Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Can someone explain the EI thing to me, in simplified terms?	This EI is through Canada. As you have worked and paid into the fund you are able to claim on it provided you meet the requirements (hours worked etc) Here is the link to the Service Canada website it will contain all the information on how many hours you needed to work in order to qualify, how to apply and how to go about your claim once in the US. Service Canada You will want to look into the "Employment Insurance Regular Benefits" bullet as it will have info on how many hours you need to qualify as well as the "Employment insurance and workers and/or residents outside Canada" bullet as it will explain that you need to legally be able to work in the US in order to claim (have your EAD or Green Card). There is also a pinned thread at the top of the forum with a lot of EI info in it....have a read through!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-20 06:29:00
Canada	Do you have to be in the US before you ship your goods?	I was in a similar situation. I was laid off from my job last Nov, and knew that I would be moving at some point soon so I decided to sell my house and head to the US to spend some time with my fiance before I had my visa interview. So I packed up my house and used ABF upack. Because I had so much stuff and where I was going to be living was far from a depot I had to use the moving truck rather then the relocubes so that they could do the move door to door. I had them store my stuff in the trailer at their depot in Ottawa from December until April when I did my POE. It cost a bit of money, but far less than paying my mortgage for those months. Once I got my visa and did my POE I just sent them a copy of my visa and I-94 and my stuff showed up about a week later. I think that most moving companies will store stuff for a short period if required.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-21 19:28:00
Canada	Any ideas for Xmas gifts?	I've made up gift baskets with grocery items which are specific to this area of the country - generally the 'raw' ingredients and preserves - and then added a cookbook of local recipes. It is easy to do for the South as there is a definitely 'southern' style of food. It would depend on where you live now and how different the menus are from back home. (People enjoyed the cornbread flour and mixes; they weren't as fussy about the boiled peanuts! ) I tried the boiled peanuts when we were in Georgia. I think they have to be one of the nastiest tasting things I have ever eaten. The texture was pretty bad as well!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-22 19:34:00
Canada	Who all do you notify when leaving Canada?	Ensure that you change your address with your former employer so that come tax time, you get your T4. Also if you have any retirement plans, pensions etc with that employer it will ensure you get all the updates. I forgot to update mine when I moved, and they decided to change providers for DPSP and GRSP plans and I didn't get any notice for it.....just a notice from the former service provider that all the funds had been transfered out of my account!! It took me about a month to track down where the money went and sort out several issues they had with the transfer (having my SIN # associtated with someone elses name being one of them....YIKES!) Also if you have RRSPs anywhere change your address with them so that you get your tax reciepts for tax time as well.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-25 15:15:00
Canada	Visit Vancouver	You will require either your canadian passport, citizenship card or canadian birth certificate to cross back into Canada. Canadian Border Services Agency recommends having a passport. Your green card will get you back into the US	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-26 18:51:00
Canada	licenses in the US	In Tennessee, I needed my passport and I-94, and a drivers abstract from my former province that was issued within the past 30 days and 2 proofs of residency (lease agreement, bills with current address, etc). I only had to do the vision test. The would only give me the licence for the duration for the I-94. Now that I have my EAD I have to go back and renew it.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-27 09:13:00
Canada	Passport photos for Mtl interview	I had canadian sized ones done and just cut them down to 2 x 2 for my interview with no issues. Just make sure you take the same amount off the opposite sides so that you stay cenetered in the photo.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-31 17:04:00
Canada	RFE Received in Mail Today	That really sucks. This process is long and expensive enough without having to do things over because they can't manage to get all of your files from one place to the other. I just hope that I don't end up with a RFE for medical. Mine will be expiring in a couple of weeks and we can't really afford to do another one right now.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-05 19:25:00
Canada	RFE Received in Mail Today	I've never contacted my congressman before. I'll do it, but I just contacted the Embassy, the Civil Surgeon in Toronto, and the border where we crossed for any trace of the paperwork . . . I just looked it up, and it looks like I contact the congressman in Washington, D.C.? Or do I contact a local office and speak to an underling? When I contacted my Congressmans office I used e-mail and on the e-mail page they had a dropdown box where you could select immigration issues. I am sure each congressperson has a different set up tho. I would guess that they all have an immigration person working in their office (that is who I ended up working with for my biometrics issue). If you call I would contact the local office first and ask if they have an immigration specalist that you can speak to.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-02 10:13:00
Canada	RFE Received in Mail Today	I read that someone posted (sorry I can't remember who it was or what forum it was in) that they contacted their congressmans office and had the immigration liason look into it. Because it was an error on the part of USCIS they covered the cost of the new medical. I think there have also been a few instances where the information was actually in the file and the AO just overlooked it. Having the congressmans office have someone look into the file again made the medical magically re-appear. So this may be something you want to look into. Not sure how the election tomorrow will affect the efficiency of the congressmans office tho	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-01 16:26:00
Canada	Postcard Exchange!	I never did hear if my recipient received their card or not - although they did have a LOT of things going on in their lives this month so it may have been one of the easy things to overlook. I hope they got it - it was of a Georgia dogwood tree in full bloom. Yes, I got it Kathyrn....It was here waiting for me when I got back from Canada, ty. I am still trying to find some here in Knoxville, I look everytime I go out buy so far no luck..I guess I need to head to some more touristy areas. I was going to send one from Canada before I left, but my person was in the same city that I was in, so it would have been kinda boring. I am going on a postcard mission tomorrow!!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-05-03 20:01:00
Canada	Postcard Exchange!	I would be up for this as well....cool idea!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-03-30 14:57:00
Canada	Employment Insurance?	Another important point is that you should apply for your EI benefits within 4 weeks of leaving your job or your claim can be denied. Even if you know it is going to be several months before you can legally work. They just put your claim on hold until you have your EAD. Also I would suggest starting a basic job search about 1-2 months after applying for your EAD. My EAD was approved in Early Aug, but I didn't receive my card until late October due to a delay in my biometrics appt. If I could have shown that I was looking for work during that time (IE had a resume posted on job hunting sites and sent in a few applications here and there) they would have backdated my claim to Aug. Although I would have technically not been able to accept a job until I had my card in hand, the EI office only goes by the date printed on the card.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-10 10:24:00
Canada	it's been 6 months waiting for AOS :(	The wait really does suck, and it wouldn't be half as bad if there were not tons of people who in July and Aug who already have been approved. I have had touches on my AOS but it has gone from being at CSC to a "USCIS Office" back to CSC, now it is back at a "USCIS Office". I am glad that I finally have my EAD so at least we have some extra income coming in. But I do plan on naturalizing, and since the date for that begins when the GC is issued, it is going to take that much longer for me to be able to apply. If I don't hear back by the end of the month, I will contact my congressmans office again. They really helped a lot with my biometrics issue. It can't hurt to try.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-16 14:15:00
Canada	Am I going to be eligible for benefits?	I would definitely apply. You may not get the full amount of weeks, but you may get some. At least it would be some income while you look for a job. You won't be able to start recieving benefits until you get your EAD. If you qualify and money is an issue you will want to get that AOS package in ASAP.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-17 13:34:00
Canada	Moving my belongings from Canada to the US	Wow! That's some story! I have begun bringing my lease agreement with me each time and whatever else I can find to show my ties here (utility bills, dtr's school report card, sheesh not sure what else at this point...) It would certainly suck to be denied entry. I'm heading over after picking my dtr up from school today and get a nervous pit in my stomach everytime i get in that line-up! Most of the time they are very nice but you never know, right? So i was looking over your timeline....at what point in the process are you actually allowed to live together? There seem to be so very many steps. Is it not until the final step is complete? Forgive me for being so naive....how do you manage your relationship? Would we at least be able to see each other as often as we do now (he spends most weekdays here and I go to his place on wknds). I'm trying to avoid the attorney fees but my fiance is getting very frustrated with getting so much different information. We have discussed the option of heading to the courthouse after the New Year and just having a quicky wedding and then the ceremony like we wanted to, later on. Either way, it looks as though we will not be able to live together for several months afterward. I can handle that (if I HAVE to ) I just hope we are still able to spend as much time together as we do now. If you are thinking of doing the courthouse wedding ensure you look into how long it will take to get your marriage certificate from your province/state. You will need a copy of it to file your petition. In many states you can get your certificate right at the courthouse after the wedding (I would suggest in getting a couple certified copies to have on hand for the rest of the process...saves hassle later if you need them), and in many provinces it can take months before the marrige gets registered and you get a certificate. That alone can add a lot of unnecessary waiting time to the whole process.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-19 18:44:00
Canada	Moving my belongings from Canada to the US	ok I see what you did. I was told that this was one of 2 options available to me. The other would be to marry and then file for AOS. I would then need to live in the US and stay put until granted advanced parole. This option, if correct, works very well for us but it also raises many questions. How do I get married if i'm not "supposed" to cross the border with the intent to stay? At what time can i move my belongings? Going to the US, marrying and filing for AOS is an option only IF you are not going to the US with the intent to immigrate. And since you have been talking about either a fiance(e) or marriage based visa it may be difficult to prove that you did not have intent on staying when you first entered the US. When you do the AOS process this way you will have an interview and they will ask you about this. If you had been in the US on say a student visa, met your fiance decided to get married...that would be an ok situation to file for AOS, since when you entered the US you had no immigration intent...you were just a student. Your situation seems different. As for bringing your household goods over, you must have your visa and be crossing at the same time (if using something like a u-haul) or prior (if using a moving company). There is paper work you will need to fill out to cross with your goods duty free, and it is a good idea to make a list of items you are bringing. (ie Box #1 kitchen goods, box#2 clothing etc). If using a moving company you will need to provide them a copy of this paperwork, a copy of your visa and I-94 that you get when you enter on your visa. If you wish to continue working in Canada and crossing over on a daily basis, I would think that the CR-1 route would be best for you. It initially does take a little bit longer to get your initial visa, but in the long run it is cheaper and you won't have to wait for your AOS. There is a group of Canadians who applied for AOS in May and we are still waiting on our GC's....so it can really vary on how long it takes to get one. And althought you can get AP within 2-3 months, I am not sure how using AP for daily commuting may work. Many people just do an informal courthouse ceremony, file the CR-1 and then plan a more formal event later. Have a look through the Canadian forum here on VJ and you will find a lot of information about both processes....you may have to search thru the threads a bit to find info. Also the guides at the top of the page can give valuable information on both the K1 and CR-1 process and help you with your decision on which to choose. Good Luck	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-19 08:02:00
Canada	Votes Needed!!	Thanks everyone!! It is the same school that I went to from K to grade 9. It is a small school that really is in the middle of nowhere (there is a HS, store, church, community hall and volunteer FD) in the town and only about 3 houses. Most of the kids come from either farms or some of the nearby acreages. They just renovated the school and the kids have had to endure having classes on the stage in the gym (nothing like trying to write an exam when there is a phys ed class going on!!), the Hub (a community kitchen area with a small dining area...the school is frequently used on weekends for community events as well!). They converted part of the industrial arts room to a class room as well. It has been over a year and a half and the kids have had to deal with some less than ideal conditions, so this would be something really positive for them for all they have been through!! Some of the teachers are still there from when I went to school and that was over 20 yrs ago, so I think that says alot about how the school is run to retain teachers for that length of time!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-28 16:35:00
Canada	Votes Needed!!	My nieces class has done a video as part of the "My Alberta School" project and are one of the finalists. If you have a couple of mins please take a look at the video and vote. It is about 5 mins long. Video Link "Our grade nine students have been discussing our school identity as part of Social Studies 9 this year. During this discussion, the students raised various interesting comments about the uniqueness of Namao School. We are currently finishing up a challenging renovation which was mentioned several times by the students. What quickly became clear was that it is not really our building that makes Namao unique, but the people and the relationships that are built within our walls. The class discussed the amazing diversity of our students and the quality character of the people in our building. The students came up with a plan to tell the school how they felt. Armed with over 1200 sticky notes, sidewalk chalk and window markers, our Social Studies 9 students created some inspiration one evening. The following morning over 400 students were welcomed to school with messages of love, inspiration and care. Their plan is what makes Namao truly exceptional; the care and concern that our students have for one another...Our grade nine students have been discussing our school identity as part of Social Studies 9 this year. During this discussion, the students raised various interesting comments about the uniqueness of Namao School. We are currently finishing up a challenging renovation which was mentioned several times by the students. What quickly became clear was that it is not really our building that makes Namao unique, but the people and the relationships that are built within our walls. The class discussed the amazing diversity of our students and the quality character of the people in our building. The students came up with a plan to tell the school how they felt. Armed with over 1200 sticky notes, sidewalk chalk and window markers, our Social Studies 9 students created some inspiration one evening. The following morning over 400 students were welcomed to school with messages of love, inspiration and care. Their plan is what makes Namao truly exceptional; the care and concern that our students have for one another..." Thanks!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-11-28 10:27:00
Canada	Ontario OHIP question...	It depends On the doctor at the er, I was not charged But it was a very sad day so. My husband works with a international huge company and when i get there next week he will add my son and myself to his company coverage and the family coverage is 180.00 every two weeks for dental,vision and health. I thought wow that is steep but we could have 5 children and still only pay 180.00 semi monthly. I do not want something to happen and Us be stuck with a huge bill plus we plan on getting pregnant asap and we cannot afford to deliever in a hospital without coverage , heck if I dont have coverage I will be doing it at home by myself and i dont want that (I want a epidoral lol) Simon was a medic in the army and as part of his training he had to learn to deliver babies...and did deliver a couple while deployed in Iraq (it was a challenge...Iraqi women tend to be not to fond of having a male american soldier delivering them!!!). It was our little joke if the insurace thing didn't work out at least he would be able to deliver me at home....lol	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-27 17:39:00
Canada	Ontario OHIP question...	When I moved to the US my husband has looked into his employer health insurance and was told he would be able to add me on. We ended up getting pregnant and one night had a miscarriage scare. Unfortunately the info he had been given about the insurance was not correct (as he was only part time at that point so insurance only covered himself). I ended up having to go to the ER with a miscarriage scare. I had a couple of blood tests, an ultrasound and an internal exam. The cost for this was well over $3000....and that was after the hospital discounted it since I was uninsured. That one little trip cost close to what it would have cost you to pay for a year of insurance through your spouses employer. Very few people "plan" on getting sick or in an accident!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-27 09:08:00
Canada	What to do at the birth of a child in the US ?	Check out the baby thread as a couple of us have been discussing this. I am due on the 13th and will be obtaining proof of citizenship once LO arrives (and we receive all of her documents). There is a link in one of the posts in the baby thread to the instructions and form to be filled out.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-04 07:17:00
Canada	Holier then thou attitude	I think that there are ignorant people in both countries. It seems that a lot of the ignorace comes from a bad encounter with one or 2 of the opposite nationality and that makes a person brand all americans or canadians as rude and ignorant...a few bad apples ruin it for all the rest.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-19 13:44:00
Canada	Christmas Cookie Recipe Exchange	This is not a cookie recipe, but it is one of my fav's. And it is super easy and fast to make...which is an added bonus Breton Brittle 24-28 Breton Crackers 1 cup butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips finely chopped nuts (optional) Preheat oven to 400°f Line a 9x13 pan with foil. Place crackers on bottom of pan slightly overlapping so entire bottom is covered (I prefer using 4 rows of 6 crackers, but there will be some small gaps between some of the crackers) Place butter and brown sugar in sauce pan and bring to boil. Pour over crackers making sure they are all covered. Place in oven for 5 min. Remove from oven and cover with chocolate chips. After a couple of minutes the chips will have softened. Use a spatchula to smooth the chips. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (I like using pecans). Place in fridge (or outdoors if climate allows) to cool. Remove from pan and break into pieces.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-07 16:46:00
Canada	Social Security Number Timing	Congrats. I got a secured credit card (Visa) as soon as I got my SSN back in May. I already get several offers for other credit cards in the mail, so it doesn't take that long to build some credit....as long as you make your payments on time	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-16 19:13:00
Canada	Christmas Present Thread	I find it easier to buy for my inlaws!!! My parents are the type that if they need/want something they go out and buy it, so there is very little on their wish list. My MIL on the other hand is not as financially stable, so it is easier to pick things out for her. And I am around my MIL more, so that makes it a bit easier in itself.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-09 08:12:00
Canada	Christmas Present Thread	Christmas isn't as fun for me as it used to be when the kids were small. I'd go all out with the Santa thing and try to make it as magical as possible for them. Grandkids would be nice. We went out shopping yesterday and bought a bunch of stuff for the baby...it was pretty fun. I had a small shower with my family when I was home in Aug, so I didn't get a lot of toys or anything like that for her, so we bought that stuff as christmas gifts. She will be at the most 2 weeks old for Christmas so we figured that she wouldn't be needing them before that point!! I am sure the grandparents are going to spoil her a TON!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-08 11:34:00
Canada	Christmas Present Thread	This year with not being able to work and having a little one making an apperance any day now our gift list is going to be a lean this year. For our nieces and nephews in Canada, they are just getting a bit of cash ($30 or $40) in a card. It is so expensive to ship stuff, and because I don't get to spend too much time with them, it is hard to know what they want/like. This way, they get what they want. For our nieces and nephews here they will get some small gifts (leap pad games for the younger ones and some movies and stuff for the older ones). We are not doing gifts for our siblings this year. Maybe some lotto tickets in a card. For our parents, they are getting nice picture frames with pics of their new granddaughter!! For Hubby, he wants a new Arsenal Jersey and shorts. I want to personalize it with his name and a number on it, but I want the number to be the day his little girl is born, so I will just have to wait to order that!! He also needs a new wallet, but that will be a gift from Emma....since he will be opening it a lot for her...lol. And the dogs will be getting some new pillows and a few treats in their stocking!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-06 16:26:00
Canada	Happy Holidays	Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Safe travels to everyone heading 'home' for the holidays!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-23 06:34:00
Canada	Can I get RRSP withholding tax back?	Before I moved to USA,I had withdrew some money from my RRSP and of course CRA deducted some tax on it .I was wondering if there is a way that I can get that withholding tax back when I file my taxes in 2011 for Canada? Thnx I have done the same thing. I think I remember my CFP telling me that it is possible to get some foregin tax credits in the US, but I never really looked into it. Please let me know what you find out!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-12-28 11:04:00
Canada	Canadian Christmas Presents?	I got some of the canadian mittens as well, and a canadian toque and hoodie. Mom and Dad also brought a few tins of Quality Street Chocolates. They didn't last too long since my husband and inlaws are british and LOVE Quality Street!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-01-01 13:57:00
Canada	first stage of unemployment from u.s.a.	Hi Everyone- First if there is a post on here for the info., I need please direct me...i just can't find it. I left Canada in Dec and we were married in Dec. We are residing in Maine and have just come back from Michgian where we got married; Ken got quite ill and was hospitalized for 2 weeks so we are late getting back to Maine. At any rate i have my cards for my unemployment to send back to belleville...how do i answer q. 4 'were you ready and willing...."..obviously this is no as i dont have a ssn as of yet. so do i put no?...do i need to explain on a seperate sheet? we just got certified copies of our marriage certifcate and we are going to go next week so i can get a ssn...but as i understand it will have restricitons, as in not for work and once we begin the aos stage that i will get a green card and my ssn will have the restrictions lifted...as i right so far? If anyone has answers much appreciated and again sorry if i missed the forum with the answers and I certainly don't mind reading the information...just can't locate it. thanks very much! You have to check No in the box. I put that I was "awaiting employment authorization in the US" in the explaination box. Like Peachy said, you won't get any money until you get your EAD, so you will want to get your AOS submitted ASAP if you are hoping to get payments. Also, I would suggest that even though you are not able to legally work right now, that you put your resume up on some sites such as Monster.com ASAP and start a preliminary job search. My AOS was approved in August, but I could not get a biometric appointment until the end of Sept and I didn't get my EAD card until October, but when my card came it had the effective date as August on it. Had I been doing a basic job search (and could provide evidence of it) I would have been back paid EI for the 8 weeks that it took to get my card. And at that time money was a bit tight for us, so that lump sum would have been wonderful!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-01-15 09:54:00
Canada	Wedding Details	We had our formal wedding on Sat. It was small with just immediate family, but turned out really nice. We were able to work with with the minister to really personalize the ceremony. We had a small reception with a dinner afterward, it was a nice chance for our families to get to know each other a bit. I was a bit disappointed that none of my Canadian friends made much of an effort to attend, but in the grand scheme of things the day was about us, and not who attended the wedding!! Here are a couple of pics from our day!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-07-12 18:48:00
Canada	Wedding Details	2009 June 9, 2009 - SapphireDreams (Civil/Legal wedding) July 7, 2009 - PopRocks (Beach/Legal wedding) July 17, 2009 - July09Bride (Church/Legal wedding) July 17, 2009 - Kristin & TorontoGuy (Civil/Legal wedding) July 24, 2009- Hapycloud (Civil/Legal wedding) July 28, 2009- Chadlaure (Civil/Legal wedding) August 6, 2009 - HuggleBuggles (Ceremonial/Legal wedding) September 5, 2009 - Chadlaure (Ceremonial wedding) September 19 2009 - TimandJoyce (Ceremonial/Religious/Legal wedding) October 10, 2009 - Minnew (Church/Legal wedding) November 14, 2009 - Hapycloud (Church/Ceremonial wedding) November 25, 2009 - Darkchilde (Legal Wedding) December 31, 2009 - Peachey and Varba (Legal Wedding) 2010 January 9, 2010 - Sam and Ben (Legal wedding) January 20, 2010 - Ashenflowers (Beach/Legal wedding) January 20, 2010 - Danu (Legal Wedding) January 23, 2010 - Spoom/ScooterMac (Legal/Ceremonial Wedding) January 27, 2010 - Rhiann (Legal/Ceremonial Wedding) February 20, 2010 - CDAgirlMI(church/reception wedding) April 29, 2010 - Arabella (Beach Wedding) May 1, 2010 - Peachy (Ceremonial Wedding) May 22, 2010 - Dan & Ali (Ceremonial wedding) May 23, 2010 - corcor (ceremonial/legal wedding) June June 6, 2010 - Kristin & TorontoGuy (Ceremonial wedding) June 19, 2010 - Starburst (Ceremonial Wedding) June 22, 2010- Jennarationnext (Ceremonial wedding) June 26, 2010- Kayla*Mathew (Ceremonial/legal wedding) June 28, 2010 - Jay & Beverley & Bevie (legal wedding) July July 10, 2010 - Colleens (Ceremonial wedding) July 11, 2010 - Lilacvioletiris (church/legal wedding) August August 21, 2010 - Krikit's daughter (Church/Legal wedding) August 28, 2010 - Supportgeek (legal wedding) September September 4, 2010 - JillA (Celebration wedding) September 25, 2010 - SapphireDreams (Church wedding) October October 10, 2010 - Frenzyheart (Ceremonial wedding) November December 2011 August 13, 2011 - darkchilde794+hunny (Ceremonial Wedding)	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-05-27 16:53:00
Canada	Wedding Details	I found my wedding dress today!! It is totally different than what I had in mind, but when I tried it on....it looked amazing!! It was a bit more than what I had planned on spending, but my big sis ended up buying it for me!!! My link Now just to set a date......	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-04-06 01:08:00
Canada	Wedding Details	Really? Mine's an alfred angelo, I should go look at the tag. I have dirt stains at the bottom cause of rain and make up stains in the front a bit. Thanks for the tip EDIT: Yeah, you're right it does say to not dry clean it, though mine says to not wash it either. I'll have to spot wash it! Thanks alot, I would have never looked at the tag if you didnt say anything! I have a front loading washer....which is gentler than a top loader, and then I washed it on the delicate cycle. It had a fair bit of beadwork on it and it all survived!! Really? Mine's an alfred angelo, I should go look at the tag. I have dirt stains at the bottom cause of rain and make up stains in the front a bit. Thanks for the tip EDIT: Yeah, you're right it does say to not dry clean it, though mine says to not wash it either. I'll have to spot wash it! Thanks alot, I would have never looked at the tag if you didnt say anything! I have a front loading washer....which is gentler than a top loader, and then I washed it on the delicate cycle. It had a fair bit of beadwork on it and it all survived!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-04-05 22:15:00
Canada	Wedding Details	I think we're able to afford it with this check we got from EDD. It has a few make up stains and dirt stains, haha. I hope that's cleanable after almost 2 months... egh. I finally cleaned my dress from my first wedding 12yrs ago this past summer, so that I could sell it. It had some gravy from dinner spilled on the front, and the bottom of the dress was VERY dirty since it poured rain that day. I got out a bottle of shout, sprayed the stains and threw it in the washer and it came out clean!! The dress was an alfred angelo and the tag actually said not to dry clean it.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-04-04 23:59:00
Canada	Wedding Details	My first wedding we had over 400 people for dinner and about 600 at the reception. And only about 40 were family/friends of mine. It was mostly my -in-laws who had insisted that they invite people they had worked with over the years, and family members they see maybe every 5 years. And I am not a person to make waves, so as long as they were paying for it....I agreed. In hindsight I should have said no. I spent the whole night talking to people I didn't know and would never see again. This time we are thinking about doing something small in Florida..in the Orlando area, just family and a few close friends, so in the 50 people range. I have a lot of young nieces and nephews that would love the chance to go to disney etc, so my family and friend coming from Canada will be able to make a nice vacation out of it (and disney passes will make a good Christmas present!!!). If anyone had an orlando area wedding I would be interested in hearing details. I have started looking at some resorts, but there are soooo many to choose from!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2009-11-21 15:00:00
Canada	How to go about getting the Immigration Physical?	I am actually wondering if she is doing AOS and not a cr-1 visa. I just re-read the post and yes, it does seem that way. In that case OP you can go to any of the Civil Surgeons listed on the USCIS website. If there is more than one in your area, call around as they are all different (anothe CS may not require your medical records). They also charge different fees so you may find one that is cheaper as well. I would still see about getting your titre tests done (they may be able to get the results sooner than a month) to avoid having to get any already administered vaccines. Some of them can be pretty costly. Edited by Colleens, 17 January 2011 - 12:48 PM.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-01-17 12:43:00
Canada	How to go about getting the Immigration Physical?	You will need to go to one of the 4 Panel Physicians in Canada for your medical, since you will be dealing with a consulate in Canada. It can't be done in the US. There are 2 in Montreal, 1 in Toronto and 1 in Vancouver (if you look through the Canada fourm you will find thread with reviews for all of them). Many people wait until they have their interview scheduled, then call and make their medical appt. You need about 2 days before you get your results so plan to head to Montreal a few days in advance of your appt. As for your vaccination records, if you do not have them, go to your family doctor and as to have titre tests done for the vaccinations that you require. You will get a report from the lab stating your immunity levels...if you are not showing immunity, then you haven't had that vaccination and will need to get that.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-01-17 11:29:00