Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	What do you miss most about Canada	Oh yes, how did I forget about the health care?! Let's see, ...visiting a clinic in Quebec to get a prescription for birth control: $0 ...visiting a clinic in South Dakota to get a prescription for birth control: over $100 Hmmmm.... That's awful. Have you tried Planned Parenthood? They gave me a 1-year prescription for free, and they charge $26/pack for all birth control pills (at least they do in Las Vegas.) Problem was they don't accept insurance, so when i finally did get insurance they told me they have to fax the prescription to another pharmacy, but after calling a bunch of pharmacies they said they won't accept prescriptions from planned parenthood because they weren't written by a doctor. #######! The system is needlessly bureaucratic, but I also suspect there were some biased pharmacists who don't like planned parenthood... Edited by pocheros, 22 October 2012 - 03:48 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-10-22 15:48:00
Canada	What do you miss most about Canada	Lay's Dill Pickle, ketchup and salt and vinegar chips The dill pickle ones do exist in the US, though they may be hard to find. They randomly showed up at our Smith's the other day! Hot Pockets! That's what they're called. I didn't like them at all Never tried Pizza Pops before... Darn it, I feel like a Pizza Pocket now I agree with you on this one! My husband looked at me funny when I said I was trying to find pizza pockets in the grocery store here. He had no idea what I was talking about. So I got hot pockets instead and they tasted awful. Pizza pockets were such a convenient midnight snack I miss my best friend And I miss Canadian health care A LOT. I also miss the grocery stores. I love No Frills! The discount grocery stores here can't compare- they are almost entirely filled with packaged junk foods, whereas at No Frills you could find lots of alternative and healthy foods. And there were some No Name brand things that were decent, like the soda. I also miss President's Choice brand. I miss Bulk Barn, also because you could find a lot of things there that seem to be obscure here. I miss Longos and Fortinos, even though I didn't shop at them regularly (waaaaay too expensive) it was nice to get some snacks from there once in awhile. It definitely seems harder to find certain ethnic foods here. Finding tahini is hard and when I do manage to find it, it's overpriced. It's also hard to find large bags of chickpeas. That's probably cause I'm from Brampton though, and Las Vegas has mostly mexican food in the ethnic sections. I miss Moxie's and a bunch of breakfast places in Toronto. Most of the breakfast places here seem to serve very greasy food- which is fine sometimes, but I want a little variety. Like other have mentioned, I miss decent soft cheeses and coffee crisps. Also, is it just me or do the chocolate bars taste different here? Maybe I'm imagining it but I swear the Kit Kats taste different. I miss the poutine trucks that are in front of most Canadian Tires. I also miss Canadian Tire And I miss poutine in general. It was nice to have poutine at the movies. The movie snacks here are disgusting. There's one clothing store I like a lot but it's only in Canada- Limite. I also miss the Value Village and Goodwill in Newmarket because they always had pretty great stuff. I miss going to Kensington Market and Toronto Island in the summer. Edited by pocheros, 22 October 2012 - 03:36 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-10-22 15:33:00
Canada	Joint bank account or one in my own name?	Just my opinion but I think it's a good idea for one to ALWAYS have one's own bank account that no one but you can access, even if you don't plan on using it. Not so much for establishing credit or anything but for protecting oneself, it might come in handy one day. You can still have your own account in addition to a joint account. Edited by pocheros, 26 November 2012 - 10:15 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-11-26 22:14:00
Canada	time before optaining visa	If you're not put into AP it shouldn't take more than a few days but you never know what might happen. If you're trying to make moving plans it's best to wait until you receive the envelope and check that your visa has the correct info on it before deciding on any dates. As a recent thread here shows, it's possible for DHL to damage the envelope or for your visa to have the incorrect information on it. Not that these are common occurrences, I don't meant to scare you	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-11-26 22:11:00
Canada	Police Records Check Prices	Yeah that irritates me - someone told me their sister in law who is a dual citizen living in the USA with her husband crosses the border to have her babies everytime since it's 'free' and then returns to the USA. I was like 'Uhhhh I thought you had to be living in Canada for a period of 3 months for healthcare to kick in again' and my friend gave me a confused look, saying 'I don't know, she just comes over to have her babies and then goes back' --- am I missing some kind of loophole here or is my friend's friend skirting illegality? Because if there IS a loophole that would be nice If she's a resident of the USA then what she's doing is illegal and she can be fined up to $10,000 for it- no loopholes. Check any of the provincial health care sites and they'll say you have to be a resident. It doesn't matter if you're a citizen if you're not residing in Canada. There are exceptions like if you're traveling or in the military or something but you're still pretty much a resident of Canada in those cases. It makes sense since if you're a resident if Canada you'll pay taxes and those taxes will go towards public health care. Edited by pocheros, 29 November 2012 - 09:07 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-11-29 21:04:00
Canada	Police Records Check Prices	I paid $45 and got it in 5 minutes, done at a police station in Mississauga. About a one hour bus ride from where I lived but worth it! Not all local police departments do police checks; I walked into my local one and asked for one and they redirected me to Mississauga, since it was the closest station that did checks.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-11-26 22:07:00
Canada	Montreal and Pkt 3	My timeline is in my sig. With packet 4 you don't have to wait to physically receive it in the mail before moving ahead with booking your medical exam and interview, you can simply call DOS until they say packet 4 has been logged. As you can see I booked an interview before receiving packet 4 in the mail. For your medical exam you should check what immunizations you need here: http://www.panelphys...munizations.htm And locate your vaccination records. If they are missing you can get titre tests showing what you're immune to. Start looking at the I-134 and gathering evidence for it: the USC's last 3 years of tax returns or tax transcripts, pay stubs, a letter from their employer, etc. The I-134 is important. AP usually happens to individuals who are born abroad in countries that are not on friendly terms with the US. One VJer awhile ago was placed in AP because her parents were born in Egypt, even though she was born in Canada. Edited by pocheros, 29 November 2012 - 03:18 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-11-29 15:17:00
Canada	Can't schedule interview at Montreal Help!	When there are no interview slots open it gives you that message. You just keep refreshing the page until slots open. Sometimes people have to do this for weeks at a time before a slot opens. Your approval will be automatically extended; it's quite common to schedule an interview after the expiration date actually. No need to worry	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-06 01:05:00
Canada	Vancouver consulate accepting co-sponsor	Yes Vancouver accepts co-sponsors. If she meets or exceeds the poverty guidelines and you have documentation to back it up (3 years worth if tax returns or tax transcripts, plus evidence like pay stubs or a letter from her employer) you should be fine.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-06 16:37:00
Canada	Update 156,160 and 230 forms after traveling to USA?	I will have an interview at Montreal, so I will just correct on the paper there right? Yep You're supposed to bring a copy of the packet 3 forms to the interview anyways (it's on the packet 4 instructions) so you can simply add in the new information on those.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-06 19:01:00
Canada	Update 156,160 and 230 forms after traveling to USA?	When I had my interview in Montreal they handed back packet 3 and asked me to make any necessary corrections to the forms. My husband's phone number and address had since changed so I wrote in the correct information. I don't know if Vancouver does the same thing though.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-06 16:42:00
Canada	Update on DHL/Loomis Opening Our Sealed Envelope	Yay! So glad your fiance is finally getting the envelope!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-05 15:45:00
Canada	Approved! without signing the DS-230?????	I'm not 100% on this but I think you'll be able to just sign it at the POE if you didn't sign it at the interview.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-10 17:23:00
Canada	How long is my police check good for in Montreal?	Good for one year. I read somewhere that someone went to Vancouver with a police check that expired after 6 months, but it was still within one year and Vancouver still accepted it even though it was expired, for what it's worth. Edited by pocheros, 10 December 2012 - 11:35 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-10 23:34:00
Canada	APPROVED!	Congrats! Thank you! Anyone know how I find out if my passport has been sent back yet? Everything she said to me after "you're approved!" is a blank right now LOL. Dunno if things have changed since my interview, but the CSC website would (unreliably) post waybill numbers. DHL also e-mailed me with updates and eventually gave me a phone call when my visa was ready for pick up. Edited by pocheros, 09 December 2012 - 12:27 AM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-09 00:27:00
Canada	Recommend some good banks in the states.	I went with Navy Federal Credit Union because my hubby is a veteran. They've been excellent thus far! They're only open to veterans and their immediate family, though.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-09-26 13:28:00
Canada	Police certificate	Whoops, to clarify: I meant an additional police certificate from a country besides Canada (along with a regular Canadian police certificate.) I didn't make that clear. Edited by pocheros, 18 December 2012 - 07:12 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-18 19:10:00
Canada	Police certificate	I thought police certificates were required if your country of birth is something other than Canada but I might be wrong, I'm looking for a source to back me up but can't find one. Sorry for the confusion. (I -think- it's if you have a nationality other than/in addition to Canadian and you lived in that country for more than 6 mos.) Edited by pocheros, 18 December 2012 - 06:41 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-18 18:34:00
Canada	Police certificate	Hi VJ members, I just had a question regarding police certificates, when should I get this done? The police certificate is good for one year and is one of the easiest documents to obtain so I wouldn't do it before you get your NOA2. we still haven't gotten our NOA2, we do have a lawyer and he hasn't mentioned anything yet I'm guessing because we are still waiting for NOA2 but I'd like to get everything ready to go once we reach the time. So for the police certificate I just go to my local police station and ask them for it? how long does it take to come in? I went to my local police station and they redirected me to another station in Mississauga where I asked for a CPIC check. 5 minutes and $45 later I had it. However, depending on where you live you might get redirected to the RCMP, which is slower and unnecessary unless you have a criminal background. Fingerprints are not necessary otherwise. Commissionaires is a reliable way to get your police check if your local police don't seem helpful. More information about police checks here: http://www.visajourn...a#Police_Checks since I'm asking about police cert I should also mention that when I was around 12-13 years old I stayed in Turkey for 7.5 months, do I need to obtain a police certificate for this also? or since I was under 16 there is no need?? Don't think so since you were under the age of 16. If you were born in a country outside of Canada you must get a certificate for that country though. Why are you using a lawyer? They usually get paid to do what anyone could do just reading the VJ guides and slow down the process. Edited by pocheros, 18 December 2012 - 04:11 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-18 16:11:00
Canada	K1 vs CR1(or other options) in this situation	For a CR1 you can get married in either Canada or the US, it doesn't matter, but IIRC it's generally faster to obtain a marriage certificate int he US than in Canada although this varies by province/state so you would have to research Alberta vs. whatever state you reside in or intend to get married in. K1 will get her to the US faster but keep in mind that once she's in the US, until she obtains her green card or advance parole (minimum 3 mos or so) she will be unable to exit and re-enter the US. So if she gets to the US and there's an emergency in Canada she can't leave without AP, although I believe you can apply for an expedited/emergency AP but I'm not sure of how long that takes or how reliable it is. Just something to consider. If she enters on a CR1 she can travel abroad freely. K1s may visit during the process but it's all up to the individual border officers! If she tries to tote 6 months worth of clothing and personal items across the border she will most likely get questioned, and if she doesn't have strong ties to Canada- such as a return ticket, lease, or letter of employment- they might not let her through! I would suggest that you try for shorter visits of a couple or a few weeks at a time. Also yes K1 and CR1 are the only marriage based visa options besides K3, which is a dead visa that ultimately results in either a K1 or CR1 anyways. BTW, just a tip: if she somehow manages to stay for 6 months in the US, absolutely make sure she doesn't overstay her 180 days at all! Overstays will come back to bite you in the butt. Edited by pocheros, 27 November 2012 - 01:33 AM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-11-27 01:28:00
Canada	any canadians that came to canada as a child?	Some countries go to automatic AP. You'll still get your visa if you come prepared with all the usual stuff but it'll take longer for it to be issued. Yeah you can also get placed in AP if you have a name hit. As far as I know gender doesn't have to do with it; the VJer who's parents were from Egypt is a lady and I think she was in AP for 2 months. It's not fair but at least knowing this you'll be prepared. If you are not from a country that is in friendly relations with the US then you can expect to wait a little longer for your visa to be issued.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-26 03:49:00
Canada	any canadians that came to canada as a child?	If you or your parents were born in a country that isn't on friendly terms with the US then you will probably be put into AP. Recently someone from Brazil obtained a K1 through Montral and they had no issue because Brazil is friendly with the US. But another VJer who was born in Canada but their parents were born in Egypt was placed into AP. In other words it depends on where you were born.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-26 01:48:00
Canada	AOS interview scheduled!	Thanks for the advice and well wishes everyone Elisinha: Thanks! Hope you get your interview soon. I was surprised as well. I had a MSC (Missouri) number, so perhaps that makes a difference?	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-26 23:01:00
Canada	AOS interview scheduled!	I received a letter from USCIS today indicating that I have an AOS interview scheduled for Jan 23rd Woohoo! The process is going faster than I expect (although the status on my EAD hasn't budged- but, whatever ). A quick question which I suspect I already know the answer to but feel like asking anyways: Is it bad if we don't have any photos from this year? My husband and I never really take photos. We didn't have a wedding or an engagement party- we just signed the papers and left it at that. We have 3 photos from previous years of our relationship though. (Those are the only photos we have with ourselves in them, unless we take more.) We don't have wedding rings either since we don't really care about them. However, we do have a joint lease, joint bank account, joint income tax return, and joint health insurance and the paperwork to demonstrate that. I suspect the photos won't be a big deal but I'm curious since it seems interviewers inquire about photos, judging by the reviews I've read. Another question: It also seems like interviewers commonly ask if you've met each other's parents. My husband has never met my family as I'm estranged from them; will this look bad? I've met his mother and extended family. Edited by pocheros, 22 December 2012 - 09:01 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-22 20:59:00
Canada	Going back in Canada	You can leave and enter Canada but you can't re-enter the US. You will need to get married and apply for AOS/AP and receive one of those two before leaving the US. It will take around at least 3 months to get your AP from the time you file, but could take longer. If you leave without a green card or AP you will have to start the process all over again! Worse, if you've been in the US for over 90 days and leave without a green card or AP you could incur a bar from entering the US and get in trouble with customs officers. Don't do it. Your fiance or spouse may travel back and forth, however. Edited by pocheros, 26 December 2012 - 11:09 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-26 23:08:00
Canada	POE Windsor - Ambassador Bridge	The $6 is for the I-94. It has to be paid in USD last I checked. However if you fly the cost is included in the airfare.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-28 04:50:00
Canada	POE POrt Huron/Sarnia	I dunno if he just forgot to collect it but it shouldn't be a problem. He has the I-94 in his passport- that's the important part	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-27 22:25:00
Canada	Questions about Immunization/Medical	I also only got one shot for tetanus (dunno if it was Tdap- I got it a few months back when I re-did my medical in the US; my last tetanus shot was over a year old) and only one shot for MMR about a year back (I had one other MMR shot when I was a kid, I believe.) Vaccines are so confusing! Edited by pocheros, 01 January 2013 - 04:56 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-01 16:52:00
Canada	Questions about Immunization/Medical	Just a tip: make sure that when he gets the sealed envelope he receives a copy of the immunization worksheet (also known as the DS-3025, although that might not be written on the sheet); it should be attached to the outside of the envelope. He needs this immunization worksheet for AOS. Do not open the sealed envelope at all or its contents will be void. Starting the tetanus boosters is sufficient to pass the exam.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-12-30 01:06:00
Canada	Speeding up the process- possible?	Montreal is very busy, hence the majority of interviews take place about 4 months or so after NOA2. They're busy because the majority of K1s and all CR1/IR1s go through Montreal and because there's just a lot of Canadians applying for visas. From the initial petition (I-129F/I-130) to POE the process take about 8 months to a year.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-01 04:23:00
Canada	Can my Canadian spouse just live here for 2-3 years?	Nope, else we all probably would've jumped on that opportunity! Your best bet is to go with a spousal visa. You'll end up residing in the US for a year or so longer than you want, but then he can apply for citizenship which will make relocation much easier should you have to move back to the US.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-08 17:55:00
Canada	Packet 3 question	You send the forms + the checklist + photos + photocopy of biographic page in passport but not the birth certificate, police check, etc. x1 DS-230, part 1 only x1 DS-156K x2 DS-156 x1 confirmation receipt for DS-160 x1 checklist of documents to gather for interview x2 colour photographs (American-style passport, see requirements here) x1 photocopy of applicant?s biographic info page From here: http://photos.state....ket3-k1-mtl.pdf If you are not a Canadian citizen you must also send photocopies of evidence that you are a permanent resident of Canada. Make extra copies of all these forms because you are required to bring them to the interview as well- it's redundant, but that's immigration for you. Edited by pocheros, 09 January 2013 - 12:56 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-09 12:53:00
Canada	For K visa applicants, a letter of intent to marry signed by the petitioner within 30 days of interview date	I am in the process of doing my package 3 as well.... no where does it say that I need to have a letter of intent submitted when mailing 3 in.... just that I will have one for the interview.... so what is it? most of you are saying yes, but i have the pkg3 pages open and it doesn't say anything about it.... anyone submit your pkg 3 without sending a letter of intent? if so was there an issue? I recall only having a letter of intent with 1. The initial I-129F application 2. The day I attended the interview Packet 3 does not require a letter of intent (unless they very recently changed the instructions); it merely instructs you to have one ready for the interview. Edited by pocheros, 11 January 2013 - 09:08 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-11 21:08:00
Canada	Question about Tax Rebates (GST, HST, etc)	CRA is not on the ball- I called them several times to ask them to halt my rebates but they kept on sending them. I didn't cash them, just sent them back with a letter explaining I was no longer eligible for them. They eventually sorted it out, it was a pain in the ####. You have to call the international tax office in Ottawa to update your status to non resident- the provincial lines won't do any good. My mistake was calling the provincial tax office asking them to update my status to non resident; I asked if this would prevent the GST rebates from being sent to me and they said "yes" but apparently not! Ugh. Are there any penalties for not informing OHIP of your new address if you don't use your card? I haven't contacted them, just figured I'd let the card expire and not use it as per the law... Will I get fined or something? Edited by pocheros, 13 January 2013 - 02:07 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-13 14:04:00
Canada	Question about Tax Rebates (GST, HST, etc)	GST/HST rebates are not valid after POE. You will have to pay back the CRA with interest. OHIP is forfeited when you POE as well. Many VJers get temporary insurance to cover them until they're under their spouse's coverage. Edited by pocheros, 12 January 2013 - 10:16 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-12 22:16:00
Canada	Letter from Employer for I-134	Not mandatory but recommended. Also make sure to include evidence that the joint sponsor is an American citizen.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-16 05:07:00
Canada	Canadian and American living in Canada trying to go to the US	Is it a MUST that the US petitioner must reside in the US? I am in the same situation as OP, my husband (USC) and I are currently residing in Toronto. We have been married for more than 2 years and he has been in Toronto for a year. It doesnt make any sense that the US petitioner must be in the US..what about all the DCF Filers? DCF is no longer an option for Canadians, as of August 2012 I believe. I'm not as familiar with the spousal process as others are here but it's not uncommon for Montreal insist the USC move back to the US before issuing the visa, even if there's a family involved. It's crappy, but that's how it goes. Montreal is very strict with evidence of domicile. Edit: Flames beat me to it! Edited by pocheros, 17 January 2013 - 04:14 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-17 16:13:00
Canada	Where are Immigration Interviews Done?	If you are a K1 and leave in eastern Canada you go to Montreal, western you go to Vancouver. I meant to say live, not leave, whoops!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2013-01-13 15:44:00
Canada	Any VJers from South Western Ontario?	From Kitchener-Waterloo, and now living in Branson Missouri. No, I don't miss snow!	Stuart and Thea	Female	Canada	2012-06-27 10:15:00
Canada	Good Spaghetti Sauce? And other US substitutions for Canadian foods?	Oh, I do that myself, especially when I have time, but I like to have sauce on hand for when my kid wants to make his own, and while he's 13 now, I still don't see him going to that kind of trouble, which means I will have to do it. I also like to have stuff on hand for just in case... I don't have the room to can my own or I would!	Stuart and Thea	Female	Canada	2012-09-16 14:01:00