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First let me just say ....aaAAARRRRGGGG!!! I just want to know who in the Heck those INS people think they are? They act like they are running their own monarchy. I have never met a bunch of condescending anal retentive idots in my whole life. They have no respect for the people who are (at least) leagally trying to do things correct.
The security gaurds---oh they LOVE their jobs. It's so much fun to search a mexican and tell them to "make like a bird". Of course they probably do not understand what the jerk gaurd is saying to them. But--it's IS funny, and it makes their jobs easier---poor bastards. A white woman walks through. Lights flash--ringers buzz--bells wistle!!! They tell HER go on ahead--no problem....AAAARRRGGG!!!!
I get to the window. I tell them I just need forms to file an AOS. "Is he here illegally?"..... "No, he's here on a Fiancee Visa" ...."Are you sure? Let me see his passport" Well his new social security card is in his passport...... "WHere did he get this?" ...."The social security office"(where else).... "He's not supposed to have this." ...."Well the SS office issued it to him" "I'm going to take this I-29 out of his passport and also the SS card!".... "No you ARE not!"... "WEll you are stupid if you are going to believe the SS office over the INS office!!".... "Listen lady--I am just here to learn, and to try and follow all the many rules so that my husband is here leagally, now PLEASE!!! just give me the forms to file an AOS, and I'll be on my way"

Now I have a question for all of you. Is it necessary to file an I-765 with the NOA?? Can he work with his social security card? I am really confussed and now I want to stay as far away from the INS office as I can.

There is alot of stress right now. If I could just cancell this wedding reception, then I would.  They ended up cremating Thai's brother. They burried his Father. I don't understand why they did it differantly. But anyway, at least his brother did not suffer too long. And now there is some closure for Thai. He is eager to start working. And it is amazing how everyday our communication is immproving.

I don't know how to tell you all how much this board means to me---more so now than before. You folks really do help alot. Only you all can understand everything completely.
Thank--Lori

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

I never saw anything at all racist here in San Diego, maybe because we have a pretty diverse population with lots of non-caucasions (many of whom work in the INS).  Some of the people were actually pretty helpful and gave us good advice.  Watch out for the ones who don't know what they're doing though, sometimes they'll tell you something incorrect and it can really screw things up.

If things work the same in Iowa, you'll be seeing much more of the INS.  My wife had to get both her work permit and driver's license renewed every 3 months until she got her green card about 3 years after arriving here.  That's 12 visits to the INS and DMV.  You'll learn to appreciate the great service at the DMV after you've dealt with the INS long enough.

Being an immigrant sucks.

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

And the INS here in ATL is the biggest bunch of @#$(&@$% racists, God gave me a job and gave you #$&#(* because I have this #$)(@(# job and you don't deserve the air conditioned @#$(# room you're in and I'll have the %%(*#$ security guards take you out of here even if you mention the word peeeeee, but why do you look at me that way you immigrant !@#$%) miscreant!  After all, I'm a @%(*#@& government paid employee and my kids are on YOUR welfare, and we dont take no sass from white and asian @#($*& people like you.

Sorry.  That's the Atlanta INS office to a T.

Even filing formal reports (multiple) of INS and security guard abuse (absolute, documented, multiple witnesses) to my former spouse meant @#$(&*@(# to these bunch of overpaid ignorant worthless b@stards and the entire agency.  This is one total POS organization.

Now don't get me started....

Good thing I'm not some crazy @ss islamic fundamentalist cretin.

just a dumb @ss white boy.

eat this INS!

... in response to Been there.., posted by BrianN on Apr 1, 2002

Hey Brian,

Tell us what you really think! ROFLMAOCUML!!! I was trying not to get started with reasons #102-200. Thanks, I think you've just about covered it all. :o)) WOW...I thought Miami was bad. Down here the security guards yell at people standing in line, "Get up against the wall or I'll throw you out of here!!!" Another favorite inside is "Sit down or I'll throw you out!" We do have a major difference down here however...almost none of the INS employees speak intelligible, if any English. "What, you no espeakie Espanish?" You have to keep asking them to repeat what they said, which tends to piss them off more. I have to be fair and say that INS employees seem to hate everyone equally down here.

Dave H.

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

Lori, you don't have to file an I-765 when you file the AOS, but you SHOULD since that is the earliest opportunity you have to legally file it.

Disregard some of the advice you have been given here -- you DO need to have an EAD card (via an approved I-765) for Thai to work LEGALLY. That's the key phrase, folks, LEGALLY.

Just having an SS card is NOT enough for a foreigner in K-1 status OR in pending-AOS status to work. These individuals must also have an INS-issued EAD card. Once they get their AOS interview, they will have an I-551 stamp in their passport which allows legal employment without the EAD.

In this country we have problems with enforcement and lax employers. Many employers will not do thorough checks on potential employees, but these employers are in violation of the law by doing this. At any time the foreign person could be confronted by the employer, the INS, or others about their legal work status, and summarily dismissed when it is found they do not have a valid EAD card. People who take this risk (both employees and employers) are risking far too much in my book.

So you should definitely file the I-765 as soon as you can.

Regards, Tim

... in response to Lori, please read, you DO need to file I..., posted by Tim on Mar 31, 2002

sooo, This is what I understand. Thai can work with his social security card only until his 90 in the U.S. are up. In order to work after that, he has to have a work authorization card. Sooo, we should just go ahead and file the I-765 with the aos paperwork to get it out of the way.
QUESTIONS--
1)How long should it take to get the approved I-765?

2)After you file your aos nothing happens untill you get an interview. This could take about a year?

3)Am I driving you all nuts or are you all learning something here?

... in response to Re: oookkk.....she has more questions, posted by Lori on Mar 31, 2002

Hi Lori,

I-765 approval times depend upon the district office.  Sally got her EAD card immediately, on the day we filed for AOS and I-765.  That was in Boston.

AOS interview time was similar to what everyone else is saying.  We got an interview date for 8 months from the day of filing.

BTW, on forms - I found that trying to get all the right AOS forms at the district office didn't work out too well.  We got an incomplete/incorrect set.  If you use the INS 800 number they'll mail you a package that is complete and up to date.  It's easier and less confusing.

Jim

... in response to Re: oookkk.....she has more questions, posted by Lori on Mar 31, 2002

Hi Lori,

Thai can work with his social security card and unexpired I-94. Chances are very good that his employer will not make him stop working when his I-94 expires and wait to return when he receives his EAD (work authorization) or adjusts status. Is it legal to keep working...technically no, not until the EAD or AOS is approved. That's why it is best to file the I-765 and AOS ASAP after marriage so there is no or little gap. Since the INS is so slow in issuing the EAD and slower to adjust status, it is almost inevitable that there will be some gap between expired I-94 and EAD or AOS.

QUESTIONS--
1)L. "How long should it take to get the approved I-765?"

 D. It depends on your INS office. Where I live 3 months.

2)L. "After you file your aos nothing happens until you get an interview. This could take about a year?"

 D. In Miami, AOS interview appointments are about 9 months after filing petition for AOS. If you file, your appointments for EAD (3 months) and Advanced Parole (48 hours here) will come much sooner.

3)L. "Am I driving you all nuts or are you all learning something here?"

 D. No, not at all! Keep asking away...changes with INS policy and procedures occur all the time. There are also many differences between local INS offices, so what occurs here may not exactly apply to you.

Good Luck!

Dave H.

... in response to Re: oookkk.....she has more questions, posted by Lori on Mar 31, 2002

...to #3: Lori, you're not even coming close to driving us nuts. Feel free to ask all the questions you like. When you get done with all of this then YOU will be the resident expert and can answer all the questions :-)

Sorry, but I can't help you with #1 & # 2

When are you going to get Thai on here so we can say hello?

Ray

... in response to Lori, please read, you DO need to file I..., posted by Tim on Mar 31, 2002

My post did read like "don't bother with the I-795". My apologies. That was not my intent, Quite the contrary. We DID file the I-795 with our AOS. and before my wifes 90 day temporary stamp expired, we moved, she got another job and we requested to INS that our AOS and I-795 be forwarded to the new state. We've heard nothing going on 6 months now other than the new state recieved our file, and our checks were deposited. Repeated, e-mails, a disconnected INS number and another number to leave message at(both numbers supplied by the N.C. INS center) have resulted in nada. I have yet to work up the desire to drive 400 miles and try to talk to a human, but it may come to that.
   I suppose legally at the end of the 90 day period, in order to stay "legal", my wife should have quit her job, since she didn't have her INS issued card.
    I'm curious if anyone else has had the this same catch-22 experience...

... in response to Lori, please read, you DO need to file I..., posted by Tim on Mar 31, 2002

Tim,

I agree! LEGALLY is the key. I also agree to file as early as possible.

Dave H.

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

No, you don't have to file I-765 with AOS. My wife has worked with only her SS card and a state ID card. We moved recently and she aquired a new state ID card. Our AOS and EAD are both pending and delayed due to changing INS service centers. With showing only her SS card and state ID, she has signed on to some employment agencies and worked. She's now on full time at a company and neither visa or EAD have ever been mentioned, asked for or questioned by anyone, anywhere.

... in response to Re: 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by SJ on Mar 30, 2002

That's strange, because my wife needed the EAD to work.  Her social security card was even stamped to say so.  I do think that you need it to legally work.

Dan And Mares

... in response to Re: Re: 101 reasons to hate the INS work..., posted by DanAndChed on Mar 31, 2002

My wifes card wasn't stamped, neither the first one, nor the new one w/name change. Her visa was stamped at immigrations on arrival, but no one ever asked to see it and that was jusat the 90 day stamp

... in response to Re: Re: Re: 101 reasons to hate the INS ..., posted by SJ on Mar 31, 2002

Mares,

Her social security card was stamped, with the words, "Work Authorization Required".

Dan

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: 101 reasons to hate the ..., posted by DanAndChed on Mar 31, 2002

We applied for my wifes first SS card on the way home from the airport the day she arrived. Her only ID was the passport and visa w/work authorization stamp. Her SS card came, just like yours or mine reads, no stamp and the first day of our honeymoon, we stopped at our local SS office where she did the name change w/old SS card and marraige cert in hand. New card, same as the first, no stamp.

... in response to Re: 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by SJ on Mar 30, 2002

Hi SJ,

You're right, you don't have to file I-765 with the AOS...but it is a pretty darn good idea! I don't like taking a lot of trips down to INS. INS doesn't seem too concerned about work authorized immigrants who are in the US legally, with expired I-94 and EAD pending. As to finding work without EAD, it all depends upon the employer and their knowledge and/or concern for the system. Even though it is legal to hire someone with a current I-94, some employers won't until the EAD has been received. They don't want to take a chance of getting busted during the gray period between expired I-94 and EAD. Some employers will take a gamble and even hire illegal immigrants, but when they get caught...

Dave H.

... in response to Re: Re: 101 reasons to hate the INS work..., posted by Dave H on Mar 30, 2002

to file EAD with AOS and of course the INS can really use that extra $120 :-) What has amazed me is the fact that every agency and later employer, knew that my wife recently immigrated and never asked for EAD or even a passport. The SS card seems to be, by many employers estimate, adequate proof of employment authorization. Maybe that's more so for employers that seldom if ever deal with INS and illegals (?) For my wife, she wants to work and if we live by the letter of the law, waiting thru the "grey" period she would have been waiting for the EAD for the last 8 months and still waiting.
  I don't advocate going contrary to INS law, but then, for us, we're dealing with our reality, not them. Unfortunatly for Lori, she met and had to deal with a total idiot that has no clue of basic immigration requirements.

... in response to It is a good idea...., posted by SJ on Mar 30, 2002

SJ,

Do you know how much coffee and donuts they can buy with an extra $120. ;o) I live in South Florida (illegals sneak in every day) so local employers may get more heat from the INS. In my wife's case, her employer is the county hospital district, so they are very careful. My wife is in the gray at the moment too. They did so many checks with their lawyer, I thought for certain she would be red flagged at this point.  Perhaps they're too shorthanded. 1 1/2 months until EAD interview.

Dave H.

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

Be thankful that you can go, if you were the non US citizen you would be treated much worse.

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

:-)

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

Lori,

Thai is allowed to obtain (and possess) a Social Security Card. He is legally work authorized for 90 days with the I-94 stamp in his passport. Most employers will allow him to continue working after it expires. Some employers won't and some want the work authorization (I-765) before they will allow you to work. The county hospital where my wife works had to check with their lawyer to find out that the I-94 allowed her to begin working, as I had told them. Thai must begin working within 90 days of arrival before the I-94 expires or wait for the work authorization.

File the Adjustment of Status, EAD (work authorization) and Advanced Parole (travel authorization) at the same time.

Dave H.

... in response to 101 reasons to hate the INS workers, posted by Lori on Mar 30, 2002

It's going to get worse before it gets better just so long as liberals continue the mantra of "the government ought to do something about that." Yeah, right! I learned a long time ago dealing with the government is like giving a deposition. Never volunteer anything, respond with one word answers, preferably yes or no, and give them as little information as you possibly can. I think he probably shouldn't have been issued a SSN before his status was adjusted and the INS stamped that he was OKed to work in the US, though.

So happy to hear things are on an upward trend communication wise. Just keep looking at this whole thing as an adventure and some day you'll look back and laugh.

Ask Thai if he knows any Qi Gong (pronounced chee goon) and can show it to you. It's a fantastic stress reliever. (Yes, I know it's Chinese but Chinese medicine is heavily practiced in Viet Nam)

-- Jeff S.

... in response to Your tax dollars at work, posted by Jeff S on Mar 30, 2002

Hi Jeff,

Isn't it amazing how nothing was ever done about INS incompetancy until Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi got their student visas posthumously? I still doubt any heads will roll...probably just become a bigger clusterphuck...with more agencies and confusion involved in the immigration process.

I am just getting into Qi Gong. My instructor is 60, looks 30 and bounces around like a 5 year-old. :;o)

Dave H.

... in response to Let's make it bigger..., posted by Dave H on Mar 30, 2002

Dave, I like the way you snuck that one in there. I wonder if I should tell Patrick? Hmmmmmmm. ROFLMAOCUML!

... in response to Cluster?, posted by Ray on Mar 30, 2002

Hey Ray,

Thought I would try to sneak one through the ole Cuss-O-Meter by using the Philippine P-F syndrome...and it worked. ;oD Now I will to try switching B and V as in "What a vitch. LOL

Dabe H.

... in response to Cluster?, posted by Ray on Mar 30, 2002

Yup Ray, he found a hole in the cuss-o-meter -ROFL!

Jim

... in response to Let's make it bigger..., posted by Dave H on Mar 30, 2002

Movement triumphs over cold
Stillness triumphs over heat
Clarity and tranquility set the whole world in order

- Tao Te Ching verse 45

I went looking for an alternate martial art when it got too much trouble too keep doing the strenuous katas of my younger days, and now wish I'd discovered Qi Gong thirty years ago. My sweetie and I do a 35 to 40 minute routine of Qi Gong every morning. It "sets the whole world in order."

-- Jeff S.

... in response to Ah grasshopper..., posted by Jeff S on Mar 30, 2002

Is that like Tai Chi?  I'll have to try it - I could use some clarity and tranquility :o)

Jim

... in response to Re: Ah grasshopper..., posted by Jimbo on Mar 30, 2002

E-mail me with your address Jimbo jspira@gte.net
- Jeff

... in response to Ah grasshopper..., posted by Jeff S on Mar 30, 2002

Ah so! Other martial artists here....that's great! I've also been practicing martial arts for almost 25 years. Still doing the kata though, but it sure does get harder once you get to my age. Those kata's and meditation definately make the day seem better.

Terry C.

... in response to Re: Ah grasshopper..., posted by Terry C on Mar 30, 2002

:o)