Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Successful POE!!!	Awesome!! One more successful VJer! Enjoy!	lonie	Female	Canada	2010-04-29 13:18:00
Canada	Wedding Pics	Gorgeous, congrats!!	lonie	Female	Canada	2010-05-03 20:50:00
Canada	Networking	QUOTE (DeadPoolX @ Dec 2 2009, 01:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Career My career is (was?) in graphic design. As I've posted many times before, that field is practically dead. With the exception of the largest and most well established companies, most businesses don't understand the need for a professional graphic designer. They think the 13 year-old down the street can do the same job, but for a lot less. Even if they don't necessarily believe that, they'll have someone who already works for them do the designing, instead of hiring a new person or getting someone to work on a contract. Seriously, I've had people try to bargain with me about prices. They've told me that instead of getting paid monetarily, having my work shown by them is "great exposure" and an "opportunity to get experience and add something to my resume." I get all of that anyway, but that seems to be lost on them. They've also DEMANDED (as part of the contract) that I show them everything I did so they won't have to hire someone like me again. Worst of all, there have been people who've laughed when I told them I charge for my work. They really thought I was joking. When I told them I wasn't, I've heard all sorts of excuses such as "times are hard and money is tight" or "I have a family to feed." Great, but I need to make money too. Why should I do work for them for free? Will they do work for me free? No, they wouldn't. But somehow graphic design has gone from a once viable profession into something considered a "child's hobby." Volunteering I've volunteered with the BC SPCA and the local city government, where I instruct people on technology (mostly computers). You'd be surprised at how many people have NO idea how to work a computer. Some don't even know how to use a mouse. But anyway... the people at the SPCA have no interest in anything to do with me beyond volunteering. I'm not a jerk towards them, but we simply have no common interests beyond volunteering at the SPCA. Most of the volunteers are middle aged women with too much time on their hands. Seriously, some of the "youngest" volunteers are close to 50 years-old (most are older). Maybe that doesn't sound old, but it's hard to find a common interest with someone from a different generation, especially those who're even older than my dad. I have the exact opposite problem when teaching classes on computers. Most of the volunteers are in high school or in their very early 20s. I don't have a lot in common with teenagers or early 20-somethings. Besides, they wouldn't do a whole lot for me in either a social or businesses capacity. Those who run both volunteering programs aren't interested in doing anything with volunteers beyond whatever is necessary. I do have them as work-related references now (which is lot more than I had before!), but that's as far as it goes. A couple of things. I used to live in BC, and for four years, as an extrovert, I found it very difficult to meet people. I ended up making friends with mostly eastcoasters too. I found Vancouver area to be very cliquish. I also found the dating scene to be pretty low key too. Men would never make the first move, and were quite passive personalities. So at least thank god that you are married!! Besides that, though on a personal front, since you are saying that the business that you are in is dead, then maybe just go back to get more schooling. UBC and UVic are great schools, and there are also some good colleges all around . Maybe you can enhance your job prospects and meet new people at the same time. Otherwise I would suggest a book club, or get involved with a hiking or outdoors-type club. One thing can be said for BC--it's natural beauty should be explored. All the best Edited by Angie'nMark, 02 December 2009 - 03:49 PM.	Angie'nMark	Female	Canada	2009-12-02 15:48:00
Canada	GC Arrived today!! Finished with IMM for 2.5 more years!!	Was reading your posts a while back. I know its been a bunch of trouble for you. SO congrats! I am glad your family is reunited! Must be a great feeling. I am really looking forward to that, but I know it must be that much harder with kids! : ) Congrats!	Angie'nMark	Female	Canada	2010-03-22 20:03:00
Canada	National Do Not Call List (Canada)	Just wondering if anyone from Canada has registered with the National Do Not Call List. My mother gets NUMEROUS calls per week from telemarketers. She's interested to know if registering with the NDNCL will actually reduce these unsolicited calls. Amazing, it totally works. I get no calls at all anymore...except my annoying credit card providers...always hawking some bs insurance. But no random telemarketing. It takes 6 weeks or more to start working I believe. I love the peace and quiet.	Angie'nMark	Female	Canada	2010-03-28 12:53:00
Canada	Canadian Male - US Female - Want to marry soon!	Exactly...I just went through this whole thing... We opted for the CR-1 because I want (have) to work right away. I live in Montreal and my husband is in Los Angeles. We looked at Ontario...crazy wait, and also Quebec was a longish wait to get the marriage certificate, as well as a lot of bureaucracy before hand. We got married over a couple of days in Cali...We got a rush on the license and had it in a week. At the border I was nervous. As many people tell you you don't want to lie..they asked if I was going for biz or pleasure...so I said pleasure and gave no more details, and was asked nothing more. To be on the safe side, you can bring a letter from employer and lease and bills and pay stubs....yadda yadda to show ties back to Canada. This is what you will have to do when you are in the midst of the process anyhow. I have crossed twice since we got our papers started and have gotten through twice. I am very up front about it, and I bring every paper to prove ties, and it has been totally fine. Just give yourself extra time at the border when you cross after the papers have started to become processed. Good luck to you with it...	Angie'nMark	Female	Canada	2010-03-31 15:23:00
Canada	Montreal interviews in August?	I got August 25th, but they haven't booked anything in a few weeks.	Angie'nMark	Female	Canada	2010-07-13 21:01:00
Canada	Not Visa Related: Things to do in Montreal	JlovesA is right, we went to the biodome this december. even though my crazy canadian fiance thought it wasn't "that" cold (um, what?) we walked a considerable distance to get there in what felt like a blizzard, once we got inside it was very interesting, if you like bugs (and i do, as long as they are BEHIND the glass) Olive and Gourmando for in the old port, St.Pierre st, for people watching and brunch/lunch. And these totally insane uber rich brownies. I live here, and that is the straight goods. Oh and for an AMAZING dinner experience go to Kitchenette, it is on Rene-Lesvesque St, in the Gay Villiage section of the city. You will die...AMAZING CUISINE.	Angie'nMark	Female	Canada	2010-09-15 17:25:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	Hi guys...I am in the midst of the EP....We have sent them everything including the I-864...when am I supposed to send in the ds-230?? Has anyone gotten to this point yet. Will they send me a cover page for that? Do I send it in right away with the IV cover page from before? Or do I wait until they get in touch with me and give me the OK?? Anyone...Anyone...Bueller....Bueller?	Angie'nMark	Female	Canada	2010-03-31 20:01:00
Canada	Criminal Rehabilitation Advice	Good morning, Does anyone know of any good attorneys in Montreal to guide me through the Criminal Rehabilitation process - that is, any that won't cost me an arm and a leg? I am willing to pay the appropriate amount for good service, but I definitely don't consider myself rich by any means. In case you're wondering, the record in question (my husband's) is complicated enough to warrant legal assistance, in my opinion, although I will try again to read the paperwork myself. If you have any good leads for me but need further details on the record I can message you, but I would rather spare the details here if possible - not that they're that bad, I just don't want to type it all out for nothing. Thank you	WantingMyHubby	Female	Canada	2010-12-21 09:08:00
Canada	Appointment Date!!!	Congratulations! That's so exciting!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-05-27 19:53:00
Canada	Computer Glitch in Montreal	yeah, that seems totally possible! congrats on the interview date Thank you! And I hope your fiancé will receive his VISA really really soon...!!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-09-15 14:59:00
Canada	Computer Glitch in Montreal	Thank you so much for the information Valerie78! I guess the glitch explained why the NVC operator said that they 'found out' about my interview date today and why I still haven't received the email...	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-09-15 14:52:00
Canada	October MTL Cr-1 Interviews	Got the email too! Will call to schedule tomorrow...	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-09-15 19:56:00
Canada	October MTL Cr-1 Interviews	Congratulations Canadiandggal! Yeah I'm also a little worried about not having received the email yet. Hopeful it will arrive soon...	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-09-15 17:00:00
Canada	CR-1 Interview result	Thank you everyone! For now the tentative POE day is November 7... probably entering through Vermont...	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-10-27 10:31:00
Canada	CR-1 Interview result	I had my interview this morning and the case is approved! Also met Philandjulie at the consulate. He was also approved! Please read my consulate review for more detail... Hopefully I'll be able to pick up my passport early next week!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-10-26 13:15:00
Canada	Approved	Congratulations!!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-10-20 16:35:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	Congrats Musi! Wish we all had better news for you concerning interviews at Montreal. Those of us that finished almost a month ago at NVC still haven't received any dates.. Thanks bwoo, FireRay and Married2009! I can't wait to know when your interviews dates are...!!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-05-19 20:51:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	Just received an email from NVC this morning. Our case is finally completed!!!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-05-19 07:31:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	Got RFE's for I-864's and self-emplyment letter. Spoke to 3 operators to figure out the right numbers to put on the I-864 and one of them was so mean!! My husband just resent the corrected forms and the letter last night. Hopefully everything's right this time and our case will be completed soon...	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-05-09 11:02:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	We finally sent in both I-864 and DS-230 packages this week. Hopefully there will be no RFE...	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-04-29 09:31:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	I see Musi got their AOS bill Apr 3rd and I was surprised they would be working on the Sat. Happy Easter everyone. We got the three e-mails late on Friday, April 2, and my husband paid the bill the next day, April 3. Happy Easter to you, too!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-04-04 14:31:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	Data Error back at NVC. Don't sweat it - absolutely a programming problem @ NVC. Darnell: Thanks for the reassurance!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-04-03 22:31:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	My husband paid the 70$ AOS fee online this morning and received the following e-mail: Dear Sir/Madam, The U.S. Department of State's online Immigrant Visa Invoice Payment Center has been utilized to pay the fees associated with the immigrant visa application of PRINCIPAL APPLICANT NAME NOT FOUND. Your copy of the receipt is attached to this email in a PDF file. If you find that you cannot open the attached file, please double check that you have the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat installed on your system. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download it for free at: http://www.adobe.com.../readstep2.html Please contact the NVC (http://travel.state..../info_3177.html) with any additional questions you may have. ***Important: Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not set up to receive email. I'm a little worried that it says "PRINCIPAL APPLICANT NAME NOT FOUND". What does it mean exactly?	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-04-03 10:13:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	It is very interesting... My husband (the petitioner) received 3 emails from NVC today. The body for the e-mail is the same for all 3, which looks like this: Dear Sir/Madam, The attached correspondence relates to an immigrant visa referenced on the subject line. This case is being processed by the National Visa Center. Please read the information carefully and follow the instructions. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee, please notify NVCinquiry@state.gov immediately by e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secured or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this message. If at any time you wish not to receive correspondence by e-mail you may "Opt Out" by sending a written request to NVCinquiry@state.gov. This e-mail is sent by: The U.S. Department of State's National Visa Center, located at 32 Rochester Avenue, Portsmouth NH 03801. Please DO NOT REPLY to this e-mail. However, the attachments are different. Two of the attachments are extremely similar, each contains the DS-3032 form and the AOS Fee Bill (except the pages are in different order and one of the DS-3032 is dated 2006), and the third one contains the DS-3032 only. I didn't call the NVC to ask them to generate the AOS bill. I only sent in the OPTIN email and waited. We still haven't received the EP acceptance e-mail but I wonder if it's important anymore, since they obviously received my OPTIN email...	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-04-02 19:14:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	I finally got our NVC case number over the phone today. Printed the DS-3032 form, signed and rescanned into PDF file. Just sent out the OPTIN email to NVCElectronic@state.gov a few minutes ago. Hopefully the automatic reply will arrive soon and a link to pay the I-864 bill... Hi guys...I am in the midst of the EP....We have sent them everything including the I-864...when am I supposed to send in the ds-230?? Has anyone gotten to this point yet. Will they send me a cover page for that? Do I send it in right away with the IV cover page from before? Or do I wait until they get in touch with me and give me the OK?? Anyone...Anyone...Bueller....Bueller? From what I understood, you can send in the DS-230 form and the required documents once your IV bill shows paid. Correct me anyone if I'm wrong!!	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-03-31 21:50:00
Canada	Electronic Processing	I sent off the "OPTIN" e-mail with the ds 3032 attached in pdf form like the NVC website states. 2 hours later or so, i got the automated responce back. Meanwhile..my AOS bill took one day to show "PAID" I have everything in PDF format, and ready to roll..once the e-mail comes back. Is it still necessary to speak to an NVC operator to give him/her our emails or it's enough just send in the OPTIN email with all the information required? Is it because calling and giving the email over the phone will make the AOS bill arrive faster?	Musi	Female	Canada	2010-03-27 12:37:00
Canada	Bringing your money to the US	QUOTE (Kathryn41 @ Dec 21 2009, 09:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am pretty sure you don't have to pay tax on money that you transfer over $10,000 but the IRS do want to know about it. If you are transferring the money rather than physically bringing it, I don't believe there is any form you need to use - the Bank takes care of that and reports the transfer and total amounts to the IRS. You will be taxed on any interest the money earns, but that is the same as in Canada. So, you can transfer all of the money at once if that is easiest or do it in stages. Basically, the IRS just wants to know about large sums of money entering the country and that it is for legal purposes and not some sort of money laundering. I couldn't find the exact IRS regulation but that seems to be the concensus from an online search. There is also a fairly new regulation which requires all legal residents to report any foreign accounts in excess of $10,000. The money does not have to be physically in the US.	sly_wolf	Male	Canada	2009-12-21 12:07:00
Canada	Taxes 2009	Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone has any idea about this...my US residency clock started ticking in the beginning of November 2009. How should I go about my taxes for 2009 in the US then? I didn't work in the US in Nov and Dec so I had no income in the US but I still got paid my Canadian salary in Nov and December. Of course I will file taxes in Canada as if I spent the whole year there...but what should I do with those two last months of 2009 when I am considered a resident of the US? Any ideas will be greatly appreciated PS. Should we have a public countdown to Lgg's interview? Lots of good tax info right here: http://www.visajourn...h...78&hl=taxes	sly_wolf	Male	Canada	2010-01-20 18:02:00
Canada	Ontario health and taxes for CR1	Just to add something to this thread. Under certain cirmcumstances, I understand that you may be able to deduct US medical expenses on your Canadian income tax return. One condition .... your world income for the year has to represent at least 90% Canadian employment income. I am trying to get more info on this subject.	sly_wolf	Male	Canada	2010-01-20 18:43:00
Canada	Importing Car to US that's Financed	It also depends what kind of loan it is. Personal loan versus a car loan where there is a lien against the car. I was told by the bank that you cannot import a car that has a lien against it. I needed to get a personal loan to be able to import my car.	sly_wolf	Male	Canada	2010-01-20 18:25:00
Canada	We got our Interview Date!!!!	Félicitations la grenouille! (plus, good news for you is good news for me and others on the list, uh?) Are you ready for you medicatl though????	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-03 19:44:00
Canada	Couple of questions...	QUOTE (Hugglebuggles @ Dec 6 2009, 12:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (La Souris @ Dec 5 2009, 01:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Hugglebuggles @ Dec 5 2009, 01:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I stayed at the Hilton Bonaventure. It was very nice, the rooms were spacious and updated, the TV was big, pretty much what you'd expect from a Hilton. I've stayed at a lot of Hilton hotels and I'd say this is one of the top 5 I've experienced, appearance and comfort wise. But, there were a few buts. There are a couple sets of stairs, although small (2 or 3 at a time) and no elevators, so if you have a lot of luggage it gets annoying trying to pull them up the stairs all the time. They also charge $10 a day for WiFi, which is quite a bit given what you're spending to stay at the hotel in the first place. I think we paid around $200 for 1 night. And, its definitely more than a 5 minute walk. I would say its at least 10, maybe 15 depending on how fast you're moving. I have little legs so it takes me longer I think I wrote a review somewhere in this thread... It would be from April. I walk around there most days, so, I was curious and went back online to see the distance, which is 500m (and a 6-minute walk) on Google; however, I can see how it can be longer depending on where you exit the Hilton. Plus January with snow... Just wanted to give a few more recommendations since someone talk about bed bugs at the closest hotel... Well, you'd probably know better than me anyways. Maybe I walk slow. Or maybe it just seemed longer because I was really nervous and about to throw up pretty much the whole way... But its definitely a nice place, I would recommend it as well. Don't tell anyone but I used to work in the same building (as the Hilton) and we (employees) would go to the Hilton pool during our lunch breaks during the summer months	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-06 00:40:00
Canada	Couple of questions...	QUOTE (Hugglebuggles @ Dec 5 2009, 01:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I stayed at the Hilton Bonaventure. It was very nice, the rooms were spacious and updated, the TV was big, pretty much what you'd expect from a Hilton. I've stayed at a lot of Hilton hotels and I'd say this is one of the top 5 I've experienced, appearance and comfort wise. But, there were a few buts. There are a couple sets of stairs, although small (2 or 3 at a time) and no elevators, so if you have a lot of luggage it gets annoying trying to pull them up the stairs all the time. They also charge $10 a day for WiFi, which is quite a bit given what you're spending to stay at the hotel in the first place. I think we paid around $200 for 1 night. And, its definitely more than a 5 minute walk. I would say its at least 10, maybe 15 depending on how fast you're moving. I have little legs so it takes me longer I think I wrote a review somewhere in this thread... It would be from April. I walk around there most days, so, I was curious and went back online to see the distance, which is 500m (and a 6-minute walk) on Google; however, I can see how it can be longer depending on where you exit the Hilton. Plus January with snow... Just wanted to give a few more recommendations since someone talk about bed bugs at the closest hotel...	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-05 15:14:00
Canada	Couple of questions...	The Hilton Bonaventure is a 5-minute walk but they have an outdoor pool you can use year long; which is fun. Fairmont Queen Elizabeth is also 5-minute away and is nice (plus you can get John and Yoko's room). Staying in the Old Montreal is also close by... see the map: http://www.vieux.mon...ng/fen_heba.htm I'll come back to you if I have more ideas. I would let you stay at my place if I was not, you know, already in boxes... hahahaha Good luck ETA: I saw these ads, second night is 50% off, but I don't know which hotels are participating... http://www.tourisme-...real.org/Offers Edited by La Souris, 04 December 2009 - 04:45 PM.	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-04 16:42:00
Canada	I am REALLY sorry to post this here	QUOTE (lgg @ Dec 8 2009, 02:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> SO sorry guys, I have an EI question but A) Hardly anyone is up there to answer and it's really hard to find anything related to CR1 visas and collecting EI . I am afraid now that it's not possible? I read that K1s need their EADs and such but what does a CR1 need and can I do it? I remember asking all this months ago but since then and all the other stuff that's passed, I forget what to to or whatever. I"m going to quit 2 jobs here about a week or so before I move to the US stating that I quit both in order to relocate to teh US to be with my spouse. So, if anyone can answer these questions for me, mainly, am I eligible, then I will go back to the EI thread and figure anything else out I need to know. . Sorry guys. And Thanks, LGG You're my guinea pig, I mean, lab frog... you test it and let me know what to do? ok? I think you have to be able to work to get it... but, I'm not sure how to prove it to the Canadian agency. I'll read the answers with attention and bookmark this subject. Merci	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-08 14:52:00
Canada	Leaving Canada next month	QUOTE (Ebrech N Persona @ Dec 8 2009, 03:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ya getting my money faster ? XD since im assuming i won't be illegible for work insurance *Chomage in french* not sure how you call it in English.. but i worked all year and would love to have some kind of money until i find my next job... not that i absolutely need it but it would help Pour l'impôt, je ne suis pas certaine. Pour l'assurance-emploi, il y a plusieurs Canadiens expatriés qui ont réussi a en avoir, il y a un sujet juste sur ça, ici: The Canuck EI Thread.	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-08 07:52:00
Canada	Customs officers killed most of visit to USA	QUOTE (trailmix @ Dec 7 2009, 09:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I can't read the wikileaks stuff, the links go to a summary page and - well it's wiki - but as for the other links, those are all about searching your laptop - the OP's SO didn't have a laptop - they forced him to log in to THEIR computer so they could read his email. Here's the direct link to the document: http://88.80.16.63/l...ssment-2008.pdf And, sorry, I missed the part about him having to use their computers. Not sure what I would have done in this case... weird. I would definitely change my password after typing it on their computer though.	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-07 17:23:00
Canada	Customs officers killed most of visit to USA	Garnet: I hope all will turn out ok.. ___ Email, laptop, etc. "Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed." full article is: http://www.washingto...ml?hpid=topnews See also: The Government and Your Laptop There is a lawsuit too since many consider the procedures abusive: http://www.eff.org/p...ives/2008/02/07 How to protect your data: Protecting Yourself From Suspicionless Searches While Traveling US DHS: Foreign Travel Threat Assessment: Electronic Communications Vulnerabilities 2008 - PDF listing protective measures Edited by La Souris, 06 December 2009 - 11:46 PM.	La Souris	Not Telling	Canada	2009-12-06 23:45:00