Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Medisys Montréal	The results at Medisys are available in 3 business days I think... I didn't ask specifics because it's not important in my case. There's a recent review of the other Montreal clinic here: http://www.visajourn...howtopic=238088 - the cost there is $260 and it may be faster, but I'm not sure. My husband's medical at Medisys is Feb 23 and he was told we should have our results back in time for our March 1st interview (should be ready Thursday, Friday at the latest). He had better pray really hard that there is no problems with his medical since he decided to wait until the extreme last minute to have it done. (last day possible and latest appointment possible).... Thanks for the review La Souris! Edited by redmen99, 16 February 2010 - 03:28 PM.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-16 15:28:00
Canada	Finally Home!	THANK YOU for posting this! My hubby and I were just debating which border crossing to use, Peace Bridge or Thousand Islands. (His stuff is in storage in Courtice so Thousand Islands would be a better option.) We were thinking of going the Peace Bridge route since I haven't seen any reviews on Thousand Islands until now. Its good to know this is really an option now. Oh, and welcome to the US!!! Edited by redmen99, 18 February 2010 - 01:23 PM.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-18 13:22:00
Canada	Leaving the US today, :(	Oh totally. I should have given props to Sam for that advice too. Things are ALWAYS much better when you have a date to look forward to. Of course, my wife would always get annoyed when we'd talk each night and I'd say, "Twenty more days!" or somesuch. Then again, she's probably getting annoyed NOW when I'm saying, "Fifteen more days!" regarding my interview date. HAHAHAHAAA My husband and I do this constantly when we are apart! We are very lucky that we've been together a lot during the immigration process, mostly because he is unemployed right now, so he'll come down for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. I didn't see him for almost all of January because he wanted to spend some time in Canada and mostly because EI was giving him a hassle about not being in Canada. So for the whole month of January after I left him in Montreal, I always heard is it February yet? Is it February yet? How many more days? Then when it got to a few days, we started counting hours... yeah we are total dorks but it really helped!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-18 13:14:00
Canada	Envelope. Expresss	**bump** For easy access for anyone who has their interview coming up and like the hubby and I, haven't bought the envelope yet.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-22 00:39:00
Canada	February/March CR-1 / IR-1 Interview Discussion Thread	I'm finally getting nervous I think... He's leaving here tomorrow to head up to Montreal for his medical on Tuesday, then I'm meeting him in Buffalo on Friday and going back to Montreal with him on Sunday for the interview on Monday.... 4 days left to make any copies I need and think of anything last minute to bring...	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-21 23:06:00
Canada	February/March CR-1 / IR-1 Interview Discussion Thread	10 days for me!!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-19 16:36:00
Canada	February/March CR-1 / IR-1 Interview Discussion Thread	Question for everyone doing EP: Are you taking all orginals + photocopies of documents sent at NVC stage for interview OR only originals since the Consulate already has the scanned documents? I'm bringing originals of everything I filed and then some. It doesn't hurt to have too much information at your fingertips.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-01-30 21:58:00
Canada	February/March CR-1 / IR-1 Interview Discussion Thread	Another question, do I need to obtain a new police certificate, or is the one I sent back in November sufficient? And will my husband need to fill out another I-864 form? o_o The police cert is good for one year, so the one you have should be fine. My letter says the one I emailed in was accepted, but I'll bring the original just in case they want to see it. Time to get organizing..... ugh!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-01-25 01:05:00
Canada	February/March CR-1 / IR-1 Interview Discussion Thread	Oh my, well, hopefully that doesn't happen. On another note, I've narrowed down my photos and moved them to a smaller envelope. It contains 60 pictures with dates ranging from May 2008 to July 2009. I think that'll be good for picture evidence. Here's to overthinking. And I still have 2 months to plan for this thing. >_< Sorry everyone! I think I have everything in order for the interview, I just need to print out a few things and get him to have more pictures taken. I only have 3 left and I scanned those for the NVC so I figure he can use those for his medical and get new ones for the interview. His mom found his shot records, so he has that for the medical, (hopefully he knows where he put it) so I just need to schedule his medical for him in Montreal.... I'm now thinking about if he wants to import his car, or take it back to Canada and sell it within a year... If he decides to import it, does he have to do it at POE or can he do it another time while crossing the border? Also thinking about him getting his PA drivers license and getting him and his car on my insurance policy and wondering how we get his EI to reflect that he is now a PR of the USA and wondering what else I need to worry about... hahahahahaaa	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-01-24 02:55:00
Canada	Canada-to-America Banking (Revisited)	Thanks for the info, I'll visit my local branch and ask to set it up / I did ask TD about it since I already have an account with them and they are present as TD Bank in my future location, but transfer between account didn't seem possible (the only + was that I can (and did) withdraw money with no fee from TD Bank American ATM). It figures. Hubby's accounts as well as a Line of Credit and Visa are at TD up in Canada. Amazingly "America's Most Convenient Bank" isn't all that convenient at all! I'm still amazed that people here don't realize TD stands for Toronto Dominion..... Hopefully we can get his debt paid off fast and get rid of them and all their nickel and dime charges for good!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-03 14:57:00
Canada	Canada-to-America Banking (Revisited)	I don't believe one could deposit at any other teller than an RBC one, no. That's the one downside to this particular account. Then again, in this day and age most people seldom receive checks -- for myself personally, I can just deposit them in my wife and I's joint account, then transfer the money over. Another thing I didn't mention earlier, since I think it's pretty minor, is that RBC will actually reimburse you for two ATM charges a month, if you happen to use an ATM machine that isn't RBC or have Cirrus or the other partnerships mentioned above. What Carla is saying, some ATM machines here in the states accept deposits whether its for that particular bank or not. It may take a few days for it to show on your account, and depending on your bank, there may be a small fee, but it is an option if you are in a bind. For example, you may be able to go to the ATM at the Citizens Bank in your local supermarket and deposit a check to your RBC account through that ATM. I don't know how exactly they handle these transactions, but I have done it before.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-03 14:52:00
Canada	Swiss Chalet Closing Restaurants	No offense but Swiss Chalet is gross to me! I LOVE chicken and such but hate Swiss Chalet, that sauce tastes weird to me. There... I said it. Carry on. I couldn't agree more! My hubby loves it, me not so much! And for those of you looking for the dipping sauce, my hubby bought cans of it at Zellers in Montreal. I'll have to ask him if he saw it anywhere else and will post it on here. I have 2 cans in my cabinets right now.... any bidders??	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-23 01:00:00
Canada	Medical in Montreal at Medisys	Glad to hear it went well. More nerve racking than it actually is. Thanks! I was way more nervous then he was. Probably because its so close to our interview. I was fearing the worst! Edited by redmen99, 23 February 2010 - 03:16 PM.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-23 15:16:00
Canada	Medical in Montreal at Medisys	I'm going by his text messages. Hubby's medical was today at 1:30 at Medisys. He walked into the office at 1:15 and there was 10 people in line waiting to check in. By 1:52, he was called back, undressed to his underwear and socks, had blood pressure reflexes and breathing checked, abs felt and done in like 3 minutes he said. By 2:00 he was ready to strip back to his underwear because it was so hot in there. Yep, that's my honey! Bloodwork was done by 2:21. He was a little nervous for that because he doesn't remember ever having to have a blood test before. But he said it was fine, just like getting his tetanus shot a while back. 2:30, x-ray done paid $213.22 - charged to visa. Got his shot records back during the blood test. They said he was up to date even though he said he needs the chicken pox vaccine since he never had it. They said, everyone in Montreal had that shot so he said, OK, if you say so! Good thing he spent the first 13 years of his life in Montreal! His only complaint about the whole thing besides how hot it was in there was parking. He parked in a lot where it was $3.50 every 20 minutes. OUCH! He can pick up his results on Thursday afternoon. SWEET!!!!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-23 15:02:00
Canada	US Health Fare	This is SO much more to think about than just running across the street to see my doctor. Sigh. My hubby is worth it, but JEEZ. Aww, I didn't mean to frustrate you! It was meant as an aid to help save money in the end. My husband doesn't get it at all.... He's going to be a difficult one to explain all this ####### to.....	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-23 22:52:00
Canada	US Health Fare	A quick rule of thumb for Health Insurance in the US. This may differ from plan to plan, but this is the basics... If you go to the doctors, you pay the co-pay and that is it, unless they do tests, (yearly pap, blood work, etc.) then there will be further co-pays later on for those tests. What you need to do is ask your doctor to send your tests to the lab that is covered under your insurance so that your co-pays are less. Some plans have an out of pocket deductible. If you use an "in-network" doctor your deductible will be less. If you use an "out of network" doctor, your deductible will be higher. Your best bet is to read the ins and outs of your policy through your employer as every plan is different and learn how you can save money by using doctors and hospitals that offer a discount to you by using their network providers. Your company's HR department should be able to direct you on where to find the information you require. You may also want to ask your HR department if they have a "Flex Spending Account" which takes money out of your paycheck pre-tax to use for co-pays, prescriptions, medical expenses, dentist co-pays and charges and even some over the counter medications. It gives you a tax savings and it helps cover the expenses. Also, check with your prescription plan. If you take a maintenance drug, like birth control or high blood pressure medication, you may be able to order a 3 month supply for the cost of a month or 2 depending on if you use generic or name brand. Just a few quick tips for my Canadian friends.....	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-23 22:34:00
Canada	Canadian vs. American PB, and grocery stores	I REALLY miss Loblaws and No Frills, and especially the President's Choice brand. Nothing compares. Trying to come on here and tell a bunch of Canadians that their food and grocery stores suck is kind of a dumb idea btw... just my 2 cents on that. We have SuperFresh here that carries President's Choice brand. I'm pretty sure its the same as what you would find in Loblaws. Not sure if you have those in your neck of the woods though.... I find that things taste different in different parts of the US as well. I have super taste buds and can tell the smallest of differences. For example, a coca cola made here in PA taste different then one made in Western NY. Different water = different taste. There is a HUGE difference between Canadian Coca Cola and US Coca Cola. Canadian coke has more taste.. IMO.....	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-23 22:48:00
Canada	Why Do Canadian Fast Food Restaraunts Serve Fries With EVERYTHING!	It's the Beef Gravy thing.... +1 I've never been a gravy fan, unless when you say gravy you mean the Italian gravy meaning red pasta sauce. Then I'd so be in for Poutine, but I'll settle for pizza fries, thanks!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-24 18:06:00
Canada	Why Do Canadian Fast Food Restaraunts Serve Fries With EVERYTHING!	I much prefer Mighty Taco to Taco Bell, but you can only find Mighty Tacos in Buffalo and they don't have fries. But closer to home we have Baja Fresh. Talk about eating a day's worth of fat and calories in one meal! My favorite there is the Chicken Baja Burrito Enchalado Style. 24 points on the Weight Watcher's books in that one meal! YIKES!!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-24 15:19:00
Canada	Good Luck, Froggie!	Good luck and safe travels for you and kitty!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-24 12:40:00
Canada	CR1/IR1 interviews in Montreal this week	x2! X3 OMG, is it Monday yet?	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-24 18:07:00
Canada	CR1/IR1 interviews in Montreal this week	Good luck!!! Reviews most appreciated!!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-21 22:59:00
Canada	To: Me From: Canada Post	2010/03/03 12:02 MONTRÉAL Item accepted at the Post Office !!!!!!!!!!!!! Mine too!!! Now all I need is his letter from Mazda to be emailed and we can move! Keeps fingers crossed!!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-03 16:30:00
Canada	I will NEVER contact Montreal Consulate AGAIN!!	Great news! Congrats! Good luck on your POE!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-03 16:38:00
Canada	transfering credit history to USA	I don't believe that the TD banks in the Northeast are connected as of yet, although I have heard that they are moving in that direction. TD Banks are not connected yet. And with all the fees they charge Canadians and will probably try to charge their US Customers that could be a good thing....	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-17 15:01:00
Canada	YAY!	Congrats!!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-03 11:18:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	Hey guys, where are people posting their montreal reviews? Is it in a different thread? Thanks Go to the header of the VJ and you will see Reviews:Embassy/USCIS and the reviews are there..	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-04 14:08:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	My review is in the Review section but I'll post it here: We arrived at the Consulate around 6:45ish and we were 4th in line. As it got closer to 7 - 7:15 more and more people lined up. The guard started to let us in around 7:30. At the security check we had to empty our pockets, take off any belts, coats, etc. Any electronic devices had to be checked in. The guard made a comment about hubby's car.. Mazda 3...good car... LOL We were given letter D. We got through security and waited downstairs for the elevator. A few minutes later a security guard came and took us to the 19th floor. The elevator feels like it doesn't move at all and then you end up on the 19th floor. We were told to wait in the area to the right. After a few minutes more people came up, but they were for the other side and whatever they do over there. That side was extremely busy and they used the same people that you have to go to for your CR-1 Visa. We were the only ones that electronically filed out of the group of 5 cases that was there for the day. We were the last ones called back for the document review at about 9:00 or so. They asked us for the original and copies of: birth certificate (long form)and I gave them the translation we had since his birth cert is in French, his divorce certificate, our marriage certificate, the DS-230, the financial documentation, the police report, the medical results, and the pictures. They reviewed the DS-230 with him and made sure all the info was correct. They changed what was needed like his age since his birthday was last week and little stuff here and there. They fingerprinted him and that was it. It felt like it took forever because I was so nervous that I couldn't find anything that she asked us for even though it was all in good order. My hubby just kept saying relax, breathe, you have the info in there, just take your time and find it. We didn't have the expresspost envelope (long story - but something to note the pharmacy that has a Canada Post in it does not open until 8am.) but it was not a problem. I told the woman that was taking our info that we didn't have the envelope, she said no problem, you can get it after the interview and bring it back. We made it back to the waiting room and by 10:00 am everyone was interviewed and approved except for us. We kept an eye on interview room 7 as that was where everyone was called for their interview. It seemed like they did a CR-1 visa, then next in line was whatever they were doing on the other side and down the line. We waited about an hour before we were called back for our interview. We walked into Room 7 and the woman asked if my hubby was ok with this pretty lady with him and he said of course. She swore us in and asked us: When we met. How we met. When we got engaged. If I had insurance in the States. She asked for updated financials, so I gave her my info for 2009. And that was about it. She said she needed to go copy my updated financials, but before she went she said she was satisfied with the info we gave them and gave us the Welcome to the US letter. She then gave me back my originals that I a few seconds later forgot she gave us so when I asked her for them she said I gave them to you a little forcefully, but I deserved it for saying no you didn't. Whoops! She then gave me a sheet of paper with the info on what window to go back to and where to go for the envelope, she also gave me a card to get back into the consulate. She said to read it in the waiting area, and I said but it doesn't say where I need to go, she said yes it does, read it! Yep, I deserved that snippyness too. The guy behind the Canadian Post counter was a great help, he must see this all the time. He made sure you kept a sticker of the tracking info and made sure you filled it out properly. SO, back to the consulate we go. He went to the car to grab our cell phones and things and I ran back up to the 19th floor. I had a wait a bit before someone saw me at the window, they asked me to sit down then someone finally came to take the envelope. By the time we got out of there for the day it was close to 11:45. I'm guessing because we were Electronic Processing that it took longer then mailing everything in and because the other side was busy we had to wait our place in line. All in all a good experience and we were approved so now we just wait for the big move! ***all times approximate as I didn't have a watch***	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-02 23:17:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	Why can't I post a review for the embassy? It tells me I need to register??	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-02 17:25:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	Congrats! I do believe hubs met you - at least he told me he did. Thanks everyone! Yes, we did meet the hubbs. I was calling him Mr. Mal. He was approved when we were back giving over our originals and the hubbs was getting fingerprinted so I didn't even get a chance to say congrats to him or anything. Congrats to all the recent approvals!!!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-02 16:02:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	Anyone heard from Redmen99? Sorry for the wait everyone! After our approval yesterday that took forever the hubby and I went for lunch and a bit of shopping and then celebrated with his family that night, so no time to get on the computer. I'll write up a full review in a bit, but we didn't get out of there (after having to go back with the Expresspost Envelope) until almost noon, so it really took forever. Wyatt, thanks for fillin everyone in. I appreciate it!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-02 13:10:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	There is one really close by the embassy! They even give directions to that shop on the embassy door. And that is the only reason I`m not going to kill him.. Well that and I think he`s really cute!	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-28 21:35:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	Red, what time are you planning on lining up? Mal, sometime between 6:30 and 7. My husband has been in Montreal for a few days and do you think he got the Xpresspost envelope yet? NO.... So now we need to find the place by the consulate to grab the envelope first thing in the morning. Nothing like doing things at the extreme last minute! GRRRRRRRRRRRR	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-28 21:06:00
Canada	Good luck to all the Canadians with interviews this week!	I am so excited! I never in my life ever looked forward to being awake at 5 am unless I was still up from the night before! I`m hoping I can sleep tonight... Good luck to everyone with interviews this week! I`ll post my review as soon as I possibly can.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-02-28 20:53:00
Canada	...clicking refresh on CanadaPosts page every hour... and POE	Our package made it to Mississauga this morning. Wonder when it will make it to Courtice.... Hoping for that phone call from hubby's friend saying its at his house....	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-04 14:43:00
Canada	Will wife still get to keep OHIP if we POE but she doesn't move yet	You should check and see what your health plans states for enrollment periods. Generally you are only allowed to change your plan once a year during the annual renewal period or within 30 days of a life-changing event such as marriage, birth of a child ,etc. You might want to check on when you are allowed to add her to your US plan, and if she is going to be moving to the US prior to that time, then you really should look into purchasing some sort of supplemental health insurance for when she enters the US to when you can add her. I checked with my employer about this since my open enrollment for this year was at the end of October. I didn't want to pay for him to be covered if he wasn't here. So they told me that becoming a resident was a Change of Life and that I can add him when he gets his SS# and greencard.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-05 15:25:00
Canada	POE Question	Just say that you are activating the CR-1 visa but you still have belongings in Canada which you will be coming back to get in a month or so and will be importing the car at that time. Make sure your husband's insurance covers his car while he is in the States until he is able to import and register it officially. Thank you Kathryn. I thought as much. Two more questions.. When importing the car, does it have to be at the border? He is thinking of maybe flying up and renting a truck and driving his things home and importing his car at the same time. And he can still get his US license right, or should he wait until his car is properly imported? I can't see why he'd have to wait, but I know that is his next question to me.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-04 20:54:00
Canada	POE Question	I know this has been addressed before, I just can't find it and hope someone will have an answer or direct me to where it was answered before. My hubby is getting antsy and wants to get to the states ASAP. So once his envelope from Montreal comes in (hopefully tomorrow) we'll be heading home. We are waiting for his letter from Mazda to come in and he is thinking of only moving what he really needs right now and coming back up to get the rest in a month or so and import his car then. My question is, is there anything special that we need to do at POE like do we have to say that he has more stuff with a list of his things and will be importing his car shortly? Or do we not say anything and when we need to import his car we just say it when we are ready to import it?	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-04 20:37:00
Canada	Job search engine's for US jobs	www.indeed.com is a great one. They search Monster.com, careerbuilder.com as well as companies direct websites as well as other sites to list jobs. You can set it up that you get email alerts daily of new listings.	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-06 21:05:00
Canada	Good Luck, Wyatt's Torch	Congrats. I find it so funny all of you get out so early... I was like in there ALL day! It was so terrible... well worth it but I forgot one form and had to run around all over the place trying to find the internet so I could get it done within an hour. Congrats Wyatt! I'm so happy for you! VJ'ers are 5/5 this week!! We were in there what seemed to be all day! By the time I got back with the Expresspost envelope and handed it in it was just about noon! No one should know that stress of waiting and waiting and waiting some more...	redmen99	Female	Canada	2010-03-05 10:42:00