Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Work Authorization	Mercy stole my advice . But to reiterate - as much as I had studied the paperwork before hand, I still neglected to realize that our joint sponsor had to give us his birth certificate and it really held us up. Just fill out ALL the forms now, that way you are ready to go the nano-second you do a civil ceremony. Also figure out now what the rules are for getting a marriage license and then getting married. What ID will you need? Is there a waiting period etc. Mo Great minds think alike! Good point about joint sponsors needed proof of citizenship. I hadn't realized either, but bless my father in laws heart, he noticed it in the instructions. It can seriously be done, we went straight from the court house to UPS and sent out the applications immediately. It just takes a little bit of prep.	mercy	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 12:34:00
Canada	Work Authorization	My suggestion is prepare all the AOS/EAD forms in advance of her arrival. Get copies of your tax returns now, fill out the forms, gather as much of the evidence as you can, etc. Find out if you both need to be present to apply for a license (if not, you can get it ahead of time) and how long it takes to get one (we both had to be there, but got it about 10 minutes before civil ceremony) and also how long it'll take to get a copy of the marriage certificate. Inquire as to whether you can take it to be registered, because sometimes it can take them a couple weeks to do it, whereas we walked it down to the registrar ourselves and had it within a couple minutes. Literally get married the day she arrives, or as close to as possible and send out the applications that very day. There is no way to guarantee she'll get work authorization in time, so it's the best you can do.	mercy	Female	Canada	2007-03-09 00:45:00
Canada	Is there a US consulate in Calgary?	There is a consulate in Calgary yes, but it doesn't really matter as far as a K1 visa goes. Only the Vancouver and Montreal embassy do K1 interviews. I don't know if that's what you were wondering, otherwise, here is the website: http://www.amcits.com/calgary.asp	mercy	Female	Canada	2006-09-25 14:16:00
Canada	Canadian Grocery List....	You can get ketchup chips here at Wal-Mart sometimes from Herrs and I'll never miss Tim Horton's.....ever!!! http://www.herrs.com...s/Products.html Uggh those are so gross. I was so excited the first time I saw those, but they have nothing on Lays. I'm going to Canada at the end of the month, can't wait to stock up on Canadian goodies!	mercy	Female	Canada	2007-03-04 16:52:00
Canada	MTL Timeline to Interview	Great idea amarceau! You can take me off the list though, I've transferred my case to Vancouver. I haven't updated my timeline yet, since it's sort of wonky now with the transfer. Sorry about that	mercy	Female	Canada	2006-10-30 18:11:00
Canada	Separation - Moving Back to Canada	I'm really sorry to hear this. I hope you are doing okay. I went through this same situation almost five years ago (I am now marrying another American and am now going through the whole crazy thing again), and coming back to Canada was the easiest part. I just showed up at the border with my stuff and no clue. They sent me over to secondary where I filled out some papers saying I was returning and I had to make a list of all the things I had in the car--I had some stuff left behind that I was planning on getting later, so they had me list that too. They were really kind and it was easy and quick. When I was ready to get the rest of my stuff, I just brought the paperwork I got that day and had no problems.   For whatever it's worth, no one ever asked about him--I didn't need his signature on anything, nor proof that I had permission to take the belongings or the car. The car (which was mine originally) was in both our names, and when I registered it in Ontario, I just did it in my name, and they never asked about him. If you have a separation agreement, it wouldn't hurt to have, and you may want it anyway when you file for the divorce, but I don't think anyone will give you a hard time.   You'll also need to surrender your permanent residency within a year of returning--I live near the border and just did this when I crossed one day.   I'm wishing you all the best. I'm sure this is an overwhelming time.	mercy	Female	Canada	2014-01-27 20:32:00
Canada	Montreal: "There are no available appointments at this time"	All of March is currently available!	mercy	Female	Canada	2014-02-24 09:09:00
Canada	Montreal consulate today	Nice! Brian's moving out here May 12 His mom's birthday is May 8, so we wanted to wait a little bit. Only 42 days, not like I'm counting or anything...    It'll fly by! Any wedding plans? We've booked an elopement thing for May 24th, which I am so, so excited about!	mercy	Female	Canada	2014-04-01 17:39:00
Canada	Montreal consulate today	I figured the visa would be approved, so I gave my notice at my apartment and job already; I'll be going over on the 24th of this month. Now that the visa worries are over, it's time to start worrying about packing and moving What about for you two?	mercy	Female	Canada	2014-04-01 17:15:00
Canada	Montreal consulate today	I think this was me! The elevator didn't go up and the doors reopened? Our interview was really easy and we were approved I was so happy to see your thumbs up and am glad to hear the other girl was approved. I hope the rest of your journey goes well!	mercy	Female	Canada	2014-04-01 11:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	I heard the strange words from USCIS	have to wait 180 days after transferred???!!!OMG!	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-02-18 02:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Nvc Case number.	Why NVC don't sent a text or mail let us know receive or not or the case# is ready or not?	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-03-11 03:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	AT NVC	Today I got my Nvc case num pls tell me wht I do now mean next steps   Follow this: http://www.visajourn...php/NVC_Process	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-03-19 03:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - March 2014	After 13 days, NVC received our case, please update , thank you very much.	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-03-13 21:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - March 2014	Dear Saylin~please add me to the spreadsheet. Thank you so much	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-03-12 00:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NVC Filers - March 2014	Hello Everyone,   Our case is complete as of today. Wow NVC is good, only took 39 days from the received date to complete.   Good luck guys.   Hi Nodir, I see you received January 27, 2014, and get Case # on January 29, 2014, wow~I thought it would take 30 days to get the case #? congrats!	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-03-06 21:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	VISA APPROOOOOOVED !!!!!!!	I want it toooooooooo, congrats!!	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-04-02 20:33:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	VISA APPROVED!!! Here's my Interview Experience. ^_^	Thanks for sharing & congratulations!	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-04-06 21:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	BACK TO USCIS	Your case was never approved? Did you get the hard copy from USCIS?	cindy0908	Female	Taiwan	2014-04-01 03:56:00
Canada	Anxious about Primary Evidence needed for K1	Thanks Kimbear!	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2013-12-04 18:26:00
Canada	Anxious about Primary Evidence needed for K1	Oh! I also found a receipt for a visit to urgent care and a prescription from when I visited him over the summer. I'm including that.   Thank you everyone for being so helpful!   Rachel	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2013-12-03 20:31:00
Canada	Anxious about Primary Evidence needed for K1	Thank you so much everyone!!! This was so helpful and I feel a bit less stressed (still quite stressed, though).	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2013-12-02 17:20:00
Canada	Anxious about Primary Evidence needed for K1	Hi Everyone!   *** Folks in the K1 forum suggested I repost this here to get Canadian-specific responses***     I have read many of the posts on this topic and I guess I just need a little extra reassurance regarding the "proof of having met in past two years" part of our I-129F application.   As a Canadian citizen who lives fairly close to my love, I have always travelled to the States by driving. This makes me nervous, since I don't have a lot of the primary documentation that the USCIS suggests. We have no boarding passes or flight receipts, no hotel receipts (always stayed with him or his family), no passport stamps, no lease agreement etc. etc.   Here is what I do have, and I am interested to hear opinions on whether or not it will satisfy an adjudicator/qualify as evidence:   1. Bank statements and credit card statements, showing purchases made in his hometown (highlighted). 2. Receipts for gas over a range of dates (these include my name and dates) 3. One dinner receipt 4. A parking receipt, showing date/time 5. Brochures from a visit we took to the local museum 6. Three photographs (one from August 2013, one from November 2013, and one with his mom) 7. A letter from me (signed and dated) explaining our situation and why we do not have flights/hotels/passport stamps.   I'm a little worried about the lack of photographs. We have been dating since August 2012, but my guy HATES photos, so we don't take many. I'll also include some evidence of ongoing relationship, just to be safe (facebook logs, Skype logs, video chat screencaps).   What do you folks think?   Rachel	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2013-12-02 10:44:00
Canada	What to Bring to Medical	Hi!   I've been reading many of the reviews for medicals in Toronto, where I will be going, and have some questions.   1. Is there a list of required vaccinations somewhere, so I could be sure to be up to date before the medical? 2. For questions about mental health, I have been treated for depression and an eating disorder in the past two years. I currently take fluoxetine to manage my depression. Should I bring a note from my doctor saying that I have been through therapy and that my condition is well managed? 3. Are there any other medical records that should be brought to the medical to make the process smoother?	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-04-03 09:37:00
Canada	current timeframe for "in transit" to "ready"?	Apparently asking the question was all it took. Status changed to "Ready" today.	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-01 14:05:00
Canada	current timeframe for "in transit" to "ready"?	Hey folks!   How long is it taking these days for Montreal to process the files it is receiving from NVC? A week? When can I expect CEAC to say "READY"?   Also, what's the current situation with interview dates at Montreal? Still a long waiting period?   Thanks all, hope you have a wonderful day!	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-01 11:43:00
Canada	Birth Certificate for Interview	thank you so much everyone! so helpful!!	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-14 20:18:00
Canada	Birth Certificate for Interview	I've read some people talking about "long form" versus wallet sized BC. Do I need the long form certificate for the interview at Montreal? How do I get one if I do not have it?   Thanks	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-14 18:16:00
Canada	Medical Examination (Dr Ian Zatzman) - What To Bring?	That seems simple enough! Andre has his medical this Thurs with Dr. Lyndon M. so thanks for the recent review   About how long were you there?   Honestly, I got there way too early, so I ended up being there longer than I needed to. There was a full waiting room of people, so it took longer than I expected. My appointment was 1 and I was out of there by 2:15.   That seems simple enough! Andre has his medical this Thurs with Dr. Lyndon M. so thanks for the recent review   About how long were you there?   Honestly, I got there way too early, so I ended up being there longer than I needed to. There was a full waiting room of people, so it took longer than I expected. My appointment was 1 and I was out of there by 2:15.	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-25 20:20:00
Canada	Medical Examination (Dr Ian Zatzman) - What To Bring?	hi   Was wondering how the medical went with zatzman? Can you let me know what questions were asked etc? I know a blood test is taken for syphilis and chest screen for tb but is anything else tested? What about other STDs?   Thx in advance   i just had my medical on Thursday (with Dr. Lyndon, but I assume the process is very similar). Here's what happened:   - I arrived, the receptionist asked for my passport and my vaccination history, which she photocopied - She asked me to fill out a form that included basic information like my name, address, MTL #, date of interview etc. - She sent me to get blood work and xray done - They drew one vial of blood - I waited to see Dr. Lyndon - He asked me why I was planning on immigrating, made small talk - he told me the xray was to check for TB and the blood test was to check for syphilis (and nothing else) - he asked me some medical questions "Are you a generally healthy person? Do you take any medication? Any major surgeries?" - he took my blood pressure   That was it. It was easy.	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-25 15:12:00
Canada	Clarification on forms DS 156, 156K and 230 - for interview in Montreal	I just interviewed in Montreal on May 13.  I did not have any DS-156 form, nor did they ask for them.  You  could always fill it out and bring it but its a waste of time and energy IMHO.  The DS-160 "replaces" (for lack of a better word) it.   here is what i brought to the interview, for K1 visa: -Passport and photocopy of biographic page -Medical examination -2 passport photos -confirmation page of the DS-160 -intent to marry letter (dated close to interview date) from petitioner -birth certificate and copy (translated to English as mine was in French) -Police certificate -form I-134, with recent federal income tax returns employment slips and bank statements from petitioner -proof of relationship (photos, boarding passes, chat logs,emails)   I was approved so, I think I had all the necessary papers! Of course, if needed, you would need to bring divorce certificate, custody documents etc... Good luck       So helpful! thank you!!!	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-27 13:26:00
Canada	Clarification on forms DS 156, 156K and 230 - for interview in Montreal	on packet 4, it says to just bring DS 160 confirmation page   but on the "appointment confirmation" e-mail it says to bring 1 copy of DS156K and 2 copies of DS156.   can someone help?	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-26 15:51:00
Canada	Clarification on forms DS 156, 156K and 230 - for interview in Montreal	So, the information surrounding this seems really different depending where I look.   Which forms EXACTLY do I need to bring to my interview in Montreal?	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-26 15:25:00
Canada	Flipping out over I134 Proof of Income - HELP - Interview on Tuesday	With my interview coming up, my stress level has increased ten-fold. I'm mostly terrified of being denied for financial reasons.   Here's our story:   We will be using a co-sponsor, my fiance's best friend. He makes 30, 000 a year. To prove this, we got his tax transcript from last year and a letter from his employer stating his date of hire and yearly income.   My fiance (petitioner) makes roughly 19,000 a year. To prove this, we have his tax transcript from last year, as many pay stubs as he had saved (missing two or so) from the past two years, a letter from his employer and his W2 from last year.   I guess my paranoia stems from not having every single piece of evidence that everyone else seems to have.   Do you think I should try to get my co-sponsor to send pay stubs? bank statements? a copy of his taxes? more tax transcripts? anything else?	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-06-05 22:12:00
Canada	question about photos for medical - Dr. Lyndon	Hello, I hope you've been approved in your interview! We are parents of USC applying for GC. Our interview will be July 22 in Montreal, please check my signature. Now we have to book the medical examination. Would you mind to share your experience with your doctor? We live in Oakville, Ontario and Dr Mascarenhas is the closest to us. Thank you, Lukiduki   Absolutely!   Prior to the medical, I visited Dr. Mascarenhas' website (visadoctor.ca) to see which vaccinations I needed. I got those vaccinations at my local health unit and updated my immunization record.   I drove to the doctor's office and parked next door, for 10$. It was very convenient and easy to find.   I brought:   1 passport photo my appointment letter with MTL# and date of interview on it my passport cash payment of 300$ my vaccination records (usually a yellow record from your doctor) a letter from my doctor stating the medications I am on and for what   When I got to the office, the waiting room was full. The receptionist called me up to the front desk, where she copied my passport, checked our appointment letter, and made copies of my vaccination records. She gave me some forms to fill out as well, and once I had handed those back, she told me to wait for my bloodwork and xray requisitions to be ready (she filled these out and called each person up as she did).   The bloodwork and xray rooms are down the hall from the actual office. It was very simple. They take one vial of blood and a chest xray.   I returned to the office and waited to be called in by Dr. Mascarenhas.   Once inside his office, he explained that my bloodwork would test for syphilis and my xray for TB. He asked me some questions regarding my health (actually, he asked one question "Are you a generally healthy person?"). He asked if I was on any medications, at which point I explained that I take ________ for _________ and had a letter from my doctor explaining my diagnosis and prognosis. He seemed pleased that I had brought that and said "Not a problem at all." He looked over my vaccination records and determined that my TdAP vaccination was out of date. He said I needed to get it done ASAP and e-mail or fax to him. He asked me weight, height etc. and then took my blood pressure.  He (quite quickly) went down a list of questions asking if I had a history of certain health problems. He gave me a receipt and I was on my way.   The next day, I went and got that missing vaccination, and e-mailed him the updated record. In about two days, my file was ready to pick up!   The office is a well-oiled machine and I was very impressed with how they processed everyone!   If you have any specific questions I did not answer, feel free to PM me.	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-06-14 13:39:00
Canada	question about photos for medical - Dr. Lyndon	Hi!   My medical with Dr. Lyndon Mascarenhas is May 22nd.   The receptionist who booked my appointment said to bring 1 photo, and the website for Dr. L M's office says one, but I have heard people mentioning 3 passport photos for the medical.   Can anyone who recently had their medical with Dr. L M confirm? 1 or 3 photos?   Thanks folks!	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-05-09 18:35:00
Canada	Anxiety and Medical Records	At the medical they will ask you if you are on current medication and if you have a history of mental illness. If you take meds for your anxiety, definitely mention it. I take Prozac for mild depression. I brought a letter from my doctor that said my condition is stabilized and I have never been a risk to myself or anyone else. The immigration doctor took this and said "no problem! This won't be an issue." He just wrote on my report "mild depression-stable". I passed the medical, no problem. Things like anxiety and depression are really common and you will be totally fine at the medical! Just be honest. Good luck!	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-06-15 18:37:00
Canada	Moving Advice?	Hi everyone!   I'm packing up my Canadian life and wondering if anyone here has any tips for the POE or just general moving tips? I've read all the pinned threads.   Did anyone else move essentials initially and then come back after AOS for bigger items?   My fiance and I are moving into a new apartment August 31. His current place is a bachelor and we would not have room for some of the furniture I am bringing. Will I have problems at the border if I move furniture at a later date?   What's the most important thing to know at POE? Do they ask questions like at the interview or is it basically just filling out forms?   Thanks, friends!	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-06-18 15:49:00
Canada	Banking Recommendations?	Hi everyone,   I just arrived in the US last night and am eager to get the ball rolling as soon as I can. Can I open a bank account without my SSN?   Does anyone have any recommendations for banks or specific banks to avoid? I am in Michigan!   Thanks, Rachel	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-06-21 12:24:00
Canada	OSAP loans after POE	Hi everyone,   After my k1 approval in Montreal I am beginning to tie up loose ends here in Ontario.   What happens to my OSAP loan when I move? I'm currently under a period of interest relief called the Repayment Assistance Place (do not have to pay my monthly loan repayment, as I do not make enough to do so). Can this continue or will I be forced to make payments once I enter the States?   Anyone have any experience with this?	froschundblumen	Female	Canada	2014-06-11 15:51:00