F-1/OPT student getting Green card..

[Vedic 0]

Hello,

I am currently on OPT Extension. and my OPT is valid till March 2014. I am getting married this October to my fiancee who is a born US citizen. I want to know what are the documents I need to gather from India in order to start my process with lawyer. I do not have a lawyer yet, but I will hire one soon to do this process for me. He might ask me to get some documents like Birth Certificate(in English) from India, high school diploma and such. So I want to gather all my documents beforehand so that it would not cause any issues/delay down the road.

And if I apply by October or November and by any chance it gets delayed in getting me my work permit/green card, can I still stay in this country and continue working? or will I have to go back and wait till it gets approved? How long does it usually take, from the date of applying, to get it approved with travel documents?

Also, how much does it normally cost to hire a lawyer to do your paper work for you? And how much do we have to pay, as fees, to submit all those immigration documents, besides the lawyer's fees?

Thank you for your help.

Regards,

Vedic

[Franciscus 32]

Hi,

here's a list of what I sent (I'm adjusting from F1 but not OPT, it should be similar though): http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/425035-aos-from-student-through-marriage-check-list-cover-letter/#entry6277996 You can see the cost there too.

I think there is kind of a consensus that unless you have some red flags in your application, a lawyer is not necessary (and I've seen cases where it is worse!)

Best,

Franciscus

[MCG 0]

My case is similar to you. I am adjusting from F-1 OPT to AOS. I have already sent out the documents and have received the notification receipts. I would say unless you have some kind of weird thing, like out of status, illegal work, or criminal history or something like that you do not need a lawyer at all. It is a lot of work but fairly easy journey adjusting from your status.

Things you need from India are, your birth certificate ( English translation), passport ( I assume you have it with you). If you are divorced or have children of indian citizenship, there are more thigs needed.

Once you file I 130 and I 485 concurrently, your official status is AOS ( pending). So you can stay in the country. You can work only if you are on valid OPT and haven't violated any of OPT related laws while waiting for temporary green card. Also, if you apply for EAD with your greencard application you will receive work authorization within 90 days of application.

The fees for just filing AOS are 420 ( I 130 filing fee)+1070( I 485+biometrics fees)+doctor fees (300-400) + print outs and shipping and what not. So around $2000 for sure.

If you hire a lawyer depending on where you live it would cost you $1500 - $ 3000.

[SBB 74]

Get your vaccination record if one exists, otherwise you will need to pay to get your shots all over again.

[Vedic 0]

My parents' tourist visa got rejected. The consulate office did not even look at the papers. They interviewed my dad and mom together, in Hindi. They asked my dad about some questions about where he visited in the past, outside India. He visited many places like China, Singapore and neighboring countries. But he also visited, Kazakhstan for work purpose. He mentioned this to the consulate office.

And soon after that he returned his passport. I am not sure if that could be one of the reasons his visa got rejected, but I am really surprised and scared.

He is going to apply for it once again next month. But I want to know what are the chances that he visa will get rejected once again? Do they look at the previous reason? Can we prepare, with the documents, in a different way? (Given that they atleast look at your documents). Should I hire a lawyer to do so?

Please advise.

Thank you,

Sincere Regards