Shortest time from arrival to receiving EAD

[benboucher 8]

Hi

Could anyone share what they think might be the shortest realistic time period to get from landing in the US to having EAD in hand, assuming I pay for the immediate EAD (I know it's frowned upon but wondering if it could buy me a valuable extra few weeks) and successfully request it to be expedited? Also do we have to get the biometrics done before receiving EAD or not necessarily?

Thanks

Ben

[kris&me 572]

At what stage are you?

YOur timeline only says applied February 2016 for K1

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

To clarify, are you looking to apply for EAD before getting married in the USA, or get married the day you arrive, send off paperwork immediately, and hope for a quick EAD? Also what is the reason for expedite?

[benboucher 8]

At what stage are you?

YOur timeline only says applied February 2016 for K1

Thanks. I'm going to book my medical next week and then interview as soon as I can after that (everything else is ready to go, DS-160, police certificate etc)

Hoping I can go out second week of October but aware that might be a bit optimistic!

[benboucher 8]

To clarify, are you looking to apply for EAD before getting married in the USA, or get married the day you arrive, send off paperwork immediately, and hope for a quick EAD? Also what is the reason for expedite?

If it can give me an extra couple of weeks then I would look to apply for EAD before getting married in the USA and yep then hope for a quick turnaround for that and SSN (by quick I mean a month maybe from day 1 arrival)

Reason for expedite would be that I have a job offer with a certain start date, and if I miss that then I'm missing out on a salary and so would hope to qualify under the 'severe financial loss' criteria. Not sure if me not having a family makes that harder to argue but would be great to hear from others' experiences

Thanks for your quick reply

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hi

Could anyone share what they think might be the shortest realistic time period to get from landing in the US to having EAD in hand, assuming I pay for the immediate EAD (I know it's frowned upon but wondering if it could buy me a valuable extra few weeks) and successfully request it to be expedited? Also do we have to get the biometrics done before receiving EAD or not necessarily?

Thanks

Ben

The problem is you would have to quit the job on the 90th day after your arrival in the US. So if it was really fast and you got the separate EAD in two and a half months, you would only be employed about two weeks. Then you would wait on the EAD based on AOS (good for a year) before working again.

We did have the full EAD in under three months from landing but we married Day 5, got certified marriage certificate, Day 6, and filed AOS/EAD/AP a few days later to get the show rolling quickly.

[benboucher 8]

The problem is you would have to quit the job on the 90th day after your arrival in the US. So if it was really fast and you got the separate EAD in two and a half months, you would only be employed about two weeks. Then you would wait on the EAD based on AOS (good for a year) before working again.

We did have the full EAD in under three months from landing but we married Day 5, got certified marriage certificate, Day 6, and filed AOS/EAD/AP a few days later to get the show rolling quickly.

Ah ok I assumed you would be able to roll the temporary EAD over to the new one, but that makes sense and gives me hope! Did you request for the EAD to be expedited?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Ah ok I assumed you would be able to roll the temporary EAD over to the new one, but that makes sense and gives me hope! Did you request for the EAD to be expedited?

The K1 based EAD is good for 90 days and has an expiration date on it as well as a price tag of $465. If you haven't gotten the AOS based one before 90 days, then you have an authorization gap. Considering you have to wait on a biometric appointment for either version, it isn't likely to be in a month total.

No we did not expedite EAD. It was approved 63 days from applying.

I understand your thought process, but estimating a timeline with so many variables is a slippery slope.

Edited August 20, 2016 by Nich-Nick

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

We are in the process of expediting a renewal EAD (AOS has been pending 15 months, interview in September.

Here are some links to expedite threads.

http://www.visajourn...on-a-job-offer/

http://www.visajourn...d-on-job-offer/

http://www.visajourn...with-job-offer/

[belinda63 3,038]

Best thing to do is have all the paperwork ready, land in the US,marry the next day, hand carry the marriage certificate to the clerk's office and get a certified copy then (if available), stop at the post office on the way home and mail it out. EAD in hand in about 60 to 90 days.

It is my understanding that some areas make you wait for the marriage certificate by mail which could take weeks. Then you are looking at, from your plan, arrive in the US, apply and pay for the EAD. Receive it in 60-90 days. Start work. Day 90 will be your last day working until you receive the EAD from AOS filing.

[Ash.1101 1,756]

Curious, does your future prospective employer know that you may only be able to work for a couple of weeks and then have to take a break again until the next EAD comes in?

[JFH 12,190]

If it can give me an extra couple of weeks then I would look to apply for EAD before getting married in the USA and yep then hope for a quick turnaround for that and SSN (by quick I mean a month maybe from day 1 arrival)

Reason for expedite would be that I have a job offer with a certain start date, and if I miss that then I'm missing out on a salary and so would hope to qualify under the 'severe financial loss' criteria. Not sure if me not having a family makes that harder to argue but would be great to hear from others' experiences

Thanks for your quick reply

There was someone recently from the UK who tried to expedite the EAD with s similar story to you (job offer, wanted to claim severe financial loss). Not sure what the outcome was but the general consensus here was that it was his choice to do a K-1 over a CR-1 that would allow him to work immediately. As I mentioned on your other thread about the same question, a CR-1 would have eliminated all this. I really don't know why working people from VWP countries would consider a K-1 these days. I also filed in February and I am likely to be moving in November, possibly early December. So not that far behind you and I can work immediately. Others who started the CR-1 the same time as us but were processed at Potomac instead of Nebraska have got interview dates this month and next.

I can understand that a few years ago when spouse visas were taking in excess of 2 years to process a K-1 was a more attractive option. But not anymore.

Obviously it's too late for you now but I'm just mentioning this for the benefit of any readers who are looking at timeframes and considering their options.

[TabeaK 517]

I really don't know why working people from VWP countries would consider a K-1 these days.

Because not everyone wants to get married and then spend the first 12-18 months of their marriage apart from their new spouse? Because K1s have always been faster than CR-1s? When I went through the process, K1s could take up to a year, but CR-1s took easily 18 months. Now K1s take 6 months and CR-1s about a year. Still A LOT shorter.

@benboucher:

Your best bet is to enter the US, marry the next day, get the marriage certificate from city hall immediately and send of the AOS. After about 1 week you'll get your NOA-1 and case number. Make sure you have a written job offer and call USCIS to expedite the EAD based on severe financial loss as soon as you get your case number. You'll get a ticket number, fax over the evidence and keep your fingers crossed. You should get a response within a week or two and if the expedite is granted have the EAD within a week or so also. Since the biometrics need to happen prior to EAD, the total process could be as short as 5-6 weeks. The biometrics appointments are typically about 4 weeks post NOA-1. Once again, once you have your appointment letter, you can attempt an early walk in and shave another 1-2 weeks of the time line.

In case you run into any issues, involve your local representative.

Go for it, there are many stories of successfully expedited EADs based on job offers here on the board - don't let people discourage you.

Edited August 21, 2016 by TabeaK

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

@benboucher:

Your best bet is to enter the US, marry the next day, get the marriage certificate from city hall immediately and send of the AOS.

Some states require a three day wait between license and the marriage so the next day may not be possible unless you go to Vegas. Figure it out ahead of time and make a plan. It is often the County Clerk's office that issues marriage certificates, not the city government.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Nich-Nick

[TabeaK 517]

His profile says he is in California. No waiting period. They can walk in, get married, walk out with a certified copy at any clerk's office.

If they get married somewhere else and have the paperwork mailed in, yes, then it tends to take weeks.

Edit: Clerks offices are frequently located in city halls, no?

Edited August 21, 2016 by TabeaK