galeteia
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- May 9, 2006
- Messages
- 1,794
To avoid derailing the Dem thread any further, I thought it prudent to set up a new thread for immigration gossip.
Note: I am not a lawyer, just a Canadian who immigrated to the US to be with my partner. We used VisaJourney for all our paperwork and it has been a blessing. We avoided the need for a lawyer by using VJ as a resource. It was PS'' own TravellingGal who recommended it, thanks as always, TG!
So, if anyone has questions about the process, I will happily do my best to answer them based on personal, layperson-only experience.
We applied in Sept 2006. Hence my signature. Thanks for the congrats, I''m pretty thrilled. I wasn''t terribly keen because the pay was so low, but based on my experience and how impressed they were at my interview, my starting pay is higher than the usual introductory rate.
We got married a few days after I activated my K-1. As in, arrived Sunday night, researched license options on Monday, got the mandatory 3-day hold on license waiver and license on Tuesday, got married on Wednesday. Chilled on Thursday. Just kidding.
Actually, I think we went to get my SSN on Thursday or Friday and then spent the weekend celebrating being in the same timezone.
We filed for AOS about a month afterward, once we''d gotten everything we needed together and got the tax info, etc from our co-sponsor. Since they hiked the fees early this year as well as integrated the Advanced Parole and Employment Authorization into the regular AOS package, we filed for all three all at once since it was the same cost as just filing the AOS without AP or EAD. If I hadn''t applied for AP or EAD with my AOS package, I would end up paying for them twice if I applied for either later. It did take 3 months for both to come through, so I''m set to work and leave/enter the country freely while my AOS is processing.
I was freaking some time ago because I''d designated the co-sponsor stuff to my SO, and he goofed something so we had a delay while it was sorted out, so I was concerned about how long the delay would be. In the end we got the EAD and AP within the original pre-delay timeline anyway.
We got transferred from Texas as well, and it looks like they might skip the interview. Our case is so simple (US boy meets Cdn girl who has no skeletons in her closet) that it looks like they may approve it without the AOS interview. That would be sweet; I don''t relish a 6 hour drive to Dallas with our rickety car or having to shell out for a rental.
It''s amazing how you can be in limbo for so long during this process, isn''t it? 11 months without work authorization is my worst nightmare. Thankfully I was only unauthorized for about a month and a half between the expiration of my K-1 (authorized by class of admission) and the receipt of my EAD (plain ol'' authorized).
You don''t have to answer this if it''s too personal, but how did you survive those 11 months of limbo without going insane?
I went into a major depression with just 4 months of enforced idleness. Getting out of bed before 1pm was a good day.
Note: I am not a lawyer, just a Canadian who immigrated to the US to be with my partner. We used VisaJourney for all our paperwork and it has been a blessing. We avoided the need for a lawyer by using VJ as a resource. It was PS'' own TravellingGal who recommended it, thanks as always, TG!
So, if anyone has questions about the process, I will happily do my best to answer them based on personal, layperson-only experience.
Date: 10/10/2008 5:15:36 PM
Author: Lannie
How long ago did you apply for the K-1? Congrats on the job! When I got here, I was out of work for 11 months because of how delayed some of my paperwork was getting in (I had a TERRIBLE lawyer). Getting my first job was awesome. Did you apply for advance parole yet? I had to apply for emergency advance parole when my grandmother passed away and I needed to go to the funeral. I got it then and there, but apparently if you apply for it the regular way, it can take up to 3 months.
We applied in Sept 2006. Hence my signature. Thanks for the congrats, I''m pretty thrilled. I wasn''t terribly keen because the pay was so low, but based on my experience and how impressed they were at my interview, my starting pay is higher than the usual introductory rate.
We got married a few days after I activated my K-1. As in, arrived Sunday night, researched license options on Monday, got the mandatory 3-day hold on license waiver and license on Tuesday, got married on Wednesday. Chilled on Thursday. Just kidding.
We filed for AOS about a month afterward, once we''d gotten everything we needed together and got the tax info, etc from our co-sponsor. Since they hiked the fees early this year as well as integrated the Advanced Parole and Employment Authorization into the regular AOS package, we filed for all three all at once since it was the same cost as just filing the AOS without AP or EAD. If I hadn''t applied for AP or EAD with my AOS package, I would end up paying for them twice if I applied for either later. It did take 3 months for both to come through, so I''m set to work and leave/enter the country freely while my AOS is processing.
I was freaking some time ago because I''d designated the co-sponsor stuff to my SO, and he goofed something so we had a delay while it was sorted out, so I was concerned about how long the delay would be. In the end we got the EAD and AP within the original pre-delay timeline anyway.
We got transferred from Texas as well, and it looks like they might skip the interview. Our case is so simple (US boy meets Cdn girl who has no skeletons in her closet) that it looks like they may approve it without the AOS interview. That would be sweet; I don''t relish a 6 hour drive to Dallas with our rickety car or having to shell out for a rental.
It''s amazing how you can be in limbo for so long during this process, isn''t it? 11 months without work authorization is my worst nightmare. Thankfully I was only unauthorized for about a month and a half between the expiration of my K-1 (authorized by class of admission) and the receipt of my EAD (plain ol'' authorized).
You don''t have to answer this if it''s too personal, but how did you survive those 11 months of limbo without going insane?