I'm about to break down - AOS from F1

[arken 4,197]

10 minutes ago, strawberryfields said:

Thank you. Am i legally allowed to be on my wife's health insurance plan?

Yes but it depends on the provider whether they will include you or not if no SSN.

 

You just became aware of the form 30 mins ago and are already asking questions with anxiety as you see them. As others have pointed out, be calm and read i944 instructions and go through the form thoroughly, may be take few hours and understand everything. Sort out the ones you can have available and the ones you can’t or are confused with. Then ask questions on those rather than asking one by one as you find them. You would get better response by doing so.
 

Don’t plan to finish and submit in 1-2 days, it’ll take time.

[strawberryfields 0]

1 minute ago, arken said:

Yes but it depends on the provider whether they will include you or not if no SSN.

 

You just became aware of the form 30 mins ago and are already asking questions with anxiety as you see them. As others have pointed out, be calm and read i944 instructions and go through the form thoroughly, may be take few hours and understand everything. Sort out the ones you can have available and the ones you can’t or are confused with. Then ask questions on those rather than asking one by one as you find them. You would get better response by doing so.
 

Don’t plan to finish and submit in 1-2 days, it’ll take time.

How much time do you think it takes to gather everything? My school ends in one month and I would not be in legal status anymore after that.

[irishoxford 39]

8 minutes ago, strawberryfields said:

How much time do you think it takes to gather everything? My school ends in one month and I would not be in legal status anymore after that.

Took me 2-3 weeks, all in all.  

Do you have your transcripts from Sweden for your secondary education?  Are you an undergraduate at a U.S. university, or are you a graduate student?  

[Just Paul 4,595]

31 minutes ago, strawberryfields said:

Thank you. Am i legally allowed to be on my wife's health insurance plan?

Yes, depending on the enrollment requirements of that plan.  Marriage is a life event and a change can only be made for so many days.

[irishoxford 39]

The other point I want to make here is that if you can provide proof of ongoing into the future medical insurance, I think that's what USCIS really wants to see re: health insurance (they do probe about effective dates and renewal dates, etc.)  So if you can get on your spouse's plan, I'd strongly advise it.

Make sure you add that you want a Social Security number on your I-765 application (questions 14+15).  

Edited May 14, 2020 by irishoxford

[strawberryfields 0]

16 minutes ago, irishoxford said:

Took me 2-3 weeks, all in all.  

Do you have your transcripts from Sweden for your secondary education?  Are you an undergraduate at a U.S. university, or are you a graduate student?  

I have only done a certificate in the US. I'm studying for a second certificate. And my degree from Sweden is my 'Basic education'. I do have a document from my school in Sweden saying I have basic education, which allows me to study abroad.

[irishoxford 39]

14 minutes ago, strawberryfields said:

I have only done a certificate in the US. I'm studying for a second certificate. And my degree from Sweden is my 'Basic education'. I do have a document from my school in Sweden saying I have basic education, which allows me to study abroad.

I think the clearest way I can put it to you is as follows:

1) If you attended the equivalent of high school and took national exams at your gymnasieskola, then you'll need whatever document they gave you proving that.  If that's what you're referring to above, then that's fine.  You will, however, need it translated.  (These are the instructions for translation on the I-944: Translations. If you submit a document with information in a foreign language, you must also submit a full English translation. The translator must sign a certification that the English language translation is complete and accurate, and that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The certification must include the translator’s signature. DHS recommends the certification contain the translator’s printed name, the signature date, and the translator’s contact information.)

Someone on here will probably be able to help you re: who they used to translate the document.  It doesn't say that it needs to be a professional translation, but I'm also not a lawyer. 

2) You'll have to send a copy of the document to a company to evaluate the document for equivalency against a U.S. high school education.  ("Foreign education should include an evaluation of equivalency to education or degrees acquired at accredited colleges, universities, or educational institutions in the United States. For a list of organizations that provide equivalency evaluation, see the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), at http://www.naces.org/members.htm.")

I'd send in absolutely everything you can to that company (transcripts/diplomas) provided from your "high school".      

3) Yes, you do need to do this.  

 

The reason I'm asking this information right now is because it was the part that took me the longest to gather, and I want you to be able to get your I-944 together as efficiently as possible.  For you, it may be the same that it takes you the longest to get the documents made equivalent to U.S. educational standards, but you'll also need to prioritise getting proof of no credit score (if that's true in your case; if you don't have an SSN, it probably is), which takes time (from what I'm hearing), and also prioritise getting your spouse to call their health insurance provider.  

J

Edited May 14, 2020 by irishoxford

[HRQX 4,145]

9 minutes ago, irishoxford said:

re: who they used to translate the document.

Anyone can translate it as long as they include a "certification" statement; example: https://www.visajourney.com/guides/uscis-document-translation/

 

[Pinkrlion 2,724]

4 hours ago, strawberryfields said:

How much time do you think it takes to gather everything? My school ends in one month and I would not be in legal status anymore after that.

You should be sitting down with your spouse to fill this out

[SalishSea 18,161]

6 hours ago, strawberryfields said:

I have not included the I-944. It was not included in the guide (?)

I do not recommend ever using the guides on VJ, which may or may not be up to date.  Always defer to the instructions and forms on the USCIS.gov site, as those ARE correct and up to date.

[US2UK 33]

8 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

I do not recommend ever using the guides on VJ, which may or may not be up to date.  Always defer to the instructions and forms on the USCIS.gov site, as those ARE correct and up to date.

I wonder if there’s a way one of the mods can update the guide just to mention the I-944 requirement if it’s not there already?

 

EDIT: I see an example completed form 🙂

Edited May 14, 2020 by US2UK

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

8 hours ago, strawberryfields said:

Thank you. Am i legally allowed to be on my wife's health insurance plan?

Within 60 days of marriage your wife can include you on her health insurance as this is a life event. Sit down together and start completing the form. However long Or quick it takes you to gather your documents will be how long it takes to complete. For future guidelines use VJ as a guide but always check the official USCIS website for up to date and accurate immigration information.

[Nat&Amy 623]

The amount of trouble/headache you will have in your immigration journey (which is far from done) will be greatly minimized if you take time to reach the instructions provided by USCIS for each and every form you fill. If the terms are unclear, ask the community for clarification, and check other forums to see what people's experiences were. The i944 is probably going to take time and this time you want to get it right.

[fluffykim 333]

12 hours ago, strawberryfields said:

How much time do you think it takes to gather everything? My school ends in one month and I would not be in legal status anymore after that.

I would just relax and take this 1 step at a time

Edited May 14, 2020 by fluffykim

[Karosuko 35]

14 hours ago, strawberryfields said:

How much time do you think it takes to gather everything? My school ends in one month and I would not be in legal status anymore after that.

As for the legal status: if you are here with F-1 and you met all requirements, they grant you automatically a so called grace period of 60 days. Within this period you can remain in the US beyond completion of your studies. However, if you’d leave the country in this period they would not let you back in on the grounds of your old F-1. As you are not out of status in this grace period, you can apply for AOS. Bottom line:  you’re not out of status until the end of your grace period.
This is just my experience and I am not a lawyer.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html 

Edited May 14, 2020 by Karosuko