Married & Applying for AOS - question about marriage certificate

[CBM 14]

So I made the big move on April 30th. That in itself is a sorrid tale. Let me highly recommend if you plan to enter the US through Toronto Pearson, leave A LOT of time between flights. I had a 3.5 hour connection and legitimately almost missed my flight. I had to wait almost an hour just to see a Pre-Clearance officer, who directed me to Secondary (as I knew would be the case)... however, I did not expect there to be 4.8 million other people in there for various reasons. The man who "greeted" me was rude - "Give me your stuff. We might get to you today."... me - "Umm.. really? Are you serious?"... "Yup. All these people are in front of you."... "Oh, okay.. so what happens when I miss my flight?"... "that's too bad for you and you get the next flight".... "Okay, thanks.... *secretly burst into tears in the corner*"..... Alas, he was not kidding, and I just barely made it to my gate on time, after crying to a security guy and convincing him to let me jump the line, and these nice flight attendants making people let me go first, haha... I think the wedding dress helped convince them. Anyway!

We got married on Friday in a quiet civil ceremony with just us a couple witnesses. We're planning our actual wedding for Christmas.

I was hoping to file for my AOS this week, but it turns out there's a 6 week wait in California for certified marriage certificates. I asked if we could get a copy on the spot, and we couldn't.

We DO have a copy of our marriage license with our witnesses signatures and the JP's signature.. I know it's not the real deal, but I was thinking about sending in our AOS package with that, and then waiting for the RFE for the actual certified copy of the certificate. Has anyone does this, just to basically get their foot in the door? Do you think our package will just be sent back from the get-go because it isn't complete?

Normally, I'd just wait it out... but I am hoping to get hired by a school board for September, and those 6 weeks could cost me a job, and with $50K in student debt, I really can't afford to not work. My husband makes a comfortable salary, but I'd like to pay off my debt sooner than later.

Any suggestions?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Marriage license won't work. Member JimvaPhuong got married in California and got his cert right away, from what I remember from his posts. Try calling the country clerk office and see what you can do to expedite? Offer to walk stuff around to their offices? Hopefully someone with first hand experience will post.

[CBM 14]

Marriage license won't work. Member JimvaPhuong got married in California and got his cert right away, from what I remember from his posts. Try calling the country clerk office and see what you can do to expedite? Offer to walk stuff around to their offices? Hopefully someone with first hand experience will post.

If I recall, JVP lives in Northern California. I'm in SoCal, specifically LA County. I talked to the county clerk at their office, and asked what I could do to get it quicker - if we waited, etc, but there was nothing. She said we just had to wait.

And I realize USCIS will not accept my marriage license as the same as a certified marriage certificate.. my question was essentially if anyone has sent in their AOS package without the certified certificate and basically just waited for the RFE... therefore, not wasting the 6 weeks.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Ahh, lame about the wait. Well, let's say you send in the AOS without the marriage cert. They would send you an RFE, as you know. The RFE has a deadline, so if the deadline was 30 days, and you were still waiting the 6 weeks, then you might miss the deadline and they would deny the AOS (maybe the timing would work out, but you never know). The other possibility is that they would reject the package outright and send it back to you.

[CBM 14]

Ahh, lame about the wait. Well, let's say you send in the AOS without the marriage cert. They would send you an RFE, as you know. The RFE has a deadline, so if the deadline was 30 days, and you were still waiting the 6 weeks, then you might miss the deadline and they would deny the AOS (maybe the timing would work out, but you never know). The other possibility is that they would reject the package outright and send it back to you.

Good point. I hadn't thought of that.. but let's be realistic. They took 5 months to look at our 129-F, so I doubt they would be ready to adjudicate AOS in less than 6 weeks! Still, maybe better to hold off for a couple weeks. Thanks for that, I really didn't think about it!

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

They will issue RFEs within 6 weeks - sometimes right away.

[Messybrownhair 251]

Just wanted to butt in and say goodluck and congrats! Hope you can find a way to get it on sooner.. I too need my GC by the fall season and I am crossing my fingers to get it by then (need the GC to enroll for grad school which I got accepted to)

Best of luck!

[CBM 14]

Just wanted to butt in and say goodluck and congrats! Hope you can find a way to get it on sooner.. I too need my GC by the fall season and I am crossing my fingers to get it by then (need the GC to enroll for grad school which I got accepted to)

Best of luck!

It's hardly butting in Thanks! Good luck to you, too!

[NikkiTate81188 0]

Ok so I have a question. I have a bf in canada and we wanna get married and stay in us. What is this aos stuff and how do I do everything?

[JeannieL 44]

Sorry you had such a rude person at your POE. I'm going through Halifax on the 20th.

Wanted to say congrats on the marriage!

I hope that your AOS goes smoothly :-)

Hugs from Nova Scotia

[SF2007 48]

Boy, I am planning to go through Pearson. Hehe... I might indeed take a very early flight and a later connection.

Congrats on the marriage

I wish you a smooth AOS.

[K and T 0]

6 weeks? I wish my certificate came in 6 weeks. We got married in Toronto 12/31/2009 and initially got misspelled Marriage Certificate in March and got the final corrected Certificate in mid May.

[Krikit 1,164]

So I made the big move on April 30th. That in itself is a sorrid tale. Let me highly recommend if you plan to enter the US through Toronto Pearson, leave A LOT of time between flights. I had a 3.5 hour connection and legitimately almost missed my flight. I had to wait almost an hour just to see a Pre-Clearance officer, who directed me to Secondary (as I knew would be the case)... however, I did not expect there to be 4.8 million other people in there for various reasons. The man who "greeted" me was rude - "Give me your stuff. We might get to you today."... me - "Umm.. really? Are you serious?"... "Yup. All these people are in front of you."... "Oh, okay.. so what happens when I miss my flight?"... "that's too bad for you and you get the next flight".... "Okay, thanks.... *secretly burst into tears in the corner*"..... Alas, he was not kidding, and I just barely made it to my gate on time, after crying to a security guy and convincing him to let me jump the line, and these nice flight attendants making people let me go first, haha... I think the wedding dress helped convince them. Anyway!

Congratulations on getting married!!! I think we had the same guy at Pearson. SUPER rude. One of the land borders made me miss my flight in Buffalo one time. My father insisted on going through Queenston/Lewiston, even after I had asked him to go through Peace Bridge. After an hour-and-a-half of waiting and waiting and watching everyone else arriving after me, get processed and sent on, I had the "nerve" to ask why my admission wasn't being processed. (He took it personally.) It turns out they hadn't even pulled it out of the tube and put it in the queue. But they didn't put me to the head of the line. Oh no. I went back into the queue. And then the guy had the audacity to give ME a lecture on leaving enough time to catch my flight!!!!! OMG. It still boils my blood. lol. In fact, that was part and parcel of a series of bad things which happened that trip. The icing on the cake was being pulled over by the police..... for absolutely no reason...... just as we turned into our subdivision..... almost 24 hours after I had started my return trip home. Yeah. Good times.

Glad you made your flight!

Just wanted to butt in and say goodluck and congrats! Hope you can find a way to get it on sooner.. I too need my GC by the fall season and I am crossing my fingers to get it by then (need the GC to enroll for grad school which I got accepted to)

Congratulations!!!

[SapphireDreams 71]

Congrats!

I would wait it out and send your package full complete. You will risk bot having a work permit in time to start the school year, but there's really nothing you can do there.

Things could go pretty quickly for you tho, I applied for my AOS (2 years ago now) on June 23 (or around that date) and got my EAD in the middle of August.

I started interviewing for jobs in July and just told them I was waiting for my EAD and they gave me the offer as soon as I had the card in my hand. Not every employer will do that, but can't hurt to apply and ask.

Have you looked into the application process and the license you need to teach in the state of CA? I ask because I have a teacher friend here in NY and she actually got a new job at a different school and they actually hired her back in March. I onyl say this because you might be stressing yourself out over nothing if its already too late. And try not to worry about rushing to pay your student loans! I've been out of school for 5 years now and I'm JUST starting to chip away at loans!

You might also look into substitute teaching for the year once you do get your EAD to get your foot in the door!

Good luck!

[GLo 0]

So I made the big move on April 30th. That in itself is a sorrid tale. Let me highly recommend if you plan to enter the US through Toronto Pearson, leave A LOT of time between flights.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm actually doing my POE through Pearson as well in June. Out of curiosity, which terminal did you leave from? I think I've encountered this US customs officer over the years when I was visiting my fiancee.