(This post is cross-posted from another immigration forum. My apologies if it's redundant—I haven't been able to find anything that addresses my particular situation.)
I am a Canadian citizen currently engaged to a US citizen. We lived together in Florida between October 2013 and the following April, at which point my B-2 visa was set to expire, so I returned to Canada. (Prior to this extended visit, she had visited me in Canada.) We are looking for a way for me to stay with her in the US until we are able to get married, most likely in March of next year. However, there are a few different factors that make this whole process overwhelming for me—I'm hoping that someone here will be able to shed some light.
• In Canada, I am the recipient of disability benefits due to a congenital condition (Cerebral Palsy). My intent is to seek employment in the US A.S.A.P., but, if I were somehow able to qualify for SSDI in the meantime (i.e., relating to my fiancée's work-history), that would certainly take a lot of pressure off me, and make the transition that much easier. My understanding is that, as soon as I begin the immigration process, my Canadian disability payments would cease.
• I have been taking steps to make myself employable in the States since last year, but I've never held a steady job before, and my physical disability adds an extra layer of strain.
• As I said, we are looking to get married in the spring of next year. As such, it would seem that my obtaining a fiancé visa wouldn't give us enough time. At the same time, there are reasons that make it difficult for me to remain in Canada until a fiancé visa would be useful (e.g., mental health conditions/emotional support on both sides, without which support I have concerns about hardship). One possibility would be to enter the US on a B-class visa, and then apply for a change in status, but I've heard this would be tricky (since I will have met my fiancée prior to entering).
That's all that comes to mind, at the moment, but I will update this post if I think of anything else . . . I'm very grateful for any assistance that might be offered.
I am a Canadian citizen currently engaged to a US citizen. We lived together in Florida between October 2013 and the following April, at which point my B-2 visa was set to expire, so I returned to Canada. (Prior to this extended visit, she had visited me in Canada.) We are looking for a way for me to stay with her in the US until we are able to get married, most likely in March of next year. However, there are a few different factors that make this whole process overwhelming for me—I'm hoping that someone here will be able to shed some light.
• In Canada, I am the recipient of disability benefits due to a congenital condition (Cerebral Palsy). My intent is to seek employment in the US A.S.A.P., but, if I were somehow able to qualify for SSDI in the meantime (i.e., relating to my fiancée's work-history), that would certainly take a lot of pressure off me, and make the transition that much easier. My understanding is that, as soon as I begin the immigration process, my Canadian disability payments would cease.
• I have been taking steps to make myself employable in the States since last year, but I've never held a steady job before, and my physical disability adds an extra layer of strain.
• As I said, we are looking to get married in the spring of next year. As such, it would seem that my obtaining a fiancé visa wouldn't give us enough time. At the same time, there are reasons that make it difficult for me to remain in Canada until a fiancé visa would be useful (e.g., mental health conditions/emotional support on both sides, without which support I have concerns about hardship). One possibility would be to enter the US on a B-class visa, and then apply for a change in status, but I've heard this would be tricky (since I will have met my fiancée prior to entering).
That's all that comes to mind, at the moment, but I will update this post if I think of anything else . . . I'm very grateful for any assistance that might be offered.
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