Coming soon to America, AOS questions & more

[susan+mike 0]

Hello Everyone,

I haven't posted on here before as I have found this site kind of confusing, so much information. I am leaving Calgary, Alberta, Canada on March 13/07 to fly to Tulsa, OK to get married and live there. We are planning on getting married March 15/07 only 2 days after I arrive. We are a couple in our early 50's so we are planning a no frills, no fuss, just us and the preacher kind of wedding. I have lots of questions here: I'm not sure what order things have to be done in either.

With regards to getting a SSN, I think I read about waiting 2 weeks or something until you are in the system, whatever system that is. Is this done just in a local office in whatever city you live in? Is there a fee for this? Does anyone know if it is true that you need your SSN to be able to get a bank account or even a joint bank account with your spouse?

With regards to AOS and EAD. Are these done at the same time together? I will be living in Oklahoma and I think there is something different to do with filing this paperwork. Does anyone know if you can just mail it into Oklahoma City or if you have to make and online appointment and actually go there to file. Can I file my AOS and EAD within one week after getting married? That is what I was kind of thinking as two weeks after we are married we are going to be going away for 10 days or so on a little road trip and I thought the sooner I get the paperwork in the sooner it gets started. What is a biometrics appointment? I have also read about needing another medical for the AOS and then read somewhere if it is less than one year since the visa medical you don't need to have another one. Wouldn't they have your medical records on file somewhere from when I turned them in at the time of my interview at the US Consulate? I have noticed alot of talk about vaccinations also. Isn't that info all in the system somewhere too? What is the fee for filing your AOS and EAD? After this process is all complete and one receive's their green card.... what is the next process called that you have to do two years later?

I thought i read here somewhere about someone moving from Canada also and they were able to collect Canadian Unemployment Insurance while living in the US waiting for the green card process, etc. to go through. Does anyone have any answers on this?

Is there any time frame in taking a driver's test to get a US licence? Anything a person needs to know with regards to that?

There are so many abbreviation on this site things get confusing ......... what does "touched" mean when I see it in a timeline? I also haven't been able to really figure out how to set up my timeline and all the rest of things I should probably be doing on here to get the most I can from this site. I know these questions have probably been asked many many times here but I would most appreciate any replies and help back. Anyone on here from the Tulsa, OK area??

Best Regards,

Susan

[raymaga 25]

Hello Susan:

Welcome to VJ!!! Hope to see your posts in the future.

You have asked a lot of questions, a lot of them can be easily answered by either reading the USCIS "instruction sheets" for the forms that you will need to fill out for the next stages (AOS/EAD/AP) or by reading the "FAQ's" and "Guides" sections here on VJ. But, I will try to answer some of your questions for you here.

Firstly, to save yourself some time, ask the person who marries you to give you the signed marriage certificate after your ceremony. You can then take the marriage certificate to the courthouse yourself to get certified copies done (probably while you wait). You must send a certified copy of your marriage certificate along with your AOS application. If you allow the person who marries you to mail the marriage certificate into the court house, and then you request copies be mailed to you, it can take weeks, instead of only a couple of days if you take the m.c. to the courthouse yourselves.

You should wait 2 weeks before applying for your SSN at your local SSA office. Your name must be in the SAVE system in order for them to issue you a SSN, and it usually takes 2 weeks after your entry into the U.S. for that to happen. You will most likely require your SSN card to open a bank account, although I did not need one to be added to my husband's account as a "joint" account holder. But, I have heard most banks do require the SSN. Once you apply for your SSN, the card only takes a week or so to arrive.

You can either apply for AOS (Form I-485) separately, or along with EAD (Form I-765) and AP (Form I-131). You cannot apply for either EAD or AP before AOS. You mail the applications to the Chicago Lock Box and the address is in the instructions for the AOS application form (Form I-485). As long as you have your certified marriage certificate, you can send in your applications for AOS and EAD as soon as you are married. I did all the paperwork before our wedding, and then after getting the certified marriage certificate from the courthouse, I mailed the package off 2 days after our wedding.

You will not need another medical exam if your medical exam was done less than 1 year ago in your home country. You will, however, be required to send in a "Vaccination Supplement" which must be prepared by a Civil Surgeon in the U.S. You can get the Civil Surgeon to copy the information from your Vaccination Worksheet (which was done at your K-1 visa medical exam) onto the Vaccination Supplement for a small fee. I was charged $35.00 for this service. You will need to call around to civil surgeons in your area to find one that will do this, and also to find the best price. They all quote different prices and some can be very high.

Filing fees for the AOS and EAD are on the USCIS website under "Forms".

I have also heard that it is possible to collect Unemployment Insurance from Canada. I was not aware of it at the time I moved here, and I missed out on the possibility because it was too late to file by the time I found out about it. Someone else may be able to answer this question for you.

You will have to check with the Motor Vehicle Dept. where you live to see how long your Canadian drivers licence is valid for after you move here. I was able to get mine as soon as I had a SSN.

Getting "touched" means that someone at USCIS has done something to your case, whether it be going over your paperwork, sending you an RFE, or whatever. You will have to register online on the USCIS website to be contacted via email whenever your case is "touched".

Hope I have answered some of your questions.

Good luck for a speedy approval.

[Buttons 0]

Has your K1 been approved? That would be the first question. If it is , then yes you can apply for EI from Canada. You apply as soon as you arrive in the states. This can be done online at the EI site.

[kim&james 0]

With regards to the AOS and EAD, Living in Oklahoma, you should be able to direct file as those offices are under the Pilot (DORA) programme. Check the USCIS website I 485 form.

These are the special instructions for filing for this office.

Special Information for persons living in the jurisdiction of:

DALLAS DISTRICT OFFICE

EL PASO DISTRICT OFFICE

OKLAHOMA CITY SUBOFFICE

Effective October 23, 2006, if you are residing within the jurisdiction of the Dallas District Office, and effective November 20, 2006, if you are residing within the jurisdiction of the El Paso District Office or Oklahoma City Sub-Office, you must follow the filing instructions below when submitting an application based on:

1) A family relationship with an immediately available immigrant visa;

2) A Diversity Visa lottery selection; or

3) A Special Immigrant status, excluding religious workers.

A. Location of filing and scheduling of appointment to file Form I-485 in person.

If you are filing the Form I-485 based on the criteria specified above, you must file in person at the office that corresponds to your jurisdiction. To file in person, you must obtain an appointment through InfoPass, an online appointment request system, which can be found at http://infopass.uscis.gov/. Once you have selected a date and time for the appointment, you should print the appointment notice, which shows the time, date and location of the appointment, and present it when appearing to file your Form I-485 in person.

B. Documents to bring to the Infopass appointment.

At the InfoPass appointment, you must bring the following documents:

1) Form I-485 with supporting documentation and/or evidence of eligibility (e.g. Form I-797, Notice of Action, or Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, or Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, if applicable, Form G-325A, Biographic Information, Form I-693, Medical Examination of Aliens Seeking Adjustment of Status, Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, etc.); and

2) Required fees in the form of a cashier’s check or money order made payable to Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Make sure before you leave canada that you get a copy of your vaccination worksheet off your panel physician so you can take with you to a civil surgeon here. Basically as soon as you have your certified wedding certificate, and I693a vacc supplement from here as well as the other documentation needed for the I864 you should be able to file pretty quickly. Basically, you are one of the lucky ones to be living in this area with this programme, from some of the other posts about this you can be pretty much approved the day of your infopass appointment subject to the FBI namecheck. So I would read up on the DORA programme were I you, See how others going through it and what there experiences are.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Hi Susan

You have received some good information in response to your questions. If you look at the top of this AOS forum you will see a number of items pinned at the top in their own separate box - those are instructions about what to expect during the AOS process. Be sure to read those - they have all of the information you should need.

Biometrics refers to having your fingerprints and photo taken at the local immigration service center. They will send you a letter advising you either to make an appointment or giving you an appointment time after you file your AOS. You need biometrics done for the AOS and the EAD (Employment Authorization Document). The AP (Advance Parole) doesn't - that is the piece of paper that will allow you to leave and return to the US while your AOS is being processed - literally, DON"T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT if you want to visit anywhere out of the US.

You should also check out the Canada forum in the Regional forums - there are a lot of your countrymen and women who have gone through and are going through this process and can answer questions specific for Canadian immigrants. Here is a link the your question about EI: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8 I too didn't find out about it in time so missed out but others have been successful collecting EI benefits once they receive their EAD.

Good luck on your journey

[susan+mike 0]

Has your K1 been approved? That would be the first question. If it is , then yes you can apply for EI from Canada. You apply as soon as you arrive in the states. This can be done online at the EI site.

Yes I do have my K1. Sounds like I need to spend more time on here reading. Thanks for the info!

[susan+mike 0]

Hello Susan:

Welcome to VJ!!! Hope to see your posts in the future.

You have asked a lot of questions, a lot of them can be easily answered by either reading the USCIS "instruction sheets" for the forms that you will need to fill out for the next stages (AOS/EAD/AP) or by reading the "FAQ's" and "Guides" sections here on VJ. But, I will try to answer some of your questions for you here.

Firstly, to save yourself some time, ask the person who marries you to give you the signed marriage certificate after your ceremony. You can then take the marriage certificate to the courthouse yourself to get certified copies done (probably while you wait). You must send a certified copy of your marriage certificate along with your AOS application. If you allow the person who marries you to mail the marriage certificate into the court house, and then you request copies be mailed to you, it can take weeks, instead of only a couple of days if you take the m.c. to the courthouse yourselves.

You should wait 2 weeks before applying for your SSN at your local SSA office. Your name must be in the SAVE system in order for them to issue you a SSN, and it usually takes 2 weeks after your entry into the U.S. for that to happen. You will most likely require your SSN card to open a bank account, although I did not need one to be added to my husband's account as a "joint" account holder. But, I have heard most banks do require the SSN. Once you apply for your SSN, the card only takes a week or so to arrive.

You can either apply for AOS (Form I-485) separately, or along with EAD (Form I-765) and AP (Form I-131). You cannot apply for either EAD or AP before AOS. You mail the applications to the Chicago Lock Box and the address is in the instructions for the AOS application form (Form I-485). As long as you have your certified marriage certificate, you can send in your applications for AOS and EAD as soon as you are married. I did all the paperwork before our wedding, and then after getting the certified marriage certificate from the courthouse, I mailed the package off 2 days after our wedding.

You will not need another medical exam if your medical exam was done less than 1 year ago in your home country. You will, however, be required to send in a "Vaccination Supplement" which must be prepared by a Civil Surgeon in the U.S. You can get the Civil Surgeon to copy the information from your Vaccination Worksheet (which was done at your K-1 visa medical exam) onto the Vaccination Supplement for a small fee. I was charged $35.00 for this service. You will need to call around to civil surgeons in your area to find one that will do this, and also to find the best price. They all quote different prices and some can be very high.

Filing fees for the AOS and EAD are on the USCIS website under "Forms".

I have also heard that it is possible to collect Unemployment Insurance from Canada. I was not aware of it at the time I moved here, and I missed out on the possibility because it was too late to file by the time I found out about it. Someone else may be able to answer this question for you.

You will have to check with the Motor Vehicle Dept. where you live to see how long your Canadian drivers licence is valid for after you move here. I was able to get mine as soon as I had a SSN.

Getting "touched" means that someone at USCIS has done something to your case, whether it be going over your paperwork, sending you an RFE, or whatever. You will have to register online on the USCIS website to be contacted via email whenever your case is "touched".

Hope I have answered some of your questions.

Good luck for a speedy approval.

Thank you for taking the time to reply back to me. I am still a bit cofused though as you say instructions say to mail to a Chicago Lockbox and and another reply talks about a new program "DORA" in Oklahoma and making an appointment online? I better do more reading here. I don't have any documentation myself to do with my vaccination worksheet. I am thinking that there must be a copy of it in the envelope they gave me at the time of my interview at the US Consulate for my K1. Of course it say "do not open".... I wonder when I go through US Customs on March 13th and surrender my Visa and the envelope package if they open it at that time. Perhaps they would give me a copy. I guess I should call the doctor's office and see if they have it on file. How does one know if any certain doctor is a Civil Surgeon? Thanks again.

[kim&james 0]

Thank you for taking the time to reply back to me. I am still a bit cofused though as you say instructions say to mail to a Chicago Lockbox and and another reply talks about a new program "DORA" in Oklahoma and making an appointment online? I better do more reading here. I don't have any documentation myself to do with my vaccination worksheet. I am thinking that there must be a copy of it in the envelope they gave me at the time of my interview at the US Consulate for my K1. Of course it say "do not open".... I wonder when I go through US Customs on March 13th and surrender my Visa and the envelope package if they open it at that time. Perhaps they would give me a copy. I guess I should call the doctor's office and see if they have it on file. How does one know if any certain doctor is a Civil Surgeon? Thanks again.

Yep Definately check the DORA program, and the Doctor you saw in Canada is a panel Physician, get a hold of them and see if they can get you a copy of your Vaccination worsheet, Dont rely on getting a copy when you enter the US. You can take that to a civil surgeon here in the US. There is a list of CS available on the uscis website, just make sure you phone around when you get here as most want to redo the whole medical, which is NOT needed, just the vacc supp.