ETM8986

The difficulty was selecting my status as a non-resident alien or something along those lines. (He knows I have an SSN.) I don't know what options there are. He is using the FreeTurboTax edition if that makes any difference. Thanks - I'll have a look!

Thanks @OldUser and @Gabriel5454 for your replies. Well my husband is adamant that he's filing MFS this year so I'm backing off on this one. But thank you very much for taking time to respond. From what I gather, 1. It wouldn't make much difference whether MFJ or MFS (I have no idea how he arrived at that conclusion, but perhaps TurboTax said so) 2. He doesn't want to have to mail anything in (if I read correctly, electing to be treated as a tax resident requires paper filing, or at the minimum mail in the letter of election). We have a lot on our plate at the moment... So I can't blame the poor man wanting to keep things simple.

I've been reading the forums and but still not sure about what I should do re: taxes. Husband (USC) says MFS is preferable (so he files, I don't) and much simpler because TurboTax apparently doesn't allow for us to do a MFJ. For context, he has no income as he is a FT student. I came on a K1 in August, AOS still pending. So I don't meet either the GC or substantial presence test. I do have a SSN. Would there be any advantage in electing to be considered a resident alien and file taxes this round? (For example, I am looking to going back to school and to be considered for in-state tuition I have to be a resident for at least one year prior to enrolment but I doubt that would move back the clock or anything) Or would it really be a lot easier for me to just not file taxes this year and leave it at that? I don't really get the foreign income exclusion either - my home country does not have a tax treaty with US. If anyone can explain that more simply than the interactive tax assistant on the IRS site or the 99-page Tax Guide for Aliens (Publication 519) I would be so grateful. Thanks for everyone's help and apologies for asking such numbskull type questions. I'm just hopelessly confused now.

I used to shop at Aldis when I was living in Australia and it was never disappointing, so it was a bit of an adjustment to realise that Aldis here aren't quite the same. We've found some good deals though. We try to avoid Walmart if we can for various reasons - we've also had bad luck with meat purchases there too for some reason. I guess it's unavoidable for some household goods though. Oh yes - 99Ranch is great! But where we are there isn't one remotely nearby to where we are now (nearest one is 97 miles away according to Google 😂). I've heard Costco is the stuff of legends, but we don't have a membership with them and I guess it's hard to justify it for a household of just 2. I certainly do like Kirkland for the quality though.

It's been an interesting experience trying to shop for groceries here in CA on a very tight budget (husband is in school FT and I haven't been able to find a job yet) - we were going to Aldi's for a while but the selection is limited and lately the quality has been very questionable. Sadness! (I visited the in-laws in TX over the new year though and they took us to Central Market. Oh my goodness that was quite an experience.)

Haha yes @AUTtoPA I'm also having to start from scratch here. Been reading the CA Drivers Booklet too but I haven't driven for close to 3 years (not necessary when I was back home - they have a fantastic public transport system 😭) plus it was on "the other side of the road" so that'd be an interesting change.

@Edward and Jaycel Just curious but how do you know how many I-485 filers are in your receipt block? An update (IOE-09-284 receipt block) : I-765 EAD was approved 12/27, one month after our biometrics appt on 11/26. (Nothing has moved on the I-485 since biometrics.) Wishing everyone here a happy and hopeful 2025!

Thanks for creating the thread and for sharing your filing process. I arrived on Aug 9th on a K1 too. We were married Aug 17th - and sent the package (AOS and EAD only) off end October. NOA receipt Nov 6th.

@Edward and Jaycel We sent our package via USPS Priority to the Chicago lockbox on a Thurs and it arrived on Sat afternoon. The NOA is dated on the Wed that followed (so about a week from mailing it off to receiving an e-notice). It has the receipt number in the notice too. They took our money the following day 😂. I didn't know this at that time (now I do, haha!) but the receipt notice is not enough. USCIS then sends another letter with the online access code which you will need to link your case on the USCIS portal. That one took another week to arrive by snail mail. Hopefully you get news soon! And thanks for creating the new thread for November filers. Appreciate it!

Thanks @Edward and Jaycel and @hplusj - the NOA arrived in the mail! (And I found the electronic notice in the spam folder of my inbox) So the waiting begins...

@hplusj We had a joint sponsor who stepped in at the last minute after the first one dropped the ball unexpectedly (that was not fun at all 😭) so we mailed the packet off on 10/31. USPS tracking says it was delivered on Saturday 2/11 but we haven't got ANY notice that USCIS has received it so I'm getting worried.

Thanks @hplusj! I don't know if we'll make it for the October filing though. Hopefully - I'd be relieved to send the packet off! I'm certainly not relishing the idea of being "out of status." It sounds dreadful and the lack of a so-called "bridging visa" is unusual to me. We're waiting on a joint sponsor to get his I-864 forms ready. My husband is a full-time student so we have no income, and I don't know if that makes our case more complicated or not 😩

Thanks for the clarification... ... and also for the suggestion #2. I don't actually see a thread created yet though, unless I'm looking at the wrong places. (I have to admit that using the search function, whilst immensely useful, is also not very reassuring when reading about the seeming arbitrariness of USCIS! 😭)

Another question about the AOS : I'm confused about the medical requirements. Reading the instructions on the I-485, it says (on p14, No.10) that fiance nonimmigrant filers have to refer to the I-693 instructions on whether I need to submit certain parts or a full I-693... So I read the instructions for the I-693, and on page 7 (FAQ Q3) it says: How do I show proof of this? I was emailed a copy of the DS-3025 after I completed my overseas medical with the last page marked as such: Do I simply include the copy of DS-3025 in the AOS packet that I am submitting (I-485, I-864 and I-765)? Thanks - appreciate your help in clarifying these - I've read several threads from Feb/Mar 2023 about I-693s and RFEs (Eg. https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/788868-rfe-for-i-693-even-though-ds-3025-was-completed/ AND https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/798091-request-for-form-i-693-courtesy-email/) so I am rather confused and flustered now.

Thank you for your responses. Thanks especially to @K1visaHopeful for the screenshot - that is very helpful! Appreciate it.