Ability to work during the marriage green card application
I am from the EU and I am currently living in Chicago with an F1 student visa. Next year, I am planning to marry my long-term American girlfriend and also finish my PhD degree in a STEM field. I was wondering what would be the best time to apply for a green card. We still haven't decided on a wedding date, partly because of not knowing how long this process will take for us and not knowing what that means for my job prospects as a post-doc or in the private sector in the USA if we are in the middle of the process.
In the scenario that I finish my degree during the green card application process, could I start my job or post-doc, or would I have to wait to start my employment until the process is complete? In that case, how long can that take? With that concern in mind, should we rush the wedding planning process to avoid a lag between my graduation (and lapse in my visa status) and the green card confirmation?
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/qa29m2/ability_to_work_during_the_marriage_green_card/