Temp EAD arriving at the airport

[sereia 0]

So my fiance could be coming anytime now and I've been checking flights and timetables for his flight to CA from Morocco. He could stop in JFK, get the temp EAD, but he would then have to clear customs, get his bags, change terminals (in one of the world's largest airports), and recheck in, and take another flight to LAX. his english is not perfect, nor has he ever flown before. so i am a little worried about the confusion factor for him. but it would be NICE to have that temporary EAD, and I've heard you cannot get it at LAX. is this true? i've also seen flights that go from morocco to paris, then non-stop to LAX from there. it wouldn't be as big of a change, he wouldn't have to recheck in his bags, and he also speaks the language in france. but no temporary EAD. its also CHEAPER to do this route vs. go to jfk.

do you think its worth flying to jfk and going through that for the EAD? was it especially useful for your situation that your SO had it? any other thoughts?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

This poll is going to get a lot of "no" response from the Canadian K-1's.

It was possible for those whose nearest international airport was Halifax to do so till last year--then, it became the 9^th PFI. For any Canadian, it would be much hassle as well as expensive to enter through JFK's POE.

For my own marriage, it was plenty difficult to persuade Pras to go through JFK--as we don't have a "backup" of knowing anyone in NYC area. It was a lot easier for all concerned for her to enter at DTW.

[peejay 327]

My wife got the EAD stamp at Houston POE in March 2004 when she arrived as a K-1. They even gave the EAD stamp to my 18 years old stepdaughter even though K-2 visa holders do not qualify. My then K-1 wife got a restricted Social Security card, but my stepdaughter wasn't eligible as a K-2.

IMO the 90 day EAD stamp is worthless because by the time a Social Security card is issued there is not much time to work before it expires.

Better to get married and file the AoS paperwork as soon as possible. The sooner the AoS is filed...the sooner the longer term EAD gets issued. The longer term EAD won't be issued before the 90 day EAD stamp expires. That is what makes it worthless IMO. And when it expires hubby will be working illegally. Why take the chance of getting caught (even if it is very small to nonexistent)?

[Nessa 23]

not worthy.

[featherB 1]

For me... I could have flown here direct more cheaply than it cost to go via JFK. But I chose that option anyway, just so I could get the temp EA stamp and have the option of working if I wanted it... I'd rather have it and not 'need' it than not get it and regret it later.

Here I am, on day 79 after my arrival in the US, with an I-94 that expires in 11 days, and I've not made use of the temp EA stamp at all. To be honest, I think I could have found work without too much effort had I wanted to (whether it would have been a job I actually wanted or enjoyed would be another matter entirely!) but... I just haven't bothered. If I *had* bothered, I'd only have looked for something very temporary, because there wouldn't seem much point in going to all the trouble of looking for the 'perfect' job and then (in the unlikely event that I actually managed to get accepted for such a job!) knowing that my work authorisation was almost guaranteed to expire on day 90 (if we'd married and filed for AOS/EAD sooner, I suppose there's a chance the EAD might be approved before my I-94 expired, but unlikely) with no idea when the EAD would be approved.

As for the SSN... I applied two weeks after I got here (well, actually I applied about a week after I got here, then had to go again as, predictably, I wasn't in the system yet the first time!) and got the card in the mail a few days later. That wasn't a huge wait, really.... still would have allowed me to work for over two months if I'd wanted to.

Soooo.... in my case, it could have been worth it, had I made the effort to make it so! I don't regret choosing to do it that way - like I said, I'd rather have had the temporary EA stamp just in case I wanted/needed it. Just turned out that I didn't, though!

[LovinLiberia 0]

Depends on the person's personal situation. For our own situation, it's not worth it to fly through JFK just for the stamp. Besides I want his transition to the USA to be smooth. I would hate to throw him into a job so quickly on top of learning how to live in the US. By the time we file AOS and receive the EAD card, he should be comfortable enough with America to start working.

[ddkm 0]

I already have a SSN from working in USA previously on a J1 visa, so the EAD at JFK is ideal for me as i can just start a job straight away, then look for a proper job once the longer term EAD arrives from the AOS paperwork. As i see it...its better to have it and maybe not need it than to not have it and need it!