F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
Oct 8th 2005, 3:47 pm
#16
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
meauxna wrote:
> > >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> > >helpful people posting there! :)
> >
> > Why bother listening to *potential* problems?
> >
> > Just get married and file petition for her (I-130) and apply for
> > adjustment of status (I-465) for her along work permit unless she is
> > not interested in working till getting greencard which she will get
> > at
> > interview time. Also, why spend money on travel permit if she has the
> > passport to use?
> Thanks for sharing; read the OP.
> She wants to work part time, school part time.
My bad.
> That would invalidate her F-1 for travel and she *does* want to work.
> Why chintz on the money to be properly documented?
She would be properly documented for switiching from F-1 to AOS.
>Tried getting a driver's license without an EAD these days?
I did that after 9/11 with F-1 status when I moved to another state.
F-1 never have a problem to get DL.
>There's a lot more to life in the US than just making it over the border.
You don' have to be sarcastic.
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
> > >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> > >helpful people posting there! :)
> >
> > Why bother listening to *potential* problems?
> >
> > Just get married and file petition for her (I-130) and apply for
> > adjustment of status (I-465) for her along work permit unless she is
> > not interested in working till getting greencard which she will get
> > at
> > interview time. Also, why spend money on travel permit if she has the
> > passport to use?
> Thanks for sharing; read the OP.
> She wants to work part time, school part time.
My bad.
> That would invalidate her F-1 for travel and she *does* want to work.
> Why chintz on the money to be properly documented?
She would be properly documented for switiching from F-1 to AOS.
>Tried getting a driver's license without an EAD these days?
I did that after 9/11 with F-1 status when I moved to another state.
F-1 never have a problem to get DL.
>There's a lot more to life in the US than just making it over the border.
You don' have to be sarcastic.
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
Oct 8th 2005, 3:53 pm
#17
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
Bob wrote:
> > >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> > >helpful people posting there! :)
> >
> > Why bother listening to *potential* problems?
> >
> > Just get married and file petition for her (I-130) and apply for
> > adjustment of status (I-465) for her along work permit unless she is
> > not interested in working till getting greencard which she will get
> > at
> > interview time. Also, why spend money on travel permit if she has the
> > passport to use?
> don't presume that either....background checks and all that....
Thanks for chipping in. My background check went really fast partly
because I have recenlty applied for a DL in this state I had moved to
and background check by homeland security was done at that time,
leaving the report almost up-to-date, I guess.
>I had my AOS interview last March, provisionally approved pending name
>check, which since has come through, but my case officer is on maternity
>leave and no one is signing off on my case, so I still don't have a
>greencard 7 months later.
Oh.
I am going to my interviw in about 3 weeks. For the documents I must
take with me, I can take original copies for my stuff but for the
sponsor (my sister), do I have to take original copy for her
citizneship card or would xerox copy be okay?
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
> > >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> > >helpful people posting there! :)
> >
> > Why bother listening to *potential* problems?
> >
> > Just get married and file petition for her (I-130) and apply for
> > adjustment of status (I-465) for her along work permit unless she is
> > not interested in working till getting greencard which she will get
> > at
> > interview time. Also, why spend money on travel permit if she has the
> > passport to use?
> don't presume that either....background checks and all that....
Thanks for chipping in. My background check went really fast partly
because I have recenlty applied for a DL in this state I had moved to
and background check by homeland security was done at that time,
leaving the report almost up-to-date, I guess.
>I had my AOS interview last March, provisionally approved pending name
>check, which since has come through, but my case officer is on maternity
>leave and no one is signing off on my case, so I still don't have a
>greencard 7 months later.
Oh.
I am going to my interviw in about 3 weeks. For the documents I must
take with me, I can take original copies for my stuff but for the
sponsor (my sister), do I have to take original copy for her
citizneship card or would xerox copy be okay?
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
Oct 8th 2005, 6:23 pm
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 771
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
bring originals and copies of everything. Do not make a copy of the naturalization certificate, let the officer do it for you. She never even asked for my husband's certificate (since a copy was included in the original application).
to the original poster: I adjusted from F-1. No problems. Read my interview story just a week ago in the Marriage based subforum.
to the original poster: I adjusted from F-1. No problems. Read my interview story just a week ago in the Marriage based subforum.
Oct 8th 2005, 7:05 pm
#19
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 35,082
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
[QUOTE=amanda992004"
[q1]> That would invalidate her F-1 for travel and she *does* want to work.[/q1]
> Why chintz on the money to be properly documented?
She would be properly documented for switiching from F-1 to AOS.
>Tried getting a driver's license without an EAD these days?
I did that after 9/11 with F-1 status when I moved to another state.
F-1 never have a problem to get DL.
>There's a lot more to life in the US than just making it over the border.
You don' have to be sarcastic."/QUOTE]
amanda, I wasn't being sarcastic. The "properly documented" I refer to means the other documents that make life possible, including a DL. There have been many,many people caught out without EAD and no way to get a DL these days; most states now have regulations regardinig confirming immigration status before handing out an important ID like a driver's license. Without knowing the laws where the OP lives, I'd hate to be the one to reassure her that she won't need an EAD for anything *except* work
Also, she won't necessarily *be* an F-1 if she marries, files AOS and abandons full time school.
Bob was referring to the additional name checks that are done right before your interview. Even if everything is perfect with your case, if the results aren't back by your interview date, they can't approved/stamp you at the conclusion. Some unlucky folk, like Bob, just get stuck.
Congratulations, and best wishes for your upcoming interview!
[q1]> That would invalidate her F-1 for travel and she *does* want to work.[/q1]
> Why chintz on the money to be properly documented?
She would be properly documented for switiching from F-1 to AOS.
>Tried getting a driver's license without an EAD these days?
I did that after 9/11 with F-1 status when I moved to another state.
F-1 never have a problem to get DL.
>There's a lot more to life in the US than just making it over the border.
You don' have to be sarcastic."/QUOTE]
amanda, I wasn't being sarcastic. The "properly documented" I refer to means the other documents that make life possible, including a DL. There have been many,many people caught out without EAD and no way to get a DL these days; most states now have regulations regardinig confirming immigration status before handing out an important ID like a driver's license. Without knowing the laws where the OP lives, I'd hate to be the one to reassure her that she won't need an EAD for anything *except* work
Also, she won't necessarily *be* an F-1 if she marries, files AOS and abandons full time school.
Bob was referring to the additional name checks that are done right before your interview. Even if everything is perfect with your case, if the results aren't back by your interview date, they can't approved/stamp you at the conclusion. Some unlucky folk, like Bob, just get stuck.
Congratulations, and best wishes for your upcoming interview!
Oct 10th 2005, 1:22 pm
#20
strangely floppy..
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ohio - originally London
Posts: 1,719
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
Originally Posted by Elvira
I know people have done this without a porblem, but from what I readon the marriage based forum, their are POTENTIAL problems. So I personally would not rush into this without seeking more information.
Last edited by CarlM; Oct 10th 2005 at 1:26 pm.
Oct 10th 2005, 1:27 pm
#21
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
I want to thank everyone for the help. I can guess from the responses
that this is a pretty straightforward issue. However, even tiny
inconsistencies tell me that there's always more to even a simple
question. I feel pretty confident about marrying and then filing the
appropriate paperwork. However, I am concerned about at what point my
girlfriend should give up her F-1 status (by either going part-time or
quitting school). Would it be after the paperwork is filed or some
other point?
At any rate, I think I'll take Meauxna's advice and have a quick talk
with an immigration attorney just to be safe.
Thanks again!
Rob
that this is a pretty straightforward issue. However, even tiny
inconsistencies tell me that there's always more to even a simple
question. I feel pretty confident about marrying and then filing the
appropriate paperwork. However, I am concerned about at what point my
girlfriend should give up her F-1 status (by either going part-time or
quitting school). Would it be after the paperwork is filed or some
other point?
At any rate, I think I'll take Meauxna's advice and have a quick talk
with an immigration attorney just to be safe.
Thanks again!
Rob
Oct 11th 2005, 12:12 am
#22
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
meauxna writes:
>> In article <[email protected] .com>,
>> "Rob" <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>> We, my then 3 months pregnant wife and I, left the U.S. for me to find
>> a job and her to get health insurance for the upcoming delivery of our
>> daughter (not a trivial task for a pregnant woman).
>>
>> Draw your own conclusions.
>> My advice is: be very careful and don't assume anything.
>>
> What conclusion, Gerd? I don't get your point. Are you telling me
> that even unemployed, you had no assets?
If I remember correctly, we had about $60k in savings, which is $15k
short of what would have been sufficient to meet the 5x-poverty
requirement.
Note that we both _had_ been employed at the time of filing and I was
employed thereafter. Just _at_ the time of the interview, we were both
unemployed; something impossible to plan for, since the interview
happened about one year after submitting the application.
The fact that the application was denied caught us completely by
surprise. It would have been easy to find a low-paid $15k job, just to
pass the interview, quit afterwards to find something real.
However, neither one of us expected this to happen, really.
> Or you did, you did document them in your Affidavit of Support AND
> the officer wouldn't accept assets in place of employment?
As said above, the employment situation at the time of submitting the
paperwork was not the same as at the time of the interview.
> I was unemployed when my I-864 was adjudicated; it didn't hinder my
> case at all.
Very possible.
In my experience the outcome varies a lot, depending on what officer
you end up having; something that is completely out of your control.
Which reminds me of a person I met at the medical exam: She was giving
advice that applicants needn't bring in evidence for the bona-fides of
the marriage, since she wasn't asked for any.
Extrapolating from one sample into a generalized statement is almost
always wrong.
> Hmm, talked myself into seeing your point: Don't assume *anything*
> will work out as planned.
Not only as planned but also as conveyed by the public-opinion/media.
Even with the support of reputable lawyers, collecting as many
opinions as you can, many times things can and do go wrong.
> Did you guys ever come back to the US, or having a happy life
> elsewhere?
For some reason we ended up being in the U.S. again. But that's a
whole other story involving language & driver's license issues, etc.
I'm pretty sure that this is not the-end of the story either ;-)
Cheers,
Gerd
>> In article <[email protected] .com>,
>> "Rob" <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>> We, my then 3 months pregnant wife and I, left the U.S. for me to find
>> a job and her to get health insurance for the upcoming delivery of our
>> daughter (not a trivial task for a pregnant woman).
>>
>> Draw your own conclusions.
>> My advice is: be very careful and don't assume anything.
>>
> What conclusion, Gerd? I don't get your point. Are you telling me
> that even unemployed, you had no assets?
If I remember correctly, we had about $60k in savings, which is $15k
short of what would have been sufficient to meet the 5x-poverty
requirement.
Note that we both _had_ been employed at the time of filing and I was
employed thereafter. Just _at_ the time of the interview, we were both
unemployed; something impossible to plan for, since the interview
happened about one year after submitting the application.
The fact that the application was denied caught us completely by
surprise. It would have been easy to find a low-paid $15k job, just to
pass the interview, quit afterwards to find something real.
However, neither one of us expected this to happen, really.
> Or you did, you did document them in your Affidavit of Support AND
> the officer wouldn't accept assets in place of employment?
As said above, the employment situation at the time of submitting the
paperwork was not the same as at the time of the interview.
> I was unemployed when my I-864 was adjudicated; it didn't hinder my
> case at all.
Very possible.
In my experience the outcome varies a lot, depending on what officer
you end up having; something that is completely out of your control.
Which reminds me of a person I met at the medical exam: She was giving
advice that applicants needn't bring in evidence for the bona-fides of
the marriage, since she wasn't asked for any.
Extrapolating from one sample into a generalized statement is almost
always wrong.
> Hmm, talked myself into seeing your point: Don't assume *anything*
> will work out as planned.
Not only as planned but also as conveyed by the public-opinion/media.
Even with the support of reputable lawyers, collecting as many
opinions as you can, many times things can and do go wrong.
> Did you guys ever come back to the US, or having a happy life
> elsewhere?
For some reason we ended up being in the U.S. again. But that's a
whole other story involving language & driver's license issues, etc.
I'm pretty sure that this is not the-end of the story either ;-)
Cheers,
Gerd
Oct 11th 2005, 6:14 am
#23
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> >helpful people posting there! :)
Would you tell me the newsgroup name of the marriage based forum?
Thanks!
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> >helpful people posting there! :)
Would you tell me the newsgroup name of the marriage based forum?
Thanks!
Oct 11th 2005, 4:53 pm
#24
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
Originally Posted by Newsgroups.Comcast.Net
Would you tell me the newsgroup name of the marriage based forum?
Oct 11th 2005, 5:52 pm
#25
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 35,082
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
Originally Posted by Newsgroups.Comcast.Net
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> >helpful people posting there!
Would you tell me the newsgroup name of the marriage based forum?
Thanks!
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> >You might want to post this in the Marriage Based Forum - many more
> >helpful people posting there!
Would you tell me the newsgroup name of the marriage based forum?
Thanks!
Usenet: alt.visa.us.marriage-based
google/groups: gets you there without a newreader
web based format: www.britishexpats.com (need not be british or an expat to join/post. Exellent archive!)
Oct 11th 2005, 5:56 pm
#26
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 35,082
Re: F-1 to marriage...which road should we take?
Originally Posted by gerd94706
meauxna writes:
>> In article <[email protected] .com>,
>> "Rob" <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>> We, my then 3 months pregnant wife and I, left the U.S. for me to find
>> a job and her to get health insurance for the upcoming delivery of our
>> daughter (not a trivial task for a pregnant woman).
>>
>> Draw your own conclusions.
>> My advice is: be very careful and don't assume anything.
>>
> What conclusion, Gerd? I don't get your point. Are you telling me
> that even unemployed, you had no assets?
If I remember correctly, we had about $60k in savings, which is $15k
short of what would have been sufficient to meet the 5x-poverty
requirement.
Note that we both _had_ been employed at the time of filing and I was
employed thereafter. Just _at_ the time of the interview, we were both
unemployed; something impossible to plan for, since the interview
happened about one year after submitting the application.
The fact that the application was denied caught us completely by
surprise. It would have been easy to find a low-paid $15k job, just to
pass the interview, quit afterwards to find something real.
However, neither one of us expected this to happen, really.
> Or you did, you did document them in your Affidavit of Support AND
> the officer wouldn't accept assets in place of employment?
As said above, the employment situation at the time of submitting the
paperwork was not the same as at the time of the interview.
> I was unemployed when my I-864 was adjudicated; it didn't hinder my
> case at all.
Very possible.
In my experience the outcome varies a lot, depending on what officer
you end up having; something that is completely out of your control.
Which reminds me of a person I met at the medical exam: She was giving
advice that applicants needn't bring in evidence for the bona-fides of
the marriage, since she wasn't asked for any.
Extrapolating from one sample into a generalized statement is almost
always wrong.
> Hmm, talked myself into seeing your point: Don't assume *anything*
> will work out as planned.
Not only as planned but also as conveyed by the public-opinion/media.
Even with the support of reputable lawyers, collecting as many
opinions as you can, many times things can and do go wrong.
> Did you guys ever come back to the US, or having a happy life
> elsewhere?
For some reason we ended up being in the U.S. again. But that's a
whole other story involving language & driver's license issues, etc.
I'm pretty sure that this is not the-end of the story either ;-)
Cheers,
Gerd
>> In article <[email protected] .com>,
>> "Rob" <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>> We, my then 3 months pregnant wife and I, left the U.S. for me to find
>> a job and her to get health insurance for the upcoming delivery of our
>> daughter (not a trivial task for a pregnant woman).
>>
>> Draw your own conclusions.
>> My advice is: be very careful and don't assume anything.
>>
> What conclusion, Gerd? I don't get your point. Are you telling me
> that even unemployed, you had no assets?
If I remember correctly, we had about $60k in savings, which is $15k
short of what would have been sufficient to meet the 5x-poverty
requirement.
Note that we both _had_ been employed at the time of filing and I was
employed thereafter. Just _at_ the time of the interview, we were both
unemployed; something impossible to plan for, since the interview
happened about one year after submitting the application.
The fact that the application was denied caught us completely by
surprise. It would have been easy to find a low-paid $15k job, just to
pass the interview, quit afterwards to find something real.
However, neither one of us expected this to happen, really.
> Or you did, you did document them in your Affidavit of Support AND
> the officer wouldn't accept assets in place of employment?
As said above, the employment situation at the time of submitting the
paperwork was not the same as at the time of the interview.
> I was unemployed when my I-864 was adjudicated; it didn't hinder my
> case at all.
Very possible.
In my experience the outcome varies a lot, depending on what officer
you end up having; something that is completely out of your control.
Which reminds me of a person I met at the medical exam: She was giving
advice that applicants needn't bring in evidence for the bona-fides of
the marriage, since she wasn't asked for any.
Extrapolating from one sample into a generalized statement is almost
always wrong.
> Hmm, talked myself into seeing your point: Don't assume *anything*
> will work out as planned.
Not only as planned but also as conveyed by the public-opinion/media.
Even with the support of reputable lawyers, collecting as many
opinions as you can, many times things can and do go wrong.
> Did you guys ever come back to the US, or having a happy life
> elsewhere?
For some reason we ended up being in the U.S. again. But that's a
whole other story involving language & driver's license issues, etc.
I'm pretty sure that this is not the-end of the story either ;-)
Cheers,
Gerd
We agree.. what goes for one, or even often for many, will not necessarily go in any one given case.I was trying to understand what happened with your interview. Normally, if the I-864 is not longer current, you are given an opportunity to file a new one at the interview. If you don't have an up to date I-864 with you, you are given X period of time to submit a corrected and/or sufficient document and/or a Joint Sponsor's I-864.
Sounds like it's all working out well for you, regardless
