Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Anyone else looking for interview date?	Just FYI, if you book an interview after your NOA2 expires Montreal automatically extends the validity of your petition. Many applicants have interviews after their NOA2 expires. The exception would be in the rare case someone sits around for a year before booking their interview. Basically as long as Montreal sees that you're taking actions to fulfill the visa process you're in the clear.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-29 04:44:00
Canada	What are my options?	So I wanted to ask the opinion of people here. I was thiking of tentatively rescheduling something with the venue for December. I know there are no guarantees but would it be probable that my wife will be here by then? I need to give some tentative information for when I will be rescheduling it for. More probable than your original date. Is there a chance that if she missed the december date you'd be able to re schedule it yet again?	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-02-16 18:46:00
Canada	What are my options?	Actually not one single terrorist from 9/11 came through Canada. It is one of my pet peeves that this misconception continues to get spread around. I stand corrected. Still, there's been a tightening of security along the Canada/US border since then.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-02-14 20:24:00
Canada	What are my options?	Wouldn't it be the CO at Montreal who would make that decision? Why doesn't it have much to do with going through Montreal? I haven't been able to find out much about cases where people were placed in to AP from Montreal so if people could point me in the right places for that, it will be greatly appreciated. Canadian permanent residents who are born in foreign countries in the middle east almost always are put in AP in Montreal and the receipt of their visa is delayed. This has been common practice since 9/11 because the terrorists came through Canada. No I'm not saying your wife is a terrorist, it's crappy and unfair towards her but that is unfortunately the reality of immigration to the USA, even when going through a Canadian embassy. Edited by pocheros, 14 February 2012 - 03:05 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-02-14 15:05:00
Canada	Tricky Vaccinations?	My doctor insisted I get an MMR when I saw her for an appointment and told her I was immigrating. Smart, informed lady she is It was free.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-27 17:37:00
Canada	Moving personal belongings to US	Thanks for the update!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-03 14:21:00
Canada	Moving personal belongings to US	When I went to UPS they asked me to fill out these forms as well and I was similarly unsure about the questions listed here. Haven't mailed anything yet so unfortunately I can't help :S	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-25 16:26:00
Canada	Folder? Binder? organizer?	Another vote for accordion folder. I also bought some manila folders from the dollar store to hold small things (receipts, photos, etc.) together. On the back of the folder I made a table of contents, and I also put a couple stickers listing my name and case number on the front. Edited by pocheros, 03 April 2012 - 02:16 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-03 14:16:00
Canada	I 864, I 864A, I 864 EZ, I 864 W or I-134	Please check the most recent posts in the K1 for Montreal guide stickied at the top of the forum. I cross posted CA dreamer's e-mail to the consulate there. K1s bring I-134s. I-864 is for when you adjust status. Edited by pocheros, 05 April 2012 - 05:44 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-05 17:44:00
Canada	Montreal Airport X Via Rail	Actually which station is closest to the Consulate.. Central Station QC OR Dorval Station? Thanks It's not dorval, it's central station. Central station is dowwntown montreal, dorval is farther away. The consulate is less than a 10 minute walk from central station. If you plug in directions from "montreal central station" to "american consulate montreal" on maps.google.com it'll give you directions. It's almost a straight line. There's a lot of construction going on (well, there was one year ago when I went... but Montreal isn't the kind of city to hurry up with construction) so when you emerge from the VIA station to the surface streets the entrance is barely noticeable. I got slightly lost on my way home because I couldn't find the VIA entrance at first I -think- central station is attached to a hotel, the Fairmont Elizabeth, but don't quote me on that. If you wanted to make things super easy, you could get a room at that hotel. But it might be expensive, and there's cheaper alternatives in Montreal	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-08 02:51:00
Canada	Montreal Airport X Via Rail	Also, before I went to Montreal I plugged in the consulate and VIA station to google maps and then printed it off. I printed off a larger map with the major roads and then a smaller map showing all the side streets. This helped me a lot and prevented me from getting lost. A taxi is expensive, to be sure- it's just a convenience. The airport should have some kind of public transit area, though, with a shuttle going downtown, as other VJers have mentioned. If your fiance is unsure before boarding a bus, chances are the driver speaks English (many people in Montreal do) and he could ask just to be sure. Edited by pocheros, 04 April 2012 - 04:34 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-04 16:33:00
Canada	Montreal Airport X Via Rail	Seconding your fiance take a taxi to your hotel. The VIA station is very close to the consulate (I took the train as well).	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-04 13:56:00
Canada	Length of Validity of Medical	I think it's 6 months for the consulate, 1 year for AOS.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-09 17:39:00
Canada	Medical Insurance in the US	Unfortunately you're basically screwed if you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on insurance each month. You either take the risk of having no insurance and spending way too much money on it. Welcome to America, land of the free and uninsured and/or destitute I am a healthy 22 year old woman, no conditions, don't smoke, etc. and the cheapest health insurance plan my husband's company would offer cost $320 a month. My jaw dropped to the floor and after asking my husband a few times what we could do about it I realized there was no alternative except private health insurance, which would cost the same or more. Start playing the lottery	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-10 14:46:00
Canada	Just got my P4	Congratulations!!! You got packet 4 just in time to bring to the medical exam Hi, I just saw that you have already submitted packet 3. I am in the middle of trying to sort through it and I find that there's so much back and forth on what is required. I'm hoping you can help me!! In DS-156K it says to attach the following documents in order to apply for a fiancee non immigrant visa (birth certificate, evidence of financial support etc) Did you send those with packet 3 or are you planning to bring them for your interview? Also - Do we need to send in a copy of DS-230 (part 1 only) as well as submit form DS-160 online? Sorry for questions! Im just finding it so overwhelming - the montreal consulate website isn't exactly clear! Thanks!! and congrats on almost being finished!! You DO NOT attach the birth certificate, evidence of financial, support, etc. to packet 3. You bring those documents to the interview. Here is the official packet 3 checklist from Montreal: Packet 3 provides instruction materials for immigrant visa applicants once the case file has been received at the Consulate, but before an interview can be scheduled. If you have received a "Packet 3" letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal, please follow the instructions below to send to the Consulate the required forms and checklist. NOTE: You are NOT authorized to make an interview appointment at this time. All unauthorized appointments will be cancelled without notice. If you are a Fiancé (K-1) applicant: DS-230, Part I only ? one copy per each applicant, including children. DS-156 ? 2 copies. DS-156K (292KB PDF) ? 1 copy. Confirmation receipt regarding Form DS-160 - one copy, available online at ceac.state.gov/genniv. Checklist of documents to gather for the interview ? one copy per family is sufficient. 2 color photographs (Photograph Requirements) Photocopy of the biographic data page of the applicant's passport. You may send the documents to the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal using courier services that are offered at no extra cost for the applicant. Please visit the Visa Services website and follow instructions for "IV Applicant Needing to Register for DHL" and "Sending Document to the Consular Section". If you have any further inquiries about the courier services, please visit the U.S. Visa Services website. Basically it's just the forms + two 2"x2" passport photos + the photocopy of the biographic info page of your passport. If you are not a citizen of Canada you must also send photocopies of evidence that you are residing in it legally (for example a permanent resident card, a work permit, etc.) I recommend you mail it via expresspost which delivers very quickly and provides you with a tracking number and only costs $15. Make sure to select the option to have someone sign for it so you know for sure when it's arrived. Edited by pocheros, 11 April 2012 - 02:59 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-11 14:57:00
Canada	Just got my P4	Congrats!!!! I'm happy for you	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-03 04:20:00
Canada	Appointment Letter for Interview in Montreal	Pocheros, You rock! this is the situation: The only thing my confirmation page DOESN'T have, is my Case number. Why? I have not received P3 or P4 in the mail yet .. - I have the email from the Consulate P4 when it says I am ready to book my interview etc.. (it has my case number) - I have the confirmation page - I have the receipt that I paid the fee online. I might write my case number by hand ahahahah.. OMG!! On the CSC website, is there no "Applicant Summary" page that lists information like your case number, appointment time, etc.? Because that page should be printable and is acceptable to bring to the interview and medical exam. Though for your medical exam you can probably just bring the first two items (I -think- they mainly just want to see your case # and some kind of evidence that you booked an interview. Of course, I am not sure about this...) Digging through my email, I see that my confirmation email also didn't list my case number. Edited by pocheros, 10 April 2012 - 09:45 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-10 21:43:00
Canada	Appointment Letter for Interview in Montreal	Hi guys, I dont know what happened. I just checked my account and my phone was wrong, both of them .. Weird!!! The rest, all the info ARE OK.. DHL Branch, Date of interview, my name, email, all good. I did not receive any email after booking my interview .. I have only confirmation page with all the details that I got after booking it.. What should I do? Call CSC or can I take this paper I printed from booking ? I have a Medical Tuesday, dont know what to present for the doctor.. Did you check your junk mail or spam folder? The confirmation page is fine for your consulate interview as long as it shows your name, case number, and appointment time. I believe this is what I actually brought to the interview, not the e-mail, though my memory's a bit fuzzy on it. The e-mail and the confirmation page on the CSC were similar, if I remember correctly. Have you received either packet 3 or packet 4 in the mail yet? When I booked my medical exam at Dr. Seiden's they instructed me to bring either packet 3 or 4. If you have neither then I would bring your appointment confirmation page to your medical so long as it states your case number (the case number is important) and the rest of your info. If your are unsure you can always try e-mailing Dr. Seiden's.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-10 21:22:00
Canada	Appointment Letter for Interview in Montreal	I used the email letter for my K1 interview in August 2011.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-16 22:25:00
Canada	White Cheddar Mac & Cheese	I have found Annie's White Cheddar macaroni and cheese to be the best of the alternatives - not the same but still pretty decent tasting. Far better than the US Kraft version. That being said, I also use the Canadian instructions for KD than the Americans which involves using butter as well as a little bit of milk, and I've often added more cheese as well. You have to be really careful about the rather generic American cheeses too. You need to find a good quality of cheddar from an identified cheese factory rather than the stuff that passes for cheddar in the grocery stores. Their idea of an aged cheddar is 6 months! That barely qualifies as a new cheddar. Old Cheddar should be measured in years, not in months ! My husband was opened up to a whole new world when he visited me and bought cheese in Canada! To this day he complains that he can't find any good brie... and it's true, we can't We used to buy Ziggy's from No Frills and even though it was cheap it was delicious! Gosh, I miss No Frills. My husband is a grocery store snob but when discussing the possibility of moving back to Canada he said he would shop at No Frills because he loves it The delis at the larger No Frills certainly rival those of the larger, more expensive grocery chains here. Edited by pocheros, 23 March 2012 - 08:38 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-23 20:37:00
Canada	White Cheddar Mac & Cheese	The Kraft Mac N Cheese here tastes horrible Besides ordering it online you could try making it at home. Costco has a nice selection of cheese- we just picked up a big hunk of delicious white cheddar the other day for only 8 bucks. Has anyone ever found Pilsbury Pizza Pops here? The only thing I've found is some knock off ones (can't remember the brand name, it startes with a T) and it was positively horrendous D: My husband had no idea what I was talking about when I said I wanted pizza pops and thought I was nuts because I was so dejected when I couldn't find them, lol. I've looked EVERYWHERE. And now for a side by side comparison: Canadians use forks, and Americans use spoons? Edited by pocheros, 23 March 2012 - 05:35 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-23 17:31:00
Canada	Toronto Medical March 19th/12	Hey Pocheros, Dr. Seiden won't issue an extra copy of the medical and I know that this is required for POE as well as AOS. Did Montreal give you your medical back when you went for the interview or was it in the packet for POE? Can you please advise? When you pick up your passport from DHL it comes with a big brown folder that you DO NOT OPEN. Inside the folder is your medical exam as well as all the other paperwork you have completed throughout this process (I-129F, packet 3, all the stuff you submitted to Montreal). You submit this envelope at POE where an officer will open it up. Then everything in the folder is forwarded to a USCIS center. The only thing you need a copy of from the medical is the Vaccination Worksheet. It is referred to as DS-3025 although it may not say DS-3025 on it. It should look something like this: http://www.craigandg...3149528.jpg?600 You need this paper for your AOS. Dr. Seiden's should've given you one at the front of the brown folder. If you did not receive a copy of the vaccination sheet you should request a copy from them. Edited by pocheros, 11 April 2012 - 03:47 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-11 15:39:00
Canada	Toronto Medical March 19th/12	So how much is it in Montreal? Are there any benefits to booking the med in Montreal than in Toronto? If I have to go to Montreal for the interview....is it not best to schedule the med there too? ....and save myself a trip to Toronto? I believe I read somewhere that people have booked the medical the day before the interview....or am I dreaming this? People have done their medicals a day before their interview and then mailed the results to the consulate. It delays the issuance of your visa however. If you had no other choice you could do this- they won't deny your visa as long as all your other documents are okay. They'll just wait to get your medical and then review your case. It's kind of like doing an RFE. Medicals can be done in Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto. I -think- it takes Medisy's 3 business days to get your results, so you could plan to stay about a week in Montreal (you can check how many days are needed on their website. In contrast, I think Dr. Seiden's only takes 2 days) There are also TWO Dr. Seiden's offices, one in Montreal and one in Toronto. The other physician in Montreal is Medisy's. Elsinha: Dr. Seiden's was $275 when I went last year. The price went up! Also congrats on your packet 4 and medical exam. I have a detailed review of Dr. Seiden's in my signature although some of the information is obsolete since they've moved offices.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-08 22:29:00
Canada	Toronto Medical March 19th/12	Hello, I will be scheduling my medical anyday.. How much is it? Check the website: http://www.panelphysicians.com/ That's for Dr. Seiden's. Inky: that's hilarious! The exam felt rushed to me... Like they were just putting us through a factory line to get us out of there, haha. Edited by pocheros, 05 April 2012 - 05:59 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-05 17:58:00
Canada	Toronto Medical March 19th/12	When I had my medical there last June I did not have to read from an eye chart- I think only Medisy's does this. Even so they can't fail your medical just because you need a new prescription for eyeglasses. Bad eyesight isn't contagious	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-25 16:35:00
Canada	Toronto Medical March 19th/12	When I had my medical done in Toronto last June, they told me that they do immigration exams Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for whoever shows up there before 8am (I -think- it was 8am). However, the office has moved since then and presumably their hours might have changed a bit too.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-21 21:59:00
Canada	Visiting my Fiance in the U.S. while immigration is in process	I would also bring a photocopy of your NOA1 since it's proof that you are following the immigration process. Combined with the other things you listed you should be good to go. I don't think your passport will be "flagged" when it's scanned however I would say that you're visiting your fiance and only intend to stay the two weeks. Your NOA1 is important proof here. It sounds like you caught an officer on a bad day :/ I visited my then-fiance a few times and didn't have any evidence of ties (I didn't know about VJ at the time) and still was let through. Since you are bringing proof of ties now you should be okay (although nothing is 100%, of course.) Edited by pocheros, 31 March 2012 - 03:41 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-03-31 15:40:00
Canada	Medical results? lol	On a similar note, I have a question. Can I arrange the medical myself to be done in Toronto, then bring sealed envelope to Montreal interview. Or do they (MTL)arrange the medical and have it in Montreal shortly before the interview? You book the medical exam yourself. You can do it either at Working Medical in Vancouver, Dr. Seiden's in Toronto, Dr. Seiden's in Montreal, or Medisy's in Montreal. It usually takes a couple of business days (2-3) for them to get the results of the medical back to you, so plan accordingly.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-13 21:56:00
Canada	Police certificate.	Hi! I live in Toronto, and after consulting with my Immigration lawyers (I have one in Canada and one in the US but both US Bar Certified) I was told that the only acceptable criminal check for US Immigration purposes (and regardless of if you were previously arrested and/or convicted of a crime - because then it would be highly doubtful that you would get permitted entry to the US anyways) is a fingerprint based CPIC check. Which even if you ask your local police force, they will direct you to the RCMP for that. That being said I'm sure since you are in Ottawa that it would be easier as RCMP Headquarters (who does the check) is located there. I had mine done through 'Commissionaires', paid $82.00 total (which included the cost the RCMP charges as well as a service charge for that company to provide the service) and had my results mailed back in a couple of days. Please note that regardless of what anyone says, a name/D.O.B check is NOT apparently enough for US Immigration services. (according to my lawyers that is) Hope this helps! This is incorrect. I did my police check with the local OPP station in Missisauga; they did not search for fingerprints, just name and DOB and Montreal accepted it at my interview. You do not have to get your check done with the RCMP unless they are the only police force in your area. There IS a difference between the type of check one requests if you're a criminal. For non criminal,s having your name and DOB searched is sufficient, fingerprints are unnecessary. It is common for immigration lawyers to be misinformed or behind the times on these details- just ask the many Canadian VJers here who have regretted spending their money on them only to be mislead and help up in the process because of it. I paid $45 for my check and it only took 5 minutes. Much better than paying the commissionaires $80. Edited by pocheros, 10 April 2012 - 06:22 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-10 18:19:00
Canada	FBI cannot read fingerprints	At Montreal they had me rub sanitary gel on my hands first. Maybe that'll help. Not sure about the EAD.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-11 22:09:00
Canada	Police certificate from home country	That seems correct. As sapphire dreams said, they're doing a check for when you lived inside Brazil, so using your address there makes sense. Since you've already sent evidence that you're legally residing in Canada with P3 I'm sure you're fine. Just bring extra copies on the day of your interview and be 100% truthful about your status in Canada. Edited by pocheros, 19 April 2012 - 05:06 AM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-19 05:06:00
Canada	Urgent Interview Question	Keep in mind that the checklist addresses multiple kinds of visas and multiple situations. Not everything on the checklist applies to everyone. For example, evidence of domicile is only required if the USC does not reside in the US, and the 864 is for CR1/IR1s, not K1s. That said, I'm fairly sure the evidence of status is for permanent residents in America petitioning for spouses/fiances. However, it doesn't hurt to bring a photocopy of the USC's birth certificate and his passport biographic info page. Originals of the USC's birth certificate are rarely requested nowadays at Montreal, it seems.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-19 05:11:00
Canada	Travel to Canada to get Police Certificate	I also have a question about the police certificates for K1 visas. The instructions I read at one point indicated that my Canadian fiance (applying for K1 to move here to the states) would need to get police certificates from every city where he lived since he was 16 (if I remember right). Since he just turned 50 and has bounced around from B.C. to Alberta in his lifetime, that would translate to about 10 different cities he'd need to get certificates from. He asked me if he could instead just get a clearance from the RCMP instead. My guess is that would be too easy (something I have yet to experience with the government). Can anyone clarify this for me? No, the police certificate is only for each country he has lived in for greater than 1 year since turning 16. And if he was born in a country other than Canada he needs a certificate from there too. He only needs a simple check that indicates his name and date of birth were searched in the CPIC or national criminal records repository. If he lives in Ontario the local police station can point him to the right station to do a check (not all police stations do checks but he does not have to use the RCMP, and in fact the RCMP tends to be slow with this stuff.) The exception is if he has a criminal record, in which case he needs to use the RCMP.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-20 01:32:00
Canada	A few basic tax questions	I just had mine done by my parents accountant, and will be singing the papers when I go back to Canada next week. I had him file me as single since I figured it didn't matter since it happened after I left. Is that going to be an issue for me???? It'd only be an issue if you were trying to take advantage of the CRA somehow, which you aren't. If anything it probably means that your return will be a little smaller than it could've been, but that's it. I'm going to file as single just to keep things simple, though what sapphire dreams suggested is also legit. This is just my guess.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-20 21:24:00
Canada	A few basic tax questions	Thank you very much!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-19 16:03:00
Canada	A few basic tax questions	Hi everyone, I finally received my T4 yesterday (it was mailed over a month ago... woweee was that slow!) and I -think- I basically have it figured out, but there's a few things I'm not sure of. Basic info: I'm a Canadian K1 who entered the US in September 2011. I got married in September as well. I have not earned any income in the USA. American hubby has not earned any income in Canada. I do not have any RRSPs or stocks or any source of income in Canada. I just worked in Canada until August and that was my only source of income. Hubby has already filed American taxes (he filed married.) I do not yet have my green card. I haven't even applied for it yet, although I'm going to as soon as I can. Hence, I am out of status in the US. However, I lived in Canada for the majority of 2011. I called the CRA a few times throughout the last few months to tell them to stop sending me GST/HST credits and that I was no longer a resident and on March 2nd they sent me a letter that says I am no longer eligible for these credits because "residency requirements are not met," so hopefully they understand that I'm not a resident anymore. So here are my questions: 1. a) How do I indicate this is an exit tax return and I am no longer a resident? Is merely indicating your departure date on the first page of T1 General sufficient? b) For the identification section on T1 General on the first page, do I just enter my zip code under postal code and put my state and country on the "city" line? How do I go about this? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Since I'm filing an exit return, it must be done on paper right? You can't use netfile? The first year I did taxes my dad filled them out for me and in subsequent years I just used some kind of tax software. In other words I have never filled out a paper return myself so I'm kind of confused. But I also found something called StudioTax that will calculate your taxes and then print it out, so that's what I did. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. I put "single" on my tax return. Is this a problem even though I got married in September and hubby listed me as married on his tax return? I technically could have gotten married until February since that's when my visa expires (I know CRA doesn't know/care about any of this- just though I'd mention) Note I really do not care about making my return bigger because I did not earn very much last year and my return will be small anyways. I just want to get this done simply and quickly and legally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. How do they determine the date you filed it? Is it the date you just write in on the sheet? I'm worried my return will get to the CRA late because I'm only filling it out just now (not my fault) and it seems to take 3-4 weeks for anything I mail to Canada (or have mailed to me) to get anywhere. I'm getting a refund but this still worries me slightly, although I'm sure it's not that important as long as I mail it before the 30th... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Is filing an exit return basically just filing a regular return but indicating your departure date? Just making sure there aren't any special extra forms I have to fill out. My tax return comprises of: -T1 General 2011 -Schedule 1 -ON 428 -Employee Overpayment of 2011 CPP; Contributions and 2011 EI Premiums I'm worried the software might've included or excluded something. It absolutely insisted that I enter a province (so I put Ontario) so I printed it out and just plan on redoing the very first page with my correct address. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. How should I mail in my return? In a big brown folder? Should I indicate anywhere on it that it's a return (thinking about safety here...) I don't really have money to fedex it or anything. Should I be sending it through secure mail? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks very much in advance. Edited by pocheros, 17 April 2012 - 06:22 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-17 18:21:00
Canada	Moving American to Canada and Dual for both?	I thought it would be different for a child to be born in the USA versus born to a parent who is American while in Canada; guessing maybe it isn't (?). Well, don't have to worry about that now; who knows when (or if) that part will come lol. Thanks for answering my question. Would we have to live straight for 3 years? Guessing doing the 6 months in Canada/6 months in USA wouldn't count Your child can be a dual if they're born in Canada, as previous posters said. It just requires a little paperwork, and it's A LOT cheaper! I'm not completely sure about your second question but be aware that you cannot maintain residency in two countries at once and spending 6 months in each is toeing the line. If you got a spousal (IR1/CR1) visa you cease to be a resident of Canada which also means that you are not able to receive free health care or any of the other benefits that residents have in Canada. However you are certainly welcome to move back to Canada and re-establish residency, but in doing so you give up residency in the US. If you want to become an American citizen you would first obtain a spousal visa (which takes about 1 year) and then live in the US for 3 years. You are allowed to travel of course but you want to spend most of your time in the US when you're here on an immigrant visa. Then once you're a citizen you can establish residency in either country, but to live in the US you won't have to go through a long process of obtaining a visa first. Note that this does not mean you can live in both countries at the same time, merely that you can chose which country you want to live in.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-22 14:47:00
Canada	Packet 3	No, it shouldn't be a problem. Keep asking DOS if pkt3 has been logged and when it has mail it in. Also you need to print off the online form and send it in with Pkt3 since Montreal's online system isn't 100% up yet.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-23 16:26:00
Canada	dual canadian citizenship for my husband and i	I stand corrected! Sorry misread that one. No worries. I sounded kinda bitchy there, sorry!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-25 18:34:00
Canada	dual canadian citizenship for my husband and i	Your information is false you do not have to renounce your Canadian citizenship. Like Pocheros said, you make an oath at the US ceremony, but it does nothing to your Canadian citizenship. You maintain both. Bogart - Once you hit the three year anniversary of being a permanent resident, your husband can apply for US citizenship. Once he becomes a citizen, your Dad will no longer be legally obligated anymore. Like others have mentioned you'll first need to remove conditions on the 2 year greencard, which should happen 90 days before the 2 year greencard expires. In your case, it will be beneficial for your husband to become a citizen so that your Dad is cleared. I think some posters have misunderstood hikergirl- she simply explained how one would lose canadian citizenship (by renouncing it at an embassy), which is something that you could do if you WANTED to. She didn't say you HAVE to. Her information is correct. Please read posts carefully.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2012-04-24 20:33:00