Colombia Club Part IV

[Ryan76 46]

For her I.D. card you will need to contact your local DMV office to see what their requirements are. Most states ask for at least the work permit in order to issue an I.D. card or driver's license. The problem with using a work permit is that it expires within a year which means the I.D. card/DL also expires on the same date. But like I said, call them first since each state may have different rules and regulations.

Your wife's K1 visa expired the moment she used it to enter the US, think of it as a plane ticket which is not valid as soon as it is used. If she wants to travel outside of the US now, she will need her advance parole travel document so that immigration can let her re-enter the country, that's why you need to send form I-131 with her AOS. Once her AOS is approved, she will get a green card which is what she will need to travel internationally (along with her passport). Again, it doesn't matter if her green card has her married name and her passport has her maiden name, it's a very common situation.

Diana

She doesn't want/need to travel outside the US now...i'm just trying to figure all this out.

Why on earth will her work permit expire after a year? We're married and she lives here now...why do they make so many hoops you have to jump through? Is this something we will have to do every year? Is there ever a point we will just be able to live life without worrying about the next batch of documents?

[Ryan76 46]

Another question...what about getting her on my health insurance plan (employer provided). Do we have to wait until the AOS phase is over or can she get on my plan now? I guess i can just call and ask my Ins. Company tomorrow, i just figure there are plenty of people here who have already been through this.

[Mononoke28 135]

She doesn't want/need to travel outside the US now...i'm just trying to figure all this out.

Why on earth will her work permit expire after a year? We're married and she lives here now...why do they make so many hoops you have to jump through? Is this something we will have to do every year? Is there ever a point we will just be able to live life without worrying about the next batch of documents?

The reason why the work permit, which will also work as your Advance Parole (one card for both), expires after one year is because they expect you will have your green card before that date. Once you have your green card in hand, that is all you will need to work and travel. Remember that because you recently got married the permanent residence they will give your wife is conditional for two years, after two years she will need to file to remove the conditions on her permanent residency. Once approved, she will get her final green card which is good for 10 years. This is all to avoid fraud.

Diana

[Mononoke28 135]

Another question...what about getting her on my health insurance plan (employer provided). Do we have to wait until the AOS phase is over or can she get on my plan now? I guess i can just call and ask my Ins. Company tomorrow, i just figure there are plenty of people here who have already been through this.

You will have to contact your HR Department to find out how you can add your wife to your insurance plan. It's a very simple process and all you will need is her Social Security number.

Diana

[Ryan76 46]

You will have to contact your HR Department to find out how you can add your wife to your insurance plan. It's a very simple process and all you will need is her Social Security number.

Diana

I called HR yesterday and explained our situation and i'm going to pick up the paperwork today and they told me all i will need is a copy of the marriage certificate. I'd like to get her covered asap, obviously, so it would be great if we don't have to wait for the Soc Sec card. When exactly will we get that anyway? Today is the first free day i've had since getting back from the wedding and i'm about to start doing all the AOS paperwork.

[Ryan76 46]

I'm working on the AOS paperwork now and it's going pretty well.

On the new G325A we have to send in, I do have a couple questions.

We've been using her new married name for all the forms required for the packet.

The box at the very bottom outlined with the thick black border, it asks her to print her name and Alien registration number. On the example form, it looks like they reverted back to using her original maiden name. Is this right? Do we put her old name or new name here? I would have totally assumed we would keep using her new name, but the example form used her original name.

Also, on the second line from the top on the 325, it asks for "all other names used (including previous marriages)". On the example form (on VJ) it just has one last name listed there. I'm wondering if I should put my wife's full previous name, including middle or 2nd / 3rd name.

And finally, the other box near the bottom...I assume we X the box for "status as permanent resident" like on the example form?

Thanks

[Mononoke28 135]

I called HR yesterday and explained our situation and i'm going to pick up the paperwork today and they told me all i will need is a copy of the marriage certificate. I'd like to get her covered asap, obviously, so it would be great if we don't have to wait for the Soc Sec card. When exactly will we get that anyway? Today is the first free day i've had since getting back from the wedding and i'm about to start doing all the AOS paperwork.

She can get her SS number as long as her I-94 has at least two weeks left before it expires. So if you can go now, go get it, and bring your marriage certificate with you so they can issue it with her new married name. Every now and then you get a SSA employee who does not know she can get a SSN even if she entered with a K1 visa but just ask to see a supervisor if that ever happens. Her SS card will say on the back that it is not valid for employment or something like that, so whenever she gets her work permit or green card, she will have to go back to the SS office to have that updated, that way she'll get a new card without any special messages on the back.

Diana

[Ryan76 46]

She can get her SS number as long as her I-94 has at least two weeks left before it expires. So if you can go now, go get it, and bring your marriage certificate with you so they can issue it with her new married name. Every now and then you get a SSA employee who does not know she can get a SSN even if she entered with a K1 visa but just ask to see a supervisor if that ever happens. Her SS card will say on the back that it is not valid for employment or something like that, so whenever she gets her work permit or green card, she will have to go back to the SS office to have that updated, that way she'll get a new card without any special messages on the back.

Diana

Awesome thanks. Could you give me some advice on that other post i made about the G325a forms?

Thank you so much

[Mononoke28 135]

I'm working on the AOS paperwork now and it's going pretty well.

On the new G325A we have to send in, I do have a couple questions.

We've been using her new married name for all the forms required for the packet.

The box at the very bottom outlined with the thick black border, it asks her to print her name and Alien registration number. On the example form, it looks like they reverted back to using her original maiden name. Is this right? Do we put her old name or new name here? I would have totally assumed we would keep using her new name, but the example form used her original name.

Also, on the second line from the top on the 325, it asks for "all other names used (including previous marriages)". On the example form (on VJ) it just has one last name listed there. I'm wondering if I should put my wife's full previous name, including middle or 2nd / 3rd name.

And finally, the other box near the bottom...I assume we X the box for "status as permanent resident" like on the example form?

Thanks

Since she will be filling out all forms with her new married name, she needs to enter her new last name under "Family Name" including the box at the bottom. Her maiden name would go in the "All Other Names Used" box. I know the example form has her maiden name in the box at the bottom but that is not consistent with what they wrote on top under Family Name. That's my two cents, anyway.

All other names used refers to anything that was different to what she currently uses, so only enter her maiden name. Now, if for some reason her first name or even middle name were also changed, that's when you would enter everything that she previously used. But since the only thing that changed after she got married was her last name, then that's what you need to enter in that box.

Yes, she's filing form G-325A along with form I-485 which is her application to adjust her status to Permanent Resident.

Diana

Edited September 7, 2012 by Mononoke28

[aws&ndd 103]

My fiancee went and got her birth certificate already, and she told me her birth certificate doesn't have her father's cedula number on it but it has her mother's. Will this be a problem? What information do they need to see on the birth certificate?

[Mononoke28 135]

My fiancee went and got her birth certificate already, and she told me her birth certificate doesn't have her father's cedula number on it but it has her mother's. Will this be a problem? What information do they need to see on the birth certificate?

It shouldn't matter. The information they mainly look at is her name and status. They need to know if she's currently single and if she had been married before.

Diana

[Ryan76 46]

On the I 485, part 5 and 6....do i fill out both of those since i am preparing the form and interpreting most of the questions for my wife? Or do I just sign part 5 and leave part 6 blank?

Also, on the i-131...do we need to do the section on "advance parole"? We don't anticipate her needing/wanting to go home for about a year. But if we could get granted advance travel i guess there's no reason not to get it.

I'm obviously not completely finished with all the paperwork yet, but i had thought we were going to need to send pictures and/or more evidence, and I haven't read anything about that yet. Am i missing something?

[Ryan76 46]

On the I 485, part 5 and 6....do i fill out both of those since i am preparing the form and interpreting most of the questions for my wife? Or do I just sign part 5 and leave part 6 blank?

Also, on the i-131...do we need to do the section on "advance parole"? We don't anticipate her needing/wanting to go home for about a year. But if we could get granted advance travel i guess there's no reason not to get it.

I'm obviously not completely finished with all the paperwork yet, but i had thought we were going to need to send pictures and/or more evidence, and I haven't read anything about that yet. Am i missing something?

One more thing...on the visajourney list of documents for AOS, and the corresponding information under "guides", why isn't there any mention of the medical / I693 form?

[aws&ndd 103]

It shouldn't matter. The information they mainly look at is her name and status. They need to know if she's currently single and if she had been married before.

Diana

Is her birth certificate supposed to say that she is single and never married before? From what she told me, it doesn't have this information. When she asked for a copy of it, she told them it was for a visa, specifically for the K-1 visa. She said there was another one that you can ask for if you are going to get married, and that one actually states her status from what she tells me. I don't want her to have the wrong document at the interview, so does she need to go back and ask for the other one that has her status information? I'm so confused by it.

[Mononoke28 135]

On the I 485, part 5 and 6....do i fill out both of those since i am preparing the form and interpreting most of the questions for my wife? Or do I just sign part 5 and leave part 6 blank?

Also, on the i-131...do we need to do the section on "advance parole"? We don't anticipate her needing/wanting to go home for about a year. But if we could get granted advance travel i guess there's no reason not to get it.

I'm obviously not completely finished with all the paperwork yet, but i had thought we were going to need to send pictures and/or more evidence, and I haven't read anything about that yet. Am i missing something?

One more thing...on the visajourney list of documents for AOS, and the corresponding information under "guides", why isn't there any mention of the medical / I693 form?

If you prepared the form for your wife, you need to state that and sign it. You also need to check the appropriate box where it asks if she read and understood what was written in English or if someone interpreted the questions for her. They need to make sure she understands what she's signing.

The advanced parole is optional but most people decide to get it in case there is an emergency and they need to fly outside of the US before their permanent residency is approved.

Even if there is no mention of evidence, you need to send it so the person reviewing your application and your case doesn't send you an RFE requesting evidence of your marriage.

The I-693 is a huge dilemma. The instructions for AOS clearly state that the exam that was performed before getting their K1 visa is valid for 12 months, so a copy of the DS-3025 is plenty to get their AOS approved. However, every now and then someone will get an RFE requesting they send form I-693 which needs to be filled out and signed by an approved civil surgeon. Some people only send a copy of the DS-3025 and get approved. Others get an RFE for the I-693. And others send the filled out I-693 with their entire package to avoid confusion and not get a possible RFE. So it's up to you.

Diana