Interview questions, and more...

[EmilyM 0]

hello,

I have my k-1 interview on wednesday, and I'm just looking up my next steps, if I get approved.

First of all, can I bring a binder to my interview? I have those clear binder sheets and I put all my stuff in order in them. I was wondering if a binder is okay to bring? I also have a file folder and an accordian file folder, but I'm afraid of having all the pages loose. Let me know what you guys did for your interviews, if you have any suggestions, or if you think my set up is okay.

Also, I am hoping to move to the states next week, but our wedding wont be until aug 16. So I'm wondering, can I get a ssn and work right away? or will I need to fill out an ead/aos first? and if i do, do I need to wait til after the wedding to fill it out?

money is getting tight, and I'd like to work as soon as possible. I think I have enough to make do, but I just want to know if i can start looking for work right away or not.

Thanks for all the help that this site provides, any help on this subject would be appreciated.

-Emily

[belinda63 3,038]

after you receive ur visa, which may or may not be soon after the interview, you will have six months to enter the US and only 90 days to marry after you enter. After you marry you will file for an adjustment of status which now is for a conditional green card, work permit, and advance parole all rolled into one.

You may only begin working after you have received your work permit. If you have not received it within 90 days of filing it is my understanding you may request a temporary permit.

Best advice is to read the guides on this site.

[BRIAN AND ISA 0]

Yes you can take your binder with you for the interview, that is what I did just to keep things organized. Once you enter the state, wait about a week and then you can go get your soc. sec. number. This is the best way to go because you can start establishing credit here in the states and you can get a state I.D. card and open a joint checking and savings account with your fiance. Then get married and file for your AOS and then you can start looking for a job. Good luck.

[jundp 191]

hello,

I have my k-1 interview on wednesday, and I'm just looking up my next steps, if I get approved.

First of all, can I bring a binder to my interview? I have those clear binder sheets and I put all my stuff in order in them. I was wondering if a binder is okay to bring? I also have a file folder and an accordian file folder, but I'm afraid of having all the pages loose. Let me know what you guys did for your interviews, if you have any suggestions, or if you think my set up is okay.

Also, I am hoping to move to the states next week, but our wedding wont be until aug 16. So I'm wondering, can I get a ssn and work right away? or will I need to fill out an ead/aos first? and if i do, do I need to wait til after the wedding to fill it out?

money is getting tight, and I'd like to work as soon as possible. I think I have enough to make do, but I just want to know if i can start looking for work right away or not.

Thanks for all the help that this site provides, any help on this subject would be appreciated.

-Emily

Depending on where you enter the US you can get an EAD stamp which is good for 90 days and then you can apply for AOS right after marriage. But if you are going to enter sooner and then wait to get married there may be a space of time when you are not legal to work.

If you are driving over the border, Blaine gives the EAD stamp, but I don't know about other Canadian land crossings (I called Blaine to make sure for us). Apparently (and this has been hotly debated on VJ!) JFK is the only airport that ROUTINELY gives the EAD stamp. Others have reported occasionally getting the stamp in different airports though.

Good luck!

[dj1206 0]

hello,

I have my k-1 interview on wednesday, and I'm just looking up my next steps, if I get approved.

First of all, can I bring a binder to my interview? I have those clear binder sheets and I put all my stuff in order in them. I was wondering if a binder is okay to bring? I also have a file folder and an accordian file folder, but I'm afraid of having all the pages loose. Let me know what you guys did for your interviews, if you have any suggestions, or if you think my set up is okay.

Also, I am hoping to move to the states next week, but our wedding wont be until aug 16. So I'm wondering, can I get a ssn and work right away? or will I need to fill out an ead/aos first? and if i do, do I need to wait til after the wedding to fill it out?

money is getting tight, and I'd like to work as soon as possible. I think I have enough to make do, but I just want to know if i can start looking for work right away or not.

Thanks for all the help that this site provides, any help on this subject would be appreciated.

-Emily

Depending on where you enter the USA, you may or may not be issued a temporary EAD (Work authorization). This is typically valid for only 90 days and may have to be asked for. If it is given, you would receive a stamp on the back of your I-94 form. JFK airport typically DOES give this. However, after 90 days from POE, you would not be eligible to work. You might could work at home as a babysitter or whatever and take in a little bit of extra income that way, but my view is that doing something like that would not be entirely legal. You can apply for a SSN within the first 90 days, but the card you receive would state that you are only authorized to work with USCIS authorization, and I believe my wife's has a date on it, too. Various states may have different laws about drivers' licenses, but North Carolina allows for State ID's and learner's permits, and DL's, but they are only valid for that 90 day period. Kinda sucks, if you ask me. I know about finances being tight, but it's just something you have to deal with the best you can as a couple until things can be straightened out by your EAD that you apply for after you get married. I'd apply for EAD as soon as you possibly can after marriage (I think it does have to be done AFTER the marriage, unless you want to try to do it and pay a separate $300+ fee just for EAD...the AOS fee, $1010, automatically includes the EAD fee, but it must be applied for with AOS, not before) so you won't have to wait so long. Me and J waited almost a month and a half after our marriage to apply for AOS/EAD/AP, and I think we're both regretting waiting that long now. C'est la vie.

D

[dj1206 0]

hello,

I have my k-1 interview on wednesday, and I'm just looking up my next steps, if I get approved.

First of all, can I bring a binder to my interview? I have those clear binder sheets and I put all my stuff in order in them. I was wondering if a binder is okay to bring? I also have a file folder and an accordian file folder, but I'm afraid of having all the pages loose. Let me know what you guys did for your interviews, if you have any suggestions, or if you think my set up is okay.

Also, I am hoping to move to the states next week, but our wedding wont be until aug 16. So I'm wondering, can I get a ssn and work right away? or will I need to fill out an ead/aos first? and if i do, do I need to wait til after the wedding to fill it out?

money is getting tight, and I'd like to work as soon as possible. I think I have enough to make do, but I just want to know if i can start looking for work right away or not.

Thanks for all the help that this site provides, any help on this subject would be appreciated.

-Emily

Depending on where you enter the USA, you may or may not be issued a temporary EAD (Work authorization). This is typically valid for only 90 days and may have to be asked for. If it is given, you would receive a stamp on the back of your I-94 form. JFK airport typically DOES give this. However, after 90 days from POE, you would not be eligible to work. You might could work at home as a babysitter or whatever and take in a little bit of extra income that way, but my view is that doing something like that would not be entirely legal. You can apply for a SSN within the first 90 days, but the card you receive would state that you are only authorized to work with USCIS authorization, and I believe my wife's has a date on it, too. Various states may have different laws about drivers' licenses, but North Carolina allows for State ID's and learner's permits, and DL's, but they are only valid for that 90 day period. Kinda sucks, if you ask me. I know about finances being tight, but it's just something you have to deal with the best you can as a couple until things can be straightened out by your EAD that you apply for after you get married. I'd apply for EAD as soon as you possibly can after marriage (I think it does have to be done AFTER the marriage, unless you want to try to do it and pay a separate $300+ fee just for EAD...the AOS fee, $1010, automatically includes the EAD fee, but it must be applied for with AOS, not before) so you won't have to wait so long. Me and J waited almost a month and a half after our marriage to apply for AOS/EAD/AP, and I think we're both regretting waiting that long now. C'est la vie.

D

My wife had a different location for her interview, obviously, but she used several clearbooks to carry all of her paperwork in. She separated the various types of documents and what they proved into smaller folders, and had a very organized package to show the consular officer should they have asked for anything. It might not hurt to check with the embassy via the telephone and see what kind of binders or clearbooks or other organizational stuff you are allowed to bring in, and how much. I know that J could not bring any electronics, digital media (including CD's), or especially not her cell phone into the embassy with her. I'd imagine that is the same in most other embassies.

D

[dj1206 0]

hello,

I have my k-1 interview on wednesday, and I'm just looking up my next steps, if I get approved.

First of all, can I bring a binder to my interview? I have those clear binder sheets and I put all my stuff in order in them. I was wondering if a binder is okay to bring? I also have a file folder and an accordian file folder, but I'm afraid of having all the pages loose. Let me know what you guys did for your interviews, if you have any suggestions, or if you think my set up is okay.

Also, I am hoping to move to the states next week, but our wedding wont be until aug 16. So I'm wondering, can I get a ssn and work right away? or will I need to fill out an ead/aos first? and if i do, do I need to wait til after the wedding to fill it out?

money is getting tight, and I'd like to work as soon as possible. I think I have enough to make do, but I just want to know if i can start looking for work right away or not.

Thanks for all the help that this site provides, any help on this subject would be appreciated.

-Emily

Depending on where you enter the USA, you may or may not be issued a temporary EAD (Work authorization). This is typically valid for only 90 days and may have to be asked for. If it is given, you would receive a stamp on the back of your I-94 form. JFK airport typically DOES give this. However, after 90 days from POE, you would not be eligible to work. You might could work at home as a babysitter or whatever and take in a little bit of extra income that way, but my view is that doing something like that would not be entirely legal. You can apply for a SSN within the first 90 days, but the card you receive would state that you are only authorized to work with USCIS authorization, and I believe my wife's has a date on it, too. Various states may have different laws about drivers' licenses, but North Carolina allows for State ID's and learner's permits, and DL's, but they are only valid for that 90 day period. Kinda sucks, if you ask me. I know about finances being tight, but it's just something you have to deal with the best you can as a couple until things can be straightened out by your EAD that you apply for after you get married. I'd apply for EAD as soon as you possibly can after marriage (I think it does have to be done AFTER the marriage, unless you want to try to do it and pay a separate $300+ fee just for EAD...the AOS fee, $1010, automatically includes the EAD fee, but it must be applied for with AOS, not before) so you won't have to wait so long. Me and J waited almost a month and a half after our marriage to apply for AOS/EAD/AP, and I think we're both regretting waiting that long now. C'est la vie.

D

My wife had a different location for her interview, obviously, but she used several clearbooks to carry all of her paperwork in. She separated the various types of documents and what they proved into smaller folders, and had a very organized package to show the consular officer should they have asked for anything. It might not hurt to check with the embassy via the telephone and see what kind of binders or clearbooks or other organizational stuff you are allowed to bring in, and how much. I know that J could not bring any electronics, digital media (including CD's), or especially not her cell phone into the embassy with her. I'd imagine that is the same in most other embassies.

D

PS- We were told by our local SS office that we should wait 2 weeks after POE to apply for SSN. This is because your name and A#, etc. has to pass from POE through the various US Gooberment systems. And depending on where you are settling, you could expect a hassle. Always make sure that if they do give you a hassle and say you are not eligible, there is a circular floating around on other areas of this site showing that K1 visa holders can apply for and receive a SSN (within the Work Authorization period on the I-94). If they say "We don't have that circular. I've been working here for x years and I know she is not eligible" and you know that you have that stamp on the back of your I-94, tell them to run your Alien number (A#) through their system and see if you have work authorization. That's what I had to do for J...the lady almost threw us out of the office before she looked up her A# and saw that she was wrong in telling us (quite emphatically) that J was not eligible. The A#, if it has gone through the systems (remember, 2 weeks after POE, at least from JFK), will clearly show them if you are eligible or not.

[EmilyM 0]

thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it. I think I know what I have to do now.

one question: is it okay to file for the ead/aos/ap 30 days before your k-1 visa expires? if its a bad idea to file it then, then I will talk to my fiance about getting the marriage certificate sooner. I just want to go and move in and plan a wedding as soon as possible, and we need to have wedding in aug so that my family has enough time to arrange their flights and whatnot.

Edited June 10, 2008 by EmilyT

[KimandRuss 0]

yup... it's ok. good luck.

[angelangels 0]

I had separate plastic folders for 4 main areas: 1. USCIS documents, 2. Personal Letters/Cards/Proof 3. Legal Documents 4. Birth Cert/Police Cert etc and 5. one with Photos - I had a post it note on each cover of folder with those headings, which helped me to sift through the papers with ease. Accordian folder will work just as well, as you can pop in headers at top of those. I was complimented on my presentation at both K1 interview and AOS, so go with what feels good and organised with you

As for working file for your SS around 2 weeks after you enter the US, this gives the system time to update your details. Once you are married and file for your AOS you will file your Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization with the USCIS office that serves the area where you live for a work permit (employment authorization document)

I was given the I-765 Form at Newark Airport when I passed through on my K1 visa, but I waited to file the whole thing together with AOS, some places stamp with a temp work permit in your passport, I didnt feel confident enough to ask for it though! looking back - I do think its worth it ask for one

Tip for you, as soon as you get married get your AOS/EAD/AP sent off as soon as you can

Best of luck for interview and happy travelling !!

[EmilyM 0]

Thank you all again for your responses! its so nice to have a community like this to come to.