Can I file marriage-based AOS (245a) while living apart? B-2 overstay, USC girlfriend still in school out of state
Looking for input from anyone who's done a similar adjustment of status.
Background: From Brazil, entered the U.S. legally on a B-2 tourist visa as a young child in 2011, inspected and admitted (I have my I-94), and overstayed when it expired. No criminal record, here continuously ever since (~15 years). Full-time college student graduating in about a year, with a good job in CT.
My girlfriend is a U.S. citizen; together ~3 years. The catch: she's at Penn State and graduates in ~2 years, then plans to move to CT. So if we marry and file soon, we would NOT be living together at time of filing (she's in PA for school, I'm working in CT). We do have a joint bank account, lots of photos, and people who can vouch for us.
Questions:
Can we marry and file AOS under INA 245(a) even though we don't live together yet, or is it better to wait until we're in the same place?
Does living apart hurt approval odds / trigger a Stokes interview, and how did you document a bona fide marriage in that situation?
Roughly how long until the EAD (work permit) comes after filing?
Thanks for any experiences or advice.