Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Vanee,nini and mamalovesdada.....GOOD LUCK!!	QUOTE (mamalovesdada @ Sep 12 2007, 11:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> i feel so sad because they gave me the other requirements during my interview. That really sucks. They could have added that when they sent me the packet 3. It is Soooooo unfair. Now, i have to wait for a month to process the papers that they needed and another month to get another interview date. A delay is far better than a denial, but it still hurts. QUOTE by the way, the last k1 applicant was approved. That's good to know. Thanks for the update. QUOTE (Misty1979 @ Sep 12 2007, 09:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Are you sure you have to go to a second interview? From other people's experiences, they seem to just take whatever missing paper work you have then issue the visa after they have what they need, since they've already interviewed you once before. That's what I was thinking. If you can send in the documents they need, maybe they'll just ask you to come in and pick up the visa package. I really hope so. Or did they tell you that you need to set up another interview?	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-12 23:12:00
Canada	Vanee,nini and mamalovesdada.....GOOD LUCK!!	Thanks for the good wishes. When I heard "Everything appears to be in order," you all know how happy I was. The consulate officer didn't ask for any evidence of our relationship (and I had several inches of paperwork documenting it). He just looked through the I-129-F file and the paperwork they'd specifically asked for and commented on / asked about a few things: where I'm moving to (he knew a city in the area), one of the photos of my fiance and me submitted with the I-129F (he asked where it was taken), and a couple of questions/comments about how my fiance met and the work we do. He also asked if my fiance has any dependents, but it was all very conversational. I think he was checking to see how easily I was able to talk about the details when he drew attention to them. Then he finished with the above famous words and asked if I wanted to pick up the package tomorrow at 2:30 or have it mailed to me. I'm approved! Mamalovesdada needs a couple more documents, and it sounds like she'll be approved once she submits them. The required documents weren't listed on the checklist. But at least she knows that they're all she needs now and then she can join her husband. Two other women were there, both K-1s. The first one was also approved, and the other one was interviewed after me, so I don't know the result for her. And now I need to pack up and leave my friends, my roots, my country. And then I'll be with my fiance.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-12 19:48:00
Canada	Air Canada online discount to US until Sept. 27	I'm on Air Canada's mailing list. I just received this: QUOTE Exclusive discount off our U.S. fares. Offer ends September 27th [Name], an exclusive 15% webSaver discount is available to you right here Flying to the U.S.? Here's an exclusive promotional code to save an extra 15% off our U.S. fares for travel until December 15th. Book by tomorrow at aircanada.com and save! Also, take advantage of this week's low fares within Canada and international destinations. I don't know if the promotional code can be used more than once, but I'm not using it (I bought my ticket a couple of weeks ago), so here it is if someone else may be buying a ticket from Canada to the US right about now.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-26 02:47:00
Canada	Anyone know what kind of food we are/aren't allowed to ship to the US?	QUOTE (Krikit @ Sep 26 2007, 06:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Freeze dried soups aren't going to be a problem. Send as many as you like. As an aside, I bring back tons of food items, both ways. Never had a problem yet. And neither have my family who bring me items also. Vanee, where are you moving to where you can't get tuna packed in water? The local grocery store only has tuna packed in oil. IIRC I saw tuna in water at the health food store across town, but it cost a lot more than the oily stuff, while in Canada, there's no price difference. I might have better luck at larger grocery stores, but they aren't close by. I probably posted my question in the wrong thread. When I saw in the thread title "ship to the USA," I thought about what I can ship via U-Pack. I won't be with my belongings when they cross the border, and if canned tuna isn't allowed, I'll give it to the food bank here instead of the border guards confiscating it. But I'd really like to bring it with me. To rephrase my question...can canned tuna be shipped across the border with all my other belongings when I move to the US? Also, where can I find detailed information about this online? On the "Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles" form, there's a box to check for "Fish, wildlife, animal products thereof." But there's no explanation about what the restrictions are. Thanks for your help.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-27 11:43:00
Canada	Anyone know what kind of food we are/aren't allowed to ship to the US?	QUOTE (Misty1979 @ Sep 25 2007, 11:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ...the CBP website....I'm just going to try giving the CBP people a call tomorrow and see if they can give me a conclusive answer. Can you give us the URL and phone number? Here's my main question so far. Or maybe someone here can answer it: Can I bring canned tuna? I stocked up on tuna a while ago when it was on sale, and most tuna in the US is packed in that gucky oily stuff instead of in water like I can get here, so I'd really like to take those cans with me. Thanks.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-26 02:37:00
Canada	CANUCK RAGE!	QUOTE (misa @ Sep 26 2007, 10:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Cassie, I'm talking about administrative processes though, not the amount of work or the wait time. I can identify at least one area off the top of my head that would cut down on work for staff at Montreal -- the first being the way they schedule interviews. The only reason why it's set up that they can't schedule past the following month is because someone set it up that way. The way they do it now creates double work for their staff (inputting people when they receive P3 and then later going through the pending list again to check each month who to schedule). Other busy consulates also have better scheduling processes. While Manila is not that fast, they do schedule when they input receipt of packet 3 months in advance of their interview. I think that one change would cut down on a lot of work and give applicants piece of mind because they actually have a date in the future rather than have to keep calling and emailing every week or so. Not only that, it would drastically reduce the staff having to answer emails and phone calls. Good idea. I suggest sending it to Montreal. If they make the change, you'll be helping a lot of people.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-26 12:27:00
Canada	Réjean & Pamela	Congratulations. Enjoy your special day.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-22 01:42:00
Canada	VJ lunch meetup in Vancouver on Oct. 2	It looks like we've confirmed the time now. See you then.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-01 20:09:00
Canada	VJ lunch meetup in Vancouver on Oct. 2	The VJ lunch we'd planned for Sept. 12 in Vancouver got postponed, and we've rescheduled it for Oct. 2. That's the day that dearheart and mamalovesdada should be picking up their visas. Who: Dearheart & spouse, Nini of Nini&Bee, and me. We're waiting to hear if mamalovesdada can make it too. Where: Thai House on Robson near Thurlow (1116 Robson), which is a few blocks from the consulate When: TBA, but probably 12:00 If you can come too, please post in this thread so that we know who to expect.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-29 11:07:00
Canada	My Wedding Photos	Thanks for sharing.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-11 17:53:00
Canada	Vancouver Medical Dr. Morgan	QUOTE (luluyen @ Oct 2 2007, 11:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I tried calling them but it keeps going to answer machine and I left a msg but never get any reply back. The person who calls back sometimes makes calls from home and blocks caller ID when she does. My answering machine wasn't working at the time, and I don't pick up for anonymous calls, so I didn't receive a call back until I left my cell #, which has voice mail. Leave a number where a message can be left, and you should get a call back.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-03 02:05:00
Canada	Montreal review and story	Congrats on the most entertaining review on VJ. Oh, and on getting your visa.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-09-29 10:51:00
Canada	Vancouver K3 approved!	Congratulations. That's great news.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-01 20:07:00
Canada	arrived in PA, USA!	I'm so glad that it all went well this time and that you're now with your husband.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-04 16:02:00
Canada	Health insurance coverage for just a few days	Thanks for the responses everyone. QUOTE (SonoranSongbird @ Oct 11 2007, 01:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow, we were assuming the travel health insurance he can get from Alberta would cover him for the week or two he is here before we have the ceremony, too. I don't know, but health insurance options might vary depending on the province. QUOTE This may or may not work, but I would try talking to the benefits manager from his employer. It is actually kind of ridiculous for them to refuse to cover you for those three days, considering there is probably a deduction from his paycheck to cover part of it. You are going to have to get the paperwork or whatever needs to be done all set ahead of time anyway so you don't find that you get sick two weeks after the marriage and have not been added to the plan yet. That's an idea. But I think the health plan provider requires people added to health plans to be spouses or children of the employee who has coverage. BTW, they didn't refuse. We didn't ask. It didn't occur to us to. My fiance read in the manual from the health insurance company that coverage begins on the day of the marriage. QUOTE (Emancipation @ Oct 11 2007, 02:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The only thing to think about it is that with travel insurance the first thing they will do if the medical condition is serious is ship you back to Canada... That's a really good point, and it might be the reason that many insurance companies won't provide coverage unless the person has a round-trip ticket and is planning to return to Canada. I've found a company that provides coverage for as little as 5 days: Inbound USA. They cover most of what could happen in a few days with some limitations, including consequences of terrorist activity. So if I go with this plan and the airport I'm in gets bombed and I survive, I won't be covered, but I will be covered if I'm in a car accident on the way home from the airport. Oh well. You can't have it all, and it looks like it'll do. I'll probably go with it unless something better comes up.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-12 02:03:00
Canada	Health insurance coverage for just a few days	I need health insurance for just a few days after I arrive in the US. I'll be added to my fiance's plan after we're married, but I want coverage for those few days before we get married. When I called to cancel my MSP (Medical Services Plan), I was told that it would cover me for the rest of the month. (In fact, I could have coverage for 3 months after leaving Canada.) With that, I should be able to get travel insurance for the US, just as I did for my visits there. Unfortunately, no. According to my travel agent, RBC Insurance doesn't cover trips on a one-way ticket, and she didn't know of any other options when I'm not returning to Canada when those few days of coverage are up. Has anyone here used Canadian travel insurance for the time period right after arriving in the US to live? Also, my travel agent wrote this: "My advice would be to go into (or have your future husband go into) a travel agency in the USA and see if they sell a visitors to USA policy for those few days. I know we can offer that for visitors to Canada." I doubt that would work in the US, but I'm wondering if anyone here knows more about it. Or do you know of any US health insurance plans that cover people for only a few days? I contacted one company (US NetCare), and their plans are for a minimum of 3 months. Thanks for your help.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-11 13:24:00
Canada	Visiting the US while Visa pending	QUOTE (MandE @ Oct 12 2007, 06:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I decided to take the plunge, and went to visit my fiance in Kentucky for the first time since February. Luckily, I had every bit of documentation that you all suggested I have, because the officer I had asked about everyone. He never actually looked at anything (I had a huge folder sitting in my lap), but kept asking if I had copies of this and that. Eventually he asked me if I had spoken to someone before travelling to the States, to find out what I needed to bring. I said I had, and he said that was good and let me on it. Needless to say, I was sure he wasn't going to, and I was shaking when I went to pay the toll. But I had a great time and glad that I made the trip. We managed to get a lot of wedding plan done in the 10 days I was there! That's good to hear. I crossed the border twice while my K-1 was pending. The first time, I got lots of questions, and the pile of documentation I had with me helped. The second time, I had even more documentation with me, and the officer didn't ask about any of it. Most of the time, I think they don't ask, but it's always good to have it with you for the times that they do. Or that they want to know that you have it even if they don't look at it.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-12 11:29:00
Canada	How do you know you got the visa	QUOTE (misa @ Oct 10 2007, 01:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, they don't ask to swear to tell the truth at the Vancouver consulate. Yeah, we didn't get that. But how many of us who went through the Vancouver consulate heard "Everything appears to be in order" when we were approved? When I heard it, I remembered reading it here, and I knew I was approved.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-11 01:21:00
Canada	Woohoo!	Hey, neighbour. I mean, former neighbour. Good to see you made it across the line. Rain is forecast for Vancouver for the rest of the week, so enjoy not being in that. QUOTE (Nini & Bee @ Oct 14 2007, 02:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> In all seriousness, the POE in Vancouver was incredibly painless on Thursday - the CBP officer was really helpful (I suspect though it was because I was all blotchy from crying with my mom and little sister at the departure gate) and answered all my questions. Funny thing was when he told me that I could apply for a temporary EAD stamp, he said, "Make an Infopass appointment" and I said, "But that's only valid for the duration of the I-94, right?" Ah, that close to a temp stamp. I'll be following you through that POE on Wednesday. So did the officer bring up the EAD stamp? Can people really get EAD stamps at Infopass appointments? Also, how long did all that take? Thanks!	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-14 11:08:00
Canada	Oct 10th is a busy day in Montreal	Best wishes to all of you. It's a lot more interesting when you can share the experience with other people.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-08 21:57:00
Canada	Pre-moving homesick jitters	For transportation, get yourself a bike, a helmet, and a good bike lock. You'll be able to get around then. Less so in the winter, but you probably have a couple of months before it gets too cold to ride.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-09 00:00:00
Canada	Pre-moving homesick jitters	I'm also getting ready to leave Vancouver, and I've been on the verge of tears several times when saying good-bye to friends. Or just thinking about saying good-bye. Once we're with our fiances, I expect that it'll be easier. We'll get settled into life there. I've spent several months with my fiance in the US on different trips, and I wasn't homesick then, but I still had a home in Vancouver. Other than that difference, it'll be like those visits except that we won't have to think about when I'm leaving. And all my belongings will be there. The closet will be full of our clothes, more of my things will be on the dresser and the shelves with his, and so on. It'll be home. There's bad and good in this. It's normal to be sad about leaving so much. That doesn't make it easier, but we'll get through the bad to the good. And it helps to have so many people to go through this with.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-08 23:55:00
Canada	Pics for Medical and Interview	I got passport photos taken a few months before my medical, scanned them, and then had a pile of them printed. The reprints didn't have any date on them, and I didn't have a problem with them. I went through Vancouver. Vancouver and Montreal consulates are different in a number of ways, and I don't know if this might be one of them. But I figured that one reason those photos might be OK is that we gave them to the doctor's office and consulate officer in person, so they could see that the photos were recent enough to still be a likeness of us (although my fiance says that I look like a criminal in mine ).	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-12 12:05:00
Canada	Thanks to all on VJ	Glad to see that you sold your house so fast. Have a good trip.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-14 11:00:00
Canada	So Canadians - tell us about yourselves	My fiance and I met on a forum. I felt drawn to him because of how he expressed himself and interacted with other people. We were in contact by PM and email about some things, and it progressed to IM, where we became friends. I developed feelings for him, but I was never going to say anything to him about that. After all, we were from different countries, and the feelings probably couldn't go anywhere. It turned out that he'd had feelings for me for a long time too. After months of chatting online, he told me about his feelings for me. To his surprise, he found out that they were mutual. We began talking by Skype or phone every day. We met in person several months later, and the connection we felt was even better in person. We knew that we were serious about being together. I spent 2 months with him later, and after that, we sent in our I-129F. I've spent more time with him on different visits since then. Our K-1 was approved last month, and I'm moving to be with him this month. My username comes from my city and marital status: Vancouver fiancee. Both will change soon, but I think I'll keep the username. It shows where I'm from and how I got here, and that will always be a part of me.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-10-05 13:30:00
Canada	Another Canuck south of the border	Thanks for the congratulations, everyone. I was lucky to have a particularly helpful officer process my K-1. He photocopied my vaccination record for me and put his name, work number, and signature on the back of it because he said that he used to work in the department where I'll need that and it can be a hassle to get a copy of it, or something like that. I was going to ask about the employment authorization stamp but forgot to, but it appears that his "extra step" approach took care of that. I can hardly believe my luck. Maybe this officer is new at YVR. I don't know, but I hope other VJers get him too.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-02 08:59:00
Canada	Another Canuck south of the border	It's 15 days now since I activated my K-1 visa and entered the US. We got married 4 days later (just a small wedding with a few family members present), went on a short honeymoon, and now we're settling into life as a married couple in the US. Today I got 3 certified copies of our marriage license. Next on the list is applying for a SSN and a US driver's license, and sending off the AOS package. So far, it isn't much different from the 2-month stretches we spent together before we were married. We're both trying to remember to think in terms of "our" rather than "my," and it's an adjustment to make financial and other decisions together. But it's good. And there's a tremendous feeling of relief knowing that my life is now in one place now instead of two and we don't don't need to worry any more about the K-1 being approved. Sometimes it felt like a dream that would never really happen, but some dreams do come true. Here's my question. On the back of my I-94 is "EMPLOYMENT AUTH." stamped in red. I just noticed it today. I was going to ask about an EAD stamp at the POE, but I forgot, and afterwards I figured it probably didn't matter because other VJers have said that Vancouver doesn't give out the EAD stamp. But what does that stamp mean? Could it be the EAD stamp that we all covet, or is it something else?	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-01 17:04:00
Canada	Our moving story	Good to see you made it to the US and with the van.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-05 12:49:00
Canada	Liz's Day in Montreal	Congratulations. Great review.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-03 07:53:00
Canada	Approved	Congratulations.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-08 19:18:00
Canada	Our Montreal Experience	Congratulations. Meeting other VJers makes the day go better.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-10 09:10:00
Canada	Montreal Approved	Congratulations. Interviews in Canada are usually quite easy, but we can't help getting worked up beforehand. Glad yours was just as easy as most.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-11 17:41:00
Canada	Customs Form 3299	I called the POE before moving, and the officer I talked to told me that general descriptions such as "kitchen stuff" are fine. He also said that listing the value wasn't necessary for a K-1 visa. I labelled my boxes with numbers that corresponded to a list I had. I'm pretty sure that no one looked at my boxes as I shipped them via U-Pack and they were behind a divider in a truck with other items.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-12 14:10:00
Canada	We Made It	That's great to hear.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-14 13:07:00
Canada	Wedding date set	Congratulations. And after you're married, you get to be newlyweds for a while.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-14 13:06:00
Canada	getting a cross border	QUOTE (charlene @ Nov 16 2007, 04:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Has anyone recently driven or flew out of Vancouver while you k visa was still in process... Yes, I have. See my July 4 post in the Yes, you can visit! thread. That was at the Vancouver airport. My May posts in that thread were about the Pacific border crossing when I took a bus to Seattle in March.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-17 13:07:00
Canada	Our Montreal Experience	Congratulations! And thanks for the review.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-17 18:18:00
Canada	VJ wiki, new tool	Good start. Doesn't Manitoba and westward go to the Vancouver consulate? It currently says that Manitoba and eastward go to Montreal, but I'm not 100% sure which way is correct.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-21 21:26:00
Canada	Medical Appt in Vancouver	Concerning the checklist part of it, I hadn't gotten the cashier's cheque (or whatever it's called) from the bank but wrote on the checklist that I was going to get it before the appointment, and they accepted that. The same would probably work for the medical.	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-22 20:35:00
Canada	Medical Appt in Vancouver	When I had my medical in Vancouver, another K-1 person there had had her interview the day before and was approved pending a successful medical. She didn't live in Vancouver and was able to schedule the medical and interview a day apart and not in that order. Visa medicals in Vancouver are always on Wednesdays, so if you aren't in Vancouver, maybe you can do something like the above with your interview on a Tuesday or a Thursday. You could also call the doctor's office and see what lead time they need for appointments. It's probably a shorter time than the wait for a visa interview. Good luck!	vanee	Female	Canada	2007-11-22 20:25:00