Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	How to travel with 2-year GC	hello everyone I've been here in US for about a year and have my 2-year green card. We are planning to travel to Florida this October and hopefully in the Philippines next year. I wonder what should i do since my Philippine passport show my maiden name and if we are going to buy ticket under my married name? Is anyone went back to Phil or other states? How the re entering US go? You MUST purchase the ticket to match the government issued ID used for international travel. That is your passport. For domestic travel you can use either the GC or passport for ID and again the name on the ticket MUST match the ID being used. For international travel you will use you PI passport and are subject to the same visa requirements that someone from the PI is with a few exceptions (the US GC may get you a visa easier than just someone from the PI). Upon return you will use your GC to gain re-entry to the US. You may want to carry a copy of your marriage certificate to help the airline people make the connection between married name on the GC and maiden name in the passport. If you file for ROC before leaving for the PI, the NOA1 will extend your GC validity for 1 year. Just do not miss the biometrics appointment or interview should you have one. Enjoy your trips (it is very easy), Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-07-31 14:58:00
Philippines	K-1 I129K visa Co-Sponsor / Manila	Hi, I do not know the amounts but I believe 5x the poverty rate for your house hold size or assets equal to that. I have read here and on the USCIS.gov site that your house is an asset but it must be appraised and so forth. Do a little digging and if you morgage is paid and worth enough you got it covered. Good luck The amount for using assets for a spouse is 3X the short fall of the income requirement. If income is zero than the assets need to be more than $56,736 in value. The asset(s) need to be easiliy convertable to cash and do not place an undue hardship on the sponsor in doing so. The primary residence or car is not a valid asset in the eyes of the USCIS as it would place an undue hardship if it was sold. Where would the sponsor live if the house was sold to cover the debt incured by the I-864 beneficiary? I have heard of one or two people getting thru Manila using a co-sponsor on a K-1 visa, but they filed an I-864 and the I-134. The I-864 carries legal enforcement wheras the I-134 does not. Maybe you can try that. I wish you all the best, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-07-25 16:40:00
Philippines	**DO NOT OPEN** package	Passport with visa is separated from the Do Not Open package. Remember the recipient of the passport should check the visa to see if the info on it is correct as well as recipient needs to use the passport to check in at the airport & used at the chosen US POE so the passport must be in its own package separate from the special envelope. Both collected at the same time. Just to add one more thing to this good advice about checking the visa information for correctness is to check the visa for its expiration date. You must enter the US before the visa expires. Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-08-13 15:41:00
Philippines	airport pick up plans?	But if he has a flight to NC, the same flight she does, can he not wait in the boarding area and then all she has to do is pass immigration and then head to the gate that is going to NC where then her can meet her? The question was if he could go and meet her while she is going thru immigration. The immigration door is a one way door--only people on international flights get to leave, no one is allowed to enter especially as the exit door is into a nonsecure area at some airports. Yes, he can meet her at the boarding area for the NC flight or wait for her outside of the immigration area and they can proceed to the gate for the NC flight together, but he will not be able to help her thru immigration unless he is on the same flight as she is. My suggestion would be to have either several hours until the next flight or the next day. That way you are not rushed to make the connecting flight. Easy for me to say as my wife arrived in Denver as the POE and that was also the final destination . Good luck and congrats on getting the visa, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-08-20 23:41:00
Philippines	Changing planes	For the THIRDtime, I was referring to Filipinos going through Japan. Something I have experienced. Good information about contacting the Japan Embassy in the Philippines. Something you would have known was provided already if you payed more attention. Please people, the OP is a Filipino asking about going through Japan. Nobody asked anything about any other national going through any other country. If you understood this and followed the discussion, there would have been no need to keep replying to my one comment that has nothing to do with Moscow or any other place for that matter besides JAPAN! I know what I said, and I know what I was referring to. So would you if you followed the discussion from Topic question to end. I clarified since it was apparently needed even though the reference was in the complete thought of the statement that you took the sentence out of. No need to tell me what I said or thought. Relax. This is not the PI regional forum and all I am trying to point out is that each person who travels internationally needs to check with the powers that be what documentation is required to enter, leave or transit a county based on that person's itinery and country of citizenship. Maybe the OP wants to head West rather than East on the flight and go thru Eurpore instead of Japan. I have been reading tht yes the OP needs a visa or no the OP does not as I did not need one. If I was the OP I would contact the Japanese Embassy and get the information from the horse's mouth. YMMV. Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-08-17 12:54:00
Philippines	Changing planes	I've never heard of anyone needing a visa for a connecting flight. Japan is not the destination. Honestly, why would Japan require a visa for passengers being herded from one plane to another? MONEY!! As was stated before, you need a transit visa if you ever go thru Moscow even if you do not change airports. If your travel plans change and you end up gong thru Moscow, they will take your passport and tell you to come back in a couple of hours to retreive it as they run a check on you. I know this first hand. i do not know about Japan, but Russia is a whole different animal. That is why it is important to check all the countries' visa requirements before making travel plans even for the USC. OP: I would check the US travel website and the Japanese Embassy site for the definative answer. You may want to e-mail the Japanese Embassy in the US for the answer. I e-mailed the German Embassy about my wife and what their requirements are--no transit visa if remaining in the airport. Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-08-16 21:23:00
Philippines	need an answer	hi everyone, im here in US now and married, my problem is this, there's a loan in citifinancial in the philippines under my name but in reality, my ex used the money and he is the one paying the loan. the problem is that he stopped paying it. my dilemma is we are buying a house now here and applying for a loan and im afraid that the bank will trace this loan which is under my name. do u think it will affect our loan even if it is in the philippines?please need an answer wth this...tnx Do not worry as you have no credit history in the US and it would be best if only your husband applies for the loan. People in Canada and the UK who have excellent credit histories complain that they have no credit score in the US and cannot qualify for a loan. The good news is that this will not affect your credit score in the US. The bad news is that your credit history in the PI does not transfer to the US. Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-09-07 14:47:00
Philippines	Stamp @ NAIA Airport	Hello! Had a very simple question regarding the date of the stamp the immigration officer does upon arriving Philippines. If my flight arrives @ 11PM but I arrive at the immigration counter (before baggage claim) @ 12:01A, will the stamp say the date of the NEW day? Or will it be stamped still on the date that I actually landed Philippines? I am simply wanting to MAXIMIZE the 21 bloody days. PS: I want the RIGHT answer!! Well since you did not post this in the PI regional forum, I'll give you my experience at the Almaty airport as all flights I have taken arrive at 2300+ and you typically go thru immigration near mid-night. Every time my visa is stamped the next day--i.e. I arrive on the 26th at 2320 and the date is the 27th. I personally would not count on it and plan accordingly. If you do cut it that close, what happens if you have problems leaving on your planned date of departure? What are the fines or conquences should the plane not leave and now you are over the validity period of your visa. I know Kazakhstan makes it such a PITA that I will always leave 5-6 days on the end of my visa just to CMA as the next flight out is usually two days later. Have a good trip, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-08-31 23:20:00
Philippines	When can I Apply for my US Passport	Hi guys was wondering when can I apply for my passport I just received my combo card EAD/AP waiting on my interview to adjust status should come around january and then I should be a conditional citizen . The earliest you can apply for USC is 3 years married to the same USC you became a LPR AND 3 years after being a LPR. So you can apply 90 days before the issue date on your GC when you get that. The issue date of the GC will be the determining factor in your ability to file for USC. You have not received your GC yet. If you are lucky, you can apply for USC early in 2016. Once a USC you can apply for a US passport. You still have a ways to go. If you should get divorced from your USC spouse, you are looking at 5 years before being able to become a USC. You might want to look at the N-400 so you do not stay outside the US and reset the citizenship clock since you want USC ASAP. Good luck, Dave Edited by Dave&Roza, 24 November 2012 - 10:26 PM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-11-24 22:25:00
Philippines	Transit Visa	Perhaps this concern i have is applied to Asian travelers bound for US..Is there anybody here who experienced flight to the US and had lay - over in Japan,Taiwan and Korea? Is a transit visa needed? If yes, how long will it take to have one? Any suggestion for what airline is best to take from Manila to Philadelphia? thanks a lot fellow members.. Go to the advanced search feature on this website and enter "transit visa" in the Philippines sub-forum. This has been asked and answered several times with some people saying "yes, you need a transit visa" and others saying "no, you do not". I would go to the Embassy of the country you want to go thru and see if someone from the Philippines with a valid US visa is required any type of visa--transit or otherwise. Good travels, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-11-26 15:19:00
Philippines	New passport after marriage	Good point, except she has to travel with my last name because that's the legal name she chose. Also,I think it will make it alot easier getting visa's to other countries that I may have to work in and take her with. . Actually she now has two legal names: Frist name Maiden name, First name maried name. Now if you want to throw in a middle name verse middle initial it can get quite messy. That is why when a will is drawn up for a woman that have changed their last name or moved their maiden name to the middle and then use the husband's last name there is a listing of also known as (AKA). For example my mother never legally changed her name to Middle Maiden Married but went by it for many, many years until she retired. Then her DL was changed to First name Middle Married. Her SSC and passpost were always in First Middle Married, but all of her financial investments were in Middle Maiden Married. Talk about a fun situation when dealing with the banks. She has a legal government issued ID, her PI passport, that has her name as First Maiden. She also has a legal governement issued ID from the US, her GC, with her name as First Married. BOTH are her legal name. The problem is your work will not issue travel documents for international travel in the name it is required to be in--her maiden name. I can see how you would want to avoid complications by having the GC and passport in the same name--she could have kept her maiden name until citizenship, that way the GC and passport names would have matched. Having the GC to the US will make it easier to get a visa regardless of which last name she is using. Just remember that for international travel, her ticket must match the name in the passport she is using and any visas should also have the name of the passport being used. Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-12-06 10:46:00
Philippines	New passport after marriage	We are getting my wife a new passport with her married legal name and curious about the CFO sticker. Do we not need to have it in the new passport? We will be traveling on her AP as long as approved You can do this if you want, but why go thru all the trouble and expense just to change her last name? How much longer is the passport valid? If it is valid for about 4 years or more, you can then get a US passport when she obtains citizenship--assuming she goes that route. She can travel on her PI passport and the AP and GC when it arrives. All you have to do is book the travel in the name in her PI passport and it is a good idea to carry a copy of the marriage certificate to show the name change between the passport and GC. Up to you. Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-12-05 15:18:00
Philippines	Fiance coming to USA. Immigration question.	This is pretty easy, I think. At what point during her flight to USA does an immigration officer actually open that sealed packet they tell them not to touch. She is just curious. Does it happen in Manila? first point of entry? or, last place where she disembarks for good? They take it at the first time she hits US soil and must use the visa for entry into the US. They may or may not actually open it. That one depends. Seems like most of the time they open it. Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2012-12-25 21:37:00
Philippines	SSN for K1	we went to homeland security here in won pat airport. they told us that its impossible that they do not have any records of me arriving here in guam bec they issued me the form i94, that's basically the proof that we got here in guam. so we asked them why SSA is saying that i dont have any records! you know what they told me? I SHOULD ADJUST MY STATUS FIRST BEFORE THEY CAN ISSUE MY SSN! so my husband and i were both shocked! because i have friends here in guam who got their ssn even if they haven't adjusted their status yet. they also told us to go to uscis local office here in guam and make an appointment. wth happened here in guam? did they change the process? help!!! Have you sent an e-mail to the main SSA office yet? Dealig with SSA is where your energy should be spent, not CBP or USCIS. You want a SSC and only the SSA can issue one. You need to deal directly with the SSA. CBP does not know the rules for issuing a SSC nor does the USCIS and unfortunately very few SSA employees understand the rules for a K-1 visa. Send an e-mail to the main SSA office NOW! Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-01-05 13:28:00
Philippines	SSN for K1	called uscis and told me to call homeland security here in guam, we got an appointment later, hope everything goes well. You are getting the royal run around by the SSA. I would e-mail the main office and explain your situation. It sounds like somebody there needs training on the procedures for a K-1. You are elibile for a SSN from about 2 weeks after arrival i the US until 2 weeks before the I-94 expires. The only thing the DHS can do is make certain your information was entered correctly, then it is still up to the employees at the SSA to be able to pull up your records and issue you the number. Send e-mail to main SSA on their website NOW! Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-01-04 02:22:00
Philippines	SSN for K1	help! i've been here in guam for almost two months, we got married already and this morning we tried to applied for ssn. but they said it is not yet reported to uscis/immigration that i arrived here in guam. is this normal? they told me they will give me a call until monday if there's a problem. another problem is my i94 is about to expire on Feb, how will i extend this? If the I-94 is within 2 weeks of expiring, then you will have to wait until you get teh EAD or GC to get a SSN. There is nothing you can do to extend the I-94. That was the limit of your stay in the US without getting married. Now that you are married you wll be out of status until teh EAD or GC arrives. That is why you should file fr AOS ASAP, but there is no real time limit. You might want to go back to the SSA office and try someone else as you should be in the SAVE database under your maiden name. Have them look you up using the visa number or your A#. Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-01-03 02:54:00
Philippines	One Way Flights Blow	In this case though, the part that they would be using would be the return leg, and most airlines cancel the entire ticket if the departing leg is not used. True, but I do not understand why the departing leg would not be used verses the return leg. Why buy a RT ticket where you would use the return leg only? You buy the RT ticket so the departing leg is used and then cancel the leg. Please help me understand what it is that is happening here. Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-01-31 16:11:00
Philippines	One Way Flights Blow	really not liking hearing this kind of news, since i have to buy two tickets for my fiancee and son. I am already dreading it! Why not just buy the RT and not use the return leg? You will save money. For us the RT was $2100 and the One way was $3200. So what do you think I did? Yep, bought the RT and did not use the return part and just canceled it with the airline. Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-01-30 17:08:00
Philippines	Fed ex fees	My fiance is telling me with fed-ex she will have to pay for the package when it gets there. Is that true? I need to make sure something gets to her in the mail within a week or 2. She told me to send LBC but I don't know what the heck that is. Not sure how it works in the PI, but when I sent the documents and presents to my then fiancee in Kazakhstan via FedEx, they had the option of paying the customs fee by the sender or the receipient. Maybe that is what she is talking about. I made certain I paid FedEx for all expenses, but I was also deliverying it to a business rather than a personal residence. I do know that in some countries that FedEx will not deliver to a residence. You need to ask someone at FedEx about sending items to the PI and if there are any hidden "fees". Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-03-06 10:21:00
Philippines	Petitioning my older sister	"Every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the officer, at the time of the application for a visa . . . that he is entitled to nonimmigrant status . . ." Interesting... My Father-in-Law has an immigrant visa guaranteed as his daughter is a USC. My Mother-in-Law has been petitioned by my wife and that process is going well. My FiL is not overly interested in living in this country but would like to visit his grandchildren. My MiL is comming over to help with the children for a few years with my FiL's blessing. MiL may stay long enough to get USC but I expect she will want to spend her last days back in RoP. What are the chances that my FiL can get a tourist visa? Just thinking out loud... -P With a wife, daughter, SIL, and grandchild already in the US, I would say it is almost nil. He would have to have a good paying job, or property he would loose if he stayed in the US. You can try, but do not expect him to receive a tourist visa. Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-03-26 16:20:00
Philippines	Petitioning my older sister	Let me start by saying hello everyone here, my mom wanted to petition my older sister to come here as a tourist. I am just wondering do my mom need to write an invitation letter to the US immigration or not? And what are the requirements to file for a tourist visa? Is it true that you cannot petition your married daughter? Your sister must qualify for the tourist visa all by herself. No help from anyone is required or needed and in the case of a USC or US LPR relative it may actually hurt her chances. The Consulate/Embassy looks at all tourists as potential immigrants. As a result of this, the applicant must prove that they will return to their home country and not use the tourist visa as a means to gain entry to the US and then stay. So your sister must have very strong ties to the PI to show that it would cause her economic and emotional hardship to remain in the US and that she will return to the PI. Having a Mother in the US will make it very hard for her to get a tourist visa. The only way to know for sure is for your sister to apply for the tourist visa and see what happens. She will only be out the visa fee if denied. Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-03-25 17:04:00
Philippines	Misspelled petitioner's middle name	Hi! all, I misspelled my middle name in St. Luke medical online registration. I already printed 2 copies that my wife need to bring to St. Luke But my middle name was misspelled. Anyone knows what to do?   You can either reprint it or do not worry about it.  At this stage it is most important that the BENEFICIARY'S name is correct as that will be what the name on the visa is and it must match the passport that it is placed into.  How is anybody going to know the correct name of the petitioner?  Maybe USCIS will and maybe the IO at the Embassy/Consulate will and then the beneficiary can have it corrected.  If it is easy to reprint then do so, otherwise it is not that big of a deal.   Good luck,   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-05-19 13:41:00
Philippines	Did your first green card have your maiden or married name on it?	The name on the green card would be the same one you entered on form I-485 when you submitted the AOS packet. Since the marriage document acts as a legal name change we had entered her new married name on all forms. My wife's GC came was issued with her married name. After we received the GC we went to Social Security office to update her name there. Adam & May   That is true for the K-1, but for the CR-1/IR-1, the name on the visa must be the same as it is on the passport and the GC is issued upon arrival in the US and will be the same as the name on the visa.       My wife's 2 year green card was issued in the name on her marriage license, not the name on her passport.     When we finally got around to visiting Washington DC, she went to the consulate and registered our marriage. At that time she changed her passport to the married name which then matched the green card..   Again this is only true for a K-1 visa.  For the spousal visa it is an entirely different sequence of steps as both are already married.   OP:  Maybe you did screw up, but I think your wife has some of the blame as she should have decided whether she wanted to use her maiden name or married name and then changed the name in the passport if she wanted to use her married name.  You can fix the US side of things when you file for ROC or USC.    Good luck,   Dave Edited by Dave&Roza, 23 May 2013 - 11:49 AM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-05-23 11:48:00
Philippines	Name spelled wrong on Visa	Good day everyone,   I am new to this site and found it very helpful to most of the questions I have in mind.   My father, mother and youngest sister visa was issued and delivered to our house via 2Go courier yesterday (May 31, 2013). We are all happy, until we checked the visa and the only correct visa was the one for my father.   The visa for my mother didnt have the full middle name and last name and for my sister the printed was only the middle name and no last name. My question is that, do we have to send back the packet to US embassy or call them for further instructions?   The full names of my mother and youngest sister were both lenghty and we are thinking that this could be the cause of not having the whole name printed out. I really badly needed your advise or any advise of the other members who got the same problem/issue.   Please help me with the solution.   Thank you very much and God Bless.   You will need to contact the Embassy and get those incorrect visas fixed so the names match the name in their passports--no option here.  Contact teh US Embassy to see how they want you to handle this.  NEVER send anything back without proper authorization or it will end up in a black hole and may never be seen again.   Good luck,   Dave   P.S.  You may, in the future, want to start your own thread instead of hijacking an existing one. Edited by Dave&Roza, 01 June 2013 - 02:04 PM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-06-01 14:03:00
Philippines	Name spelled wrong on Visa	Hello, does anyone know how we can get this fixed. They left off one letter from the end of my middle name. My fiance noticed when she picked up her Visa paperwork today from 2go. How important is this? And it it maybe only on the outside paperwork?   As long as the beneficiary's name is correct and matches the passport, it is not a problem.  If the incorrect name is the one listed as petitioner, who will know?  She is the one travelling and using the visa.  Only you and her will know--and maybe the USCIS when you go for AOS, but you can make certain that all names are entered onto the forms correctly at that time.  It is up to you as to how to handle it, but it really does not matter as all the information for the beneficiary is correct and no one is going to check your information until she arrives at the POE where the CBP person MAY look up the information and MAY ask her why the petitioner's name is not correct.  She then tells them it is missing the last letter of the middle name.   You can call the Embassy and see what they say.  I would not worry about it too much.   Good luck,   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-06-01 14:00:00
Philippines	After NOA2 what's next	Hi there I just got the approval from the USCIS, the NOA2. After that what's next? Do we need to wait for the embassy to mail the PACKET 3 or get all the forms we need and once we get the MNL number from NVC we can schedule an interview. Please help me throughout the process.. Thank you guys..   I suggest you look at this flow chart within the guides to see where you are and what needs to be done next. You need to look at PI specific information as that is the Embassy you are going thru.  When you have specific questions you can ask.   Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-06-05 20:06:00
Philippines	Obtaining a SSN	I'm wondering if my USC husband can submit my SSN application forms together with the supporting documents. We have a son and don't have daycare for him currently. My husband can't get time off work since he used it up when I came here for our wedding. Thanks for your insights.   Here is a story that will give you an idea of how the SSA works.  My Grandmother was asked by her doctor to get a new Medicare card and since the SSA office was accros the street from his office, I decided to go and ask for a new card.  I walk in and ask if they could send a new Medicare card to the address on record for my Grandmother whose SSN is XXX-XX-XXXX. "I am sorry, she will have to request this herself."  So I walk back to the car and drive over there and help my 86 year old Grandmother out of the car and into the building.  My Grandmother asks for a new Medicare card for herself SSN XXX-XX-XXXX.  "Okay, the card will be mailed to your address in 10-20 business days."  My Grandmother went off on why she could not get the card that day since they made her come in and asked for it or why her grandson could not request the card for her.  The poor woman got an earfull and all she could do was say, "I am sorry, but that is our policy."   You can go in person OR you can mail all the paperwork into the main SSA office (which I do not recommend).  Take the son to the SSA office.  He can have all kinds of fun playing while you wait.  I saw many people with their children when we went to get my wife's SSN so I am sure there are many in your situation.   Good luck,   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-06-18 14:19:00
Philippines	EAD & AOS	This thread came at the perfect time for us. Here is our situation: Joan's I-94 is valid until September 10, 2013. We are getting married on August 24th, so no problem there. We want to file for AOS, EAD and AP right after the wedding, but the official wedding certificate won't arrive until 60-120 days after it is filed! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to work around this? I have read that it is not a big deal to go out of status, but we really do not want to do that and Joan wants to work as soon as possible. Is there any negative consequences to filing for AOS with the marriage license and a note explaining that the certificate won't be issued for 2 to 4 months? I know that we would probably get an RFE, but is that a problem?       If you are handed the officially signed Marriage Certificate after the wedding and then have to go and record it, stop off and make a few copies to send in with the AOS--if not see if you can get the person officiating the wedding to make a cop of it before he/she sends it off to be recorded.  If you can get certified copies the better, but if not just file with a copy of both sides of the Marriage Certificate.  When the Marriage Certificate is recorded and you can get certified copies do so and take one to teh interview should you have one.  That way you are not waiting on the Marriage Certificate and then wait on the USCIS. You can wait on both and shave a few weeks off the process.   We had the Marriage Certificate and I took it to the County Clerk and Recorder and got 6 certified copies made at that time.  The original was mailed back to us the next week.  Still have the original in a safe place. Good luck,   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-06-30 14:49:00
Philippines	EAD & AOS	Thank you for the info. Do you know exactly how much the fee for AOS is right now? So once we file for AOS once we get married he will be able to receive his EAD within 4-8 weeks correct?   Filing fee is $1070 and he will be able to work with the EAD and a SSC (social Security card).  You can apply for the SSC at the local SSA office from arrive to about 2 weeks before the I-94 expires.   Dave Edited by Dave&Roza, 29 June 2013 - 12:21 PM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-06-29 12:21:00
Philippines	EAD & AOS	On top of that, you'd have to wait for the marriage certificate which takes about 6-8 weeks to be mailed to you (at least that's how long it took ours. Wedding took place in CA). Ergo, you'd have the delay of about a month after the wedding.     That's CA. OP is in NJ so it may be the same or it may not.  I walked out of the courthouse with six (6) certified copies the day we got married when I handed over the original to be recorded.  We received the original Marriage Certificate in the mail after four (4) days later.   OP:  When you file for AOS, the EAD and AP filing fees are waived.  If you file for EAD before the AOS then you have to pay the filing fee.  That is why most of us here of JV say you should file the AOS ASAP even if it means borrowing the money as he will get his EAD and GC faster and be able to work sooner to help repay that money.  You can delay as long as you wnat and can afford as there is not set deadline for filing for AOS--he just cannot leave and re-enter the US or legally work until he receives his GC or AP/EAD combo card.   Good luck,   Dave Edited by Dave&Roza, 29 June 2013 - 11:24 AM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-06-29 11:23:00
Philippines	SSN and Greencards	Update: we called the uscis to make a follow up with regards to our greencards. It been more than a month since we made the payment online. The immigration officer told us that upon checking to their system, our payment was received but he was kind of wondering why no action was done on our case since its been a month from payment. He asked for our pertinent info and address and made an inquiry and referral. He gave us referral nos. And instructed us to call after 2 weeks if the cards didnt arrive still and use those nos. As reference. I hope by now they will be working on our cases and send our greencards as well as our ssns. :-(   FYI: USCIS has nothing to do with your SSC.  That is under the control of the SSA (Social Security Administration).  USCIS will get you your GC, but I would go to your local SSA office and apply using the SS-5 form for a SSC.  You will need two forms of ID (maybe, some do require that and some do not) like your passport and a birth certificate, and you legal immigration status in the US.    Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-07-10 19:47:00
Philippines	forms to fill out on the plane to the USA (for POE)	Since we are getting married 12 days after her arrival...and then 8 days for honeymoon....maybe I should wait for the SS card because her name will be changing....what do you think   Really depends on how well trained the SSA people are at your local office.  Yes, you are SUPPOSED to be able to apply for a SSN in the married name usin gthe K-1 visa, but there are those SSA people who believe once you get married your status changes.  If they give you a lot of grief about being able to apply in the married name, I would just leave and come back another day and apply in the visa or maiden name.  You could also write the main SSA an e-mail describing the situation in detail like date, time, persons you spoke to and what they said.    As a K-1 visahold you are allowed to get a SSN based on teh K-1 and an unexpired I-94.  As a person with a SSN you can use a certified copy of the marriage certificate to change the name,  SOme SSA people will do this as a two step process which means they will use the maiden anme to verify immigration status and then use the mariage certificate to do the name change and yo get a SSC in the married name--that is how it is suppose to be done.  Too many times they are not well trained and will feed you a whole lot of BS.  Sometimes even the supervisors are not well trained.An old VJ memebr "I'M GONE" used to work for the SSA and had lots of good advice on how to handle the SSA workers.  You can use the advanced seach feature to find his posts or maybe this link will work.   Good luck,   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-09-11 09:45:00
Philippines	forms to fill out on the plane to the USA (for POE)	Hank   WHy download the I-94 form later? What are we supposed to do with it?? The form says its an "arrival form to be handed to the immigration inspector"...   thanks   As a K-1 visa holder the I-94 is needed to show your lawful status in the US.  It is also the date you must get marreid by.  Once married you need a copy of the I-94 to file with the AOS (Adjustment of Status).  You also need the I-94 along with the K-1 visa inorder to get a SSC while the I-94 is still unexpired (you have until about 2 weeks before the I-94 expires to apply for a SSC).    The old paper form was completed on the airplane and you handed it to the immigration inspector.  The inspector stamped the I-94 and made some notations on it and either handed it back to you or stapled it into your passport.  When leaving the US, you were to turn in the I-94.  A K-1 visa hold does not leave the US, so they submit a copy of it with the AOS package and if you happen to have an interview they take the I-94--not sure how they handle the new electronic form at the AOS interview.   So you need a copy of the I-94 for later in the journey, plus it is a way to make certain your information was entered into the CBP system correctly which will get moved to the USCIS's system. Good luck, Dave Edited by Dave&Roza, 11 September 2013 - 08:37 AM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-09-11 08:36:00
Philippines	After Entering United States what's next?	And Is it true that if you apply EAD together with AOS, we don't need to pay for EAD? Thanks again.   Yes it is true.  The fee for EAD is waived with a pending AOS application.  You may want to file for advance parole (AP) or the I-131 also.   Good luck, Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-09-24 17:25:00
Philippines	Adjustment of Status	to rephrase the question as mentioned above ""and after you get married, go to the nearest USCIS and inform them you just got married,".  It is mentioned that to inform the nearest USCIS about the marriage, so my question is "Is this required?".       That is what the AOS does.  You submit your Marriage Certificate so you go from a non-immigrant alien to an immigrant alien and receive the GC.  So you do not go to the nearest USCIS office and informt them you got married, you file the I-485 and that does the same thing.  Until you file the I-485, you cannot become a LPR.  I would say it is not required to inform the local office (we did not), but it is required to file the I-485 at some point so the beneficiary can become a LPR.   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-10-25 20:12:00
Philippines	My Pinay in the USA na, Social Security report	My Pinay has been in the USof A now for about a month. went to get her SS card today,,took all of 20 minutes,,, card will be in mail in 2 weeks. went to bank (Wells Fargo) to see if I could get her own account,,, I had a Korean bank manager and a Mexican teller telling me they could not open an account ffor her with no SSN.   I thought that was pretty ironic what with me being the only native born person there what is this country coming too?     It is too bad that most people do not know the rules and just quote either bank policy or make things up.  A SSN WAS for tax purposes only.  If you received income--i.e. salary, interest, dividends, etc--you needed to give your SSN.  If you could claim an expense on your taxes--i.e. mortgage interest and in the old days credit card interest-- you also needed to give your SSN.  Those are the only people who by law require your SSN.  Unfortunately the SSN has become a national ID and everybody says you need one in order to get this or that.  The biggest laugh I got was at the Harrisburg Geneological Society where they had a space for the SSN on their sign-in sheet.  It was amazing how many people put down their name, address, phone number, and their SSN.  I left the space blank and the guy at the sign-in desk asked about my SSN.  I told him that I refused to give it.  It was like okay, no problem.   I have a SSN, but when someone asks me for it, I usually ask them why do they need it and what is their legal claim to requesting it.  I guess I just like to have fun seeing how well trained people are . You would also be surprised at how ill-informed most bank employees are of what is needed when an account owner dies.  BTDT.  There are banks out there that will open an account without requiring a SSN.  Find that one and put your money there.  Or you can remind the bank that they are suppose to be working for you and if they want to continue to have your business then they will find a way to get the account opened without the SSN.  You can always ask if they allow someone from a foreign country to open an account as that type of person will not have a SSN.   You can go back to the SSA and get a printout with the actual number on it.  That is all that is needed--the number.  We just completed a patient form at the dentist's office and they wanted my wife's SSN.  I just rattled it off for them, never showed them the card.  My wife has yet to memorize that number.  But there is an example of a non-income reason for having to provide your SSN as all health insurance companies use that as an ID number.   I just wish we would make up our minds.  Either the SSN is a national ID or it is not.   Sorry for the rank,   Dave Edited by Dave&Roza, 25 October 2013 - 11:52 PM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-10-25 23:49:00
Philippines	Port of entry	thanks She  made it thru with lots of time to spare...my honey is here with me...wishing the rest of you the best...!!!     Congratulations. Now the fun begins.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-10-10 11:43:00
Philippines	Port of entry	...(really wish you could delete a post when you hit quote instead of edit) Edited by Dave&Roza, 10 October 2013 - 11:06 AM.	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-10-10 11:04:00
Philippines	Port of entry	and what do they do at immigration/ besides take her sealed envelop? do they open it? She has a hair less than 2 hours in Detroit to get the plane to ny     I would have her expect to miss her connecting flight unless Detroit is more efficient than most airports.  You get off the airplane and walk to the CBP check point.  I hightly recommend she uses the toilet as there is not one until she gets done with the entire process.  No cell phones are to be used in this area either.  You get in line and they will take the sealed envelope and stamp the passport.  Here is where it becomes a toss of the dice.  IF they have processed a K-1 it will be quick and easy.  If the CBP has not seen a K-1 it may take a while.  At DEN it wsa a very easy process for the K-1 but took forever to get the baggage and go thru customs--took about 2 hours.  Once she clears the CBP passport control, she will gather up her luggage and go thru customs.  This is again a slow process and can take a while.  At MSP they have only 2 lines that you go thru and if you have any thing suspecious they send you to the x-ray scanner and then you get back in the front of the line.   Our last trip thru MSP took 10 minutes for passport control and about 1 hour for customs and we arrived at the gate just as they were starting to board the plane with a 1.5 hour connecting flight and that was without having to process a K-1 visa.  After going thru customs, she will recheck her luggage and make her way to the gate for the next flight.   For my wife DEN was the final destination when she came over on the K-1.  So it did not matter how long it took, but had we gone thru ORD I am sure she would have missed her flight.  I would see if you could meet her at Detroit and take a flight out the next day.   Good luck,   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2013-10-10 10:57:00
Philippines	Adjustment of status need help please	Actually, the K1 visa expires on arrival into the US. I-94 expires 89 days later.  But the USCIS status will always be K1 fiance, even if AOS is filed 5 years after the I-94 expires.   Yes, the K-1 visa is null and void once it is used and your lawful presence in the US ends when the I-94 expires and the foreign spouse is accruing over-stay days which are forgiven when they finally do file for AOS.  Once the I-94 expires the foreign spouse in no longer legally in the US, but the chances of being deported are slim.  So for the I-485 form the status is K-1 and the expiration date they are asking for is the I-94 as that date is right under the I-94 number.  So for the OP's question the status is "K-1" and the "expires on" is the date the I-94 expires.   Dave	Dave&Roza	Male	Kazakhstan	2014-01-13 00:11:00