sphyrapicus

Dear SB,

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I can relate to your feelings that after marrying a USC that everything would be easy and we should be able to live happily ever after. I definitely know what you mean about trying to be law-abiding and doing the right thing. It sure ain't easy. Thank god for the internet. I wonder what people used to do back before the web? We all must have been terribly ignorant, or lawyers made a killing. And just think about how many aliens don't have access to the web, even today. They are at a tremendous disadvantage. In our case, we are both native English speakers, we have 5 university degrees between the two of us, we have access to the web, we had a lawyer, and we still find the whole process complex and confusing.

Thanks too for the clarification of the F-1 status being consistent with adjustment. I thought they were mutually exclusive.

Take care and thanks for the feedback - I learned a lot through this exchange.

SanBernardino

1 month later...
Thanks for the kind words Sphyrapicus.
I was bringing this thread back up because I just referred someone to it and was reviewing it. I just wanted to say that Folinsky should be given the credit for the clarification about F-1 status being consistent with adjustment. It is the Hossenpoir case he referred us to (and I intially misunderstood) which sets the standard that it is possible (sometimes even necessary, as in Hossenpoir's situation) to maintain F-1 status after marriage. Of course, it is only necessary in case something goes awry with adjustment of status, as it did in Hossenpoir's case.

Sphyrapicus, You have a good point to about how ridiculously untransparent this process is for uneducated and non-computer literate folks. On the other hand, perhaps ignorance is bliss? I have worried myself to no end about anything that could go wrong or that I could maintain control over. It isn't the most healthy of attitudes.