Just a word of advice!

[cca 13]

Hey everyone,

I know many of you are waiting for your visa to get over to the usa. Hang in there!!Ive been there, done that and its a testing process.

What I didnt expect was that -even though im happily married- being in the USA and completing all the paperwork there is and then waiting waiting for all of that to come through is also pretty bad. The whole process is like an emotional rollercoaster, you go through the emotional 'trauma' of being apart for months from your fiancee and stress of filing everything then JOY you have an approval ..pack up and get married then start on all the paperwork "do i leave this blank?" blah blah then the waiting game!!!

I came over in october, didnt get married till feb and filed end of feb. The package got sent back to me saying i hadnt included NOA2 WHICH I HAD sent it off again in march, then recieved an RFE over a stupid thing...then wait wait. Its only now that my case has started moving and I have an approval for EAD and AP. My Green card application is also on the move!

What im trying to say is have a plan when you get over here. You cant work for months and unless you have friends in the area (which we didnt as we moved straight after we got married for my husbands new job) it gets very lonesome. Also Because you have so much time to think, you can often start to think of home and friends. I honestly believe the US gov. put this system in place not only to cut out couples that arent genuine, but also couples that are 100% real as it can put a big amount of stress on you.

I have been volunteering a few times a week which has kept me busy and we have 2 cars so im not housebound so thats helped but there are days that i dont do anything apart from few jobs here and there and it can drive me crazy.

Moving to the USA and marrying my husband was the best thing ever but just make sure you have a plan to keep your sanity!! I didnt realise how hard it would be and so, even though i know that it may not apply to all of you, would like to relay my experienece as a kind of heads up!

GOOD LUCK for your visas!!Youll get there soon

[JAPrincess 27]

What kinds of things would you suggest this plan include?

BTW: Congrats on your forward movement!!

Edited June 11, 2009 by JAPrincess

[Nicoxcx 1]

Agreed with all points. cca you are certainly lucky to be able to drive I can't so my days involve walking (which I love anyway) I am definetly not used to not being allowed to work and can't wait for my EAD, I have a job sitting waiting for me which I am very lucky for!.

I am lucky to have married a man who loves the outdoors and fitness as much as me, so we are constantly outside somewhere, also planning a trip back 'home' to Scotland to visit my family.

Also have your friends and family, and yourself look into long distance calls, and get them on Skype or MSN so that you can easily be in touch.

My Husband works at the college so I can go with him and hang out there, which is great since I get to meet some new people.

[cca 13]

I actually speak to most of my family and friends nearly every day of the week! Whether its my mum on a tuesday, best friend on wed, sister on thurs ect ect...so im lucky in that respect and have also set up skype recently. Its amazing! Also facebook cant go unmentioned

Im going back 'home' to england in sep for my sisters wedding so thats something im definatley looking forward too!! And we're planning on moving back there in a year or so so i can go back to uni and get another degree seeing as its pretty much free compared to costs here.

thats good you get to meet people through the college. We also love the outdoors and have a dog so we do a lot of that!

I am glad i drive though , i think as its hard to get anywhere in the city we live in without a car, i would be clinicaly insane by now

[msu17 0]

That is so true. Expect for something to go wrong and delay you getting a work permit. I don't know how anyone can plan on sitting around not driving, working, anything for at least 3 months! UGH! At least my husband could drive and I could be home a lot, so it wasn't too bad for us. If your spouse will be working a lot, expect to be VERY bored and make plans to find something to do.

[Craig D 0]

That is so true. Expect for something to go wrong and delay you getting a work permit. I don't know how anyone can plan on sitting around not driving, working, anything for at least 3 months! UGH! At least my husband could drive and I could be home a lot, so it wasn't too bad for us. If your spouse will be working a lot, expect to be VERY bored and make plans to find something to do.

How long is it before we can go back to her country (Peru) to visit her family? She has never been away from home for more than a week. Someone mentioned we may be able to go back during the 90 window we have to get married, others have said no. If not, can we go after our marriage ?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

That is so true. Expect for something to go wrong and delay you getting a work permit. I don't know how anyone can plan on sitting around not driving, working, anything for at least 3 months! UGH! At least my husband could drive and I could be home a lot, so it wasn't too bad for us. If your spouse will be working a lot, expect to be VERY bored and make plans to find something to do.

How long is it before we can go back to her country (Peru) to visit her family? She has never been away from home for more than a week. Someone mentioned we may be able to go back during the 90 window we have to get married, others have said no. If not, can we go after our marriage ?

After you get married you can file for her AOS, EAD and AP. Once you receive her green card OR AP, she can travel and return. Typically 3-6 months after filing, ours came in two months after filing but that was fast. I think you also posted this as a separate question.

We did not delay the process very much (but didn't do it as fast as possible either) and my wife had her green card four months after arriving. Trying to get it done in 90 days is unrealistically optimistic...but possible.

[Marina-Del 10]

How long is it before we can go back to her country (Peru) to visit her family? She has never been away from home for more than a week. Someone mentioned we may be able to go back during the 90 window we have to get married, others have said no. If not, can we go after our marriage ?

After you get married you can file for her AOS, EAD and AP. Once you receive her green card OR AP, she can travel and return. Typically 3-6 months after filing, ours came in two months after filing but that was fast. I think you also posted this as a separate question.

We did not delay the process very much (but didn't do it as fast as possible either) and my wife had her green card four months after arriving. Trying to get it done in 90 days is unrealistically optimistic...but possible.

Gary is right, but to add to that. You -Craig- said in the above post that someone told you that you can go back during "the 90 day window" you have to get married. This is NOT TRUE. Unless, as Gary said, you can complete the AOS, EAD, and AP in this amount of time after you get married (which ain't gonna happen). Remember, the K-1 is a ONE TIME visa and once she enters on that she CANNOT leave again until she has completed AOS and AP.

Im going back 'home' to england in sep for my sisters wedding so thats something im definatley looking forward too!! And we're planning on moving back there in a year or so so i can go back to uni and get another degree seeing as its pretty much free compared to costs here.

You do know that once you go back to England long term (ie, more than 6 months) you lose your LPR status in the US. This is unless of course you get your American citizenship before you move back to England. So, unless you have your citizenship, if you and your husband move back to England in a year or two then if you ever decide to come BACK to the US, you have to go through this whole process. all the way over again. Just a heads up.