What to do while waiting for the EAD?

[ClickityClackity 134]

Just now, LionessDeon said:

Well then I guess you have no choice but to accept the consequences of that K1 decision. I’m sure you looked forward and read up on the AOS process.  Hopefully EAD won’t take too long. Good Luck!  

I know that I just wanted to know what other people did! Money is not the most pressing issue, it's going to be mostly boredom.

 

thank you for your answers!

[aisha1109 16]

i am so bored i dont know what to do. all i do is working out,  cook, eat and talk to my friends back home (canada)

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Edited August 28, 2018 by aisha1109

[Diane and Chris 651]

3 hours ago, bloggerstomper said:

oh noes. How long more or less??

It took us 142 days for EAD. That was last October when it was received!  

[debbiedoo 2,339]

10 hours ago, bloggerstomper said:

a CR1 would've taken way longer to process, and my fiancee and I don't want to spend that much more time apart. 

only takes a couple of months longer and is cheaper.

[Roel 7,193]

What to do? Possibly browse this forum some more, because this question have been asked and answered many times before.

[*Snowdrop* 604]

- house/home projects

 

If you've budgeted for this it can be a great way to feel at home - decorate and organize as a couple finally. I spent over three hours a day for the first two months decluttering all the old junk (ie. my husband's stuff) in the house.

 

 

 

- explore

 

walk, drive, cycle, shop, museums, art galleries, - if you think your partner would not enjoy this alone, try to organize some vacation from work, or draft a team of helpers - friends, family etc

 

If the USC works in a city or town and you can't drive yet, go into the town/city with them once or twice a week - hang out in the library, or coffee shop, take a laptop, or go shopping, meet them for lunch, read a book in the park. Get out of the house.

 

 

 

- meet wider family and friends

 

Plan parties and visits and fun things to do to introduce your partner into your wider world and community. My mother-in-law took me out in the car every week for the first few months and it was a fun bonding experience.

 

 

 

- driving

 

Whether it's practice, lessons, studying the guide getting the license sorted etc

 

 

 

- finding work

 

Even if you can't actually work yet there are hours of stuff you can do to prepare before the EAD/Greencard comes. Update your resume, update all online options like LinkedIn etc, get business cards printed, go to networking events, organize informational interviews at the types of places you'd like to work, see if you can shadow someone at a company you'd like to work. Find out if you need to acquire more skills etc

 

 

 

- study

 

Learn something new - either useful or fun. Use local community resources or do an online course.

 

 

 

- volunteer

 

 

 

- hobbies

 

Music, art, creating/making, gardening, reading, writing, blogging, sports, play poker online - I don't know whatever thrills you. When was the last time you had enforced leisure time - try to enjoy it.

[ImagineMe 35]

I've been able to have a couple of friends who are off during the summer (teachers) who take my wife out to explore and shop. Friends are a godsend often lol. Otherwise she plays games on her phone with her parents over in China and watches shows on her black box.

[ClickityClackity 134]

1 hour ago, debbiedoo said:

only takes a couple of months longer and is cheaper.

it's not if you take into account the cost of travel for my fiancee to get married in here, the cost of translating all the official Spanish documents etc.

1 hour ago, Roel said:

What to do? Possibly browse this forum some more, because this question have been asked and answered many times before.

thanks for giving no information and being snarky. I'm sure when you went through the process you liked when people treated you like that

[NovaDC 270]

I took 6 months for me to receive my EAD. I do volunteer works in the community. 

[ClickityClackity 134]

5 minutes ago, NovaDC said:

I took 6 months for me to receive my EAD. I do volunteer works in the community. 

yikes. that's almost as long as it takes to get the green card eh?

[Michelle M 133]

The boredom is the worst part, but what I do with mu husband is give task to do that will help get him out the house and help him to navigate and become familiar with the city.  He reads, cooks, watch Netflix, Amazon prime, go shopping, rearrange the house and go to the gym.

 

While the Cr1 visa is cheaper and takes about the same time I did not want to be away from my husband our first year of marriage so the K1 visa was the better visa for us.  We knew the time line and expected the challenges, however, we are human and no matter how prepared you are, the reality is sometimes harder. A lot of people on this forum wants to preach to you that you  knew what you were getting into, or should have known because you ask a question or dare to question the process. But it is not so simple when you are living it daily, no matter how prepared you were.

[Roel 7,193]

38 minutes ago, bloggerstomper said:

 

thanks for giving no information and being snarky. I'm sure when you went through the process you liked when people treated you like that

1. This is not even close to snarky. 2. I gave you information. Your question have been answered a looooot on this forum and you can find a lot of useful advices in those other threads.

 

Trust me, when you see some questions come up 10 times a week because people won't bother searching through the forum, you'd probably be reacting the same way. But you have to be longer on this forum than just few days for that. 

[ClickityClackity 134]

10 minutes ago, Michelle M said:

The boredom is the worst part, but what I do with mu husband is give task to do that will help get him out the house and help him to navigate and become familiar with the city.  He reads, cooks, watch Netflix, Amazon prime, go shopping, rearrange the house and go to the gym.

 

While the Cr1 visa is cheaper and takes about the same time I did not want to be away from my husband our first year of marriage so the K1 visa was the better visa for us.  We knew the time line and expected the challenges, however, we are human and no matter how prepared you are, the reality is sometimes harder. A lot of people on this forum wants to preach to you that you  knew what you were getting into, or should have known because you ask a question or dare to question the process. But it is not so simple when you are living it daily, no matter how prepared you were.

Thank you for your answer! My fiancé and I feel the same way. We don't want to be apart from each other for another year, we've been doing long distance for almost three years and it's not fun. Also, thank you for being so sympathetic!

[Sarah&Facundo 599]

My husband is waiting for his EAD and even though he is doing things, quite honestly, he is bored to tears and hates it. It's a HUGE adjustment for them. The first month was the worst. All he did was call his family and friends all day and curl up in a ball on the couch watching TV. It's gotten a bit better now, thankfully.

 

He moved here at the end of March. We married in early April. He began classes at the community college in May and just finished his first semester! He is registered full time for the fall and starts that semester next week.

 

He loves Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so he joined the gym and goes there all the time. That has been a saving grace. So if your fiance enjoys a sport or something of that nature, no matter how expensive it might be, just sign them up for it! It gets them out and doing something they love.

 

There were free English classes at the library. His English is already good and he was bored so he stopped going. But this is definitely useful if your fiance struggles with the language. 

 

We love travel. We just went to Seattle/Alaska for 2 weeks and are actually on our way home as I post this hehe. It got him out in nature and he loved it! We use frequent flyer miles and Credit card awards points to pay for the tickets and camped around so it wasn't too expensive.

[Sarah&Facundo 599]

Also, definitely enjoy this time together! We did long distance for 6 years so it is just SO WONDERFUL to be together. We always talk about the little things we enjoy and focusing on that. Sometimes we actually turn to each other in the car and say, 'Can you believe we went to the supermarket? TOGETHER? Like a normal couple?"

 

Honestly, I am going to be so sad when he gets his EAD card. I like having him around all the time....But I suppose I'll have to set him free eventually!