1/23    Short of going to an attorney, what are or where can I find some brief
        answers to these:
        \_ motd formatting god was here.  -motd formatting god
        \_ If I marry a foreigne student, can she stay here with me even after
        1) If I marry a foreigne student, can she stay here with me even after
           her visa expires?
        \_ Can she work legally?
          \_ Yes she can, as long as you adjust her status. <DEAD>www.ins.doj.gov<DEAD>
        \_ Can she leave and then come back to the US?
           \_ she should have the green card by then.
                \_ I heard it may take 5 years for her to officially receive
                   a green card.
                \_ A friend of mine did just this. Your lady will get a
                   'provisional' green card (they're now called Alien
                   Registration card, I-551) valid for 2 years. After that
                   you will have to re-apply at the INS, in which to prove
                   that your marriage is genuine and you're still together.
                   I believe both of you have to appear for interview.
        2) Can she work legally?
           \_ with the green card, yes.
           \_ Now, to get the physical green card it would take about 4-6 mos.
              But the INS will stamp her passport with a temporary green card
              that would authorize her to seek employment.
              that would authorize her to seek employment. Of course, this
              can only happen after she is approved a resident status.
        3) Can she leave and then come back to the US?
           \_ if it's non-frequent, most likely not.  You may be questioned
              though by INS.  They could potentially revoke your
              wife's green card.  Most would not leave for the first
              year.
           \_ After her passport is stamped (like I mentioned above), she
              should be able to travel without having to apply for a reentry
              visa to the U.S.
              \_ There's something called a re-entry permit.  Is that for
                 solving this problem?  -- not original poster
                \_ Re-entry permit is for folks (who have pending resident
                   status) who left the country for more than 1 year and seek
                   to return to the U.S. If you're just going to Mexico for
                   vacation, for example, you don't need this. You may be
                   confusing this with an 'Advanced Parole', which is a travel
                   document for those who haven't gotten their green cards yet
                   NOR have gotten their I-485 approved.
        \_ From the above answers, you definitely should see a lawyer
           instead.  Just pay the $50-$100 one hour consultation fee.
           I think if your future wife is already here, she can get a
           I-485 pretty fast which I think allows her to stay and
           get a work permit too.  She then has to do a change of
           status if she does not want to leave the country and re-enter.
           Again, ask a lawyer.
        \_ http://www.shusterman.com is a great site to look up all these things.
           Also read misc.immigration.usa & alt.visa.us newsgroups.