US Immigration from South Africa

This could probably go into the SSN subforum but just in case, I'll post here.

We are preparing for my fiance to arrive in September, and will be marrying the second week of October. His employer wants to retain him but it's been made clear to them that his position/pay needs to be suspended until he is authorized to work again. Here's the thing..

People have been very clear about K1 visas allowing individuals to apply for an EAD but that it's essentially useless to do so since it's only valid for 90 days. I.. think it's attached to the validity of the i-94 travel record, if I recall correctly, and not to the marriage date. Feel free to correct me if I'm getting this wrong.

We're going in to the SSA office to get his SSN shortly after he arrives in September. We're prepared to supply evidence that he is an alien allowed to work. Allowed.. not the same as authorized, if the above is correct. So what is the point of getting the SSN early, if nobody uses it for an EAD? Why is it so essential? Even the SSA's non-citizen cheat sheet says it's not actually needed for bank accounts, etc. I assumed it would be needed with proof of a K-1 so that taxes can be filed for any work done prior to marriage but.. that does not seem to actually apply.

And JUST to be clear.. if he gets his SSN, he still needs to wait until we file an I-765 and get his EAD until he can give the go ahead to his employer, yes?

Hi,

I am on a L1A which expires on 3 October 2024. I applied for a EB2 NIW with I-140, however my papers were lost twice (no more using USPS), and therefore I ran out of time. So I submitted an application for L1A extension on 31 July 2024.

The processing time they state online is 5 months for a L1A, but I do not see anything for an extension.

Anyone has any experience with this? How long will could it take for a response to the L1A extension? Any chance I will get it before the current one expires, and if not, is there anything I can do about it (I do not want to be in-country illegal)

2nd question - I will submit another copy of my EB2 NIW with I-140, but feeling uncertain to do this while I await status on the L1A extension. Do I wait or (as it is allowed to have an option on this), can I submit this now? My ideal is obviously to get the EB2 NIW with Green Card, but my focus for now is to be able to work . build my business legally in the US.

Any advise? Should I pay for premium processing (very expensive)?

Thank you

Hey all, quick question.

My fiance and I are working on assembly of docs for the interview on Thursday and he noticed his police clearance isn't with him. He said he took it to the medical and is concerned that they might've thrown it away or "stolen" it, and I'm trying to provide some reassurance here. What is the likelihood that it's just in the sealed packet?

For country of origin, as well as anything stateside later.

Will help particularly with K1 to track any embassy delays in processing incoming medical packets and help to predict how far out to book visa appointments.

Hey all,

This is a very short notice question but I'm hoping to get an answer in the next few hours before my fiance heads to his medical review.

We're looking ahead at him being stateside and filing the AOS paperwork, and I'm getting confused about if the DS-3025 is actually required with the applications for 485/765/131 or not. Reading over the pinned topic, I'm still at a loss. Based on conversations I've had with other K1 applicants from South Africa, specifically the Cape Town panel physician appointments, no DS-3025 is being provided. It just seems to be an office letterhead shortform record, notarized by the office with a stamp.

I'm wondering what the purpose of this record is, if the DS-3025 according to the CDC website is meant to be his permanent vaccination record. It's not official, or doesn't appear to be. So what happens if he gets this document instead? Will we have trouble filing the AOS, or receive an RFE? The pinned topic from what I gather says the paperwork sent in the sealed packet from the POE includes the 693, which is preferable when filing because it's unlikely to be tampered with.

So, if that's the case, do we just let the packet ride and trust the 693 to cover all bases? Or do we ask the office for a 3025/contact the consulate on Johannesburg to provide a copy to them? Thanks in advance.