Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	how many more photos after noa2?	Make sure that your photos are within 6 months of the interview and medical exam- it's one of the requirements. You need 2 for packet 3, 0 for packet 4 (it's just a letter saying you can book your interview), 2 for the interview, and for the medical you should check the website of the individual office, although I -think- it's the same for all of them. Dr. Seiden's in Toronto required 3 photos. You will need even more photos for AOS but i would hold off on those since they have to be 6 months current.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-23 14:59:00
Canada	WHAT TO SEND BACK IN PACKET 3	Thanks Pocheros.. you're a good writer ! Yes and when we say do not mail your birth certificate or police certificate, we mean don't mail the original... but DO mail a COPY with the package. Same with any other certificates you send, for example if you have a previous marriage and divorce. If you don't have a long form birth certificate, you can order it from a records office...I was in Ontario and ordered it from the Registrar's office in Toronto. Actually, it's not necessary to mail a copy of those documents with Packet 3 either (this is all assuming the OP is a K1- I have no idea what the process is for CR1, or if they even get a Pkt3). The copies should also be presented on the day of the interview. For packet 3, just the forms, 2 passport photos, and a photocopy of the biographic info page of the canadian's passport is sufficient.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-24 14:44:00
Canada	WHAT TO SEND BACK IN PACKET 3	so do i send back all the forms listed on the checklist?? No, the checklist addresses BOTH K1s and CR1/IR1s, which have different requirements. You only have to send what Frostiana listed in her post, IF you are a K1. Some of the things in the checklist do not apply to you. You should check out this link that Inky included in her post http://www.visajourn...guide-montreal/ These are detailed instructions and tips for K1s going through Montreal. Please read through it, it'll only take a minute. All the forms that Frostiana listed are available on the Montreal consulate's website here http://montreal.usco...ument=visa_pkt3 One of the forms you will be filling out says it needs a police certificate and a birth certificate and various other documents. DO NOT MAIL YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR POLICE CERTIFICATE TO MONTREAL, or anything OTHER than the actual "forms" that Frostiana listed. Montreal will look at your birth certificate, police certificate, etc. on the day of your interview. Hope this helps! Also if all the capitalized letters comes off as rude or yelling, it's not how I intended it- I just wanted to emphasize it since it's probably the next question you'll run into So sorry if that's how it looks! Edited by pocheros, 23 November 2011 - 05:52 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-23 17:51:00
Canada	Visa Approved!!!!	Congratulations!!! This is probably the best thanksgiving ever for your fiance eh? Hehe.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-24 19:48:00
Canada	Doctor says no to guarantor	I think they recently relaxed the criteria for guarantors in Ontario- they just have to be a Canadian citizen and have known you for at least two years. I used my uncle as my guarantor in my passport application. They dont't have to be a professional.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-23 14:52:00
Canada	Montreal Interviews	Doors open at 7 30. There's usually a line by then, I suggest you get there a little earlier, maybe a bit before 7.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-07 14:26:00
Canada	Montreal Interviews	No, AOS does not have to be within 90 days, only your marriage has to be within the 90 days. You can take your time with AOS although the sooner the better (so the fiance can get a job and whatnot). However, ROC (removal of conditions), HAS to be applied for within a certain time period (I think it's two years from the date you receive your first green card- and it comes with a big fee too, not as big as AOS though.) The first green card you get from AOS is good for two years, so you have to apply for a second one at the end of the two years, and that green card is good for 10 years. You DO NOT get a grace period with ROC though, so make sure you're prepared for it. Be super careful to make sure you get married within 90 days- it's really important! If you miss the 90 day mark for marriage it can screw everything up. Remember you can get legally married before you have the wedding. My husband and I got legally married ASAP and we decided we'll have our "real" wedding much later, when we have enough money saved up and time to plan it out. Edited by pocheros, 02 November 2011 - 04:30 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-02 16:27:00
Canada	Montreal Interviews	Those of us waiting and checking the system daily for Montreal interviews are wondering something..............we saw the last block of appointments was released on September 14th. What we'd like to know - before that - can anyone tell us when the 'last' batch of appointments was released? I saw a post from May and truly hoping that's not the last time they released appointments. Because that would be 4 months between times when appointments were available. Please those who have had interviews booked in the last few months could you tell us when the "blocks" of available appointments came up so we might be able to see a pattern..........and have some hope that we too can get an interview booked soon. Thanks everyone!! Patiently Waiting There were more appointments released between May and September- although it takes frustratingly long for Montreal to release appointments, I haven't heard of them going 4 months without booking any. Sometimes slots pop up really close to the present date (I assume due to cancellations). Summer was really erratic with people booking interviews anywhere from the current month to November. I booked my interview for August 22nd in May and in July rescheduled it to August 11th. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. It is just horribly disorganized. I'm praying they open up a lot of slots for you guys soon, for what it's worth many people are in the same boat as you. I know that's not much comfort Eventually you'll get your visa (assuming you come to the interview prepared) and it'll be such a huge relief that the endurance will have been worth it.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-09-28 19:29:00
Canada	Vancouver Fiance Visa - can USc attend?	If the Vancouver consukate is like the Montreal consulate the USC will need to bring their passport to be allowed inside. However they still might not allow you inside. If that's the case you can just wait outside and celebrate once you fiance gets out of the interview	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-23 14:23:00
Canada	Montreal November 2011 Interviews!	The OP is applying for an IR1/CR1 visa which means the consulate assigned their interview. K1s unfortunately have to book their own interviews on the CSC website. (Reading up on other's experiences, I kind of wish I had gone the IR1/CR1 route instead of K1, especially as I have to wait for my green card and EAD now... Sigh) Edited by pocheros, 05 October 2011 - 01:56 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-05 13:55:00
Canada	December Interviews in Montreal	10 am seems early enough to get there before the doors open (at 7:30). I think they start to turn people around when their appointments are in the afternoon. That's just my impression though, since my interview was at 8:30 am I can't really speak for others. You could certainly show up closer to your interview time if you'd rather not freeze in the cold, haha.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-25 21:09:00
Canada	Where are AOS interviews held	If you live in seattle your local office there will interview you, if you live in texas your local office there will interview you, if you live in vegas your local office there will interview you, and so on and so on. If you want to include more in your AOS you certainly can. Some people say including evidence helps by-pass interviews sometimes. We included a bunch of evidence with ours and were approved pretty quickly without interview. Oh, okay! That makes sense (and is what I initially thought). Thanks so much for the help!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-30 21:12:00
Canada	Where are AOS interviews held	Yes everyones interviews --- IF --- they even get one is held at their local office. Most people don't even get AOS interviews. Oh, well that's mostly a relief! From what I've read, by default you file at Chicago which means by default in the slight chance you have an interview it's in Seattle, then? Sorry I'm asking so many questions, but I looked at the instructions for the AOS forms yesterday and it confuses me I'm also confused about whether or not you're supposed to include evidence of your married relationship in the package, besides the mandatory marriage certificate, birth certificate, and supporting documents for the 864... I.E. photos, joint leases etc.- do they only ask to see that kind of evidence at the interview for AOS, if you have one? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this... Edited by pocheros, 30 November 2011 - 08:05 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-30 20:04:00
Canada	Where are AOS interviews held	Does that go for everyone? I tried looking up where interview are held but I couldn't find anything... Is there some reference that shows you were your interview is supposed to be held?	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-30 19:06:00
Canada	Folks from Ontario (or Toronto): Police Check Question	I just went to my local police station in Brampton. They redirected me to 22 division (which was closer to mississauga). I just told them I needed to have the CPIC check done and filled out a form with my addresses from the last 5 years. They ran it through a machine right after I filled it out, stamped it, and collected $45. Bam! It took 5 minutes. Don't bother with the RCMP- just go to your local police station and ask them where you can have CPIC done.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-02 03:48:00
Canada	Canadian/U.S words & pronounciations	Has anyone else noticed that garbage disposals in the sinks are pretty common in the US? Or is it just that where I used to live in Canada they weren't popular, or I never noticed? I actually asked my husband what that thing in the sink was when I first visited him in the US... I swear I'm not sheltered My husband teases me for how I say foyer because I say it the "french" way... Foy-ehhh, when he says foy-errr. I never understood the wearing shoes inside your house thing... besides tracking dirt everywhere, isn't it just uncomfortable? Fortunately my husband is a socks person as well Edited by pocheros, 16 November 2011 - 05:19 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-16 17:18:00
Canada	Canadian/U.S words & pronounciations	My husband "corrects" how I pronounce things at least once a day. I didn't know there were so many things I said "wrong" especially since in Las Vgeas there's really no discernible accent for me. o_O Yesterday I was talking to a service rep on the phone and she asked me to spell my name which has a z in it. I kept spelling it out for her but she had NO IDEA what I was saying... until I remembered that Americans say zee, not zed. Is zed such a foreign pronunciation that people just completely blank when you say it? Edited by pocheros, 14 November 2011 - 04:12 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-14 16:12:00
Canada	Canadian/U.S words & pronounciations	I find it odd that everyone says Americans say prah-cess and Canadians pro-cess, because it's the other way around with me and my fiance It was one of the first things he noticed when we started talking on the phone. But Canada & the States are such big countries that pronunciation must vary widely throughout the regions. Also, I will never get used to calling a highway a freeway. It sounds so wrong! Or the washroom a restroom. Edited by pocheros, 29 June 2011 - 10:05 AM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-06-29 10:04:00
Canada	Montreal Consulate	They definitely do not allow cell phones at all. I just left mine at my hotel room and practically ran back after the interview so I could call my hubby and tell him the good news!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-04 22:43:00
Canada	Montreal Consulate	I put everything in an accordion folder and brought that with me. All the "bare minimum" documentation went to the front of the folder, and all the extra stuff (photos, etc.) went to the back. That way it wasn't cumbersome to get the necessary documents (which was all they asked for) but I had my back up evidence just in case. Since it was all in an accordion folder it wasn't too large for them to turn me away but large enough to bring everything to give me peace of mind.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-02 17:00:00
Canada	URGENT!! - Documents for Interview in Montreal	There's no need to go crazy with the printer. Even if they ask for evidence of a relationship, which is VERY UNLIKELY, chat logs and the like are not the best evidence. If it makes you feel better, maybe print out a couple transcripts, but no more than that- it's wholly unnecessary. Save your printer ink. For evidence of a relationship (which they did not ask for) I brought 4 photos and our plane and train tickets from when we visited each other. They only really seemed to care about that evidence for the affidavit of support, which is far more important.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-04 22:48:00
Canada	ADDRESS FOR PACKET 3	You don't have to use DHL- it's just free if you use it. I sent mine with xpresspost for $15 so it would get there the next day.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-07 15:51:00
Canada	POE And Shipping Household Goods	I'm in a similar situation as you guys. Currently I have about eight medium sized boxes sitting in a friend's apartment that weigh somewhere around 50lbs each. Because I moved quite a distance (from Ontario to Las Vegas) and it wasn't enough to fill up a pod or rent a truck for (I also can't drive, so that wasn't an option), but too much to put in luggage, I decided that when I get the money I'm going to mail the boxes over here with UPS. You can check out their website and get accurate estimates- they'll calculate the cost according to the size and weight of the box, and how you choose to ship it. By the way, I compared the extimates to the Canada post wbesite and UPS has better pricing (not to mention Canada post has always given me bad experience but UPS has been excellent.) A medium sized box around 60 lbs (I think the max is 66lbs- it says on the website) costs about $130 to ship. The lighter it is, the less it costs. So, to mail my 8 boxes it's going to be somewhere around $1k, which seems hefty but it'd actually be more expensive for me to replace the contents than simply mail it. That seems like a fair price to me, and since we're expecting a tax return soon I shouldn't have to wait much longer. That's another consideration to make Mind you, I haven't actually shipped any of this stuff yet, because I'm a little strapped for cash, but that's my plan. You don't have to ship everything all at once (I believe you have 10 years to bring over your stuff). If you ship the boxes one at a time, however, you need a form for each box. The form also requires a black and white photocopy of your visa and I-94. I went to the UPS store and asked en employee about this and this is what he told. He was super friendly and helpful! Also, I bought a fish hook for $6 at Canadian tire so I could weigh my luggage accurately, since I wanted to stuff as much inside it as I possibly could without going over the weight limit. Make sure to double check what the overweight fees are, and how much overweight luggage you're allowed. I think it's $100 or something? If you figure that you can take between 50-70lbs of stuff for $100, that's comparable to simply shipping it later on. Edited by pocheros, 07 December 2011 - 04:09 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-07 16:04:00
Canada	Bringing Goods to U.S. at detroit tunnel	Congrats!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-07 15:50:00
Canada	No Canadian Dual-Citizenship?	There's a thread on the pros and cons of US citizenship here: http://www.visajourn...us-citizenship/ It seems to come down to whether or not you're incredibly wealthy and also if you need security clearance for particular kinds of jobs. It's not that simple, of course, but IMO (and many other VJer's opinions) the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-07 18:38:00
Canada	No Canadian Dual-Citizenship?	You can be a dual. Many VJers are duals as well as many Canadian born celebrities, like Celine Dion and Alanis Morrisette!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-07 00:26:00
Canada	Approved!	Congrats!!! I POEd through Pearson myself. You do all the immigration stuff there- when you land in the States, all you have to do is pick up your baggage and give your fiance(e) a big hug and kiss! By the way, immigration at Toronto Pearson opens at 5:30am, so don't get there earlier than that. I got there at 6am and there was only one person in front of me (my flight left at noon so it wasn't too early for me. It's not like I slept the night before anyways) but Pearson can get very crowded very quickly (especially after 7am) so I'd suggest leaving lots of time to get through secondary. They want your brown envelope and your passport. They didn't care about my xray.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-08 15:02:00
Canada	teen children and K-1 process	I have no idea about the rest of your post (hopefully someone more educated than me will say something) but if they do want a visa they must have a medical exam done and pay the hefty fee that goes along with it.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-08 23:56:00
Canada	RBC	I wish I talked to a lady as nice as yours because when I went to my local RBC the lady basically bitched at me and told me it was impossible I think she didn't want to take me seriously because I look young or something...	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-11 09:17:00
Canada	POE via Greyhound bus...	You can always call the border crossing and ask, but crossing by bus generally seems risky since they might hold you up for awhile if they don't get a lot of K1s and are unsure how to do it. By the way, wherever you cross make sure they put an I-94 in your passport (it looks like a little white card that gets stapled next to your visa). I read in a thread awhile back that a lady didn't get an I-94 when she crossed the border and activated her visa and that causes problems when you apply for a SSN and do AOS... I mean I have no idea if that's a common problem, just thought I'd mention it in case you go somewhere where the officers don't handle K1s often. Edited by pocheros, 04 December 2011 - 10:54 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-04 22:54:00
Canada	Tax Questions	Not sure about the taxes, but leave your Canadian account open as you may want to collect employment insurance and have your tax return direct deposited, and the CRA won't direct deposit into a US account.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-12 02:05:00
Canada	Montreal December 2011 Interviews	Hi there, I have my interview on Friday, 16 Dec, 8am. Is there anyone else here that has had a Dec interview that has arrived much earlier than their scheduled interview and had them not take people first come, first served? I have been reading every post about all the November interviews and it seemed that people were arriving any time after 6:30 am for 8 am interviews, and that they were taking people in the order they arrived. After reading all of that, I was planning on arriving at 6:45 to wait till 7:30 when they open the doors. Am I being crazy? You won't get turned away for an 8am interview. 6:45 am sounds like the perfect time to show up. I showed up around 6:10am for an 8:30am interview and no one else showed up till around 6:45am. Edited by pocheros, 14 December 2011 - 08:23 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-14 20:23:00
Canada	Montreal December 2011 Interviews	Congrats!!! I have a question though... You said floor 23, but I thought there was only one button that went to floor 19?	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-03 16:13:00
Canada	Montreal December 2011 Interviews	Well, a large portion of interviewees are K1's who usually don't have to provide evidence of domicile- for them it's usually a piece of cake. Maybe Montreal is hard on evidence of domicile because otherwise the visas could get abused somehow? I'm not sure how that would work but they must have their reasons. Just because it's Canada doesn't mean that fraud doesn't occasionally happen. I can't speak for other consulates but my impression with Montreal is that if you gather sufficient evidence and cross your t's and dot your i's they'll approve you. Have you checked out the evidence of domicile thread pinned at the top of the forum? There's lots of useful information in there. Preparation is everything	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-28 02:45:00
Canada	Montreal December 2011 Interviews	I just want to wish you all good luck! The interview is seriously a piece of cake	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-24 21:51:00
Canada	K1 moving back to Canada after marrying but before AOS	Thanks for the help guys Yeah, the gap between when he'd receive his visa and when I'd be here without a job is what worries me too. Anyways, we're probably not gonna do this, I just wanted to double check in case. Thanks again!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-15 14:53:00
Canada	K1 moving back to Canada after marrying but before AOS	Okay, so here's the situation.... My husband works in a particularly specialized field and got laid off yesterday, so he's looking for new job openings. There's a few around here that would require moving within the country (not so bad), but there's also a few in Toronto. Assuming he was able to obtain a Canadian visa and we were to move to Canada, what would happen between me and USCIS? I'm a K1 that entered in September and got married shortly after, but I haven't even filed for AOS yet. By the way, it's VERY unlikely that we'll take this route. I'm just sort of curious... I'm guessing that USCIS would not take kindly to me leaving the US after going through the hassle of a fiance visa? I know I can certainly leave the US but not re-enter it with an already used K1. Would I simply withdraw my case from USCIS, and that would make everything hunky dory- i.e. I could re-enter the US later as a visitor, and if we were to move back to the US go through the process of applying for a CR1/IR1? Would the fact that I withdrew my case from USCIS make re-entering the states or applying for a new visa extremely hard? Would I get just straight out banned from crossing the border? I'm not divorcing my husband, obviously, but I would not fulfill permanent resident requirements as I would be living in Canada primarily. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated We both looove Toronto, and I'm seriously tempted by the idea of moving back home... But of course the consequences seem high, assuming we could even orchestrate such a move So it's not likely this is what we'll do, if it's even possible without some severe penalties. The hassle of going through to obtain a visa would feel kind of pointless in light of this I was hoping to live here for at least 3 years and get my dual citizenship before we even consider an international move, but life is strange. Edited by pocheros, 14 December 2011 - 01:49 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-14 13:47:00
Canada	Homesickness	Can I rant in here? Something's been bugging me Is anyone else kind of annoyed by the cheque card system? You know how in Canada you just enter your PIN every time you make a purchase and that protects you from random people picking up your card and using it, but here you just sign every time? I got ID'd at Goodwill for making a $2.99 purchase with my bank card the other day. Seriously How is IDing people randomly (because it doesn't happen terribly often) at all secure? Yet they have those cheque cards that ensures the merchant gets paid because the card is backed up by a credit company and puts the individual in danger of overdrawing their account (not that that happens to me, because I stay on top of my spending). It seems like in the US the system is designed to protects merchants, but in Canada it's designed to protect the individual. I really miss the convenience of the Interac/PIN system. It's annoying that I have to bring my ID with me every time I want to make a purchase, though I suspect being ID'd for small purchases at Goodwill and McDonalds is more common in Las Vegas than other areas of the US. o___O Edited by pocheros, 15 December 2011 - 03:21 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-12-15 15:20:00
Canada	Homesickness	It also depends on where you're moving to... I would probably feel really homesick and out of place in a backwater redneck town o_O But Las Vegas is pretty liberal and so far everyone seems really nice so I fit in well. The nice weather probably has to do with it too I DON'T miss winter! Ugh.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-16 17:22:00
Canada	Homesickness	I don't miss Canada terribly much but I'm not close to my family, nor am I terribly fond of the last city I lived in. My best friend and I write each other snail mail though and send each other cards, packages, etc. It's really fun to get letters even though the mail is soooo slow for some reason (it took 3 weeks for a letter from Las Vegas to arrive in Toronto...)	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-16 17:14:00