Immigrant visa and Port of Entry question

[Rapha85 6]

Hello, excuse me if this is in the wrong forum but I have a few questions for the experts here since I can't really find the answers online.

 

I'm from the Netherlands, and I'm moving to my American wife in Arizona. Everything is approved (after 15 months finally). I paid the immigration /greencard fee like a month ago (like 30 days ago).

I still have to finish up some business here in the Netherlands, i'm getting rid of my house and i'm quitting my job by the end of December. My temp immigrant visa is valid until March but i'm planning to go before the end of December.

 

My question is, is my Greencard already on its way to my wife in the USA. Or will it only be send AFTER entering the USA/POE? I can't really find anything about this online. I know it can take up to 120 days though. And the same goes for my Social security number. Because I want everything to be ready as soon as I enter the usa. I want to work asap and open a bank account etc. I don't want to sit still for another few weeks/months after I arrive. Is it possible to already work with that temporary immigrant visa? And how about opening a bankaccount and getting a creditcard etc, is that even possible right now? Or do I have to wait till we receive my greencard and ssn etc?

 

And what do they exactly do and ask at the POE when you're entering with that temporary immigrant visa? I read some reviews here but it wasn't really detailed.

 

Thanks for your time

[payxibka 10,045]

4 minutes ago, Rapha85 said:

Hello, excuse me if this is in the wrong forum but I have a few questions for the experts here since I can't really find the answers online.

 

I'm from the Netherlands, and I'm moving to my American wife in Arizona. Everything is approved (after 15 months finally). I paid the immigration /greencard fee like a month ago (like 30 days ago).

I still have to finish up some business here in the Netherlands, i'm getting rid of my house and i'm quitting my job by the end of December. My temp immigrant visa is valid until March but i'm planning to go before the end of December.

 

My question is, is my Greencard already on its way to my wife in the USA. Or will it only be send AFTER entering the USA/POE? I can't really find anything about this online. I know it can take up to 120 days though. And the same goes for my Social security number. Because I want everything to be ready as soon as I enter the usa. I want to work asap and open a bank account etc. I don't want to sit still for another few weeks/months after I arrive. Is it possible to already work with that temporary immigrant visa? And how about opening a bankaccount and getting a creditcard etc, is that even possible right now? Or do I have to wait till we receive my greencard and ssn etc?

 

And what do they exactly do and ask at the POE when you're entering with that temporary immigrant visa? I read some reviews here but it wasn't really detailed.

 

Thanks for your time

Immigrant status is granted only UPON  entry.  

Edited November 4, 2019 by payxibka

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

1 minute ago, Rapha85 said:

Hello, excuse me if this is in the wrong forum but I have a few questions for the experts here since I can't really find the answers online.

 

I'm from the Netherlands, and I'm moving to my American wife in Arizona. Everything is approved (after 15 months finally). I paid the immigration /greencard fee like a month ago (like 30 days ago).

I still have to finish up some business here in the Netherlands, i'm getting rid of my house and i'm quitting my job by the end of December. My temp immigrant visa is valid until March but i'm planning to go before the end of December.

 

My question is, is my Greencard already on its way to my wife in the USA. Or will it only be send AFTER entering the USA/POE? I can't really find anything about this online. I know it can take up to 120 days though. And the same goes for my Social security number. Because I want everything to be ready as soon as I enter the usa. I want to work asap and open a bank account etc. I don't want to sit still for another few weeks/months after I arrive. Is it possible to already work with that temporary immigrant visa? And how about opening a bankaccount and getting a creditcard etc, is that even possible right now? Or do I have to wait till we receive my greencard and ssn etc?

 

And what do they exactly do and ask at the POE when you're entering with that temporary immigrant visa? I read some reviews here but it wasn't really detailed.

 

Thanks for your time

You have to actually enter to trigger the process of green card and SSN card production. So no they won’t be waiting for you when you get there. SSN card generally takes around 10 days and most recent reports are 3-4 weeks for green card, so pretty quick compared to past experiences. 

 

Your “temporary immigrant visa” becomes a temporary green card once you enter and is as valid as a plastic green card for anything you need. Your status is not dependent on the type of evidence you have of it, you become a LPR as soon as your visa is stamped for entry.

[USS_Voyager 1,972]

39 minutes ago, Rapha85 said:

My question is, is my Greencard already on its way to my wife in the USA. Or will it only be send AFTER entering the USA/POE? 

It'll be sent after the POE. The POE is what will trigger the green card and social security number to be issued. 

 

43 minutes ago, Rapha85 said:

Because I want everything to be ready as soon as I enter the usa. I want to work asap and open a bank account etc. I don't want to sit still for another few weeks/months after I arrive. 

It will be a few weeks before you have the actual green card and social security in hand. However, if you look your immigrant visa, it'll say "Act as I-551 upon endorsement for 1 year" or similar. The I-551 is the official name of the green card and the "endorsement" is when the border agent stamp your passport at POE, so that visa will act as proof of your permanent residency which will allow you to work and do everything that a green card holder can. Do you have work already lined up in the US?

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Progress Reports to General Immigration-Related Discussion.

Edited November 6, 2019 by Ryan H