arrived in usa what to do next?

[pipi]

hello

my wife just arrived last wednesday with ir1 status!
what should we do next for her?
greencard?
s/s card?
how?

[dnoblett]

You already have green-card, it is her passport, it should have an I-551 stamp in it, this makes passport act as a green-card until the printed card shows up in the mail.

 

If printed card fails to arrive by the date marked on the I-551 stamp, then contact USCIS, and perhaps need to file an I-90 for a replacement.

 

As for SSN if you checked the boc on DS-230 for a card, one should show up in the mail within 30 days of entry, in not then visit SSA office with marriage cert, passport, and other ID and apply for one.

[Kyle]

We did check the box on the DS-230 for them to generate and mail a Social Security card for Jingjing. I did arrive in the mail a few weeks after her initial US entry, as Dan has mentioned.

[Kyle]

You'll notice when trying to do things that require proof of resident status, many folks here in the U.S. do not know how to interpret her temp I-551 stamp in her passport. We had a heck of a time trying to get Jingjing's driver's permit, because the lady was "uncertain" of its validity. After printing out our State's DMV requirements though, it was soon put to rest. Having her driver's permit has made other things much easier. (ie, opening a bank account). Granted, legally you should be able to do these things with her stamped passport, without much hassle. Unfortunately, if you live in a lower legal alien region as myself (compared to the west coast), you ultimately have to deal with the ignorance of others.

[dnoblett]

A handy thing is print out form I-9, it has a table indicating what is acceptable for work permission.

 

List A Item #3 http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf

[djwalker60]

You already have green-card, it is her passport, it should have an I-551 stamp in it, this makes passport act as a green-card until the printed card shows up in the mail.

 

If printed card fails to arrive by the date marked on the I-551 stamp, then contact USCIS, and perhaps need to file an I-90 for a replacement.

 

As for SSN if you checked the boc on DS-230 for a card, one should show up in the mail within 30 days of entry, in not then visit SSA office with marriage cert, passport, and other ID and apply for one.

 

 

My Wife will be arriving next week on a CR1, and since I have a typcial question.. How Long Will it take to get her Green Card? Addtionally, I live in Seattle. Can she go to Canada with just the stamp in her passport and come back with the stamp, or it would probably be a better idea to just wait for the GC to do this?

 

Sorry if this has been answered before...

 

Dan

[Kyle]

You already have green-card, it is her passport, it should have an I-551 stamp in it, this makes passport act as a green-card until the printed card shows up in the mail.

 

If printed card fails to arrive by the date marked on the I-551 stamp, then contact USCIS, and perhaps need to file an I-90 for a replacement.

 

As for SSN if you checked the boc on DS-230 for a card, one should show up in the mail within 30 days of entry, in not then visit SSA office with marriage cert, passport, and other ID and apply for one.

 

 

My Wife will be arriving next week on a CR1, and since I have a typcial question.. How Long Will it take to get her Green Card? It took Jingjing about 4 or 5 weeks to get hers. Addtionally, I live in Seattle. Can she go to Canada with just the stamp in her passport and come back with the stamp, or it would probably be a better idea to just wait for the GC to do this? She can go to Canada with the stamp in her passport. It is also advisable to have an additional photo ID (ie. driver's permit/license)

 

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/washi...ng=eng#CITIZENS

 

Sorry if this has been answered before...

 

Dan

 

Text in bold are my responses.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Kyle (see edit history)

[dnoblett]

You already have green-card, it is her passport, it should have an I-551 stamp in it, this makes passport act as a green-card until the printed card shows up in the mail.

 

If printed card fails to arrive by the date marked on the I-551 stamp, then contact USCIS, and perhaps need to file an I-90 for a replacement.

 

As for SSN if you checked the boc on DS-230 for a card, one should show up in the mail within 30 days of entry, in not then visit SSA office with marriage cert, passport, and other ID and apply for one.

 

 

My Wife will be arriving next week on a CR1, and since I have a typcial question.. How Long Will it take to get her Green Card? Addtionally, I live in Seattle. Can she go to Canada with just the stamp in her passport and come back with the stamp, or it would probably be a better idea to just wait for the GC to do this?

 

Sorry if this has been answered before...

 

Dan

The moment she passes through the US POE in the States She WILL be a green-card holder, the passport WILL be stampted I-551.

 

A green-card holder can visit Canada without need for a visa, so yes can visit Canada the same day if you wanted, the Canadians recognize the I-551 stamp as a green-card, and the US POE will allow re-entry based on the I-551 stamp.

[djwalker60]

You already have green-card, it is her passport, it should have an I-551 stamp in it, this makes passport act as a green-card until the printed card shows up in the mail.

 

If printed card fails to arrive by the date marked on the I-551 stamp, then contact USCIS, and perhaps need to file an I-90 for a replacement.

 

As for SSN if you checked the boc on DS-230 for a card, one should show up in the mail within 30 days of entry, in not then visit SSA office with marriage cert, passport, and other ID and apply for one.

 

 

My Wife will be arriving next week on a CR1, and since I have a typcial question.. How Long Will it take to get her Green Card? Addtionally, I live in Seattle. Can she go to Canada with just the stamp in her passport and come back with the stamp, or it would probably be a better idea to just wait for the GC to do this?

 

Sorry if this has been answered before...

 

Dan

The moment she passes through the US POE in the States She WILL be a green-card holder, the passport WILL be stampted I-551.

 

A green-card holder can visit Canada without need for a visa, so yes can visit Canada the same day if you wanted, the Canadians recognize the I-551 stamp as a green-card, and the US POE will allow re-entry based on the I-551 stamp.

 

 

Thank you for the reply. I also want to thank everyone Again for all of the help, advise and support during these times. The Visa process is not easy and can be very confusing, frustrating and emotionally draining. Once my wife get's here the next big event in our life is the birth of our new one........ Due October.

 

A Big Thank You to Everyone

Dan & Yonghua