muddy1112

Thanks for the story CosmicLobster, that's the kind of stuff I'm trying to avoid. But I guess we're at their mercy anyway and you can never feel too sure about this kind of thing. I still don't really understand the EAD situation. I had been under the impression that technically, she is legally able to work when she steps in the country. Will the SS card be enough for the employer until she gets the EAD? It seems like the EAD could take some time to actually get in her hands.

Thanks for that, I didn't realize that you couldn't apply for the EAD before the I-485 is filed. BUT, the 2 week waiting logic does make sense I think. It's a matter of whether or not her name is in their computer system yet. If it's not, I think the process is slowed down because the SS office needs to contact USCIS and get some kind of written confirmation of her status before they can proceed any further.

OK, thanks a lot!!

I arrived with my fiancee less than two weeks ago and we got married almost right away, partly because I want to get as much as possible of her paperwork dealt with before I start graduate school next month. So, we're married, we've got the marriage certificate, she's had the necessary vaccinations, and we want to get the ball rolling. She also is quite anxious to begin looking for a job, so she's constantly worried about the employment authorization business. The main question I have is, is it a good idea to get her social security number before we send in the I-485? The form seems to expect that she'll have one, but she doesn't yet. After looking through some of the information on the candle, it seems that the general consensus is that one should wait at least 2 weeks before going to the social security office to get a number so that it can be issued promptly when her name shows up in their computer system. We haven't been back for two weeks, so going early might create a slowup. In any case, is it better to send in the I-765 EAD at the same time as the I-485, or should we just send in the EAD first? Will sending in the EAD first slow things up? And when she gets her SS#, will the employer need to see the EAD in addition to the SS card? If anyone has any idea of the shortest possible time frame in which she could begin working with all legal documents in order, I'd love to here your thoughts. Sorry for all the questions. Thanks.

Thanks Frank, The only piece of the I-94 that we have is the bottom departure record portion. They stamped it, wrote the expiration date on it and stapled it into her passport opposite her visa and kept the rest. They didn't write an A# on it. Actually I've been wondering since we got back to the US whether or not it was right for us only to get the departure record. Is that standard practice as far as you know?

I have a question about the "A#". My wife's (just married last weekend) K-1 visa does not have an A# on it. The only thing I have that resembles an A# for her is on the original petition approval notice from the time shortly after I sent in the I-129F. The number begins A9* *** ***, just like Frank mentioned, and it has 9 places overall. Is that indeed the A#?

I am not a lawyer so don't take what I say as fact but I think he will definitely still need stuff to prove he's still a resident of America. Valid driver's license, any real estate or property he owns, maybe bills addressed to somewhere in the US, income tax returns--all of this stuff will be good.

Thanks for all the congratulations!!! Dan R, I am not sure where people will wait/stay after the consulate moves. Her interview was on the 29th and they were still using the place on Shamian Island at that point. RRui, I didn't pay much attention to the domicile/residence issue when petitioning the K-1 visa. As far as I'm concerned, the US is my home and I only came to China to gain some experience and see a new part of the world after graduating from university. I met my fiancee here and stayed a little longer than I'd originally intended, though I did hold a temporary residence permit for China which comes with any teaching job here. This of course means that my income was not high enough to meet the 125% poverty threshold, but I am lucky enough to have a good amount of assets in the US as well as a very supportive family who backed me up very strongly as co-sponsors. I also have a valid US driver's license from my home state which was necessary and firm plans to return to the US shortly for graduate school. (A solid job offer would be even better). I hope that begins to answer your question.

I would have posted earlier but I'm in China and candleforlove.com is inaccessible. It wasn't until yesterday that I found the candleforlove.com site through a post on visajourney.com Anyway, my fiancee had her interview last Wednesday, June 29th and got her visa 2 days later!!! The interview was actually short and sweet and since my fiancee's English is quite good everything was done in English. The guy--super-nice, middle-aged, thin, average height, no glasses, spiky hair--asked how we met, and then he asked where I was. She said I was outside waiting and then he asked to see my passport copy, presumably to see my residence permit which we had decided not to bring in because of domicile issues. (I've been in China for over 2 years teaching and studying) The interviewer said he couldn't find anything in my passport showing I was there but my fiancee said, "Why don't you come outside with me to see him?" The guy said, "That's ok, I believe you" and handed her the pink approval slip!!! No requests for any other documents, just my passport copy!!! Haha, and to think of all the time I spent worrying!!! The only complaint I have is that I had to wait outside in the humidity and heat biting my nails ALL DAY before we knew the result. She was in there the whole morning--we started waiting at 8, the time on her letter, and she didn't get inside until around 9. Then she came out at noon because they couldn't get to her in the morning. She went back in at 1, and then finally had her interview around 4:30. I must have lost about 5 pounds waiting and sweating!!! We were in Guangzhou for one week and this was the only day where it didn't rain until later in the night. Also--it was sort of interesting--while we were on Shamian Island (we stayed at the Shamian Hotel--Shamian Bingguan) the island actually became flooded and engulfed in water so that most of the businesses there had to put sandbags in front of their doors. I'm told that this happens maybe once every 3 to 5 years. A good omen? I'm sure of it now!!! We leave for the US in a few days!!!! B) PS if anyone wants the information from the P-3 or P-4 letters, to try and predict interview dates, please let me know where I should send.

Yes, I think I can work it out. I just bought a copy (and I mean a copy) of Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Full Version, so I can enter in new information, save it, and send it to my parents through email for them to print and notarize--then send back to China. All before June 29th!!!

Yes I'm K1 and I know that technically it's not required, but as far as I'm concerned it doesn't hurt to have it, especially if that's what the lawyer says speaking from past experiences. Like I said, we have a unique financial situation and from my perspective it is certainly not a safe bet to assume we can get through the process on technicalities.

Thanks a lot! Luckily the full version is pretty cheap here in China And Dan, we're also filling out the I-134--by we I mean I'm doing one and my parents are doing one. Apparently, sometimes the Consulate likes to see the I-864 as well. Also, my impression is that the I-134 doesn't carry much legal weight. We've got sort of a unique financial situation and we're trying to cover all our bases to prevent an unsuccessful interview.

My fiancee has got her interview later this month in Guangzhou, and I've recently started talking to a lawyer there to make sure all our financial documentation is in order. He's recommended that I have my parents (co-sponsors) fill out forms I-864 and I-864a to more formally and substantially prove their willingness and ability to sponsor my fiancee. Does anyone know of a place to download a fillable and saveable copy of those forms? USCIS provides a non-fillable form [] on their website.

I have learned through my Senator's office that they will soon be moving the consular section to a new location and that they've increased the numbers of interviews for some visa categories (including K1) because they want to complete as many cases as possible before the move.

Thanks for that. It's really a nerve-wracking experience, isn't it?! I am in Xi'an at a small private university--more like a college--but it's called Xi'an International University in English. Are you in Guangzhou? It sounds like our situations are somewhat similar, then--both living and working in China as we wait for this stuff to develop. I happened to be away when my fiancee received P3, and I didn't think to ask her what the package looked like, actually! Maybe that would have been a better place to start. I expect that Packet 4 will come the same way. We'll go over to the mail room ourselves on Monday first, and then get the FAO to reinforce the importance. I was thinking of making a diagram for them to hang on the wall complete with our telephone number and instructions to dial immediately when the package is spotted. Thanks for your thoughts. It's good to hear there's someone with a similar situation. Best, Matt