UK AOS 2009 Thread

[wexford65 0]

I am down in FL but to be fair haven't seen much of what you refer to. If you are in a small town you need to remember that many will not own a passport and consider anyone that doesn't have a DL to be, well...odd. I used my passport several times when carded but it is in English. I can see it being only in French to be an issue, although if French would work anywhere it should be New Orleans?!

Look on the bright side, each day is one day closer to having that DL and GC. Once you have the DL you become 'one of the gang'.

It is all worth it in the long run. The AOS was fairly time intensive and worrying but once through it it is all downhill from there. Subsequent stages are far simpler. IMHO AOS is THE hurdle that once cleared you can consider the rest a near formality assuming everything is on the up and up.

Good luck,

Paul

*hugs* thankyou! i hate to whine about this stuff but i'm going crazy here...

It okay to whine. Glad you stopped in. Nick's AOS took over 5 months. It just seemed to sit at CSC with no RFE or any problems. After awhile, you just want to close out the journey and quit waiting on things to happen.

being in the south with no greencard is causing me a lot of problems, i wish this was all over so i could live a normal life like everyone else. i'm so tired of justifying myself to the xenophobic morons here. i've had my work permit for two months and i haven't been able to get a learners permit due to xenophobia at the local dmv, i only managed to get it by my husband taking the day off to travel to a different county and waiting there all day. i also encounter problems like i did when i tried to buy some cigarettes from a gas station a few miles from here, the lady decided she was homeland security, going through all of my passport with a fine tooth comb and checking my visa to apparently verify that it hadn't expired... i've also been told that i won't be served alcohol because my british passport is in french and they can't read it? i've never been made to feel so bad in all my life. my husband tells me to laugh off their ignorance because it isn't that frequent but when i encounter it i can't help but feel very angry, upset and insulted.

[Talyss 0]

being in the south with no greencard is causing me a lot of problems, i wish this was all over so i could live a normal life like everyone else. i'm so tired of justifying myself to the xenophobic morons here. i've had my work permit for two months and i haven't been able to get a learners permit due to xenophobia at the local dmv, i only managed to get it by my husband taking the day off to travel to a different county and waiting there all day. i also encounter problems like i did when i tried to buy some cigarettes from a gas station a few miles from here, the lady decided she was homeland security, going through all of my passport with a fine tooth comb and checking my visa to apparently verify that it hadn't expired... i've also been told that i won't be served alcohol because my british passport is in french and they can't read it? i've never been made to feel so bad in all my life. my husband tells me to laugh off their ignorance because it isn't that frequent but when i encounter it i can't help but feel very angry, upset and insulted.

Sorry you are having such a hard time, those experiences would make me feel very down. I find it upsetting enough when shop assistants can't understand my accent. I hope they speed up with getting your card out to you.

[aoifee 0]

Nick did the TX driver's license and SS update using his EAD card, both in Angleton if you're familiar with that town. I'm thinking they will want to see a card, but that may be awhile if you've read the card production delay posts. You could always go in with what you have, but I think at the DPS they are wanting to see something with a date showing you have at least 6 moths validity in the US or a real card. At the DPS, even with an EAD card they give a temporary visitor license (alien license) with a portrait orientation rather than the regular landscape orientation one. He went back with the GC and had to pay more money to get a normal license. If you make an infopass appointment they are supposed to give you that stamp to show GC status (I-551?) since they are experiencing card delays due to changing the system. That stamp should work.

Hi all,

I've been in the country for just over a week now and need to get the ball rolling....I'm applying for SSN and marriage license tail end of this week and a few other bits and pieces.

Like Rocks I do not have an overseas driving license and I'm really really really struggling without. As I'm sure you all know the DMV identification criteria require a visa with 12 month expiration (which as K1 I don't have) so according to them I'll have to wait for greencard (eeeeek!!!). Sooooo Nich Nick when I read your post above I got real excited. Are you saying that with EAD I can apply for temp driving license which needs to be updated once g/c received and is this common practise or will I need to jump through all sorts of hoops to pull it off? I'm based in Houston.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Nick did the TX driver's license and SS update using his EAD card, both in Angleton if you're familiar with that town. I'm thinking they will want to see a card, but that may be awhile if you've read the card production delay posts. You could always go in with what you have, but I think at the DPS they are wanting to see something with a date showing you have at least 6 moths validity in the US or a real card. At the DPS, even with an EAD card they give a temporary visitor license (alien license) with a portrait orientation rather than the regular landscape orientation one. He went back with the GC and had to pay more money to get a normal license. If you make an infopass appointment they are supposed to give you that stamp to show GC status (I-551?) since they are experiencing card delays due to changing the system. That stamp should work.

Hi all,

I've been in the country for just over a week now and need to get the ball rolling....I'm applying for SSN and marriage license tail end of this week and a few other bits and pieces.

Like Rocks I do not have an overseas driving license and I'm really really really struggling without. As I'm sure you all know the DMV identification criteria require a visa with 12 month expiration (which as K1 I don't have) so according to them I'll have to wait for greencard (eeeeek!!!). Sooooo Nich Nick when I read your post above I got real excited. Are you saying that with EAD I can apply for temp driving license which needs to be updated once g/c received and is this common practise or will I need to jump through all sorts of hoops to pull it off? I'm based in Houston.

Texas wants 6 mo. validity on an I-94, but that still doesn't help a K1. You can get a license or in your case a learners permit with an EAD card because it shows a validity past 6 months. You'll take a computer test to get the learners permit so you can practice driving before the behind the wheel test. If you are close to a Dept of Safety driver's license place, pick up a yellow manual (free) and study it for the written test. Pay attention to all the teenage stuff in the front because there's lots of that on the test. Nick skipped reading that because he's long since his teen years. It's things like "what is the penalty for a minor who blah, blah..." If you take the driving test before you get the green card, you get a license that says "visitor" and it will expire when the EAD expires (1 year.) With a green card, you get a normal 4-6 year expiration license. So get on with filing AOS/EAD. You don't need a SSN to apply, but you do need the marriage license. See p. 6 of this thread for an outline of the application organization I posted.

[Kirsten UK 2]

Hi, can anyone tell me if I need to send a seperate I-864 for my daughter (aged 11) or do I just list her as my dependant on my copy or does she need the I-864A? I'm confused because of the choice of tick box at the end that is for either the fiancee/spouse or other householder (sorry I forgot the number of the question )? Thanks

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Read the instructions for the I-485 on the bottom of p. 3 and the top of p. 4. It explains that.

[rocks 494]

I am down in FL but to be fair haven't seen much of what you refer to. If you are in a small town you need to remember that many will not own a passport and consider anyone that doesn't have a DL to be, well...odd. I used my passport several times when carded but it is in English. I can see it being only in French to be an issue, although if French would work anywhere it should be New Orleans?!

Look on the bright side, each day is one day closer to having that DL and GC. Once you have the DL you become 'one of the gang'.

It is all worth it in the long run. The AOS was fairly time intensive and worrying but once through it it is all downhill from there. Subsequent stages are far simpler. IMHO AOS is THE hurdle that once cleared you can consider the rest a near formality assuming everything is on the up and up.

Good luck,

Paul

thanks for the encouraging words. i drove our car last night and that felt somewhat liberating!

i'm in mississippi, i wish i was in louisiana but i am on the coast here at least... my passport is in english and french like everyone else's uk passport she just didn't want to serve me because i wasn't american. in florida i have never encountered these problems, nor in louisiana or the next county here in ms where i went to finally get my learners permit, it is just here in this specific city that i seem to have problems. i understand that not having a drivers license would make me a little strange but to be yelled at and told that i'm here illegally by the dmv and to be denied a learners permit based on this xenophobia was really upsetting for me. i know i am here legally, i have done everything by the book but how can i prove that when i am faced with this unreasonable attitude? i can't help but feel if i had my greencard i could shut these people up and my life would be a lot easier... i don't want to make it seem like it is all bad here because it really isn't, after all this is the hospitality state, but when i am faced with this bad attitude it makes me feel frustrated and angry and i don't know what to do about it.

[P&R 1]

thanks for the encouraging words. i drove our car last night and that felt somewhat liberating!

i'm in mississippi, i wish i was in louisiana but i am on the coast here at least... my passport is in english and french like everyone else's uk passport she just didn't want to serve me because i wasn't american. in florida i have never encountered these problems, nor in louisiana or the next county here in ms where i went to finally get my learners permit, it is just here in this specific city that i seem to have problems. i understand that not having a drivers license would make me a little strange but to be yelled at and told that i'm here illegally by the dmv and to be denied a learners permit based on this xenophobia was really upsetting for me. i know i am here legally, i have done everything by the book but how can i prove that when i am faced with this unreasonable attitude? i can't help but feel if i had my greencard i could shut these people up and my life would be a lot easier... i don't want to make it seem like it is all bad here because it really isn't, after all this is the hospitality state, but when i am faced with this bad attitude it makes me feel frustrated and angry and i don't know what to do about it.

I can definitely understand how stressful it can be living in certain locations and especially while going through the immigration process. One thing you should know about Mississippi and many other southern states and areas outside in the country......they are very close knit communities that don't take kindly to strangers. They are very cautious about the people they consider outsiders. I moved from southern California to small town Mississippi many years ago and dealt with this issue. The people in that state are some of the nicest I've met and some of the ones who could make me wish to spit nails. You need to take small rural life into consideration when you live in these areas, especially if you are not considered an American Citizen at this time.

People that live in these locations are extremely patriotic and "Pro-American". You will be the odd man out, until you are accepted into the fold and the community. When I went from the west to the south, I was lucky in the fact that most of my ex-husband's family lived in the town, but even with that connection I had to earn their trust and respect. Sad to say, just having a green card may not make "people shut up" and your life easier, you still may have a lot of work ahead of you.

Another thing you should know, there are many "dry" counties in Mississippi and towns around these counties are leary of those who purchase alcohol. So if they are hassling you a bit, give them a smile and try to always be very polite. In Texas, I've worked as a bartender and "technically" I was not supposed to take any I.D. other than a Texas Drivers License or a Texas State ID. Even if someone walked in to my bar with a valid passport or USA Military ID and I wasn't a 100% sure about their age, I had to tell them "NO".

Its a smart move to make sure you know all the rules, laws, etc. of where ever you may live, because there can always be some strange stuff that can pop up and bite you on the behind.

I hope life gets easier for you, just take a breath and relax.

[Nicoxcx 1]

I find it hard to believe that a country built on immigrants can make it so hard for a stranger to fit in.

I haven't had many problems here, everyone has been lovely (there have been a few people I have had run ins with some people) but all in all most people are very friendly and welcoming to me.

Paul&Rochelle has great advice rocks! I hope life gets easier for you, you have to work extra hard just to prove yourself to a bunch of people who are not even giving you the chance.

Goodluck and keep us updated, everyone there (who you have met) has had the same attitude towards you?

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

Haven't caught up with posts because we just got in, but...

Yis, Knight and I tied the knot! A thousand thank-yous to Nich, my surrogate mum, who made it all happen. Shaz I wish you coulda made it...

It was all very madly planned, and we had no idea if it was going to work so we didn't say anything but it worked! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Am le tired (flight got delayed because the plane was borked, Continental was VERY sorry for us missing our Anchorage connection and put us up in the Sheraton in Houston for the night -- would have called you Nich, but we were utterly out of it and I know you're outside the city!), need a shower, and found Bean somehow killed a bird by the front door on the inside, even though he's been in all week and Knight's buddy's been checking on him...

I've also got a very mysterious package with a hair pin, a thank-you card and no name...

Yooooo! But, more later. Now, shower + sleep.

Magpie.

[skparker 0]

congrats magpie! the wedding looked real casual and fun!

as for our news- we had our EAD card production ordered 7-7-09. thank the Lord! we have been stressing with money...so hopefully stuart can start working sometime next week. yay.

Edited July 8, 2009 by skparker

[miss g 1]

ok so we getting married soon .. erm no date.. wheres there instruction manual!!

hows everyone else doing?

[SONG41 15]

ok so we getting married soon .. erm no date.. wheres there instruction manual!!

hows everyone else doing?

Can anyone help?

Form I-485 Part 2

What is the answer I give is it H and state aos from VWP?

Thanks

[P&R 1]

Can anyone help?

Form I-485 Part 2

What is the answer I give is it H and state aos from VWP?

Thanks

I answered your PM, but I will reply here as well. We answered on Form 485 Part 2 as "H" and we typed "Married to United States Citizen"

Good luck with the paperwork.

[Talyss 0]

Haven't caught up with posts because we just got in, but...

Yis, Knight and I tied the knot! A thousand thank-yous to Nich, my surrogate mum, who made it all happen. Shaz I wish you coulda made it...

It was all very madly planned, and we had no idea if it was going to work so we didn't say anything but it worked! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Am le tired (flight got delayed because the plane was borked, Continental was VERY sorry for us missing our Anchorage connection and put us up in the Sheraton in Houston for the night -- would have called you Nich, but we were utterly out of it and I know you're outside the city!), need a shower, and found Bean somehow killed a bird by the front door on the inside, even though he's been in all week and Knight's buddy's been checking on him...

I've also got a very mysterious package with a hair pin, a thank-you card and no name...

Yooooo! But, more later. Now, shower + sleep.

Magpie.

Congratulations on the wedding Magpie!