Leo&Farah

We dont have any health insurance currently. Can anyone recommend anything that is reasonable and doesnt cost an arm and a leg?

We're looking for something that covers dental, eyecare (glasses and contact lenses) and birth control. So far, the option we have is deducting 160-180 per month for both of us from his paycheck with his second job and they have co-pay. But that seems a bit steep to me and we're not planning to stay with this job for long so we're looking for something outside of work which we can stick to.

Having not had health insurance before, based on this co-pay system, it seems you pay a chunk of money a month but dish out 15-50 for doc visits, prescriptions, lenses and eyecare. I could be wrong but I'm still trying to understand how health insurance here works and if this co-pay is the standard in US and what the average benchmark monthly cost there is for good health insurance for a married couple.

Any insight would be appreciated so we dont make the mistake in choosing something overpriced or with crappy coverage.

Thanks for the replies. We'll just check the box then, fill up the income as appropriate and attach a letter as to why 2007 taxes are missing.

I get where youre going at with the argument. So far, my hubby has never owed any taxes and always got refunds from both federal and state. Although I would love getting more from a paycheck instead of having close to 25% deducted each time, I think he is set in his ways as he learned the practice from his dad.

Another thing to consider is people with the inability to save. Doing it this way, makes sure we dont go on a spending spree simply because we can. Still trying to discipline ourselves, or at least, I am but somehow money just slips away over the smallest things and next thing you know, youve spend a few hundred and have nothing to show for it. I hate that feeling!

Hey Farah - time for curry laksa !!!! Have you found decent hawker-stalls yet? (yes, I'm missing da food, you betcha )

No such thing as hawker stalls here. But speaking of laksa, I do miss assam laksa and have yet to find steam boat here. Oh thats another thing I love about the states, how every restaurant and fast food place has an A rating in terms of cleanliness!!!!

Thanks for the heads up. we had read the thread earlier but wasnt sure we wanted to hijack it since his wife had an income in Canada and was not yet in US. So we started a specific situation thread.

We filed out joint tax return today so hopefully it gets accepted by the gov. I have to say, married filing jointly gave us a HUGE return especially since my hubby practices taking as much tax as he can on his paychecks so he can slowly 'save' money by getting a bigger return.

This was my first time ever filing taxes, so yay to that! Even though I had zero income

-Farah-

This seems a fun thread to post on.

Firstly, since there seems to be some prickly people around, things I love about the states:

1. Honest to God, my first 'delight' was ravioli in a can. Especially when I was used to having to pay exorbitant prices at Italian restaurants just to satisfy any ravioli craving. Of course, the quality is not the same at all. But the fact that theres ravioli in a can?! Thats variety and choice!

2. Responsible medical advertising. The first time I saw drawn out medicine commercials listing all their side effects, I assumed there was some law behind it. After being used to old style propaganda advertising where everyone claims their product works and everything is in fine print or overlooked, this aspect of advertising I can respect. Youre messing with people's health, I like the accountability.

3. Drive by ATM machines. The first time we went to one, I thought we were at a gas station. When I found out it was an ATM I just sat there with a '#######' look on my face and took a picture on my phone camera like some crazy tourist. Apparently theres drive by pharmacies as well. I have yet to experience this but its nice that its there.

4. How cheap some things are. The fact that I could buy a mainstay standing lamp for 8 bucks at walmart is just mind boggling. Things are expensive where I come from. Dollar for dollar, with less income, we would have had to pay 100 over for the same lamp. I love how groceries are dirt cheap. Its so much easier to budget on food.

5. 1 dollar meals at MickeyD and BK! I had them both back in Malaysia but hell, the cheapest thing you could get there was maybe a regular drink for 1.99 before tax. A single whopper junior meal cost 10 bucks before tax. And average income per hour is still $3.50 to $4.00. So imagine my delight. Bigger income per hour, and 1 dollar meals to satisfy my absurd craving for unhealthy fries now and then.

6. Books. Books used to cost around $30 bucks over. So with an average wage per hour of $3.50-$4.00, you could afford a book in say...9-10 hours? Over here its $5 to $10 a book, thats about an hour to two hours work and voila, you have 3-4 days of story time.

7. Cars. You can buy second can cars for a few thousand dollars here hell some even a few hundred. Thats unheard of in Malaysia.

8. High speed internet. God I love being on a fast network.

9. How polite everyone is and how they always tell me to have a nice day after each transaction. Of course, this could be largely influenced by the fact that I'm living in a town with a population of 30k people, but still. I like basic human interaction, no matter how small.

10. RETURNS. This was an amazing concept that is great for people like me that make impulse buys and have buyers remorse. I LOVE RETURNS. No way, no how was this allowed or very rarely at least in Malaysia.

11. Blockbuster DVD by mail. This is great for movie buffs like myself that are too lazy to get off the couch to go rent some. Just add to a queue, wait for it to arrive, enjoy and put it in outgoing the next day. Free postage!

Okay thats all I can think of. There's more, no doubt, but thats all I can get off the top of my head at the moment. Onto what I don't like:

1. Health care. The fact that everything here needs prescriptions. I'm used to being able to buy birth control OTC and going into one of a thousand optical stores to do a free eyecheck to get glasses or lenses. Over here, I had to pay 60 bucks for a birth control prescription for one year. Everything seems so expensive.

2. How you need insurance for everything. I slowly realized that Americans love insurance. Theres even pet insurance. Where for me, having home insurance is already a stretch, some people find it normal to insure their furry friends. It confuses me.

3. Credit score. You need good credit to get a credit card but you need a credit card to build a credit score (yes, I know of secured credit cards). Just seems like a huge catch-22 to me. How everything hinges on credit: loans, leases etc and correct me if I'm wrong, you have to pay to get a credit report to see your credit. I dont understand why they would have a grading system only to make people pay to see their grades. Its especially hard since we both started out the old fashioned way and have no credit score so people are staying away from us like we're a couple of hyenas. I feel sometimes like I'm underwater in monetary matters and have to slowly learn how to breathe in it while moving in slowmo.

4. How cold it is. My hubby keeps telling me I'll get used to it but being 90 lbs, I dont think I have enough insulation to ever get used to it. I feel like a popsicle even with the heat on and the house at 70 degrees.

5. How ignorant some Americans are. Sorry to be blunt but here it is. Sure there are exceptions and brilliant people as well but Ive noticed how some people seem to like hiding under a rock. On the plane ride to the states the first time, there was a lady that said to me "Well its good you speak American. I'm sure you'll fit right in". She was being a dear with good intentions but its ENGLISH, not American. Its like that movie 'Just married' where Aston Kutcher goes to France or something and says the signs should have American on them. As for issues with my name. I have twice now had my name written down as the city issuing my passport in Malaysia because it seems to be too much strain to read "Name" just a line down and easier to assume that "Issuing City" is my name since in American passports, the name is always on the first line. So yay for being "Kuala Lumpur". I got a two debit cards, one wrong and one finally right because of it. Had to shread 6 batches of checks because it had my Kuala non existant city name as an account holder on it. And I almost got married as a chick named after a city until I had them correct it. Just surprised considering my social security card with my actual name was in their hands for reference along with the passport. More so when the lady at BOA said I can only have my joint account with my hubby in my maiden name following my social security card, then promptly writes the city that issued my passport as my name which has nothing in common with anything in said card.

Well jeeze, thats all. And just to stop those who intend on going on a 'we love america' crusade with signs saying 'you chose to come here, deal with it', seriously, chill out. A rant is healthy every now and then and sometimes connects people. I posted the good and the bad to show that there is no hatred, anger, angst, what have you towards this new country I've moved to. Infact, I would say I'm settling in quite easily that sometimes I dont even think about it. Just seems natural to me.

All in all, happy to be here and happy to finally be with my hubby who completes my life the way peanut butter and jelly do.

Hi guys,

We are planning to file 2009 taxes as married, filing jointly. According to IRS, you can file jointly even if one spouse has no income or deductions.

IRS also states that:

Nonresident alien or dual-status alien. A joint return generally cannot be filed if either spouse is a nonresident alien at any time during the tax year. However, if one spouse was a nonresident alien or dual-status alien who was married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien at the end of the year, the spouses can choose to file a joint return. If you do file a joint return, you and your spouse are both treated as U.S. residents for the entire tax year.

So correct me if I'm wrong, my wife is able to file jointly with me, despite being a K1-AOS in progress (we got married in December 2009) and despite the fact that she earned no income in 2009.

My question is, what forms etc do we need to do all this? Is a simple turbo tax good enough and no accompanying forms needed?

Also, can I claim her as a personal exemption? Both of us are not dependants of anyone else

Kinda new to this tax things so bear with me please. Does married filing jointly mean we get a bigger return than what I got last year filing as a single with no dependants? Also, if we file jointly, can I list my wife as a dependant?

Thanks in advance from the tax newbie.

In browsing this long winded form and instructions to fill up and looking at the sample form, something leaves me stumped.

Theres a box to tick saying something to the effect of "I have filed tax returns for the past three years" along with the years listed and a section for each year to fill up with your income.

We only have two years tax return filed (including the upcoming one now), 2009 and 2008. No taxable income was made in 2007 so there is no return.

Do we tick this box despite only having two years tax return?

As added info, the latest tax return+W2+1099 will show us as well over 125% of the 2009 poverty guidelines for a household of two and the paystubs/letter from employer will prove this so we do not think a co-sponsor is needed just because there is no 2007 tax return.

PS: Does anyone know if the USCIS 2010 poverty guideline is out?

You can certify copies of passport and BC with a commisioner of oath.

As for translation of birth certificate WITHIN Malaysia, the US embassy wanted a translation done by a courthouse or attorney/legal firm. They would not accept self translations.

OUTSIDE US, according to VJ you should be able to translate your own documents and certify it yourself with an excerpt at the end of the translation as long as you are fluent in both languages (english and malay).

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...ge=translations

Keep in mind the Malaysian US embassy will not accept self certified translations.

A reminder to all to think about how many times you will need a certified copy of your passport, birth certificate etc once in US for things like social security number and other goverment official stuff. Bear this in mind and make as many copies as you can afford to bring with you to US. This also goes for translation of birth certificate and/or marriage certificates. Get them translated in Malaysia and bring as many copies with you as you can.

To certify each copy of anything at a Commisioner of Oaths, all it cost me was 2 bucks per page.

I am glad to hear that you are adjusting well to the US Have you been getting plenty of snow there? We have not gotten a single flake of snow here in South Charlotte! Just rain and plenty of sunshine!

Anyways, where did you get your birth control pills??? $100 is crazy or was that including the first office visit? I went to Planned Parenthood and first visit is always more expensive and no Pap Smear is required as it is optional. I paid $80. Then the monthly refill is like $22 at Planned Parenthood itself. I once refilled at Wal-Mart pharmacy and it was like $33. Now, of course the price differs with the method you choose to use. Usually insurance does not cover Birth Control pills unless the prescription states that you use it for other medical problems such as acne etc. But then again, some insurance cover the regular birth control as well.

Cheers..........!!

We got snow like two days and thats about it as far as I can tell. It was pretty fun after not having seen snow for close to 20 years. The weather here now is sometimes as far down as 29 F, which is below 0 celcius. Its pretty damn cooold.

I havent gotten birth control pills here yet. Next week, heading over to Asheville to Planned Parenthood for a normal visit which they said costs about 85 bucks or so and getting the prescription. The 100 bucks I stated earlier was from a Women's Health Group quote for just a visit to get the prescription. Probably will Wallmart of CVS the pills later as Asheville is 1 hour away from Morganton, where we are. Wow, its crazy how booked up they are on appointments. In Malaysia, you could just walk into a doc's office. Over here, when I called the earliest I could be scheduled at the woman health clinic was 2 weeks away.

I'm probably gonna go for the patch since the pill is getting to be a hassle, remembering everyday. No way am I trying Nuvoring or whatever it is. Not comfortable with the idea of something being in there permanently.

Omg, now I am overwhelmed with that list!

1. How did you print Skype history? I use that too.

2. How did you organize your documents? I read that they said put in a "plastic bag" like for photos or boarding passes. Is that like a clear sheet holder? Did you use a binder? Or just staple relevant docs together. How did you label them? Do you have any pictures of your compiled docs?

3. Did you e-mail me the template?

Omg, I didn't count on needing that much evidence! I will take your advice about frontloading. Do you think Malaysia is a "hard" embassy?

Thanks,

Jeanette

1. Log onto skype.com with your username and password and look a your account. There is call history somewhere there and they go by month. Best to start printing them and saving the html file ASAP as they only keep a record of 6 months on skpe and then wipe it. It is called 'Call History' and is categorized by month.

2. Our photos were done as in the template with thumbnails on the pages with description, name, date, place and then the actual photos were attached in a small envelope behind those thumbnails. What you are talking about putting photos in a clear plastic bag are the passport photos which can be left in the small clear plastic slip they come in. Just write your FULL name on the back of the plastic bag/slip. This is only so they know who is who as some names don't immediately show gender. Our boarding passes/tickets/visa stamps on passport page were all scanned and attached to the actual template I sent you. KEEP THE ORIGINALS. Never send any original evidence to them. The only 'original' you will have to send as far as I remember are the forms which are signed and any evidence to support the affidavit of support which comes at the interview later. They will ask for the originals at the interview and return it to you then. We used an ACCO fastener with a two punch hole on the top of the whole petition as per guidelines from USCIS. If you look at the guides on VJ, they will tell you how to assemble the whole petition. USCIS dont want binders, paper clips etc as they want to be able to take apart your petition easier so do it their way so you dont piss them off. No I dont have any pics of what I compiled but if you do a search on the forums there was a thread where some people did take pics as to how it was assembled. I do not have the link with me.

3. Yes, I did.

No, I dont think Malaysia is a hard embassy or high fraud but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Better to have everything in hand.

For our K1 package we mailed in:

Proof of meeting within past 2 years:

1. Boarding passes back and forth to/from Malaysia (scanned)

2. Copy of his passport page with entry and exit stamps (scanned)

3. Copies of the hotel receipts in both our names when he came down

4. 21 pictures of us together (names, date, venue written on the back)

5. Copy of his flight itinerary and receipt from his trip to Malaysia

6. Other receipts showing our activities together

Proof of relationship:

1. 3 screenshots of webcam sessions we had over the past 5 years in 3 different mediums (skype, MSN, etc)

2. 6 months of skype call records in 2007 showing his US number

3. 6 months of skype call records in 2008 showing his US number

4. 3 months of Verizon call records showing my online US skype number

5. Email receipts from skype and screenshots of my skype account info proving my online US number

6. Screenshots of my call recorder program used to record skype calls showing his number, call date, time and duration

7. 6 or so emails from me and him over different periods of time throughout the 5 years printed directly from inbox

8. 3 chat logs excerpts taken from 3 different mediums we chatted on

We 'frontloaded' the petition with relationship evidence incase the embassy refused to see any additional evidence we brought at the interview. Turned out, they were quite receptive to accepting whatever I gave them extra at the interview. If you don't know what frontloaded is in this context, do a search on the forums. It is a tactic used against hard embassies to ensure relationship evidence cannot be ignored. Once submitted with the original petition, any evidence included cannot be ignored by the embassy.

For the interview, we brought (ONLY for relationship evidence, does not emcompass forms and the like)

1. 71 pictures of us together from his March 2009 trip. Have 6 pictures of him with my family

2. July 2007 -Dec 2007 skype phone records showing his Verizon number + old US Cellular number

3. June 2008-Dec 2008 skype phone records showing his Verizon number

4. Feb 2009 -present skype phone records showing his Verizon number

5. 2 screenshots of my skype account showing my name and online skype number to prove it belongs to me (which shows up on his verizon records)

6. 6 receipts from skype printed directly from hotmail showing my name, date, old skype number and present online skype number (which shows up on his verizon records & US Cellular records)

5. Feb 2009-present Verizon extended bill showing my online skype number and showing his Verizon number (which shows up on my skype records)

6. Screenshot of his Verizon webpage showing my online skype number as 'friends and family'

7. US Cellular phone bills from 2007-2008 showing my current skype number and old skype number

8. 2 months bill from local mobile provider in May and June showing his verizon number

9. A screenshot from my mobile provider's account page showing my name and proving the number belongs to me

10. May-August 2009 print out of my mobile phone's inbox showing his number, the texts he sent and date

11. A collection of forum private messages exchanges from 2004-2005 between him and I

12. A collection of Wii messages from his Wii to my email exchanges from 2008-2009

13. An excerpt of chat logs from May and June 2009 (TOO MUCH to print out all 5 years)

14. 8 emails from him from 2005-2006 printed directly from my hotmail inbox, showing my name and his attached to email addresses

15. Roughly 200 emails from him from his mobile to my email for 2009 showing my name atttached to email address and his mobile number. All printed directly in color from yahoo email

16. Roughly 200 emails from my yahoo email to his mobile for 2009 showing my name attached to my email address and his mobile number. All printed directly in color from yahoo email

17. 30 pages of screenshots of my yahoo inbox showing over 500 emails from his mobile to me for 2009 (still have not updated it, theres alot more since then)

18. 2 A4 size paper screenshots of web cam sessions between us on skype for 2009

19. Wedding package printout where we want to get married

20. Vacation rental printout of where we want to stay while getting married

21. Webpage print out of several accessories and other things needed for the wedding

22. Wikipedia of the place we want to get married at

23. Sample wedding favor (I'm making them here since I doubt the materials are present in US)

24. Wedding ring receipt

25. 4 snail mail from Leo dated 2004-2006

26. 2 snail mail from me dated 2004-2006

27. Several stubs of packages I sent to him from 2005-2007 (he lost his stubs. I kept mine for sentimental reasons)

28. Several AT&T phone cards from Walmart he sent me for sentimental reasons which he had used to call me in 2005

(well how the heck would a Malaysian get their hands on something like that unless it's real)

29. Affidavits from my mother, his mother and his dad supporting the relationship and attesting to it's genuineness

30. Facebook screenshot of his sister commenting on a picture of both of us

31. Updated and notarized letter of intent from him

32. Updated letter of intent from me

33. Emails from his mother's blackberry to my yahoo email adress

34. Screenshot of the webpage of the game we met

I managed to submit ALL of the evidence at the interview during the pre-interview screening. Everything was given back and I think the guy was a little amused and overwhelmed with how overboard I went. My philosopy was, better safe than sorry. In anycase, I think his mind was pretty much made up before the actual interview as the questions he asked me were fairly superficial and he did not seem to be paying attention. One thing I learned is, he does go through the evidence before the interview as some of the photos I gave him were out of order when he returned them. He only looked through half of them though.

Note: At interview, keep the photos in an envelope. A regular sized photo album will NOT fit through the tiny slot in the glass window. I had to spend close to 10 minutes taking my photos out of the album to fit them through at the embassy.

Its strangely odd being married. It took me a few weeks to even remember I was. Sometimes, i caught myself (or my hubby caught me) referring to him still as my boyfriend

Sometimes, I will still have revelation moments where it would hit me and I would go "Woah, I'm married now, arent I?". I think it took a whole month or so for me to realize I was actually in US because everything is just such a flurry of new stuff it's overwhelming sometimes trying to take it all in. The first few days I was here, I got rushed around to buy clothes and food and stuff, I didnt or barely remembered the name of the stores or where we went to or ate. Two weeks later I would suddenly pause in some mundane activity such as watching tv and go "I'm in the US, arent I?"

Maybe thats just me. To be honest, being married is almost the same as how we were before we got married because we acted like we were married anyways for the past 5 years. We talked about financial stuff, argued over stuff like married couples do, the whole works.

The only difference really is calling him my hubby or husband now, introducing him as it and feeling a sense of pride when I look at him and go "Wow my hubby is sexy and he's all MINE". Haha.

Other than that, nothing really has changed but thats because of how close we already were prior to that. 5 years brings out the best and the worst in people especially in a long distance relationship, so nothing was new. Sharing living space was a new experience but it felt natural. Not the typical "Youre in my space. I dont like the way you do..." that most people feel when they move in together. We felt more like we complimented each others space rather than barged in on it. I suppose the cliche saying 'feeling complete' comes into play here as much as I hate to use it.

Trying to get the paperwork ready for AOS now. It seems to be a whole lot simpler than K1 was, more forms but less relationship proof and meeting in person past 2 years jargon.

So far we share the apartment lease, will open up a joint checking and savings bank account, debit card, credit card, joint car title, joint car insurance, joint utilities. Be warned for those that are gonna be using birth control: In US, they dont provide over the counter birth control and you need a prescription where they require you to have a pap smear as well. The prescription costs close to 100 USD and then and only then can you buy birth control at the pharmacies. So my advice is to stock up on birth control you use in Malaysia for a few months!

Well we are in the stages of getting the paperwork ready for AOS and wondered if, like the K1, it should be frontloaded with relationship evidence. We heard some K1 adjustments get put straight to CSC or something and get approved without an interview. Wondered if frontloading marriage jointness evidence would have any effect on the probability of it.

Also, I am so confused about the degree of name change allowed once married in your free name change.

Say my full name is Anne Bettysue Miranda Crocker and my husband's last name is Scavo.

First name: Anne Bettysue

Middle name: Miranda

Family name: Crocker

For all intents and purposes and throughout my life, my first name and given name was always Betty, not Anne as is just a cultural prefix to my first name, nor is it Bettysue. Anne is sort of my cultural equivalent of things like Junior or Senior, so as you can tell it will be stupid to go around with that as my first name. I have always gone by Betty. Social security shortened my maiden name on my card to Anne Bettysue Crocker and left out my middlename, Miranda.

Could I apply for AOS in the married name Betty Sue Scavo? Leave out that prefix, use my actual first name as a first name, separate Sue in Bettysue to a middle name and use my husband's last name?

First name: Betty

Middle name: Sue

Family name: Scavo

PS: Sorry for the bad name examples. And yes, I watch Desperate Housewives.

First of all, 'Congratulations!' =)

I know it makes people tingly all over hearing it after getting married. Well, I did anyway.

Thank you for the help so far peeps. Had a long day so I'm just gonna let it rest and cough up the 68 bucks later as well as straighten out married vs maiden name later, or see how I feel tomorrow about trying to battle it out with SSA. Probably the former. This catch-22 is tiring.

Nope we haven't done that yet. My guess is as good as yours. I am curious about it though. I found a civil surgeon in Hickory, so we'll probably head there. There's a few in Charlotte too, Greensboro etc

https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=of...office_type=CIV

I'm pretty curious about it too. I'm guessing within the 100-150 range.

The license is similar to what you posted in the link only has labels on the side: male applicant and female applicant. As for the female applicant, the register of deeds herself filled in my maiden name on 11a saying it should match the name on my social security card. She had to check with a supervisor on this as my full name as in the passport was shortened by SSA, where they left my middle name out. Once confirmed, she filled up my maiden name as per SS card on that field herself and asked us to fill up the rest.

So I had no option nor was it mentioned to me that 11a is for your intended married name. I don't think that is the case though.

I called up the register of deeds we went to after my last post to confirm that there is no field there for your married name. She said the certifed certifcate she provided us is enough for a name change with SSA and DMV despite the lack of a married name being stated in black and white on the document.

When we got the license, it was done in my maiden name as we were not yet married.

I repeatedly mentioned during the license process, to the magistrate and when they converted the license to a marriage certificate that I wanted to take my husband's name. It didnt seem to make a difference because the marriage certificate they handed to us is an exact replica of the marriage license, only photocopied onto a green paper, signed by the register of deeds and embossed.

There is no space or way to indicate what my desired married name would be on this license turned certificate. There is no field there to put it down either. Maybe it is a state based thing and marriage licenses/certificates arent standardized but there was no option to put down my married name on either the license or certificate despite my repeated insistence for them to keep that in mind.

I had just assumed then that the certificate would infer a name change based on marriage and it is legally and logical to let the wife take on the husbands last name based on this document since no room was given for stating a legal name change outright.

Now I am more confused.

I am beyond confused as to the law here. Some people have successfully changed their name on their social security card after marriage and before GC/EAD. When I spoke to the lady at the office in Hickory, she said I need an EAD to change my name after marriage on the card.

I just spent 30 minutes on the phone with the main social security helpline only to be told the same thing after she asked a supervisor.

I am trying to change my name on the social security card so I qualify for a north carolina state ID from the DMV. I spoke to a DMV agent today and she said I could get one but needed to have my name match on the social security card (married name). I spent a long time explaning that the name on my social security card and wedding certificate match and are both in my maiden name and I wanted to use the marriage certificate to get an ID in my married name. It ended with her stating the social security must be in my married name and should match my marriage certificate. Here's where I'm confused, I cant change the marriage certificate as it was registered in my maiden name and the cert is infact exactly the same as the license. Its ridiculous to apply for a marriage license in your married name when youre not married yet so how, is it possible logically, to have my married name on the social security card (once changed) to match my marriage certificate??? (Which the DMV agent wanted)

Sorry if I am incoherent, been such a confusing morning.

The basic reason for this wild goose chase is we are trying to get both our names on the title of a car we just bought for future purposes and to show as one of the joint things during the AOS interview. DMV needs State ID or Drivers License for both owners. DMV needs Social Security Card to match married name for State ID card. Social Security needs GC to change name on social security card. If we dont manage to register it under my name as well now, a future change of title ownership will cost us 40 bucks and we need new license plates then as well for 28 bucks. So a whole 68 bucks wasted because of all this mumbo jumbo.

I guess long story short, does anyone have any success stories of changing their name on the social security card to their married name BEFORE GC/EAD? If so, what do I do now?

For clarification so things don't get confusing:

When you get married, you need to have two witnesses to sign the certificate along with the person marrying you. After its all said and done and signed, bring back to the certificate to the register of deeds (where you originally got it from) and ask for a copy of your marriage license.

I meant:

When you get married, you need to have two witnesses to sign the license along with the person marrying you. After its all said and done and signed, bring back to the license to the register of deeds (where you originally got it from) and ask for a copy of your marriage certificate.

They are essentially the same piece of paper. The license becomes a certificate once you bring it back to the register of deeds after marriage. From what I observed, she photocopied it onto some green paper, chopped, signed and embossed it and viola, marriage certificate.

By the way, do NOT let the judge(whoever marries you) keep the license after marriage to take it to the register of deeds. This will delay it. Take it there yourselves and you can get the certificate on the same day. It took all of 5 mintes to turn the license into certificates for us. Remember its 10 bucks per copy. I think AOS requires you send one certified copy so make more than one. We made two, one for us and one for AOS.

I was going to do this but remembered how sometimes government agents make mistakes (misinformation line). Thought I would ask the good people of VJ before making that call.

Hi guys, I have another question regarding something which we will use for AOS later.

We are soon going to register a car in NC and want the title to be under both our names, which will be used for proof of marriage later on in AOS filing along with joint savings account, joint current account, joint lease (we have that now), joint car insurance, joint utilities and joint credit cards. To title a car and register it under someone though, the DMV website says both people must have valid drivers license or a valid identification card.

My wife cannot drive and does not have any valid license (hers expired years ago in her home country). We will have her license done once I've taught her to drive on the right side of the road, or once she takes drivers ed, if needed.

So we are now going to try and see if we can get her a North Carolina Identification Card from DMV. It says there that what is needed is:

* Proof of Residency;

* Proof of Age and Identity;

* It is required that you present DMV with a valid Social Security card. If you are not eligible for a Social Security card, you must provide documentation issued by the United States Government indicating legal presence.

We have proof of age and identity, her valid social security card and a joint lease as well as correspondence from the Social Security Administration to prove residency.

My question, can she apply for this identification card without a GC? I am unclear as to if they simply mean proof of residence in NC or proof of residence in the country (ie LPR/Citizenship).

If she qualifies to get this identity card for the purpose of registering our car under her name, can she apply for the card AND register the title under her married name (if we show our marriage certificate) or does it have to be under her maiden name as stated in social security card (have not changed it yet as we have limited transport. Hence-car).

Thanks for the answers.

So from what I understand so far, overstay is forgiven once a GC is hand and the 180-day-3-year-ban thing will not affect re-entry with a GC in hand.

However, there will be problems if an AP is used instead while the process is ongoing.

For some reason, I got it in my head that the 180-day-3-year-ban thing also affected a GC card holder regardless of permanent residence.

For the record, AOS is our TOP priority and any delay is not through indifference or lack of knowledge as to its importance. There is no need to spill our personal financial problems here to justify it. Suffice to say, we are doing all we can but wanted to know the law for peace of mind in the worst case scenario, if it happens. Thank you to those that addressed my questions as to the law behind this.

Hi there fellow Malaysian.

Wow, lots of Malaysians in NC. I managed to get my SS done two weeks after I arrived and they asked for my passport. BC was not required. I got it in the mail 7 days later.

They said we needed a SS# to apply for marriage license as well but the lady also mentioned that you can sign a waiver if you cannot or are not entitled to one. Anyway, thats moot now you have your SS# on the way.

License comes first, you fill it up with a register of deeds or county clerk.

http://www.weddingvendors.com/marriage-lic...north-carolina/

Find out your county and call a number on that list there. Ours was Burke county since we're in Morganton, NC. You can ask all the questions to your hearts desire there. Usually its 60 bucks for a marriage license. You fill up stuff like name of you and your future hubby, parents name and address and education level. Bring along your passports, drivers license, birth certificate and translation and social security card for identification. The entire process of getting our license took all of 10 minutes, however long it took to fill up the form ourselves.

When you get married, you need to have two witnesses to sign the certificate along with the person marrying you. After its all said and done and signed, bring back to the certificate to the register of deeds (where you originally got it from) and ask for a copy of your marriage license.

We got ours on the spot for 10 bucks each. Our certificate of marriage has an embossed seal on it and is green in color. Not sure if that's the standard but I'm pretty sure that takes care of all that is needed to flaunt youre married to the government when needed.

Advance Parole is used while AOS is being processed.

Adjustment of Status is how the Green Card is obtained.

I am aware of this. Maybe my question was not clear.

Do you get a 3 year ban if you adjust status after a K1, 180 days after entry into the US? I remembering someone mentioning it on VJ before. The instance I am talking about is if we adjust 180 days after first entry into the US, get either AP or GC later, leave the US and re-enter: can a 3 year ban take place upon trying to re-enter then?

An overstay of 180 days to 12months is an automatic 3 year ban. An overstay of more than a year is an automatic 10 year ban.