Waiting for Work Authorization

[Emancipation 2]

Now before I start the discussion let me start by saying two things:

1. My hubby in NO way makes me feel this way - He is 100% supportive, 100% committed to providing for us

2. I am simply expressing how I FEEL (I realize this is different than BEING useless).

I'm one month into the K-1 apply for AOS then wait for EAD game, and I'm really struggling with not being able to contribute to the household income. I left a great job back home, one that I could have contributed greatly to our household with. Because of situations we can't control we are looking at getting into a new lease at the first of May, and I'm struggling with having nothing left in savings by that time to help hubby out. It's a bit frustrating that I can't contribute.. and I realize this is temporary.. but the feeling of helplessness and frustration is still there.. Just wanted to post this and make sure I'm not the only one!! I'm sure I'm NOT

[BlueRain77 0]

oh dear...my fiance will be in the same boat as you for a while soon...I hope he doesn't get too stir crazy...we're going to try and get him the work authorization stamp at JFK...but we'll see if that even works out...(we don't know at work if we are supposed to deduct taxes from his check if he works for us or what to deduct...we can't hire him till we figure it out)

[no one 0]

Now before I start the discussion let me start by saying two things:

1. My hubby in NO way makes me feel this way - He is 100% supportive, 100% committed to providing for us

2. I am simply expressing how I FEEL (I realize this is different than BEING useless).

I'm one month into the K-1 apply for AOS then wait for EAD game, and I'm really struggling with not being able to contribute to the household income. I left a great job back home, one that I could have contributed greatly to our household with. Because of situations we can't control we are looking at getting into a new lease at the first of May, and I'm struggling with having nothing left in savings by that time to help hubby out. It's a bit frustrating that I can't contribute.. and I realize this is temporary.. but the feeling of helplessness and frustration is still there.. Just wanted to post this and make sure I'm not the only one!! I'm sure I'm NOT

Yup, I'm feeling the same way. I also left a great job back home (it was secure, with good pay and benefits) so I totally empathize with you!

I'm currently doing volunteer work and have a couple of job interviews coming up, but even so, I'm not really contributing to the household... not until I have *landed* a paid job!

My husband and my in-laws are supportive of me, and have never made me feel like I'm a leech... but some of my friends, on the other hand, have made me feel like ####### by constantly asking: "So, when are you going to get a job?" or "How's your career coming along?" I just got my Green Card and EAD, damnit! Some just don't understand that the paperwork takes months to process.

Oh... and what really ticks me off is a certain acquaintance of mine... she's said things behind my back about how I'm a good-for-nothing, having "done nothing since moving here in September". Ironically, she herself was a K1 immigrant and had done nothing for months herself. Little does she know I've spent my unable-to-get-employed months volunteering, reading, and working on self-study lessons. I guess until you have a paid job, there'll be people who will look down on you, thinking you're useless.

Sorry, this has turned into a rant, but you're not alone in the helplessness and frustration!

[aidan80 9]

It took almost a whole year before I got permission to work.. then USPS returned it to USCIS. By the time I had the EAD resent I had my GC interview and got the stamp, thanks USPS. I was out of work for a year to the very week almost. It wasn't all USCIS fault, there was that deer we hit, getting ripped of by the so called "Garage" then running almost out of money so no AOS for a while..

Good luck with job interviews, I was out trying to get as much as an interview when I got my EAD. I sent dozens and dozens of CV's out. I think I counted as many as 35 paper applications sent into places who had jobs listed and I got No responses to anything, nothing! I assume having no US work experience got me binned a few times, illegal immigration hype at the time got me canned a few more times as well I think and just not wanting to waste time with a non citizen got me a few more times.. In all I had two interviews over the period of what maybe two months ..

First interview they were more interested in my "having troubles with citizenship" than my resume/CV.. I didn't get that job...

Next interview was better mainly because the manager had lived in Europe before knew what a GC was and understood how hard it can be to just make a start.

All was well in the end for us.. Good Luck!

[Rodney 0]

My wife and I are going through the same thing. She was getting extremely bored at home. She was a teacher in her country. We went and got her a volunteer position at a school near this house. She starts today. This does not pay money of course. This does however provide her good local references and get her experience. When her green card arrives and she gets a SSN, then whe will be set now.

One idea for you. You can put in papers for a work permit. Not sure if the money vs time wait would equal out.

[fozzie 41]

It's a good idea to really take this time to work on your resume. With all the time you will have on your hands its a great opportunity to make it great. Apply for jobs too, you don't have authorisation to work yet but you can still apply. If you get an interview then before you have the ead then just explaint o them that you can't start just yet....hopefully they will keep the position open long enough to get your ead.

[Mark UK 3]

I went through the same thing. It drove me absolutely crazy to stay at home, especially when my wife was working 14-16 hour-days (2 jobs) in order for us just to get by. I had a well-paid job, great benefits back in the UK, so I’d managed to bring a bit of cash over - but we were quickly burning into it with marriage, honeymoon, supporting kids, etc.

I occupied myself with keeping in touch with people back home, going for rides on my bike, playing with the dogs, playing guitar, doing as much housework as my wife let me do and I was able to go with her to one of her jobs and spend some time with her that way. I was able to keep busy, but I felt really bad for not being able to contribute financially.

Once we were married and I’d completed the paperwork for the AOS, I applied on the jobsites for work (I had a 90-day EAD from JFK). Luckily, I found a job straightaway which means that my wife has been able to leave both her jobs and she’s able to choose what she wants to do, which is an important thing for me (I’m traditional in thinking that as the husband, I have an obligation to be the primary provider in our instance, sorry if that’s sexist). I had to stop working for a couple of weeks until my EAD came through but apart from that, things have been great – though I’m the one who has to work 14-16 hour days because work’s so busy.

What I’m trying to say is that you should hang on in there. It’s tough but there is light at the end of the tunnel. It will get better, it’s just you’re experiencing what I found to be the worst part of the whole process at the moment.

[ivona 0]

I know how you feel....I got here in june, and we filed AOS and EAD almost immediatelly....I still spent the summer not working which didin't feel AS bad because I had my stepson to get to know, but then when school started, even despite volunteering daily at his school I started feeling more and more useless.

It was just so frustrating to not be able to contribute even though David was all support and no resent....

I sent out a lot of CVs until I finally got a few interviews but what made me feel even worse is that I got my EAD and didn't actually get a chance to use it because GC came so fast after it; I felt how we just spent all this money on the EAD that we really had to budget for and it did no good in the end.....

But the good news is that it does pass, once you get it and start working you feel SO much better right away.... Not to mention volunterring kept me from going crazy as well as ending up to be a door to my job at that same school

Good luck, ivona

[Emancipation 2]

Glad I'm not alone here guys!! Hee hee.. I KNOW a lot of what you are saying, but it's hard when financial discussions start, and you feel like .. man.. my SO's life would be easier financially if I wasn't here.. It's just one of those things I think.. you gotta just live it down.. go through it I guess, and having a SO that is sooo supportive helps. He'll do whatever it takes, and that gives me peace.. It is easier now that we are together.. The separation bit was much much worse...

I really just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one!! Hee hee. that's really what this site is to me.. a place to double check that I'm not loosing my mind!!

[Nessa 23]

I can understand how you feel, I'm still waiting for my permission and it has not been easy. Besides being extremely bored at home 24/7, not being able to buy anything, having to ask for my husband's money if I want to buy a coke or if I need new socks, simple things, but still, having to depend on someone else like I used to when I was a child is not easy now that I'm an adult.