo many choices, I doubt VJ is going to help much.

Brand-wise, I'd say if you care about reliability: Acura, Honda, Subaru, or Hyundai

Do you know AMERICA is a whole continent with 35 countries in it right? so.. which country are your referring too? Hope you are not just saying AMERICA as USA... the name is United States OF America and it was first named United Colonies of NORTH America, stating clearly that it was a country belonging to NORTH America... the separation of America in three continents is mostly use in USA geography. I am an american too...as any one else born in any of the 35 countries in America. If some people get confuse about the term is just because "AMERICANS" can't call themselves "united staterers" or something like that

It is the United States of America, so yes, it makes sense to call ourselves Americans. You call yourself Columbian, Mexican, Canadian, or whatever. I never hear someone from other North or South American countries refer to themselves as American. Heck, I rarely hear anyone from Europe call themselves European; it's usually German, or French, or whatever fits the bill. Or Asian; I hear Chinese, Japanese, etc. We're not Uniteder's. We're American. Get with the program. It's not like it's a new term.

Proud of Müller's golden boot and best young player & Germany's number 3 standing; although anyone watching knows that Müller had a lot of help from Schweinsteiger! I only wish Ghana had taken 4th as it deserved. I thought it was somewhat funny how Suarez from Uruguay was repeatedly booed when he got the ball. Just shows you that nobody likes to see handballs change the outcome of a game.

Spain v Netherlands was... probably the worst match I saw during the whole cup. Two highly defensive teams and one hideously rough match. I was surprised nobody broke a limb the way they were playing. Spain earned their win, but what a boring way to win it (the wear everyone down approach, including the viewers). I'd like to see them enter with a little more skill than relying on corner & free kicks to win a match and falling over to draw fouls.

Eagerly I'm awaiting to hear about goal-line technology being implemented and hopefully additional asst referees. Let's all hope for better calls in the 2014 cup!

Look at that list and then look at the average cost of housing there. Yep, the rich get it all.

My husband works in Bellevue (#4 on that list). We would love love love to live there, but can't find a 2 bedroom apartment for less than $1300/month. Downtown is even funnier, with 1 bedrooms a whopping $1400+. So much for reducing our carbon footprint, I guess.

I'm pretty sure no one who's never played the game will understand his actions. I have, so I do.

It was NOT cheating, and it was NOT against FIFA's Fair Play either. ANY player from ANY team would've done the same. Last minute of the game, you are about to get a goal, so yes, a red card and a penalty is a way to give your team another chance.

I'm sorry that America(ns) is pretty much retarded when it comes to soccer. FIFA "considered" banning him to please the crowd. Everything he did was done to the letter of the soccer rules, which call for a penalty and a green card for a hand ball inside the box. If he were suspended for more than one game it would set an unheard precedent. You get suspended for more than 1 game following a red card in certain cases, but not in this one.

Also, if you watch it again, it wasn't just Suarez who was trying to knock the ball out with his hand there. It's just the other guy didn't get to it first.

Once again. It's hard to explain to mentally hillarious people the rules of the game, so enjoy listening to the banter on TV.

Oh and I can't wait till tonight's game. There's just no way in hell Germans should play in the final.

Retarded Americans? Well, why don't you and your loved one just immigrate to the Ukraine instead since we are clearly too retarded here.

The issue with Uruguay's handball entry into the semis comes down to sportsmanship. Players are expected to play within the rules of the game (e.g. NOT using your hands when you aren't a keeper). People STILL talk about Maradona's handball from so many years ago. Such actions are no better than falling to the ground, pretending to be hurt when you're not to force a foul or yellow card.

Ghana was denied (and for all of Africa) their rightful place in the semi-finals as a result.

Also, don't rule out the Germans. Our loss against Serbia came from us down a man in a match plagued with erroneous yellow cards (on both sides) until half time. It should be a good match today vs Spain. But I believe we'll get our 4th star this year.

Your xbox-- u.s. games will be incompatible with your system (due to region coding, just like on dvds), so you shuold decide if it's worth bringing based on that.

As for shipping, it will vary by country on what is cheapest. Also consider paying extra bag fees to bring sensitive items on the plane with you. We had my husband's parents each bring a bag when they came for our wedding, since it was free that way. He got rid of most of his household items and his computer, because it was more expensive than we wanted to spend to ship it here. Consider that many things are significantly cheaper to buy in the U.S. than Europe, so replacing some of your things may be less expensive than the shipping cost...

Go Germany!

How to deal... well, it's been asked a lot on VJ. The waiting game is by far the worst part of your journey. If you do want to do visits, be sure the non-USC has lots of documentation to prove he/she is returning to their country. Too many people have posted here about being turned around at POE for lacking that evidence (home ownership, property, letter of employment, bank accounts, etc.).

When visiting isn't an option:

1) get a webcam, if you can. I would have gone crazy without it during my husband's visa journey.

2) talk about it. don't let your feelings bottle up.

3) find a new hobby, work extra hours, or find some other healthy way to keep busy. When you're busy, the time goes by faster and you won't think so much about the hurt.

4) find your month/group on VJ and post. Make some new friends. It helps to share with others who understand. Most people out there didn't "get" it expect my fellow VJ'rs.

5) plan your future together. it's often the last thing people remember to do. living together, even if you've done it before, is not the same as an international relationship.

Best wishes, and hang in there on your journey.

hello friends,

i want to know what will be the processing time to get visa.My wife recently became a citizen in 26,may 2010.i was married with her in december 2008 on green card .After marriage she went to usa and apply I-130 form as spouse visa.now she change my status by filling another form.yesterday,she got a phone call from us embassy they said we send a papers for finger prints to u for your husband after 45 days.with these papers i will goto finger prints in embassy.my question is that how much time is left to get visa interview.plzzzzzzzzz reply me as soon as possible

yours sincerely

deepak

There's never a guarantee on a processing time. But you can look at VJ's average processing times as a general guide. VJ Processing Times

Also, this is the wrong forum. Should be moved to K-3 section.

I think you fill out an address change after it happens (it has to be official already). I haven't done that, so it'd be great for someone to confirm.

2. Non-U.S. Citizens

If you have moved, you need to follow two different steps:

* Step 1: File a Form AR-11 (This changes your address in our master database.);

* Step 2: If you have a pending case, you must also file a Change of Address online or call our National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283. (This changes your address for the specific application you have submitted.)

Please note that if you are a non-U.S. citizen and you have a pending case, you must complete both steps to make sure that you comply with the regulations and so we can reach you at your correct address.

https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=coa

Doing pretty good. I just finished my first public health course with what I am hoping is an A or A-. My wife is starting a phlebotomy course this weekend. Other than that, just normal stuff. We need to find a new apartment by the end of June.

It's funny how much more work cares about you when you put in your 2 week notice. My place works the same way. I hope things work out for you guys.

I haven't seen anything from any other July 08 Filers.

Well, I don't hang around VJ much anymore. The new site... well, I hate it. Everything is jumbo sized.

Anyway, I don't remember if I mentioned or not, but I quit that job I got after 3 days (and the other designer did too, who'd started the week prior). It was a nightmare place.

Hubby is still working happily over at Valve. Still not an employee (he is a contractor for now), but no idea when that might happen. Will be nice if they get around to it, seeing as right now there is no tax withheld (making budgeting... uhm impossible), no medical/dental/anything except his nice pay per hour. We have super shitty individual insurance, because anything else costs too much.

Since I quit I've been looking again, of course. In the meantime, I've been doing odd jobs, so it hasn't been too bad. Monday I start a 2 week (possibly longer) contract with Costco. Hoping I land something stable soon, even if part time, because the contract thing isn't really my cup of tea.

Also, I didn't get in to UW or RISD (I applied for graduate school, remember?), but got accepted to UH. They wanted me lots; offered me scholarships up the wazoo, but I'd applied in December before Andy got his job. As you guys probably understand, living apart from him at this point is no option after our visa journey, and him quitting his job would be down right stupid (come on, how often do you get a GERMAN support job where you get to play test games, free food, flexible hours, and get paid almost twice the market rate?). So... looks like I have to pass up a great opportunity. At least it was a nice ego boost.

Did anyone do something special for your 1 year anniversary? Ours is still 2 months away, but it's pretty exciting. I couldn't ask for a better marriage, I'm so happy!

As a long time user of BOTH hotmail and Gmail, I have to agree: use Gmail. I have been trying to migrate everything to my Gmail account for some time, but ... eh, I signed up for too much.

Why Gmail:

Archive (no need to delete)

Colored labels

Replys thread, instead of millions of separate emails

Yeah, go Gmail!

The real blame... the economy is cyclical. All that can be done is delay and lessen the blow.

I'm a designer by profession, so perhaps I can provide some insight? Or maybe this is just overload. Either way, there are some problems that really make me avoid the new VJ. From a UI/UX perspective, the new look is more difficult to navigate. Here's a few tips on why/how to fix:

Forums:

While I find the collapsible panels in this section useful, it seems to me that the header font size is too large (you already have a dark blue to differentiate this area) and collapsing the panel, therefore, does not really remove the intrusive appearance of the other sections. The forum sections (e.g. under "Family & Marriage Based Immigration (K1, K3, IR1, etc) to the USA" you have "K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures" etc) are now so similar in color that they blend together visually as one massive block of text. I can see you have a pale blue on one and white on the other, but I think you need to make the difference in color more significant for it to help with readability.

The font size for forum topics seems unnecessarily large, which also impacts and reduces readability.

Emoticons: when View All is hit, I have to both scroll vertically AND horizontally to view. Use a pop up window instead.

Navigation:

The top menu is still information overload (which inevitably will make people avoid reading it). Have you considered a drop-down menu?