Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	AOS'rs...	I added a paragraph on my cover letter stating when my medical was done and that it was within the one year so all i attached was the copy of the medical worksheet as well. *crosses fingers for us both*. At least an rfe at this point wont be a killer for me lol. besides we are so dead broke atm it's not even funny. I added a letter explaining that I had the medical as well and that the vaccination worksheet would have been included in the package I handed in at POE. I didn't recieve a vaccination worksheet to send in, so I am hoping that it was filled in correctly. I am not even sure if I could have vaccinations done at this point if they were required. Many of them you can't have when you are pregnant. I am going to discuss this with my ob/gyn on Monday and get a note just in case!!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-06-01 11:55:00
Canada	AOS'rs...	I just got my AOS package in today as well hopefully it will be a quick smooth process *fingers crossed*. I didn't end up finding a civil surgeon that would just transcribe my vaccinations, but I did finally get a response from Dr. Seiden that the vaccination worksheet was inculded in the DO NOT OPEN medical package, so I sent it in with a similar letter as arabella did regarding not needing to have the I-693 if we has the overseas medical, so hopefully I will have no issues with that!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-05-29 15:44:00
Canada	AOS'rs...	I am just finishing up the forms for my AOS and have a couple of questions. For the I-131 it asks for the date of intended travel and length of trip in section 3. I currently don't have anything planned, but would like to have it in case of an emergency back home. How did you fill this in? On the I-485 and I-765 it asks for the last place of entry into the US. That would have been my POE. I flew from Edmonton to Denver then onto Knoxville, so do I put Denver as it was the first place I landed or Knoxville as that was my destination. Thanks	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-05-27 18:31:00
Canada	AOS/EAD	I did my medical with Dr. Seiden in Montreal and I never got a copy of the immunization worksheet. (maybe because I provided the results from titre tests rather than an immunization record). I confirmed with them that the titre results were transcribed onto an immunization form within the medical. I did not get the I693 filled out when I applied for AOS and had no issues.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-02-17 09:00:00
Canada	Driver's License for Canadians	There might be some info in this post	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-03-02 17:18:00
Canada	H&R Block did our US taxes	I have spoken with a lawyer who was familiar with foreign income and I also have some accounting background. Whenever you withdraw your RRSP's entirely for personal reasons and have no intentions on repaying the amount (within 15 years), you have to claim the entire amount withdrawn (before taxes) as earned income, I believe you should've received a T4RRSP slip for this which will display the correct amount. Maternity benefits are taxable like EI, so HR putting it into "other income" is ok. I hope that helps a bit. TY...I would like to at some point replace the money, but since I am no longer a resident of Canada it is impossible to contribute to an RRSP any longer. I cashed in from 3 different accounts and received NR4's for 2 of them (since I was processed as a non-resident) and one was done incorrectly and I received a T4RSP for the one that was processed incorrectly (as me still being a resident). I am really worried that they handled the income from the RRSP's incorrectly and it is going cause some trouble with the IRS	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-03-19 07:59:00
Canada	H&R Block did our US taxes	We went to H&R Block to get our taxes done. The first office we went to no one had a clue how to deal with foreign income, so I called a couple of other offices and found that said they had someone who was experienced in doing foreign income. I am still unsure if they did it correctly tho. Here is my story, and if anyone can comment on whether is sounds like it is done correctly or if we should find someone else to look at it, it would be very much appreciated. I POE'd in April 2010. In Jan 2010 I recieved a severance package from my former employer, so this will be the only 'employment' income I have. I cashed in some of my RRSP's in 2010 as well. This is what I am most concerned about as they entered this income as a capital gain (used the market value minus the book value) and not the amount I recieved when I cashed it in. I also collected maternity benefits (same as EI), this was entered as other income. Does this seem to be correct? With my husband just losing his job and a new baby I want to be sure that things are done correctly...especially if it means possibly getting a bigger refund. TIA	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-03-18 22:27:00
Canada	what is the next step after marriage by K1 Vias?	I did not get DS_3025 because I think it was complete just they sealed that and I gave that to Montreal consulate... I only have a copy of my vac. supplement, does it work if i put a copy in i485 package? I called few civil surgeon but they want me to redo the exam!!!! I didn't even have a copy of my vaccination suppliment, but after contacting the office where I did my medical in Montreal, they told me it was included in the sealed medical package that you had to hand in at your POE. I didn't get my vaccinations transcribed onto the I-693 and didn't have any issues with it. I called all the civil surgeons in my area and they all wanted to re-do the whole medical. I didn't really have the extra money at the time so I took a chance and I ended up saving ~$300 since I didn't need it!! I am pretty sure that some of the other members from Canada put in a copy of the suppliment as well. (I would have but just didn't have it!) You need to send 2 passport photo's for each application. So if you are submitting the I-485, I-131 and I-765 you will need 6 photo's.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-03-23 16:31:00
Canada	No Kinder Surprise Allowed!	They are nuts, they will allow so many things to be sold here that are dangerous to infants/babies but ban a chocolate egg cause of a toy. The egg was not made for small babies, but walkers are and too many babies have died from walkers and they are still for sale. I was just thinking the EXACT same thing!! I was shocked when I saw that they still sold walkers here!! Oh and the wooden "accordian" style baby gates that have been banned in Canada for a long time as well!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-01-11 13:45:00
Canada	Getting Police Certificates in Ontario	I went to my local OPP detachment and had it done in less than 10 mins. It cost me $30 (I think...it may have been $40, I can't quite remember).	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-01 13:16:00
Canada	**Buffalo Airport or Toronto Pearson to Visit Fiance**	I have never crossed at Buffalo, but crossed many times at the 1000 Islands. I was in a similar situation to you...I had just been laid off and wanted to go down for an extended period (I was at the point I was just waiting for an interview to be scheduled). I was driving down, and not flying, so I didn't have a return ticket. I explained my situation to the CBP that I had been laid off and wanted to spend an extended time here. I told him I was in the final stages of getting my K1 Visa and was just waiting for my interview to be scheduled. I had brought with me my mortgage documents showing that I had a residence in Canada (eventhough I had already sold my house...it just hadn't closed yet!!) and all my K1 documents. He asked me more questions than usual, but once he determined that we were going about the process legally and I still had ties to Canada (which he said he would have refused me if I didn't have) I was good to go. When I drove to syracuse and flew from there(it saves tons of $$ doing it this way), I never had an issue crossing the border with my return ticket. They never asked to see one piece of documentaion. My fiance was in the army at that time, so sometimes that made it a bit easier for me. Good luck!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-02-13 15:47:00
Canada	Wedding Anniversaires and what to do	That sounds like SUCH a good idea!!! I'm going to look into that! Check out this site They have a special going on right now and the price through them was about $50 cheaper per person than booking it directly through the balloon company.....at least the ones I looked up. I have always wanted to go on a hot air balloon. Many years ago I was a skydiver, and my husband was airborne in the army, so we both like being in the air. I thought it would be a pretty cool experience for us.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-03-01 07:33:00
Canada	Wedding Anniversaires and what to do	I would love to go on a trip somewhere, but right now it is not in the cards as far as $$ goes, Simon doesn't get any vacation until July and with a new baby it is a bit hard. I am going to book a hot air balloon trip. We are only about 30 min from Smokey Mountains National Park, so I thought that would be a cool place to go for it. Our official anniversary is in April but our formal wedding was in July, so that is the one we decided to celebrate.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-02-28 21:47:00
Canada	Heading back home for a week of vacation	Have a good trip and don't eat too much of that Canadian goodness	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-01 18:43:00
Canada	Moving furniture and car across the border??	Can I actually import a car at any field office? When we did POE for my husband he "lost" his EPA letter and couldn't import his car. I figured we'd have to back to Highgate Springs to import his car this weekend. You can go to any CBP office. There will be one in the airport if it is an international airport. If not do a search for an office here	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-01-25 14:29:00
Canada	Exchange Rates	I cashed in an investment and am waiting for the cheque to get here...I hope I get it today so I can get it back to Canada ASAP to take advantage of the good exchange rate.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-10-14 09:31:00
Canada	pregnant Canadian wife - any loopholes?	As a canadian who recently went through her first part of pregnancy in the US without insurance I would suggest that as tough as it may be that your wife stay in Montreal. I had to pay out of pocket for my first 4ish months of prenatal care as well as an ER visit for a miscarriage scare and those cost us close to $6000. Even with insurance and a fairly uncomplicated birth (I did have an insuduction and en epidural) we still had to pay about $3000 out of pocket. We also managed to get discharged from the hospital a day early (most of the time they like to have you in for 2 nights...we managed to stay only one night so we avoided that extra day charge). I know it is a difficult decision, personally I would have been heartbroken if hubby wasn't able to be there for the birth (and he would have as well), but maybe you can speak to the new employer about your situation and you may be able to get a bit of time off. Your wife may be able to speak to her practitioner about a scheduled induction (not the most optimal choice) so that you would have a very good chance of being there for the birth. Good Luck ETA: when I moved from AB to ON my Alberta Health Care covered me until I was able to get OHIP. It was several years ago and a different province, but as Kathryn said you may want to check with your Quebec health care to see if it is covered. Edited by Colleens, 28 March 2011 - 06:44 PM.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-03-28 18:42:00
Canada	Mathew got a job!!!!	Congrats!! Moving out on your own can be tough for the first time, but once you get settled, you will love having the time for just the two of you and really enjoying married life!! Good Luck.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-11 14:01:00
Canada	Thinking of moving back to Canada	ok found out the big difference of inland vs outland: It is usually faster to apply to sponsor a spouse from outside Canada. However, the requirements to immigrate to Canada are the same in both cases. Some differences between the processes: Inside Canada average of 12 to 18 months to process routine applications no right of appeal you are advised to stay in Canada while your application is being processed (If you leave Canada and cannot re-enter, the application will be abandoned) you can send an application for an open work permit with the sponsorship application (the permit will be issued as soon as you are eligible for it) Outside Canada average of 6 to 12 months to process routine applications right of appeal you can leave and re-enter Canada while your application is being processed as long as you meet all requirements to enter Canada if you want to work in Canada while your application is being processed, you must apply for a regular work permit I have read about the different those different types, but the outland doesn't specify if you can apply from outside canada. I have ben readying on Road to Canada and have found out that you can apply from outside Canada, but you have to provide intent of to move back.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-22 06:52:00
Canada	Thinking of moving back to Canada	Not directly related to your question but FYI, if you move back you have to live there a certain amount of time before you can qualify for provincial health care. I know in Ontario it is 3 months. We will be moving back to AB, and according to the Alberta Health care website, if you are moving from outside Canada your coverage starts immediately....if you move from withing Canada you have a 3month waiting period. But generally your out of province benefits cover you for that period.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-22 06:49:00
Canada	Thinking of moving back to Canada	We have started thinking of moving back to Canada. Having a family now, we realize that we would have a lot more support from my family than we are able to get here from Simon's. And we want to have another baby, so it will be nice to have the maternity benefits and not have to pay a ton of money in medical bills. We have a few issues that we have to look into before we can even start to see if Simon is admissable, but hopefully it will work out. I know there are a few people on here who have gone back, so I was wondering did you do your application when you were still living in the US or do you have to move back then apply? Simon just doesn't want to have to sit around a wait before he will be able to work, so it would be nice if we could just move and be ready to go. Thanks	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-21 12:34:00
Canada	We Got a Job!!!	Congrats!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-29 20:50:00
Canada	There are still some good hearted people out there...	I was on a Mommy related message board the other day and there was a thread about what you wanted for mothers day. Generally I don't care if I get gifts or not, but since it is my 1st mothers day, I kind of wanted to be special. I posted that Hubby and I were out a few months ago looking at the Pandora bracelets and that I would like one with a mommy related charm, but since Si lost his job it really is not in our budget. So I got an e-mail from the moderator for the site putting me in touch with a lady who owns a store that sells the Chamilia Bracelets and that she would like to give me one and a charm. So I went in today and met the lady and got my first Mother's day present. It was so generous, I have been a bit down with all that has gone on in the past couple of months so it really made my day!! She was super nice, and even took our number down and she is going to reach out to her network to see if anyone is looking to hire someone. She has several contacts with construction/roofing and landscaping companies, and after the storms last week, there ought to be a lot of work in those areas. The world needs more people like her	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-05-03 21:18:00
Canada	2010 Tax thread - For Canada and the U.S.	ooo gawd this is confusing...here goes and I hope someone with more brain power can provide some direction! I expect to poe, Dec of 2010 - and to marry Dec18, 2010. So i know i have to file tax return in canada, as i will work until end of nov 2010. I am in bankruptucy procedure...long story...div., etc., hoping i will have discharge by the time i leave canada... having said that....b/c we will be married in 2010 - when hubby files does he need to claim my canadian income? will the bankruptcy have any effect...any information on this would be much appreciated - i have zero experience in this field...normally take itto h nr and pay the fee and sing the papers! tx guys I am not sure on your questions, but when hubby was doing his taxes in the US for last year he used H&R. I was there with him and asked about doing our taxes for this year. The have people who are familiar with both US and Canada tax laws so they will be able to help file both returns. Maybe on your next visit you can pop into an office and ask...or have your fiance(e) ask for you.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2010-09-24 09:42:00
Canada	Tell something great about your mom and/or MIL	I saw this post on another board and thought it was a neat idea. My mom has the biggest heart in the world and has always put others wants and needs before her own. She is the hardest working person I know, and I know that she has sacrificed a lot in her life to give her kids everything that she could. She is a great cook and baker and is always baking what ever her grandkids request. She always keeps (and kept) an immaculate garden and that insured that she was able to feed her family healthy meals. She always had so much in the garden that she would donate a bunch of the extra's to senior's homes so they could have some garden fresh veggies with their meals. I know that she had a very rough life growing up and she did everything possible to ensure that her kids had just the opposite!! My mother in law is very sweet and does whatever she can to help out her family. She has had a pretty rough go at times, but still manages to stay strong and be there for her family. Many times as she was raising her kids she had to work 2 or 3 jobs to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table and I admire her for that....it counldn't have been easy. She offers to watch Emma whenever she has some time off so DH and I can have a date night. Whenever my DH is being stubborn and thinks he is right about something (when he isn't) she always takes my side!! I am very thankful that I have a good friendship with my MIL. Ohhh...and I can't forget, she raised an awesome son	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-05-07 08:34:00
Canada	Renewing 10yr GC that has expired	Tell her to go for citizenship after she's done all this Unfortunately now she'll have to renew and spend the $$ first then apply for citizenship afterwards...had she done it during the first 10 yrs, it would obviously be less $$$ I offered to pay for naturalization, but for some reason she is dead set against it. I have no idea why, she won't give on....she is just VERY stubborn. I have even enlightened her on some of the financial reamifications of being a LPR vs USC and she didn't care. If she already had a 10 year card then it doesn't matter if she's married or not. People do this all the time and forget that their card has expired. They don't do anything. So she can just submit the renewal forms and that should be all. My friends dad kept forgetting to renew each time and he's been here 40 or so years. Never had any issue getting a new card, so I think it's pretty common and they don't worry about it... Thanks Warlord...I didn't think there was anything extra, but just wanted to make sure so that there were no surprises!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-05-12 08:01:00
Canada	Renewing 10yr GC that has expired	My SIL is a LPR and her 10yr GC expired in Jan. They are very badly in debt due to medical bills and didn't have the $$ to renew it at that time. Unfortunatly we or her mom were not able to help her out financially to get it renewed. We have come into a little bit extra money so we will now help her to renew it. Are there going to be any issues now with her being out of status (she is about 110 days out of status)? Does she just fill out the regular I-90 or will there be other paperwork to fill. She is married to a USC if that makes any difference. TIA	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-05-11 20:51:00
Canada	Where's my money?!?	I don't think when you file from out of country that you are able to get direct deposit. My CPF/accountant told me something about this and I remember last year having to have my cheque mailed to me. But since you are only having it sent in Canada, your parents should have recieved it within a week of it being mailed. I would definitely call again next week and see if they can issue a new cheque.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-05-13 11:13:00
Canada	Working in Canada while waiting for US greencard?	Yes you can go in the next day and they will give you your #	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-05-26 18:41:00
Canada	Canadian Credit	I opened a RBC account and a RBC USA account. You can link them on-line and transfer money back and forth between the 2. When I was in GA, there was a RBC USA branch about 20mi away, which wasn't too bad for the once or twice I needed to go there, but now that I am in TN the closest branch is about 50mi away. I haven't needed to go to a branch yet for anything so it has been working out for me. I get my EI/Mat benefits direct deposited into that account, make payments on my canadian credit card through that account, and can then transfer funds to my us account to use for day to day. I am sure that there is a way that I can transfer funds from my other us bank account to my RBC USA account if need be, but I haven't needed to do that yet. I am sure that you can set up a direct deposit for pay cheques into an RBC USA account from where ever you live. This might work for making your car payments as you could just set up a payee in your canadian account and just transfer the funds as needed then make an online payment.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-05-24 09:32:00
Canada	I wish I would have known...	Thank-you for clearing up the mystery of potholes. Loved Carmen San Diego when my daughter was little...cool for kids (and maybe a few adults) I remember watching that show when I started college...	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-23 20:54:00
Canada	I wish I would have known...	2 days ago was my 1 year mark of my POE (I had been in the US as a visitor for 4 months before my POE), and I have a few 'friends' that I have gone out for lunch or a walk with once or twice and that is about it. I used this site meetup to find some local groups that have some similar interests (there is one for transplants to the city). We met up with another couple the other night for dinner and had a really good time. It was extra hard for us since we were both new to this city and neither of us knew anyone (other than Simon's mom and sister). I was in a similar situation as Kimbear and didn't get my EAD until the end of October, and by that point I was 7.5 months pregnant...so there was no way I was going to get hired anywhere!! I am fortunate that I get some maternity benefits, but since I was laid off from my last canadian job and recieved a severance package, I only qualify for 6months rather than a year....so I will be looking for my first job soon! We had a lot of bills as well when I first moved here, so it really has been a struggle. Especially with Simon leaving the military and going to a lower paying job. Add in a baby and it was tough. I have cashed in about 60% of my life savings to pay bills and keep us afloat. Now to top it all off, while I was in Canada, Si made a really bad choice and tried stealing somethings from work (I still can't fathom why) and ended up being arrested and losing his job. I was devestated that he would put us at risk for something material that we really didn't need. We have worked through it and moved on, and luckily for him he was able to pay restitution and in a year the charges will be expunged from his record. Thankfully we have just moved to a place with lower rent, some of the bills included, and we were able to hook our washer and dryer up so we no longer have to pay for laundry! I would love to have some family nearby that we could have moved in with until we get back on our feet, but we don't have that option. I know it would be hard living with them (just having my parents visit for 3 weeks over Christmas drove us nuts) but it is a better option than having to be stressed out about how you are going to pay bills and put food on the table. Try to keep your head up..I know it is difficult. I have my days where I feel really down, but then I think about all the time we spent apart and how difficult that was, and at least now we have each other to lean on in difficult times. Things will get better! Brighter days are ahead.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-04-15 10:07:00
Canada	Switching consulates Montreal -> Vancouver	If you have a friend or relative that lives in western Canada, you can use their address and have your case moved to Vancouver. It is not the 'proper' way to go about it but people have done it. I tried doing this but by the time they got around to answering my e-mail my interview had been scheduled.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-12 07:51:00
Canada	Canuck Riots	I think it is disgusting. How people can have so little respect for other peoples property is beyond me. I think that it not only is an embarassment for Vancouver but for Canada in general.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-16 12:38:00
Canada	Knocking on wood and crossing fingers and toes!	Yay for starting new jobs!!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-16 12:57:00
Canada	Knocking on wood and crossing fingers and toes!	Fingers and toes crossed!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-14 12:46:00
Canada	Knocking on wood and crossing fingers and toes!	Good Luck..I am sure you will nail it!	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-10 20:17:00
Canada	Canada Passport Renewal - Maiden Name OK?	I think that with a CR-1 her green card will also be issued with the same name that is in her passport. (someone please correct me if I am wrong). So if she wants to have her green card in her married name, you will have to change the passport. The only way to change your name on your green card is to fill out the I-90 and pay the $450 fee. So it will be a lot cheaper in the long run to get a new passport (if you want your GC in your married name, that is!).	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-16 20:36:00
Canada	Social Security Card Bah Humbug!	Hello! I'd very much like to see the documents you referred to when making your case with the social security office. I went today and they told me the same thing. We need to update my wife's I-94 with USCIS in order to issue her a social security card with her new married name. I admire your tenacity, and want to do the same thing, but I'm not sure where to look. Thanks! This thread is a couple of years old, so I am not sure that everything still applies in it....I didn't read through it all. It is a bit of a hassle to change the name on the SS card if you have not filed AOS. The SS office runs off of the SAVE system, and they are only able to issue a card in the name that is in that system. You do not have your timeline filled out so I am unsure if you have filed for AOS yet. If you have, once you get your NOA1 it should be in your married name (assuming that you applied for AOS in your married name) and you should then be able to get your card updated to your married name as you will have been updated in the SAVE system. You may be best to wait until you have your EAD (if applied for) or your green card to change the name as you will be able to have the disclaimer of work being allowed with DHS authroization only on it (and save you another trip to the office for that). I had no issue having my SSN in my maiden name until I was able to change it.	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-20 16:17:00
Canada	Exciting News!!	PS - don;t forget to tell USCIS Not that you could forget that awesome, friendly bunch! How could I possibly forget those lovely people!! On the bright side, their office will only be about 20mins from where we will be living so I won't have to travel so far if I need something...lol We are really hoping to get something new or 10yrs old at the very least. A lot of the things we really want in a home, you generally don't find in an older home. And as much as I would love to get something older and cheaper, then renovate to our liking, but with a 6 month old it makes it a bit difficult, and we also want to have a 2nd child pretty soon, so it will just be far to difficult. I can't wait until we get all the details...we still don't know when he will be starting,so it is hard to start planning anything	Colleens	Female	Canada	2011-06-20 16:25:00