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About to File AOS

pkfops

By pkfops,
in AOS & Immigration Challenges

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pkfops

pkfops

Posted
Posted

I've been throwing this question back and fourth for

about two weeks now.

 

I'll be filing the AOS this week and am having fixed

feelings about sending the EAD along with it; since

I will be sending my wife to ESL after the first of the year.

 

She really needs to improve her written and oral skills before

she can work in her profession for an English speaking client.

 

I really don't see her joining the work force until summer, at the least.

 

Any thoughts on the subject?

 

thanks

pkf

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NY-Viking

NY-Viking

Posted
Posted

Well, I really kind of hope that your wife will be "going" to ESL, rather than you "sending" her there, but that aside, I really think you need to discuss the EAD matter with your wife (I'm sure you have already).

 

I don't know where you're located in the country, but there are likely several areas where she can get a job without strong English skills, especially if there is a Chinatown or similar community.

 

I know that you said in her profession she'll need better English to work with English speaking clients, but there may be positions where she'll get by just fine. This has come up a lot for my wife recently, as she knows she has to settle for a lower position that she would have had in China (she left her job as a consultant, and although she has good English, the market is different here and her English will need to be a little stronger, and at least initially she'll have to settle for a lower position whether she stays in the same industry or not).

 

But even if she has to settle for a lower position (which is disappointing to her, of course), what is more disappointing to her right now is that she is UNABLE to work. Waiting for the EAD has been quite painful for her. And she is currently attending ESL classes 5 days a week. She just feels like she wants to be working in order to be productive.

 

Now, with that said, I'm not positive that filing EAD together with AOS still makes things faster. When you filed with your local office, it may have sped things up, but now since everything is filed with the Chicago lockbox, I can't help but wonder if our EAD wouldn't be going a bit faster if we had filed AOS with the normal method using the Chicago lockbox, and then had filed the EAD electronically with the local office. This is pure speculation on my part, but splitting it up like that might go faster.

 

OK, back to my original point. Does your wife want to work before the summer? Will she feel unproductive if she's not earning an income (even if your finances are ok)? Will she be ok settling for some other position or a different industry, at least in the interim? If a job opportunity your wife wants comes up before the summer, and you HAVEN'T filed for EAD, will that job wait the 3-4 months it might take to get EAD? I really think this is something you need to talk about with her to see if she might want to work. The $170 fee will be well worth it if she does.

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warpedbored

warpedbored

Posted
Posted

When my wife and I went through AOS you could still file with your local service center. We got her EAD card the same day we filed AOS. She was busy then taking ESL classes and adjusting to life in the states so even though she had the EAD she got her green card long before she got a job. Waste of money? Not really. It gave her a sense of security knowing she had it and could work if she wanted to. You cant put a price tag on that.

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frank1538

frank1538

Posted
Posted (edited)

As a practical matter, it probably turns on how fast she'll get her green card and how soon she wants to go to work. Having said that, Jingwen wasn't planning on working, but we decided to go ahead and get her an EAD. Given that the AOS process in Atlanta was taking 2+ years, our thinking was that it would be good to have some form of federal government ID while we were waiting. She got her green card before the EAD expired.

 

I want to add one more thing. Since we did not apply for the SSN during the first 90 days, getting the EAD also allowed us to get the SS card.

Edited by frank1538 (see edit history)
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Dan R

Dan R

Posted
Posted

We opted to save money by only doing AOS. It is a gamble but several of her friends applied for EAD, AP and AOS only to get all at the same interview.

 

Make sure you double check her birth date on the form. I didn't and they sent it back with the check for wrong fee saying a one year old does not pay full fee. :huh: :) Yes I enclosed the marriage certificate. I am still worried they may send over social services to check on my marriage to a minor.

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david_dawei

david_dawei

Posted
Posted (edited)

We thought EXACTLY the same way THEN.. NOW, she feels differently :huh:

 

And I'm now caught on that ground where a chinese lady has stated her feelings of wanting something done (ie: to work-- requires EAD)... and they don't like you dallying about the resolution... :)

 

If you can afford it... I would just do it... my guess is you'll look good in the end. Doesn't matter if she uses it; you've given her the ability to go work and I think she'll recognize that...

 

 

And I agree with the idea of splitting it up could help it (or both)... if you file EAD afterwards, you can send it to the local office and bypass chicago.. they have less to review and the AOS is cleaner... Ok... I'm rationalizing post-AOS filing... because I'm doing EAD afterwards...

Edited by DavidZixuan (see edit history)
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Dan R

Dan R

Posted
Posted

Sorry to hear about the dilemma you are on the horns of David. At this point she is very happy that I filed with less paperwork and cheaper than any of her friends. However if the AOS takes more than 6 months and she wants to leave the country, I will no longer be "The best husband".

 

I will live in fear until then.

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BuffaloPaul

BuffaloPaul

Posted
Posted
We thought EXACTLY the same way THEN.. NOW, she feels differently :huh:

 

And I'm now caught on that ground where a chinese lady has stated her feelings of wanting something done (ie: to work-- requires EAD)... and they don't like you dallying about the resolution...    :)

 

If you can afford it... I would just do it... my guess is you'll look good in the end. Doesn't matter if she uses it; you've given her the ability to go work and I think she'll recognize that...

 

 

And I agree with the idea of splitting it up could help it (or both)... if you file EAD afterwards, you can send it to the local office and bypass chicago.. they have less to review and the AOS is cleaner... Ok... I'm rationalizing post-AOS filing... because I'm doing EAD afterwards...

175847[/snapback]

:lol: B) :lol: :lol:

 

Sorry for laughing...its just tooo familiar :lol:

 

As to the subject at hand. We did not apply for EAD. I knew AOS interviews in Buffalo were fast and it would be a waste of money.

Our 90 days ended yesterday and our interview is Dec 27th

 

Better get to work David :lol:

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NY-Viking

NY-Viking

Posted
Posted (edited)
...

As to the subject at hand. We did not apply for EAD. I knew AOS interviews in Buffalo were fast and it would be a waste of money.

Our 90 days ended yesterday and our interview is Dec 27th

 

Better get to work David :cheering:

175879[/snapback]

Damn... that's fast. If I knew we had that short a wait, I wouldn't have filed either ... but it looks like St. Paul is processing EAD 2-3 months, and AOS closer to 9-10. Maybe we should have stopped by Buffalo ...

Edited by NY-Viking (see edit history)
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