Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	May/June IR/CR-1 Interviews!!	Yay! My interview is on Wednesday	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-07 20:43:00
Canada	Couple of pre-interview questions	Haha, I made my list in OP based on what I had prepared in front of me. My medical is now included. Good to go!	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-07 16:57:00
Canada	Couple of pre-interview questions	Don't we need to bring our sealed medical results? Haha. Forgot that on my list. On my way to pick it up now, then going home and packing	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-07 13:49:00
Canada	Couple of pre-interview questions	I would still show up early too. It is possible they might let you in? couldn't hurt to try like others found they just tell ya to come back later if they don't wanna let you in lol. Exactly, it's not like I'm going to get in trouble for being there early, haha. I'll show up for 7 and see how it goes.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-06 22:37:00
Canada	Couple of pre-interview questions	Bummer. I don't mind sleeping in though... I think I'd still like to show up early, even if it's to scope out the building, where to line up, etc. Edited by Gervl, 06 May 2012 - 10:13 PM.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-06 22:12:00
Canada	Couple of pre-interview questions	So, Wednesday is the big day. Leaving Toronto on Tuesday. Just want to check some things! 1) My interview letter says my appointment is at 8:30am. I'm assuming I should still show up at the consulate around 7 am. Am I correct? 2) Run down of what I have with me. Am I missing anything? - 2 passport photos - Valid passport - Original marriage certificate - Original birth certificate - Original police clearance - Interview letter - DS-260 confirmation (full document set including the questions and my answers) - Filled out, part 1 signed DS-230 (I heard I might not need this anymore as MTL is coordinating all of us electronic processing geeks, bringing it in case) - I-864EZ filled out with husband's original signed forms + original supporting documents - Husband's 2011 tax return (he hadn't filed yet when we submitted our AOS paperwork) + 2011 W-2 + most recent earnings statement - DHL/Loomis confirmation sheet I'm excited to do my interview and just as nervous. Montreal shopping will help, I imagine. I definitely look forward to writing up my review! Thanks guys. Have a great Sunday night	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-06 21:59:00
Canada	Vaccine Questions	I'm on my phone so I can't see your case details, but in Toronto a verbal declaration of having had chicken pox is all you need. They arrange the chest x-ray for you; it's done the same day.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-14 16:34:00
Canada	Moving issue	I have the same problem! I have a TON of books... I wish I could bring them all with me Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be selling most of them and giving others away :'( I'm only going to bring the ones I haven't read yet... still about a dozen or so, plus my must have favourites. This thread reminded me that space bags existed. Going to Wal-Mart this weekend to grab a couple boxes! I'll also be moving my things slowly. My husband and I will be moving around the U.S., so I'll unfortunately need to bring my winter stuff. I've pretty much decided to just pay the extra baggage fees. I usually fly first class (a perk through my mom's work, thankfully) so my first bag is free. Maybe even my second, I can't remember. So much to figure out!	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-16 23:54:00
Canada	Montreal Interview Review	Hm, I thought beaver tail was more of an Ottawa thing. Either way, here's the wiki about them - I've never had one http://en.wikipedia....iki/BeaverTails Poutine is amazing! Try not to get it from fast food places, it isn't as good.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-14 22:31:00
Canada	Montreal Interview Review	Sherbrooke isn't far The city is very walkable, so you might as well smell some roses while you're there.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-14 18:18:00
Canada	Montreal Interview Review	I stayed at Zero1. Check Google... "hotels near 1155 rue st alexandre montreal" or whatever the address is. Or go to any travel site and you can map them there and also find deals. There was a Travelodge across the street from Zero1 - about an 8 minute walk from the consulate.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-13 21:33:00
Canada	Montreal Interview Review	Congrats!! But I couldn't help reading this and thinking.. awww.. you knew they would get turned away and didn't speak up and say anything? Well I found out later one of them didn't even have a hotel room :\ The gentleman arrived once we were all in the waiting area for the elevator, and the lady got back after we'd gotten upstairs. There are signs in the building visible in the doors as well as notices about it on the consulate website...	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-12 22:51:00
Canada	Montreal Interview Review	!! I knew you guys had to be familiar with VJ. I noticed you headed straight for the back left corner! How did your interview go?? haha, too funny!	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-12 00:40:00
Canada	Montreal Interview Review	Thanks guys The welcome letter discusses ROC on one side and setting up Loomis on the other (which you should already have done anyway.)	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-09 21:00:00
Canada	Montreal Interview Review	I arrived at the Consulate a little later than I had wanted to - around 6:50AM. There were a few people there already, maybe 5 groups. Get there early! I spotted a woman with a huge purse and a man with a laptop bag ahead in the line. "They'll get turned away and I'll move up in the queue!" I thought to myself, and which was correct.  Security showed up at 7:30AM to let us in. The two people I had spotted were baffled by being turned away - oopsie daisy! The guard let the first few of us in after checking our interview letters then closed the door. Have ready: passport, DHL/Loomis confirmation and interview letter. A man inside the door checks your Loomis document, and attaches a sticker with your booking reference number to the back of your passport. You then wait to be called up through security. Remove your belt, jacket, everything in your pockets, etc. Typical baggage x-ray and walk through metal detector procedure after - same deal as TSA without the groping. Once complete you go down the stairs and find a seat nearest to the elevator in the waiting room. We waited down there for maybe 15 minutes when a guard showed up, removed the barrier from in front of the elevator door and told us to head up to the 19th floor. As he removed the barrier people had already crowded behind him - so yes, get as close to those doors as you can. I got in right by the back left behind another couple (they had their baby, didn't want to smush them!) We got upstairs and exited to be greeted by a lady asking to see our interview letters. Once she checks it she gives you your number. I got C2 Some time passed until I was called to Window 2. There, I handed over my original birth certificate, original police certificate, original birth certificate, passport photos and my I-864EZ with originals. She also took my fingerprints and went over some info from my DS-260 (she didn't ask to see a hard copy.) When that's finished you go and have a seat again and wait to be called up for your interview. I went back to my seat at 8:20. Around 8:45 I got called up for my interview at window 7.  I was greeted by a nice guy, Lawrence. He asked me a couple of housekeeping questions, had me do a quick fingerprint check and then swore me in. He asked me a few basic questions: - When did you get married? - How did you meet? + follow up questions - What does your husband do? - What is his rank? - What are your plans after getting your visa?   Those are the main ones I can remember, the whole thing was a blur! While he was asking questions he was stamping paperwork, writing on it and typing on the computer. He then passed back my marriage and birth certificates and told me with a smile he was approving my visa as he handed me my welcome letter! He reminded me about removing conditions and I thanked him again and stumbled out at 9AM. It was hard to remain composed! You exit the consulate the same way you come in. There were a ton of people in the waiting room and more waiting to come in outside. So I'll remind you again: Get there early!!!  All in all, a very smooth experience. Keep your eyes and ears peeled so that you're not scrambling to hand paperwork over. I overheard a lot of people who weren't answering questions clearly/properly or just seemed to have no idea what was going on. Don't be one of them!  Good luck! Bon chance!	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-09 09:55:00
Canada	How have you changed?	Darnell you jerk! Every time I see one of your posts it's about poutine! I want it. So bad. Right this instant. Omhgeerdgdgdhg.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-04 19:55:00
Canada	How have you changed?	Hsven't moved yet (June 22 ) but every time I've spent more than a few weeks in the U.S. I've gained weight. We eat out more often, and don't make as wholesome meals that I'm used to at home. Also, not working and being bored at home all day. Not letting it happen this time	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-03 17:30:00
Canada	Medical in Toronto	When I tried calling them I never got an answer. I left a voicemail, in which they replied to with a voicemail to me saying to call their office number. I called right back after their call, and got no response. The place is weird. Got my appointment through e-mail. They shouldn't even bother handing out their phone number.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-16 22:45:00
Canada	Flight from Pearson at 6:53 AM, when should I arrive?	Spoke to Pearson customer service. He said they open up at 4:30AM, but I want to be there extra, extra early to be one of the first in so that I'm first in line to get in. Thankfully I don't live too far from the airport, so if I leave at 2:30AM, I can be there around 3. Arrghghgh.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-20 08:52:00
Canada	Flight from Pearson at 6:53 AM, when should I arrive?	I recently flew out of Pearson for a 6:45 flight and got to the airport at 4... after checking in, the lineup for customs was already a good hour long at that point... I would probably suggest finding out what time the check-in counters open for your flight, and being the first one in line :| Oh wow. Can special cases get an express lane, pretty please?	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-20 08:42:00
Canada	Flight from Pearson at 6:53 AM, when should I arrive?	Hey all, I fly out from Pearson on Friday morning at 6:50 AM for my POE. Should I get there even earlier than normal? Working backwards: I would board around 6:20 AM, give myself an hour and a half for normal customs procedures arriving around 4:45 AM. Do you guys think Pearson will be dead enough that say, arriving at 4:00 AM will be sufficient? Thanks! I have a ton to do, but I need to get this sorted	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-20 02:59:00
Canada	25 Reasons Why Canada Rocks	I murdered a bag of Lay's Ketchup Chips last week. It will probably be the last ones I'll eat for a long, long time	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-16 22:53:00
Canada	Finally! Pearson POE review	Went to the SSA office. The chick was giving me the run around at first. Then she thought I was on a K-2 visa (durrr.) Finally was able to look me up properly, saw I had no application put in. Submitted it and told me to wait to get it in the mail. She told me I'm actually supposed to wait 21 business days from POE to get my SSN, then if it doesn't come to go to an office as I run the risk of getting two SSN cards. ROC date is easy. Take June 22, 2014 and subtract 90 days Using http://www.timeandda...=&am=&ad=90&aw= it says March 24, 2014 Good luck Appreciated! Edited by Gervl, 09 July 2012 - 05:11 PM.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-07-09 17:11:00
Canada	Finally! Pearson POE review	I'd like to go on Thursday, actually. Have to calculate my ROC date too	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-07-03 21:05:00
Canada	Finally! Pearson POE review	I arrived at the airport super early, around 3:30 am. My flight was at 6:53 am. I checked in then had to wait for customs to open up at 4:30 am. There was a line-up outside the customs doors, so if you're going to be on an early flight get there with plenty of time to spare! Once we were into the "customs cathedral", I got in line and waited to approach an officer at primary. When I approached I told him I was entering on my CR-1 visa. He wasn't 100% on what to do. He made a quick phone call to confirm some procedural things, attached my documents to a clip board and then pointed me to secondary. We had some chit chat, asking me if today was the big move day. I gestured to my cart carrying 4 massive bags of luggage and told him yes. He was a good dude and didn't give me any issues. When you walk into secondary, you approach the first officer you see. There was only one there at the time, so I introduced myself and handed over my clip board. There was one other guy waiting in there before me. I took a seat and began waiting. I forget what time I got into secondary, but I was out by 5:30 am. I think I was waiting around for about 40 minutes. Anyway, things got busy in there. Lots of travelers were being sent in, so again - get. there. early. One other officer came in to help lighten the load. Once the officer who took my paperwork was finished (he was juggling me and a few other people) he called me up and told me to bring my bags. He had me open each bag and then he went through them. This is something I had not read about before on POE reviews, maybe it's a new policy, so don't be surprised if they go through all your things. He took my thumbprint (with ink) and got my signature for my green card as well (before the luggage search.) Once he finished inspecting my bags he handed back all my paperwork then sent me off. He was also very nice, not too chatty though. You exit secondary behind the point where you hand over your blue customs card (they keep it at secondary) then you're off to security checks... and the rest everyone is familiar with. I haven't gotten my SSN card yet, but it's only been 6 business days. That's all I can remember for now. Good luck to everyone on your journeys!	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-07-03 18:40:00
Canada	How Efficent is Montreal these days?	You can check my timeline below. I got my Visa approved May 9. It took about 10 months from sending off our I-130 to getting my final approval. Good luck! Remember, patience is key. No case is the same, they all take different lengths of time Edited by Gervl, 20 June 2012 - 01:20 AM.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-20 01:20:00
Canada	Getting Around Montreal	I got a cab. $40 or $50 flat rate, don't remember. But once you're downtown everything is walking distance so you won't have to pay to get around again. Edited by Gervl, 10 August 2012 - 08:13 PM.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-08-10 20:13:00
Canada	How I Lost My Fear Of Universal Health Care	Being in a large city certainly helps with getting to specialists faster. When my heart problem was being checked out I didn't wait months and months for specialists; it took a few weeks at most. Maybe because it's a vital organ? Either way, I'm currently editing a book by my friend who lives with chronic pain and her boyfriend who has terminal merkel cell carcinoma. It's about the dismissive attitude of some doctors, medical marijuana and their legal/health battles. Our health system is very complicated and is different from city to city. I'm glad I married a military man because I know I am covered more or less as well as I was in Toronto, but I have yet to experience the American system.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-08-10 20:11:00
Canada	Medical in Toronto	A letter from your GP should be fine, I'd imagine. When I went for my medical in Toronto I told the doctor about my condition and he didn't even ask to see any paperwork I brought.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-08-11 00:14:00
Canada	Medical in Toronto	It's important for his specialist to outline the long term prognosis. The medical doctor will ask him if he's had any surgeries, so he should be ready to hand over any paperwork from his specialists. Shouldn't be a problem though as long as he's taking care of himself.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-08-10 20:15:00
Canada	Heading to Canada for the first time since POE. Anything I need to know?	Awesome, the stamp expiration date makes a lot more sense. Forgot about that part, haha. I figured it wouldn't be weird traveling back and forth, just wanted to make sure. Thanks guys	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-08-29 16:15:00
Canada	Heading to Canada for the first time since POE. Anything I need to know?	I'm travelling back to Toronto tomorrow. I have my GC. Will I need to go through anything different when returning to the U.S. in two weeks? Will I still have the fill out the blue customs form when I return to the U.S. (at Pearson after checking my bags and before going to customs)? Do I need to tell the customs officer anything, or just hand over my passport and let him figure it out? Also, I noticed tonight that the officer who dealt with me at my POE wrote "2013" on my stamp, and not "2014." I have a CR-1, so shouldn't the expiry be two years from POE, not one? I crossed in June. Edited by Gervl, 29 August 2012 - 01:58 AM.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-08-29 01:57:00
Canada	What Are You Reading?	Favourite book of all time: Currently reading: Future reading:	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-06-20 01:32:00
Canada	What Are You Reading?	Southern gothic is my favourite genre Cormac McCarthy is the most well known author of the style. Currently reading:	Gervl	Female	Canada	2010-11-29 19:11:00
Canada	Police Clearance in Toronto	This is where I went downtown. I went right when they opened and was out quickly. http://www.commissio...ation-services/ They mailed it to me within a couple weeks. Actually they mailed me two by accident.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-09-13 17:49:00
Canada	Format of pictures for evidence of meeting, and for ongoing relationship	If you have office word on your computer you can also copy/paste your photos into a word-document (2 per page) with a little story under each of them (date, where, who or what). This is what we did and they were accepted, we send about 14 photos with our package. I did the same thing with my I-130. This is the 21st century - we have much better tools in our hands than just ziploc bags I'm sure it's much easier for the folks at USCIS to handle as well.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-05-05 14:48:00
Canada	Considering getting immigration medical done in Montreal & do not have Immunization record	BC must have a public health office you could contact. In Ontario, that's who I called to get my immunization record. It had everything from my birth up to my most recent boosters.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-11-16 05:46:00
Canada	Can anyone help me navigate this nightmare? SSA vs Immigration records	Insane. Good luck. No advice but bring every single thing with your name properly spelled on it and explain it to them like they're five.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-11-16 05:43:00
Canada	why does customer service suck so badly at major stores here	Time for Craigslist.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2012-12-09 03:17:00
Canada	Question about Tax Rebates (GST, HST, etc)	Okay, thanks guys. Pretty much what I figured. I'll call up the CRA to change my address and deal with the rebates. Do I have to call The Ministry of Health to change my address as well? (I assume this will automatically show me as a non-resident and thus not covered.) I'm covered by my husband's insurance already, so thankfully that's one less thing to worry about. Edited by Gervl, 12 January 2013 - 10:46 PM.	Gervl	Female	Canada	2013-01-12 22:45:00