AOS kicking my ###

[Danno 1,228]

Heck I thought working my way through the K-1 was the hard part, now that I am trying to figure out the aos, I can not seem to get the forms filled out.

My wife is about 2 months past her 90 day visa dead line and I still have not got these papers filed.

On the bright side everything is going well between us

She has adjusted very well from a Russian life, to my average American life. She has met a few

other Russian ladies in this area but to be honest she does not seem to have a big "need" for

their company, though she does enjoy the few times she gets together with them.

Do I have any complaints about her? Only one, she spends too much time in the kitchen and I have no idea what she is even doing. She can spend 3 hours easy after dinner in there and still not have the dishes clean. But she is absolutely the Best woman a man could hope for, there is nothing she wouldn't do to help me.

I would say the only problem we have had.. or I have had is my work has been so slow, it is giving me concern.

Now if I can just get some of these AOS forms filled out to *Immigration control* doesnt come and haul her away.

I have downloaded all the forms listed and yet I still have not found any real directions on how to fill out the forms (except on the one for support).

For instance, the I 765 (question 16) tells me to look at section2 of the instructions

to determine a code for my wife (and her daughter). But my copy of that form does not have any instructions.

In fact, where is the part which tells you "where to send this package" and how much $$ to send?

Seems like all my info is coming from Visajourney.com instead of the forms.

Any help would be great.

[slim 1,530]

First of all, ICE isn't going to come and haul her away. She has the legal right to stay here as your wife. In truth, she could stay indefinitely without ever doing AOS. However, it behooves you to get it done (and over with!) so she can have all her ID cards and stuff.

As far as filling out the forms, VJ has good advice over in the AOS section and the guides section as well. I remember googling something about the AOS process and getting directed to several Indian sites. Now they have their stuff together when it comes to AOS!

I know it's changed slightly since I filed last year but it's all out there somewhere. Most likely you'll be sending it to Chicago (check your location) and will pay upwards of $1000 so if work's slow (mine too) start saving now.

Let her do her business in the kitchen, just make sure you stay out of the way after "offering" to help. Good luck!

[Satellite 1]

First of all, ICE isn't going to come and haul her away. She has the legal right to stay here as your wife. In truth, she could stay indefinitely without ever doing AOS.

That's not true. If she commits a deportable / removable offense she is subject to deportation. And if she leaves the country and tries to return she will not be allowed in. Technically speaking if ICE was to do a random immigration raid, she is deportable for having an expired I-94. She gets out of custody after posting bond and showing the judge proof of filing for AOS. That may or may not work for crimes however.

[NavarreMan 10]

Please complete your timeline. I have PM'd you with info and will help as best I can.

[akdiver 3]

Honestly, I don't see what is so hard about filling out the forms. Most of the questions have obvious answers. For the ones which don't, look at the instructions that come with the form. You can get the form and the instructions from the USCIS forms download pages.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

Two links - one for the form, one for the instructions.

We had are forms filled out well in advance, signed, and dated for the day after our wedding and took them all packaged up and ready to mail with us to Hawaii (where we got married). The day after our wedding, we mailed two copies - one to USCIS and one to us. Nothing too hard about it - you just need to be organized about things.

Edited July 1, 2008 by akdiver

[Danno 1,228]

Honestly, I don't see what is so hard about filling out the forms. Most of the questions have obvious answers. For the ones which don't, look at the instructions that come with the form. You can get the form and the instructions from the USCIS forms download pages.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

Two links - one for the form, one for the instructions.

We had are forms filled out well in advance, signed, and dated for the day after our wedding and took them all packaged up and ready to mail with us to Hawaii (where we got married). The day after our wedding, we mailed two copies - one to USCIS and one to us. Nothing too hard about it - you just need to be organized about things.

Thanks for the link, it is the first time I have seen the instructions.

We both agree, if I were more organized it would be a lot easier.

[slim 1,530]

First of all, ICE isn't going to come and haul her away. She has the legal right to stay here as your wife. In truth, she could stay indefinitely without ever doing AOS.

That's not true. If she commits a deportable / removable offense she is subject to deportation. And if she leaves the country and tries to return she will not be allowed in. Technically speaking if ICE was to do a random immigration raid, she is deportable for having an expired I-94. She gets out of custody after posting bond and showing the judge proof of filing for AOS. That may or may not work for crimes however.

It is true because if she commits a deportable/removable offense (even with a green card) then she is still subject to deportation. In this case it's the offense commited that makes her deportable, not just being here without doing AOS. If she leaves the country without filing for AOS then she's not staying indefinitely, is she? Technically speaking, when does ICE do random immigration raids on single-family homes for nothing more than expired I-94s?

The reason people freak out about AOS is because of things Satellite just mentioned. One-in-a-million "technicalities" that don't affect the average person. What I said above stands, don't sweat doing AOS. Take your time and do it when you can. She has a legal right to stay here as your wife, AOS or not.

But yeah, have her stay in the country (which you're probably not going anywhere if the AOS fee is too high..... international travel is significantly higher) and stay out of trouble. (Hard to commit deportable offenses when she's staying at home all day because she can't work.)

[Danno 1,228]

The reason people freak out about AOS is because of things Satellite just mentioned. One-in-a-million "technicalities" that don't affect the average person. What I said above stands, don't sweat doing AOS. Take your time and do it when you can. She has a legal right to stay here as your wife, AOS or not.

But yeah, have her stay in the country (which you're probably not going anywhere if the AOS fee is too high..... international travel is significantly higher) and stay out of trouble. (Hard to commit deportable offenses when she's staying at home all day because she can't work.)

Yeah Slim we will try to avoid getting tangled up in those sticky situations the GOV frowns on like smuggling narcotics and gun-running because those weekend activities might get "the wife" Booted out

:-)

In the mean time I am still trying to figure out if the "Principle Immigrant" .....is my wife on both her and her daughters I-864

Or is the Daughter the "principle Immigrant" on her own I-864?

Edited July 2, 2008 by Danno

[Chuckles 0]

Do one I-864 for both your wife and your daughter. List your wife as the Principle Immigrant. It is what I did and everything was fine.

[Satellite 1]

The reason people freak out about AOS is because of things Satellite just mentioned. One-in-a-million "technicalities" that don't affect the average person.

Some examples of those raids:

http://www.examiner.com/a-1466946~ICE_agen...d=rss-Baltimore

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_...f9&from=rss

[Neonred 3,611]

The reason people freak out about AOS is because of things Satellite just mentioned. One-in-a-million "technicalities" that don't affect the average person.

Some examples of those raids:

http://www.examiner.com/a-1466946~ICE_agen...d=rss-Baltimore

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_...f9&from=rss

There you go. Keep your wife away from, and don't let her work with groups of illegals until she gets her green card.

[slim 1,530]

The reason people freak out about AOS is because of things Satellite just mentioned. One-in-a-million "technicalities" that don't affect the average person.

Some examples of those raids:

http://www.examiner.com/a-1466946~ICE_agen...d=rss-Baltimore

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_...f9&from=rss

Once again, very good examples of what's NOT going to happen to a guy and his wife. In both of your examples the raids were conducted in coordination with illegal activity. If she's staying past her visa; sitting at home, staying out of trouble, there's not going to be a federal search warrant issued to bust into their home and haul her away.

For someone who talks about "practicality vs. legality" on the Russian side so often, you seem almost fearful of what the U.S. govt. is capable of. I know you're only presenting "possibilities" in the off-chance something like this theoretically could happen, but in reality, when does it happen? Get that yahoo search bar working, if you can present one single case where a K-1 fiancee was deported for no other reason than failing to submit AOS, you'll get the Until then, quit scaring the newlyweds!

[NavarreMan 10]

The reason people freak out about AOS is because of things Satellite just mentioned. One-in-a-million "technicalities" that don't affect the average person.

Some examples of those raids:

http://www.examiner.com/a-1466946~ICE_agen...d=rss-Baltimore

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_...f9&from=rss

Once again, very good examples of what's NOT going to happen to a guy and his wife. In both of your examples the raids were conducted in coordination with illegal activity. If she's staying past her visa; sitting at home, staying out of trouble, there's not going to be a federal search warrant issued to bust into their home and haul her away.

For someone who talks about "practicality vs. legality" on the Russian side so often, you seem almost fearful of what the U.S. govt. is capable of. I know you're only presenting "possibilities" in the off-chance something like this theoretically could happen, but in reality, when does it happen? Get that yahoo search bar working, if you can present one single case where a K-1 fiancee was deported for no other reason than failing to submit AOS, you'll get the Until then, quit scaring the newlyweds!

[Satellite 1]

For someone who talks about "practicality vs. legality" on the Russian side so often, you seem almost fearful of what the U.S. govt. is capable of. I know you're only presenting "possibilities" in the off-chance something like this theoretically could happen, but in reality, when does it happen? Get that yahoo search bar working, if you can present one single case where a K-1 fiancée was deported for no other reason than failing to submit AOS, you'll get the Until then, quit scaring the newlyweds!

What I've noticed both in my immigration clients and my bankruptcy clients is that the more you tell them all the possibilities and all the things that can go wrong, the more likely they are to retain you.

Besides getting AOS done ASAP is worth the investment. Speeds up citizenship, gets your lady the right to work and travel, and it locks in your USCIS rates, as fees can only go up from here.

[akdiver 3]

Yeah - there really is no good reason to delay AOS. Even if you don't have the cash (which to me would indicate bigger problems), I'd sell or pawn whatever I had to so I could come up with the cash and get my paperwork sent off as soon as eligible.