Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA1 and NOA2	It completely drives me crazy when idiots do that stuff. I agree 100%. There's no way this can be an error. Oh and it's Tim and Hershel but when you click on the profile it's Aaron and Hershel. Maybe the moderators can do something about this type of thing.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-06 00:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA1 and NOA2	I've been keeping a very close eye on Igor's list and have run across something on two occasions that I'm wondering about. How is it remotely possible that someone can get married on Dec 26/09, filed the NOA1 on Feb 2/10, got NOA 1 on Mar 8/10 (3 days from today !!) and have NOA2 approved on Mar 17th ??? And they also have consulate received Mar 2 and now have an interview date Apr 5th???????? Is this a joke? Check out Aaron and Hershel and you'll see what I mean. I've seen it before but can't remember who the couple was. #######?	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-06 00:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	how to apply for ir-1 immediately after marriage	Can I apply for IR-1 for my wife immediately after marriage? I mean, according to the rules I can.. but does it hurt my chances? Because the I-130 form asks how long we've been married and the address we've lived together... I'm planning to apply immediately after marriage to save time... so what can I answer in this part?? Secondly, they want not only the marriage certificate but also proof of a bona fide and ongoing marriage. I can get someone to say we're married, but it won't be ongoing for very long when I apply. So what can I do??? It may help you to get familiar with the CR1/IR1 guides on this site. The guides will give you a good overview of what you need to file etc. As Antje/Terry pointed out, you can file immediately and that you are filing for a CR 1 (conditional residency) because you will have been married less than two years. It would be an IR if you were married more than two years. Nothing is stopping you from filing immediately. Your spouse cannot live with you in the USA while you await the final approval of the CR1 visa. Proof of a bonafide marriage includes your marriage certificate proving that your are legally married; evidence of an ongoing relationship such as pictures of you two together and with other family members etc; boarding passes/travel itineraries from visits; telephone and email logs, letters from friends or relatives; joint bank accounts etc. Those are examples. Your 'chances' with respect to filing the I 130 petition is not at all affected by how long you've been married. You can marry and file the next day if you want. Again I would suggest you read and become familiar with the guides. Good luck. Edited by zenaxe, 06 March 2010 - 05:48 AM.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-06 05:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	getting married on a visit!!!	My girlfriend and I are wanting to get married when she visits in the next few months. We already know that its possible and that we would apply for the IR1/CR1 VISA AFTER MARRYING! My question is i know she'll have to go back to canada for the interview at the embassy but howhelp long will the process be and exactly what all goes down with this process? will she be allowed to come back to the united states or will she have to remain in canada? thanks guys and gals? I'm Canadian and my wife is American; we got married in the USA. We sent off our petition I 130 and I left shortly thereafter and returned to Canada. I did go visit her in Feb and I had no problem crossing the border. Always be honest with the good folks at the border and answer their questions truthfully. To cross over the border she'll require strong ties to Canada ie lease, mortgage and title, current utility bills, employment letter advising of your employment and expected date of return etc. She does have to eventually interview in Montreal as the final step in the visa process. The process can take anywhere from 7 months to over a year; I think the average is about 9 months. You should get familiear with the guides on visa journey - they are quite helpful with the entire process including filing your petition. Good luck.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-08 22:22:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 approved	Hello fellow memebers,i recently received my NOA letter stating that my I-130 was approved,i called the NVC and i finally received my case number,should i just wait for the 4-6 weeks until i receive something from the NVC or should i call and tell them whats going on with my case? What to do? Congrats on the approval. I'd wait a few days then start getting on the phone to an operator at NVC. Consider filing out a VJ timeline.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-09 21:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	approved	Congrats to those approved !!	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-13 18:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR1 processing	Gosh I don't think I've heard of that. The interview takes place where the beneficiary is a legal resident. I'm sure some people where born in country A then moved as a child to country B never to return to country A - it would be absolutly unnecessay to make that person return to country A simply for the interview. Besides, lots of PR's of Canada have interviewed in Canada and have not had to return to their country of birth. Perhaps you're thinking of the K-3 interview that takes place in the country of marriage Good luck No it's not where you interview. Yes you would interview in the country you reside ie Canada etc; but it terms of how the petitions or visas are processed. I'll see if I can dig that up. I could be way off but thought it was on the gov't sites or maybe I misread something; hence my post inquiring. <!--quoteo(post=3783251:date=Mar 9 2010, 08:06 PM:name=zenaxe)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (zenaxe @ Mar 9 2010, 08:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=3783251"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I read somewhere but am not sure where exactly, that CR1 visas are processed in part by country of birth rather than in which country one may live. Does anyone have information on this?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Country of birth can impact the processing of both the petition and the visa application even if the interview is is the country of residence. For example we recently had a thread about a Pakistani interviewed in London who went through AP after the interview BECAUSE he's from Pakistan. Interesting to note this.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-14 12:55:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR1 processing	I read somewhere but am not sure where exactly, that CR1 visas are processed in part by country of birth rather than in which country one may live. Does anyone have information on this?	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-09 23:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Travel to US for Job Interview	Yeah, but if they could decided to deny entry because interview dates can be rescheduled and the green card isn't guaranteed. And that is NOT the kind of impression you want to make on a potential future employer. "Oh hi, I'm sorry, we're going to have to reschedule the interview because the border patrol wouldn't let me in, even though I showed them I had to be back next week for my IV interview. Let's reschedule for next week!" And then not only could you have burned that bridge, you have a denied entry on your record. Granted: it's Canada, not MENA, so they're not looking for any reason to deny, and it seems to be semi-common to have a denied entry or tourist visa. But at the end of the day, it begs the question: in this economy, is it really worth it? Unless this is a cattle call interview, scheduling the interview after the visa interview shouldn't be a huge problem. I'm sure if the OP is honest with his prospective employer about the two weeks and possible issue at the border, they could understand in the event of a denial of entry. Also if there is a deny of entry, it won't affect his visa approval.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-16 21:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Medical Exam before case complete?	We're waiting for case complete from the NVC and looking forward to the rest of the process in Frankfurt. My wife would like to get the medical exam out of the way, and from what I've read on the embassy page it looks like a person can walk-in for the medical at anytime. Will it cause confusion if the consulate hasn't received our case yet and she completes the medical exam? They clearly state that the records can't be more than 6 months old, so that gives us a lot of time. I believe in Canada, we have to wait until one gets the letter advising of the interview at the Embassy before one can get the medical because that letter is required and given to the civil surgeon. I think the reason is that the case isn't completed until NVC says so - you would be jumping the gun in an effort to get things moving along. You may want to call NVC or even the medical clinics to inquire. And prior to the medical, all vaccinations are to be completed - if they are not, the medical clinic may send you to a local travel clinic to get what's necessary but it's recommended your immunization is up to date prior to the medical. I don't know how it works in Germany but I suspect the same applies. Good luck. Edited by zenaxe, 16 March 2010 - 12:37 AM.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-16 00:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Need a Divorce now.	Yes Some women are psychotic to the extent that they may admit an "affair" even if none has happened. Not saying this is the case here, but this could have been a "loyalty test" gone awry. Best to cut your losses, whatever the circumstances. I once had a very short "non-relationship" with a girl I dated in college who said she was dying of cancer. I was sympathetic, I didn't try to cut her loose for that. Then she came and told me the next day it was a joke... That was the end of that...to this day I can't figure that out. Loyalty test?? One gets to a stage in life where if people are playing games like secretly testing your loyalty...well you're still going to have problems. Games are for teenagers and really have little purpose in a healthy adult relationship ..just my humble opinion.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-18 22:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Need to leave the US while waiting approval?	Hi I am just beginning this journey. The more I read, the more confused I get. I'm sure I will be able to follow the steps once I better understand the path I should take. Situation:I was born raised and lived in the US for almost 50 years. I want to marry a Canadian citizen. I hope I am wrong, but in my researching today it appears that my wife to be will have to remain outside of the United States for a period of time, while the forms get processed. Our plan was to get married in the US and fill out forms (whatever they turn out to be) but have her here living with me the entire time. Is this not possible? Does she need to stay in Canada for a period of time? We have no problem going the fiance route if determined to be better or easier. Also She has told me based on her research that we can get married in US, and then I will be her sponsor, and thus she can remain in the US the entire time, but will not be eligible for employment for 5 years. I did not see anything relating to the 5 year law. I have read about the K-1, K-3 and the IR-1/CR-1, but still sit here overwhelmed. Any advice, clarification, suggestions are welcome Thanks Mark It can get overwhelming at first but once you start getting familiar with it and read the guides at the top of the visajourney menu etc you'll have a better understanding. See the section on the different types of visas and also on how to file etc. People have alread replied to your post. You have a few options as previously pointed out. You can file a K 1 petition for a fiance. You file for her and she remains in Canada. There is a process and it takes time. If you file a K 1 and it's approved - she'll have to have an interview in Canada - she then comes down and after crossing into the USA on that K1 visa, you guys have 90 days to marry. If you fail to marry within the 90 days the visa expires and she'll have to leave the country. The K1 visa doesn't allow her to work or allow her to leave the USA. It's a one time entry visa for marriage. You would have to apply to adjust her status after marriage and you would apply for Emmployment Authorization and Advanced parole. One gets her legal to work and the other allows travel. These additonal permits take a few months as well. After the marriage , the adjustment of status is the road to getting her green card. With the CR 1 visa. You guys could marry in the USA and she would then have to leave the country and return to Canada. Then you file for the I 130 petition and there is a lot to know and file but if you follow the guides and ask questions, you should get a better understanding. When you file the petition it goes through various stages until a final approval is granted. I wont bore you with the gory details here but the guides will help you. She would be allowed to visit you while the petition and visa applications are being processed but crossing the border depends on the border officer. She would have to bring strong ties to Canada when she crosses ie return ticket helps - no one way trips, lease or mortgage, utility bills current, letter from an employer showing her status and a clear date of when she is expected back to work etc etc. She's no longer just a regular visitor when you marry and file the petition so be prepared. Again get familiar with the guides on the site and ask questions. You'll learn if you apply yourself. As well you can seek the advise of immigration lawyers and consult as to what may be your best plan. I was going to use a lawyer and had email consultations and one telephone consultation with a legal beagle but decided I could do this without legal representation based on what I learned on visa journey. It's great and people are very helpful. Good luck.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-18 22:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Police Certificate in canada takes 120 days or so	I'm a little ignorant to the police certificate. I'm also Canadian and am wondering where you got the information from for your police certificate. I went to the local RCMP office. I signed a consent and they got my certificate in a few days. I'm also aware of something that got it on the stop. I have no idea why you'd have to wait 120 days if you are in Canada; especially if you have no priors.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-25 21:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Police Certificate in canada takes 120 days or so	Hey guys im just a little bit upset after everything we completed all the requirements aside from the police certificate in canada...i cant believe we have to wait that long.....they said it takes 120 days or so for waiting...... I'm in BC and got my police certificate in about 3 days.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-06 01:22:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Sending DS-3230 via email to NVC	Is there anything I need to do to change the online version of the DS-3230 before I send it electronically to the NVC? The lady I talked to at NVC said to put my case # on it...do I put that where the barcode would be? Is is enough that it is attached to my OPTIN email? Help...I'm just about to do this...thank you!! I assume you mean the DS3032 and not the DS230....you wrote DS3230 But you also mention OPTIN in. If you are at the OPTIN stage and are sending the DS3032 (choice of agent) form then do the following - note this is an example aand you obviously write your own information on this. Subject Line: OPTIN XXX2009123123 (this is where you put your NVC casenumber) Body: Petitioner's Email Address: JoeBob@yahoo.com Beneficiary's Email Address: SallyMae@yahoo.com Petitioner's name: JoeBob Jones Beneficiary's name: Sally Mae Vo Petitioner's Date of Birth: 01/12/1959 Beneficiary's Date of Birth: 04/11/1962 [Optional]Attorney of Record's name and address Then attached the scanned .pdf DS3032 and don't worry about the barcode. It's only relevant if you are filing by mail and not electronic. And as others mentioned this DS3032 and the OPTIN email comes from the beneficiary's email and not the petition. I've never really understood why frankly. What's the difference as long as they get the document. But be sure to follow the rules. I'm hoping to be at NVC this week and am looking forward to being at the same step you're in now.... Good luck	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-28 03:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	IR-1 or K3	A little bit overwhelm ed after reading through the guides multiple times in the past couple of weeks. Any opinions on which visa IR-1 or K3 is the path of least resistance? Just echoing what Christeen said , the K3s are not being used much as they take as long as CR1 and IR1s and then with K3 you would have to file for adjustment of status and that adds about $1000 to the cost plus you'd also have to get employment authorization document to work legally and apply for advanced parole if you wanted to travel out of the USA and return...this until you would get the green card after filing under K3....as well just to clarify, CR1 is conditional residence and that's if you've been married less than 2 years; and it's the IR1 if you've been married more than 2 years. With CR1 it's good for two years and 90 days before expiration you need to apply to have the conditions removed. This involves an interview and you have to show you're still married and that the relationship is going well, that you have proof of this etc - after that it's a 10 yeaar green card. With IR1 it's automatically a 10 year card and no requirement to remove conditions. Good luck.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-28 03:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NVC case number	We've been calling them daily to try to get our NVC number. One woman was short tempered saying it takes 15 days and that we should be calling them until at least that length of time has passed. Ya whatever, given that people on vj has sometimes had theirs in a few days. So we called again...one polite person said it could take up to 90 days. Today the nice man said 15 days, I'll call again tomorrow lol. The US postal system works pretty well and I assume this is couriered or inhouse mail or possibly regular post but the case is likely there now and just awaiting input into the system. The name of the game is keep trying at NVC until you get the case number assigned. Then the fun begins...	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-30 01:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Total fee for CR-1 visas	I was thinking it was something like $470 too. Could anyone confirm!? And thanks so much...I posted this on the DCF forum 2 DAYS AGO and still haven't gotten a response! Yes sachinsky got it. $355 for the I 130 petition (initial filing) $70 for the aff of support bill I 864 $400 for the immigrant visa (DS 230) Your other costs are in the vaccinations as required, medical examination (varies by physician), then any type of travel required for the embassy interview. Those are the only fees I'm aware of with CR1.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-31 10:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Visit US While CR-1 Visa is being processed	The first time I crossed into the USA after we got married was in mid Feb. I brought all my evidence ie title/mortgage documents, letter from my employer with the expected return date, NOA1 to show were were doing it properly etc etc. And the official asked me one question: how long would I be in the USA - I answered and he let me through. This was Vancouver International airport. I'm now back in the USA visiting my wife - flew in yesterday for about a week. I crossed by land to fly out of Bellingham. I have a Nexus card so that speeds things up. This time the border official asked what the nature of the visit was (my brother in law was driving me to the airport), I told the official I was going to Arizona to visit over Easter, he asked me was there and I told him I"m visiting my wife and her family. He asked what she was doing there. I told him she lived there - he asked if she was a citizen, yes she is. He then asked what is the plan ie is she moving or am I moving. I told him I was moving to the USA. He asked if we had petition/applied accordingly. I told him yes we are in the process and moving along nicely in that process. He asked for my return ticket itinerary. I initially gave him my printed out boarding pass and he said 'this is only a one way ticket' and asked for the return. I gave him my itinerary showing both legs of the journey. He asked how many suitcases were in the covered part of the truck. I travel light these days given that I have clothes and things down there. So I bring on board stuff. I always over pack anyway and always say ok no more over packing then I do it anyway. But I answered there was nothing in the back, as I was only bringing my onboard bag and not checking in bags. He said welcome to the United States. Very smooth no problem. I had commented on another link about my last trip (can't find that posting) when I came down in Feb we also went to the Riviera Maya for our honeymoon. And I had left all my ties to Canada in Arizona given our trip to Mexico. So all was great then on the return flight from Mexico into Dallas/Fort Worth, we discussed the ties to Canada and realized I didn't have anything and we were about to enter the US from another point of entry, Mexico. I thought oh great, I can't even show one document to prove I was only coming for a visit. I won't repeat my post but answered all his questions. He realized my wife is a US citizen and asked how that worked ie must be a lot of commuting etc. I said yes it was and got expensive. A few more questions and I got through without any trouble. I realize now that that could have been a problem situation for me. I didn't even think about it given everything....Mexico and back. But you are still entering the US from a point of entry. So far I've had zero problems and don't anticipate any problems in future, although I'm planning one more trip over summer and the one after should be to activate my permanent resident card, hopefully. Be truthful always to border patrol and be prepared to answer every question and to show evidence as required. Good luck.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 11:30:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	K3 vs IR-1 / CR-1	Yes there's been a lot of confusion including some in the above post. USCIS hasn't changed anything regarding K3 for more than three years. What's new came from NVC, part of the Dept. of State. The result is the same though. K3 hasn't saved any appreciable time in three years and now K3 is dead with only an obscure obituary. As a result the K3 ghost is still reaching out from the grave to slow down the CR1 process for anybody who hasn't read or heeded the obscure obituary. Funny post but dead on (no actual pun intended but sometimes you just get lucky)	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 11:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR-1 still pending and job offer	Hello, Several updates regarding this case. 1) We have contacted the Congressman and we filled a form to allow him to ask about the status of the request on our behalf. 2) We called USCIS and requested information as the process was outside normal processing times. Below is the answer: USCIS electronic records indicate that your application/petition was filed on September 28, 2009 and is currently within current processing time. We are currently processing cases filed on February 02, 2007. I think that there is a big problem and something should be really off. According to the USCIS website CSC is taking 5 months to process this case (I130) but the email they sent says that they are in the normal timeframe. DO you have any ideas? What can I do to move this thing? Am I did something wrong? Thanks, That is the stock and standard USCIS response to any requests. They will always tell you that it's within the five months blah blah...I think you did the right thing by contacting the congressman's office and completing the release of information etc and let them inquire further on your behalf. They have the ability and political clout to cut through some red tape, at least in terms of inquiry into the matter. Wait for your reply from them and /or follow up if you haven't heard back from the congressman's office. Did you discuss with them how long until you may get information from their office? Good luck.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 18:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR-1 still pending and job offer	Hello, My wife and I sent the I-130 papers on September 2009 and received NOA1 on Sept. 28th, 2010 as of today, we have not received any more news (It has been 6 months already). Today, we filed a service request in order to understand what is happening. I have been interviewing with a company and they want to hire me, the problem is that I do not know when the green card will be ready. I do not know if have any other options or if I am required to wait until the CR-1 process is done (whenever the USCIS decides to finish reviewing my case) and most likely loose this opportunity. I am wondering if I could get any other kind of visa? Let's say TN since I am a mexican citizen? Can I expedite the process using premium processing? Thanks for you comments, -alfonso You cannot get a TN visa because this visa is a non immigrant visa - you cannot have any intent to immigrate. If you do, ,they can pull your visa (then you have no status) plus you may face sanctions. Moreover, because you have an I 130 in play, that shows you have intent to immigrate so TN1 visa is not an option. You may wish to call your congressman or woman's office to inquire as to the hold up on your case. You may try to get your employer to do an H1B visa but you have to see what level/priority a worker you would be ie professional degree, advanced degree, labourer etc. And depending on the type of employment you might be in, the H1B visa is usually showing a deadline of April of each year and if granted, you come in October of the year. However, if your employment has any links to universities and practicum you may be excempt. That might have confused you if you are unsure of H1B status but you can google this or research H1B to see what that means. You're best bet may be to try to get to the bottom of your delay and that may require the congressman's helps. Good luck. Edited by zenaxe, 29 March 2010 - 10:02 PM.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-29 22:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NVC receive documents	It is absolutely fine to send both packages in together as long as both bills have been paid, cleared and the barcoded cover sheets have been attached. Ahh I glanced over they received all the documents. I read it to mean that NVC received the document from the service centre and they sent out the AOS and DS230. Tbey were well past that in the process and are essentially at completion then? Ok. Thanks.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 15:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NVC receive documents	Luk--You're fine. Your log in fail should fail in a day or two, barring any RFEs. Check on Monday. It's taking 8-10 business days currently. What am I missing in the poster's note then? I don't want to offer suggestions that are out to lunch, that's for sure. Thx	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 15:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NVC receive documents	Hi, I have a question . AVR says : NVC has receive documents 29 March 2010. I have sent AOS Packet and DS 230 same day. AVR only says they have recived documents but they didn't say which documents. So they have all documents ( AOS PAcket and DS 230 ) When the process can finish ? Thanks for answers . It sounds by what you wrote that you jumped the gun. You have to get notification of your AOS bill then pay it, and then complete the documentation requirements for that piece of the processing ie I 864, letter of employment, tax transcripts etc etc - once that is taken care of then NVC bills you for the IV visa and THEN you submit the DS230 package which includes all those other non financial forms ie marriage certicate, divorce decress, police certificate, birth certificate, passport pictures etc. Uumping the gun could potentially slow down your process, not expidite it ...	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 14:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	RFE ON MY BIRTHDAY!	Just recieved a text and email that we have an RFE on our case...I guess we wont find out until we recieve the mail from USCIS... Any idea what it might be, any common RFE's during the intial steps??? Heartbroken that after waiting 2.5 months...that we have an RFE... =( It's difficult to speculate; it could be anything from a missing signature on a form, to a missing page, to a missing line on information they require. Anything. I'd suggest calling USCIS and getting an operator to try to find out asap. RFE can delay but it doesn't mean bad news overall; possibly a correction etc. You need to find out what specifically you need to do. And now you know you are being processed and it's not just sitting there. Work is being done. Stay positive and get them what they need once you find out. Good luck...	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 17:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA 2 confusion?	It'll be really good for the Dept of State to have EP in every country, or at least as many as possible. I guess that's a process that may happen in future. I know Canada was added in only June 2009 but I'm grateful for that. It's a fairly new process and even that is going through recent changes, I'm told. Best wishes for a speedy NVC for all of us regardless of which vehicle is used.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 15:04:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA 2 confusion?	we have our number!! thats what i said and thats why i am so confused. I thought as soon as we have a number we could give them our email addy? the lady said we cant do nothing for another 4weeks so she didnt want out email addy. So i was wondering do we have to have the hard copy and how long should it take to get it because im am confused at to what she is telling us to wait for. also i dont know where i find that thread as you already posted on one of my posts before and i couldnt find it. Im not to good on this forum Are you eligible for electronic processing? I assume that's why you gave your email addresses. If you are eligible for EP, then after you give NVC your email addresses, they will send you a few emails, one of which is the AOS bill that requires online payment, or alternative. However, if you qualify for electronic processing, then once you get your case number assigned, you should send the OPTIN email (see wikie on nvc) with what's required in the body of that email plus include a .pdf of the signed DS3032 (choice of agent). If you don't have electronic processsing, then I believe you have to wait for the hardcopy information to be sent to you by NVC. They would be sending you the DS3032 and the AOS bill. It's exactly the same process only that one is done completely and entirely in electronic format, and the other gets processed via postal service. The EP should be faster, and according to an email sent to us by NVC, it could be up to 70% faster to process than would be via postal service. I know that many countries don't have the EP option. Good luck. Are you eligible for electronic processing? I assume that's why you gave your email addresses. If you are eligible for EP, then after you give NVC your email addresses, they will send you a few emails, one of which is the AOS bill that requires online payment, or alternative. However, if you qualify for electronic processing, then once you get your case number assigned, you should send the OPTIN email (see wikie on nvc) with what's required in the body of that email plus include a .pdf of the signed DS3032 (choice of agent). If you don't have electronic processsing, then I believe you have to wait for the hardcopy information to be sent to you by NVC. They would be sending you the DS3032 and the AOS bill. It's exactly the same process only that one is done completely and entirely in electronic format, and the other gets processed via postal service. The EP should be faster, and according to an email sent to us by NVC, it could be up to 70% faster to process than would be via postal service. I know that many countries don't have the EP option. Good luck. Also, you should consider updating your VJ time line ~~	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-01 14:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Wow, case is moving forward fast	Hi all I submitted my application on December 24, 2009 and the notice date was December 30,2009 (USCIS confirms they received my application). And then I heard nothing until a few days ago. I checked online at the UCIS site and I was surprised to see that they had already reached Post Decison Activity. It said "On March 4, 2010, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN." My question is, is the time line under Check Case Status in order by steps at the UCIS website? See image Below: So I suppose I didn't have to provide any Request for Evidence or Testing and Interview. Nice. Congrats on your approved petition !! You're a late Dec filer; this is great news for us early Jan filers.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-06 19:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Photograph Question	Thanks, thats great. Also, do you know from where I will get discription of picture ie size, background etc. I will upload my timeline thanks for reminder. You have to go get passport style pictures and make sure they are 2x2 inches. You can get them done anywhere in Canada but just specify they are for American standards and you should get the right size. Canada has slightly different measurements and we are also using the metric system. There is a section on photographs on the guides but don't have it handy to give to you. You can also go to the Dept of State website and that will tell you exactly what is required for the photos. All you really need to worry about is the size issue and anyplace like Walmart, Costco , AAA places will do the passport shots and they'll know what to do. The background is to be white I believe.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-12 00:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Photograph Question	Scan it - I wrote the NVC number and my name on the back - scan that. Also do a coversheet to list all your documents. Bring your originals docs/photos to Montreal. You should complete a signature time line plus a VJ timeline...	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-12 00:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Photograph Question	I am about to email DS-230. The question is how I am gonna send photograph. Do I need to scane and attached it to email????? or will take it with me on interview. We have OPTIN with Montreal. Scan it - I wrote the NVC number and my name on the back - scan that. Also do a coversheet to list all your documents. Bring your originals docs/photos to Montreal.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-12 00:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	preparing ds230 and 3032 ahead of time.. do you let the beneficiary sign AND put current date ahead of time	hello, still waiting for NOA2 of my I-130. been reading a lot of VJ in the meantime.. thanks to VJ members by the way. anyway, i always see the advice to prepare the 230 and 3032 in advance. question is, (might be silly).. do you let the beneficiary sign the forms and put the DATE already? don't we need to wait for the NVC to send us the packet and then fill it out or i guess they are aware that we can download these forms ahead of time. alternatively, should i just let her sign it so she can mail it now, then i'll just put the date when i am at the NVC stage? thanks We completed all our documents ahead of NVC getting the case number. We just held off a little on the date. I honestly don't see much of a problem if the DS230 is signed a few weeks or month before they send you the IV bill. Frankly , what's important is that you completed the forms and signed them. When I was doing them I was a bit concerned thinking hmmm don't want to sign too early etc and now that I think about it, I'm not sure it's even an issue. I don't know if others would agree or not. Good idea to have everything prepared and ready to go.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-20 20:51:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	police certificate 3 months expiration date	hi guys, i've been approved for my case in CSC. now my case will transfer to NVC. my question is that my husband got his police certificate and it has an expiration date for 3 months. it's been almost a month since he got it. now in couple of weeks hopefully i'll be sending in his ds230 will all the required doc's. should i ask him to get a new one by the time of his interview? is NVC going to ask for a new one?? confused. My understanding is that NVC accepts them up to about a year - the police ones may expire but NVC will accept them. You could likely confirm that with NVC.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-23 00:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	PAID AOS FEE, MAILED AOS, WHAT NEXT	I PAID THE AOS FEE ONLINE AND SENT IN THE AOS ALONG WITH ALL THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS. WE ALREADY SENT IN THE CHIOICE OF AGENT AS WELL. MY QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. WILL I GET ANOTHER BILL IN THE MAIL FOR THE VISA FEE. ONCE I PAY THE VISA FEE DO I NEED TO SEND THE DS-230 AND ALL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO NVC OR IS THIS SOMETHING SHE BRINGS TO THE INTERVIEW? Well...how did you know to get as far as you already have? I recommend the guides.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-22 02:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	USPS is Stupid	So my husband finally sends the petition express to Chicago on Friday with instructions to have it delivered today because the office will be closed on Saturday...and sure enough they attempted delivery on SATURDAY and left a notice for pick-up. I have a gut feeling they will not go to pick it up at the post office! And because it was an express delivery, I can't reschedule online....my husband has to call his local number before 5pm (in which he can't today as he's working) to have it redelivered. The ONLY bonus is a refund of the money because of USPS' error. But who cares so much about the money....the point of expressing it and paying more is to get it there FAST AND SECURE! I'm already fed-up with the immigration process and it's ONLY JUST BEGUN! I am seriously considering sponsoring my husband to live in Canada. American organizations are retarded and the immigration guidelines are as well. That does suck. I find, however, that USPS is fairly quick; I think it's related to them working 6 days not 5 like Canada post does. That's going to change next year or later this year for USPS as they are looking at cost savings and reducing operations by one day. But I find mails gets to places across the USA in very quick time ie one or two days etc. At least that's been my experience and was impressed. That doesn't help your situation not to mention you paid more to have it there even quicker. There's lots of great reasons to stay in Canada; there's lots of great reasons to move to the USA. Don't let your frustration overwhelm you or it might. And if you're a the beginning of the immgration process, you may find you have a bit of a road, and it's not always straight. Good luck and stay positive.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-26 21:33:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR-1/IR-1 What's the difference	Welcome to VJ and to the boards !! This site is great and can answer probably all of your questions with the postings and general information on here. You should get famliar with the guides as they help explain the difference between visas etc and how to proceed. Have a look. The quick and dirty is that CR means conditional residency and IR means immediate relative. Both are relatively the same thing ie spousal visas but the CR1 visa is granted to those who have been married less than 2 years and the IR visa is granted to those married more than 2 years. That simple. You mention you plan on marrying in July - congrats to you guys !! However, are you living in Canada at this stage? You can't marry and live together whlie filing for those visas ie CR1. If you are planning on being in the USA before and after you marry, you should be filing for a fiance visa. The CR1 visa applies only to those that are married not engaged. And once you marry, you file the required paperwork for the CR1 visa and then you have to leave the US or he leave Canada (depending on where you marry) and you wait the process. It is illegal to come in to the USA marry and remain in the country while you await the visa to be approved. You are allowed to enter to marry but you have to leave within a reasonable time after you marry. If you want to be living in the USA and are engaged, apply for the fiance visa, wait for it's approval then go into the USA and you'll have 90 days in which to marry. I don't want to overwhelm you with information. Start with the guides on here and review which visa is right for you etc and get a better understanding. Then post questions and go from there. We got married in Dec 2009 and I'm still in Canada and my wife is a USC living there. We are getting close to the CR1 visa interview in Montreal - we filed late Dec/early Jan so it's been four months thus far and it'll be a few more months until we get the CR1 visa. The process is anywhere from 7 - 12 months. Congrats and good luck,	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-04-28 00:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	'Nature of relationship' letter?	Thanks alot for your reply! I read through both the ebook and websites like this quite alot. And I'm just finishing up the package. I have emails, chats, phone bills, flight itineraries, pictures, etc. And I appreciate you letting me know about it. But I was just looking to hear people's opinions about the letter of the relationship. I felt pretty dumb after buying the ebook and finding this website and others like it. I never would have bought it! But alas, I'm here now. And just double checking on things... getting other's opinions. I don't wanna mess up! Sorry for all the typing errors in my reply. I was writing quickly. Visajourney was actually the biggest reason why I chose to handle the immigration case myself instead of hiring a lawyer. I had consulted by email with one or two and had a telephone consultation with another. I was also resarching sites to get help and when I stumbled on VJ I found it to be the most helpful. It's a great resource and while there isn't anyone here giving nor should be giving legal advise, it's people with experience in the process and people being very helpful. We're all trying to get to the same place: united with our loved ones. Good luck and fire away with any questions about anything.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-27 10:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	'Nature of relationship' letter?	Hi everybody, As a quick introduction: I am a 19 year old male US citizen. I am currently in the process of assembling a I-130 petition, for my Egyptian wife, in the hopes of having her qualify for and receiving a CR-1 visa. I had purchased an ebook 'Spousal visa secrets' by Fred Wahl. Some of you may know of it. In his ebook he recommends writing a 'nature of relationship' letter to the USCIS/NVC. This letter is supposed to describe how we met, how we have maintained contact, future plans, when we got engaged, when we got married, etc. Has anybody ever done one of these before? Is it necessary? When googling it I have only found the author of the ebook recommending it on his many, many sites (which are exact duplicates of eachother with different URLs). I just wanted to ask of other's opinions as I am unsure if I fully trust this character. I emailed him about the NVC posting on Feb 1st regarding CR1/K3 visas. He never completely answered me on whether or not the proposed 'method' in his ebook was still applicable. I am guessing this would be because his ebook is essentially worthless now, as he proposes to switch from CR1 to K3 in the ebook, which as I have learned isn't the way to go anymore. Thanks in advanced! P.S: If I have more questions, would members prefer me to post in this thread alone, or to create another regarding the specific questions? Well I'm not sure how you go from a CR1 to a K3....the K3rs are becoming obsolete and if you have applications for CR1 and K3s, the K3 would be null and void once the CR1 hits NVC. If you aren't sure about the difference in the two visa, check out the guides on the websit here, Visajourney. There is also information on which visa is best for you In terms of this guy's ebook, well that's entirely up to you. However, in my opinion, it isn't necessary because you have to prove ie show evidence of the bonafides of the relationship and marriage. Writing a letter detailing when you met etc and a chronology of events isn't that helpful overall. The best way to show evidenced of the relationship is by way of telephone logs/bilss, msn or skype chats, photographs of you to together over the course of the relationship, pictures of you and both of you with family members from both families, border passes from flights, paid flight tickets, of course your marriage certificate to prove you did get married. You will need this at your embassy interview but you will and should also provide reasonable evidence at the initial filing stages. Some people went all out and loaded up at the I 130 petitions and others put less there and had sufficient evidence for the personal interview at their embassy. You want to avoid requests for evidence so ensure you have supporting evidence at the time of filing is good. At least that's my bias.. We sent in pictures of us together, with family, our engagement party, telephone bills, flight itineraries, boarding passes, joint bank account we opened and money going in and out of it, wedding invititations we sent out, wedding pictures etc etc. They want tangible evidence of a legitimate and ongoing relationship which you can readily provide if you are in one. You can consider this book but I don't think you need it. Many here , in fact, haven't purchased it. Get familiar with the guides, they are helpful. Good luck and keep asking questions on the board.	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-03-26 21:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Urgh what have i done	It'll be great for all of us to finish with all this so we can stop worrying lol Good luck....	zenaxe	Male	Canada	2010-05-07 00:19:00