July 2010 AOS

[brightskte 18]

K-1 visa holders are eligible for an SSN just by showing their I-94 and visa and usually showing the clerk the rule that says so. But if it's within 14 days of the I-94 expiration date, they wont issue one until after the EAD comes. Of course, some offices can and will refuse, but the SS Administration has a "rulebook" that says that K-1ers can have one before EAD.

But if I'm not mistaken, Bullwinkle isn't a K-1 entrant, so I'm not sure on the rules and regulations of that particular visa. Getting Mathew's SSN was one of the first things we did when he got here. The lady was super nice about it and I didn't even have to break out the section of those rules that I had highlighted saying he could have one LOL. Tagging his car at the DMV, well...that's another story. I got into a screaming match with that woman and I'd still love to see her out in public to this day. I'm not the type of person to do that sort of thing, but this woman needs her hair yanked out and punched in the face a couple of times. And when we left the DMV I know I wasn't the only one feeling that way because the clerk I spoke to the next day whispered "good for you. She had it coming. I wish I had been here to hear it!".

[BULLWINKLE 3]

Kayla & Krautlaus... Correct - I had entered the US on a F1 (student) visa. My *then boyfriend*, now hubby and I got hitched spur of the moment in May 2010.

I had gone to the Social Security office before being wed to apply for a non-working SS#. I have a state licensure test that I will be taking for school/work and the board said that I could go to SS and apply for a #, receive a refusal because I was not eligible and use that refusal letter to apply for my state test. So that's what I did and that's what I got. The lady at SS was not very pleased with me. In fact, she was pretty pissed off saying the state board had given me wrong info, and they can't be giving out advice like that because it's a waste of everyone's time, yada yada...

Now that I am married, maybe I can take my marriage certificate, I-94, Form 797's (is that right?) etc and see if they won't issue me a SS#. Then once I get my biometrics done I can just switch over to a working SS#... I'm just trying to bypass some steps so that once I get my EAD card I can work/do my test sooner than later.

[krautlaus 7]

Kayla & Krautlaus... Correct - I had entered the US on a F1 (student) visa. My *then boyfriend*, now hubby and I got hitched spur of the moment in May 2010.

I had gone to the Social Security office before being wed to apply for a non-working SS#. I have a state licensure test that I will be taking for school/work and the board said that I could go to SS and apply for a #, receive a refusal because I was not eligible and use that refusal letter to apply for my state test. So that's what I did and that's what I got. The lady at SS was not very pleased with me. In fact, she was pretty pissed off saying the state board had given me wrong info, and they can't be giving out advice like that because it's a waste of everyone's time, yada yada...

Now that I am married, maybe I can take my marriage certificate, I-94, Form 797's (is that right?) etc and see if they won't issue me a SS#. Then once I get my biometrics done I can just switch over to a working SS#... I'm just trying to bypass some steps so that once I get my EAD card I can work/do my test sooner than later.

Oh yeah I see, I'm not sure how that works in your case. I'm pretty sure you could get a SSN once you have your EAD, but I doubt you could get one just with your biometrics letter (because it doesn't serve as evidence that you are able to work). Or, at the most, they would give you one that says 'not valid for employment' - and you would have to come back once you get the EAD.

I know it svcks big time but I'd wait until you get your EAD and then get your 'valid only with dhs authorization' card

Retarded regulations... I too wish SSA and USCIS would work a little closer together on this...

Good luck tho!

[yorkshirerose22 4]

Hi, our AOS interview is tomorrow.. IM freaking out and very nervous.. lol Anybody got any good relaxation advice lol

[krautlaus 7]

Hi, our AOS interview is tomorrow.. IM freaking out and very nervous.. lol Anybody got any good relaxation advice lol

First, make sure you're well prepared. I personally like to get all the documents in chronological order to make sure I have everything that I need and that I can find it in an instant. Be organized.

Secondly, just stay calm and be confident but do not get cocky.. that's the best advice anyone can give you basically!

I see it this way - as long as you have a genuine, loving relationship and sufficient evidence, you will be absolutely fine!

Getting here was the hardest part, sticking around is much easier

All the best tomorrow!

[BULLWINKLE 3]

First, make sure you're well prepared. I personally like to get all the documents in chronological order to make sure I have everything that I need and that I can find it in an instant. Be organized.

Secondly, just stay calm and be confident but do not get cocky.. that's the best advice anyone can give you basically!

I see it this way - as long as you have a genuine, loving relationship and sufficient evidence, you will be absolutely fine!

Getting here was the hardest part, sticking around is much easier

All the best tomorrow!

I agree with being organized. When I was at USCIS office, I saw many people there for their interviews. I saw one couple with a very organized accordian folder, with all of their evidence ordered neatly. It made me excited to get my evidence together that same way! Yes.. I am totally OCD about organizing.. lol!

GOOD LUCK!

[Nwanyioma 11]

Hi, our AOS interview is tomorrow.. IM freaking out and very nervous.. lol Anybody got any good relaxation advice lol

Good luck on your interview tomorrow. All the Best.

Nwanyioma

[yorkshirerose22 4]

Thank you very much for the advice. Im taking deep breaths lol.. We seem to have everything organized, Im a very nervous person , anything i do im nervous about it lol.I hope we get somebody nice . finger crossed .

[Katleen 0]

I was google-ing about not being issued a biometrics appointment and I found this, for all you guys in Texas. It's from 2008, but who's to say they really fixed their act

http://www.ocimmigrationattorney.com/blog/?p=21

Fingers crossed for an easy-breezy interview experience yorkshirerose22, come back with good news

Edited September 20, 2010 by Katleen

[BULLWINKLE 3]

Just got off the phone with USCIS again to put in another service request...

The agent was very kind and helpful, escalated my call immediately... waiting waiting to be transferred... phone dies. UGH!

Call again, wait 10 minutes, get to an agent, transfer call.. spoke with an Officer for about 10 minutes. He had to wrap up because he says that they are supposed to limit calls to about 4 minutes.

Here is my status:

EAD Approved on Sept 2 (I knew this from my infopass appt). Card production not in place yet. BUT! They will *probably* mail my card out soon. WHAT?! REALLY?!

But I haven't done biometrics yet... Officer put me on hold and put a request in .. a "reminder message" to please issue biometrics appointment ASAP IF NECESSARY.

Usually the notes show that the biometrics are complete before granting an approval. Officer has heard of cases being approved in past without a biometrics appointment being complete. But no one has ever followed up to say if they have received their cards or not. Thinking back, I had submitted fingerprints to Homeland Security in the past for another project. It may be that they took my finger prints from that time!

OMG... I soooooo hope to receive my card soon. That would be so awesome! And if I do need to do biometrics, that is fine too.. I hope I get that appointment soon! He said that if there still has been no movement as of first week of October, call back and they will resubmit the requests.

Feeling a bit of hope after that call..

[w8n4u 1]

Good luck to those who have upcoming interviews. 24 more days till my interview, can't wait to get it over with.

Question for VJers:

My wife is the USC and I was recently on an H1-B visa which ended on August 30/2010. We have been together for almost 4 years and I was planning on proposing to her this summer. But since my finances were not right and I wanted to be able to work in any field, we went and got married at the District Magistrate office so I can get my Green Card. We did the marriage cerenmony without wedding rings, but we are still planning on doing a real wedding at a tropical island next year and I am still going to propose to her and exchange rings and do the whole wedding/marriage thing so we don't cheapen the whole experience.

What do we do at the interview?

Do we tell the the interviewer our plan or just go get rings for the sake of the interview?

[LiLMermaid 2]

Good luck to those who have upcoming interviews. 24 more days till my interview, can't wait to get it over with.

Question for VJers:

My wife is the USC and I was recently on an H1-B visa which ended on August 30/2010. We have been together for almost 4 years and I was planning on proposing to her this summer. But since my finances were not right and I wanted to be able to work in any field, we went and got married at the District Magistrate office so I can get my Green Card. We did the marriage cerenmony without wedding rings, but we are still planning on doing a real wedding at a tropical island next year and I am still going to propose to her and exchange rings and do the whole wedding/marriage thing so we don't cheapen the whole experience.

What do we do at the interview?

Do we tell the the interviewer our plan or just go get rings for the sake of the interview?

I'd be honest and tell him/her...We couldn't afford it now and we want to have a bigger wedding later so we are waiting until that ceremony to exchange rings etc. I'm sure you aren't the first one that has done that. As a matter of fact a lot of people coming on K1's do it all the time because the process is so slow and constrictive on when you HAVE to get married. I have read many that have had a quickie wedding and then plan their big wedding for later. Its almost impossible to plan a wedding when you have no idea when your visa is going to be approved and you have a 90 day window to do it in.

I would make sure that you have things like joint bank accounts, bills etc as proof as well though.

[JohnAnwesha 4]

we got our AP in the mail today ,but there were 2 similar looking letters in that envelope.

Did anyone else get 2 letters too?

[souljah4christ 0]

we got our AP in the mail today ,but there were 2 similar looking letters in that envelope.

Did anyone else get 2 letters too?

yep..i think everyone gets 2, we did!

it is good for multiple entries, so maybe that is why..i dunno

p.s. ...we were approved at our interview today! I asked him if he was going to stamp Leanne's passport and he said no, they don't do that anymore because the green card comes in the mail right away (he said 10 days) good luck to everyone else on their journey!!

[yorkshirerose22 4]

Woohoo we was APPORVED, . Green card has been ordered. The interview went good, even tho i stumbbled big time on our telephone number..I was so nervous.

He seemed to be asking my husband most of the questions.. how we met and the times we had met in person, when we got married,ask me if i had been arrested, deported ect.. didnt seem he asked half of the questions we had prepared to be asked.

We took plenty of evidence, of joint documents, which he had a good look at..

We also took lots of proof of our relationship like pictures of our wedding ect, our wedding dvd, letter from family and friends and the officer didnt even ask to see it or even was bothered when we tried to show him our wedding pics and wedding invertations, which was diapointing as that was going to be the fun part telling him about our special day.. but i guess it was better to be prepared.

The officer was very stern and straight to the point, and it was hard to understand him as he was Asian, he had a very heavy accent.. but we got through it and we are very happy its over with and now we can relax for a while lol. .

Good luck to everyone.

Edited September 21, 2010 by yorkshirerose22