Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Proof of relationship	Just bring what evidence you have... I don't know how it works for IR1/CR1s, but apparently it's similar to K1s in that they don't ask for evidence very often. The photos are still good evidence, they're not going to discount them simply because of how you look in them- they just want to see that you've been together in the same place at the same time. I brought four photos of us (and yeah, we look like American Gothic in them too), our plane tickets, some receipts from when my fiance visited me and bought dinner (his name printed off on the receipts since he used his credit card), and just a couple e-mails. Chat logs and emails, while they can be used as supplements, are not considered the best evidence. So I suggest you print out some, if you like, but there's no need to go crazy and use up all your printer ink. I get frustrated when people from other countries post in here too... I know they're trying to be helpful but EVERY consulate and country is different. As such, those who are the most informed are the ones who went through the same consulate you have your interview at. One person recently said that Montreal doesn't require the DS-156 What the heck? Anyways, Canada is a low fraud country so they generally aren't as hard on you. I'm not saying you should show up with nothing because you never know and it's better to be overprepared, but it's not something you need to lose sleep over. This is just another reason to be grateful you're Canadian- the process is much easier on us that it would be elsewhere Edited by pocheros, 27 October 2011 - 12:20 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-27 12:20:00
Canada	Montreal Interview - NO I-864 needed, for sure?	I ASSURE you that you don't need the 864. Good luck with your interview, it will be a breeze!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-29 18:07:00
Canada	Tax Returns required for K-1 Interview (Montreal)	Hi All, I followed the specific instructions on the I-134 instruction form which said to have the last tax return filed (my fiancee is self employed and there's a special notation on the I-134 stating only to bring the last tax return. Montreal only looked at my husband's most recent tax return- they didn't care about his 2009 or 2008 taxes, although I brought them because I similarly thought 3 years was needed. If you can obtain the other tax returns without much difficulty I would suggest you do so, just in case. They also kept other evidence pertaining to the I-134, i.e. letters from the bank, letters from his employer, some pay stubs, and a printout of his 401K contributions. Since your fiance is self-employed I'm not sure if there's evidence other than his tax return that you should bring. But yeah, the most important thing to bring for the affidavit of support is the most recent year's tax return. More evidence is always better than not enough... Edited by pocheros, 30 October 2011 - 11:02 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-30 23:02:00
Canada	Vaccines - pneumococcal question	No, OHIP is only available to permanent residents. If you visit Canada after giving up your permanent residency here you are not eligible for it. However if in the future you decide to move back to Canada after living in the USA and you become a permanent resident again you regain those benefits. Some Canadians buy travel insurance when they cross the border with their visas to cover their bases. If your fiance receives health insurance you should check out what you need in order to go on their plan. In my case I needed a SSN and we had to file for the insurance change within 30 days of our marriage.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-01 00:13:00
Canada	Vaccines - pneumococcal question	Oh that's good to know, I'm going there too. I've had chicken pox but I wasn't born before 1980, do they test for that at the medical? or do you have to do that prior to your medical? Since you're in the 18-64 age range, you can simply give a verbal declaration that you've had chicken pox. It says so right in Rayoflight's link. That's what I did at my medical and it wasn't a problem. Meningococcal is required for 11-18 year olds for the medical exam, so you don't have to get it, although if you can get it for free you might as well because meningitis sucks and you won't be getting many free vaccines in the USA. I got my meningitis vaccine while I was in high school. It wasn't required but I got it anyway Edited by pocheros, 30 October 2011 - 11:09 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-30 23:06:00
Canada	Wallets, Car keys and Parking at Montreal consulate	I brought my hotel card key and my bank and credit cards and it wasn't a problem. I'm not trying to encourage people to bring junk with them though, lol. Everyone's experience is different. If you're not within walking distance then maybe you should take a taxi?	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-01 18:10:00
Canada	Wallets, Car keys and Parking at Montreal consulate	On the day of my interview there was a couple who had electronic car keys and the security guards held on to them. The couple picked them up on their way out. I don't know if they typically do such things or if that security guard was just being particularly nice that day. A wallet should be okay as long as it's not huge and it doesn't contain anything that can be misconstrued as a weapon. I brought a bunch of change and some cards from my wallet in a ziploc baggie. Try to bring only what's absolutely necessary... No toothpicks or dental floss No idea about the parking since I walked, sorry.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-01 00:25:00
Canada	I-134 Submitted at Montreal Interview. Update or Use one from Petition?	W2s alone are not enough- you need the whole return in addition to the W2, or a tax transcript from the IRS.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-01 18:14:00
Canada	I-134 Submitted at Montreal Interview. Update or Use one from Petition?	The instructions for the affidavit of support, which can be found on the USCIS website, lists the kinds of evidence that should accompany it. Make sure to read the instructions that go along with the forms	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-01 00:19:00
Canada	I-134 Submitted at Montreal Interview. Update or Use one from Petition?	The 134 does not need to be notarized because the USC signs it in their full name. In the instructions for the 134 it states this. As coconuts said a couple months should be fine for wiggle room. The bare minimum stuff that MTL requires, i.e. birth certificate, affidavit of support, letter of intent etc. does NOT need to be notarized. Occasionally applicants have to bring extra things e.g. translations of documents in which case sometimes they're supposed to be notarized, but most of the time you do not have to notarize anything.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-27 15:55:00
Canada	I-134 Submitted at Montreal Interview. Update or Use one from Petition?	I'm not sure if this is correct, If you go back to the checklist that we sent along with packet 3, it was pretty clear at the bottom that by signing you're agreeing that you've gathered all the necessary documents, that includes the I 134 (for K1). So regardless of when the packet 3 was sent out, you should bring the same I 134. I also sent our I 134 form along with other documents back in August and I'm planning on taking the same I 134! Hmm... that doesn't sound right. I'm pretty sure Coconuts is right; they want recent stuff. Especially with the tax returns, they care most about the most recent tax return. That means if you have your interview next year you should definitely bring an updated I-134. They don't want outdated information because it's not relevant to how much money your sponsor is making at the time you receive your visa. The I-134 wasn't supposed to be sent with the petition. They are expecting it to be prepared when you receive packet 3/4, which means it should be more current. I also think the I-134 has to be signed within a certain time frame of the interview (just like the medical exam, letter of intent, etc.) Edited by pocheros, 27 October 2011 - 02:51 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-27 14:47:00
Canada	Has anyone had an afternoon appt. in Montreal?	The afternoon appointments are relatively new- they started doing them sometime earlier this year. As coconuts stated, it's best to show up at the instructed time. Edited by pocheros, 01 November 2011 - 11:34 AM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-01 11:31:00
Canada	Montreal Consulate Review	Sorry to hear that the wait was a bit of an ordeal! But congratulations!!!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-02 11:32:00
Canada	Interview in Montreal and approved!!!	Congrats!!!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-02 11:55:00
Canada	K1 was approved Yesterday	Congrats!!!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-02 11:31:00
Canada	We're Approved!!!	Congratulations!!!! I'm happy for you!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-02 13:55:00
Canada	MONTREAL INTERVIEW YESTERDAY	Isn't it like $6 when you POE?.... some have had to pay that and some have not.... If you POE by plane the $6 fee is included in airfare. If you POE by land you have to pay it. The fee must be in USD, I believe.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-04 11:08:00
Canada	MONTREAL INTERVIEW YESTERDAY	heys, i got a question did you have to pay 350 two time ( like once to book the interview and again at the interview!) bc from what i have been reading some people pay when they go for the interview ! soo i was just wondering ! if someone could answer my question that would be awesome! No, you only pay once. Some people chose to pay online and some chose to pay in person. If you pay in person it must be in US cash- nothing else, no debit, no credit, not even Canadian cash. If you pay online you bring the receipt as proof.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-03 16:45:00
Canada	MONTREAL INTERVIEW YESTERDAY	Glad to hear your interview was quick & easy! I got the dreadlock lady too, she's a sweetheart.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-03 10:59:00
Canada	OHIP ?/dumb question...	Well, of course you can't get it just for any reason. But in the context of moving to another country on a visa it makes sense that if you worked the required number of hours that you should be able to get some of that money back...	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-03 16:04:00
Canada	OHIP ?/dumb question...	Receiving EI makes sense because it gets taken out of your paycheque while you're working in Canada... Not receiving OHIP makes sense because you don't have to be a citizen to receive it, just a permanent resident... and if someone who was once a permanent resident in Canada but no longer is could still receive OHIP, well then pretty much anyone who lived in Canada for 6 months out of their whole lives could get it forever! Also because you pay for OHIP through taxes. A lot of people look into buying travel insurance. I sort of gambled and won't be receiving any insurance until January and I got here in September... So far so good. >_>	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-03 14:53:00
Canada	Passport delivery from Montreal	The CSC website is really slow at updating waybill numbers and for some VJers the waybill number doesn't show up at all. However, DHL will call you when your passport is ready for pickup- that's usually how most people find out. I received an e-mail from DHL about 3 hours before they called me that had my waybill, which is another way to find out. I think a whole day later the waybill number appeared on the CSC website briefly only to vanish again... Also, 3 business days, while some people do get their passports back that quickly, is certainly very speedy for Montreal- some people wait much longer! Montreal is slow like that. There's a big thread about waiting for your passport from Montreal, lemme see if I can find it... Edit: here it is http://www.visajourn...-from-montreal/ There's a poll showing when people received their passports. Edited by pocheros, 04 November 2011 - 11:06 AM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-04 11:03:00
Canada	Looking to be with my boyfriend but not ready for marriage...	I find that in terms of fitting in to the US culturally there's a big difference among individual states. At one point my husband lived in Michigan which was convenient because he was only a 5 hour drive from me but oh boy did I ever despair at the thought of living there! It just so happened that he got a new job in Las Vegas and although I shouldn't speak too soon (I only moved here recently) I actually really like it here, moreso than Brampton, even though I miss some things about Canada. I think the warm weather has a lot to do with it. I would probably not feel the same if I lived in New Jersey or Detroit, though... It's good that you have a plan and are giving this a lot of thought! As much as people like to romanticize love and act like it's an impenetrable force that can overcome anything, cultural differences exist even in the US (not to mention the economy, health care etc.) and it's not a decision to be made lightly. You don't want to catch yourself doing something like resenting your boyfriend because you moved to somewhere crappy	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-29 18:03:00
Canada	Looking to be with my boyfriend but not ready for marriage...	Unfortunately there aren't many visa options available to you unless, as stated, an employer really wants to hire you over an american or you get married. Believe me I feel you... I think you are wise to not rush in and get married right away. My husband and I dated long distance for 3 1/2 years before we got married. It was NOT easy... sometimes I wondered why we were putting ourselves through all this, but for some reason we stuck with it. However, I am SO glad we waited before getting married because it allowed us to really get to know each other well and develop our trust (you have to believe that they're not doing anything behind your back if you don't see them for 3-4 months at a time!) And I believe the difficulty of the long distance relationship made us stronger because if we can manage that together, well we can manage anything There is no easy answer to this kind of thing. Love is blind until you really get to know the other person well, if you're in a long distance relationship you have to have faith in the other person and also be a little crazy IMO. There is no definite way of knowing if its worth it or not until AFTER the fact... So I suggest you continue seeing each other and plan long visits where possible until you're really sure it's the right decision. After a year of dating my husband long distance I was not okay with the idea of getting married. I wasn't after two years either. But after 3 years for some reason it clicked and it was the right decision.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-23 13:19:00
Canada	shipping belongings to the US	Your belongings can either accompany you or arrive after you POE, but they cannot precede you, as others have noted.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-03 16:43:00
Canada	Frustrated with trying to get money to the US!	yeah.. i was worried about this as it appears from the website that all the RBC branches in the US are all east coasty and I'm going to be in California. I'm having the same problem trying to figure out what to do for banking. I don't have anyone I can leave an extra bank card in Canada. I'm tempted to just close my accounts, dump most of my savings onto Student Loans that won't be interest free anymore and open a bank account in the US/ get added to my fiance's. I checked with my fiance's friend who works for Chase, and he said they will cash Canadian cheques, but it takes extra processing time. But yeah, little nervous about doing that. In addition to needing an account to pay student loans, you'll want to keep your account open to direct deposit your tax return and employment insurance, should you qualify for it. The CRA won't direct deposit money into a foreign bank account and cashing Canadian cheques can be a pain in the butt. Edited by pocheros, 26 October 2011 - 05:25 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-10-26 17:25:00
Canada	HOW WERE YOU NOTIFIED OF VISA ARRIVAL AT DHL?	I got a call and email from DHL- never heard from the consulate. Montreal can be a little slow, mind you- a week isn't *too* long yet. (I'm on my phone so I can't view your timeline.)	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-07 13:39:00
Canada	Getting Ready to Leave	The number for GST is 1 800 959 1953. If you're in Ontario (I'm posting from my phone and can't view profiles) the HST line is 1 877 627 6645. I just called and told them I am no longer a permanent resident and changed my address with the CRA. With employment Canada, I'm not sure if it's better to call them before or after you move, all I know is that you have to file within 4 weeks of quitting your job.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-07 13:33:00
Canada	Getting Ready to Leave	I crossed by plane and they didn't need a list of my belongings. They scan your luggage anyways. Also as others have noted check out the cancellation policies- even though my phone was month to month Bell screwed me over and charged me for an extra month of use even though my phone was disconnected. It's pretty much bullcrap I have the number for the GST people and will post it here in a minute.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-07 13:21:00
Canada	Medical Question [Personal Information Inside]	I had a nasty scar on my wrist (it was a burn from a toaster at work) and nobody asked. A doctor should know better than anyone not make assumptions about what a scar came from! Lots of people get in accidents etc. That's not to say she should lie of course, but if she is asked she should just explain it was a long time ago and it was due to peer pressure and not depression, and she didn't require treatment.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-08 12:49:00
Canada	Approved!	Congrats!!!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-08 12:36:00
Canada	Medical/Blood Pressure	Oh. I don't know much about Chad's medical insurance. Just that it's through his work. Should I ask him for the policy or something? Although I don't think it will be necessary for your medical exam, you should check it out so you're prepared to go on his insurance. For example, to go on my husband's insurance we had to show my SSN and the marriage certificate, but we had to file for the change within 30 days. We missed the 30 day mark and now I'm not eligible to go on his insurance until January!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-10 12:08:00
Canada	Medical/Blood Pressure	It shouldn't be a problem	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-09 19:44:00
Canada	To those of you finally home (US side)!	Ok this is for the Quebecers lol. In the AOS Guide, says send birth certificate with translation what does that mean? I translated? or go to the birth certificate place? sorry lol so many questions I have. Learning alot along the way lol Like Kathryn said, you will have to get it translated by a certified translator. They will not issue a copy in English- they only issue copies in the language that the original was made. My birth certificate is in French (I was born in Quebec) so I had mine translated by an ATIO (association of translators and interpreters of ontario) certified translator. It cost about $80. I found them at the Centre of Education and Training in Mississauga, Ontario. If you live anywhere near them you can check them out here: http://www.tcet.com/ They also "notarized" my translation for free at an associated office down the street from where the translation office was. By the way, they're more often referred to as commissioners of oath here, not notaries. The "notary" who certified my translation was actually a commissioner of oath- that's the kind of person you need to look for. At the interview they kept the notarized copy of my translation, so this is an important document to procure. Make sure to make extra copies as you will need the translation again in the future, and it's probably easier to find a French-English translator in Canada than it is in the States, depending on where you're moving Edited by pocheros, 18 September 2011 - 11:49 AM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-09-18 11:48:00
Canada	To those of you finally home (US side)!	Oh and another weird thing I noticed- no one seems to take milk in their coffee here. At starbucks they only have half-and-half on their condiment counter, and at restaurants when I ask for milk for my coffee it comes in a small glass because they don't carry milkers. When I asked for milk for my coffee at one restaurant the waiter actually said "Uuuummm..." and seemed unsure if he could provide me with any. Isn't milk a basic ingredient? What the heck. I'm going to attribute that to the individual waiter because there's no way a restaurant can't have milk. That doesn't really bother me, I mean I can still get milk for my coffee and so far the servers here have been very nice... I just feel uncomfortable when getting milk in my coffee turns into a big production! Edited by pocheros, 16 September 2011 - 02:33 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-09-16 14:33:00
Canada	To those of you finally home (US side)!	Well today marks one week since I got here. So far I love the weather (Las Vegas), our new apartment and the people (so far people have been very friendly and courteous... it's a huge difference from Brampton, ON). I had dinner with my fiance's family and enjoyed their company thoroughly. Buuut one thing I can't get over is how terrible the grocery stores are compared to what was available in Ontario. Why is it so hard to find a large bag of chickpeas or lentils? So far I've been to Wal Mart, Smith's, Albertsons, and Food 4 Less and the only okay one in terms of variety so far was Albertson's, but it's expensive and is still lacking many of the things that I consider standard in my pantry... I miss being able to buy a big jar of tahini from Wal Mart for 4 bucks, and good multigrain breads and cheeses... The brie here is not that good. No Frills is loads better than Food 4 Less- sure NF has a lot of junk but it also had a lot of great healthy foods in bulk, like legumes and rice, and a good selection of produce. It seems like many of the grocery stores here are just aisles and aisles of junk food and pre made stuff. I don't want to sound like a snob but I make everything from scratch- hummus, soup, tomato sauce, beans, meats... Now it's more challenging and expensive. I shouldn't be despairing yet because we only checked out the grocery stores near by and I plan on hitting up an asian market soon in the hopes of finding more obscure things (like big bags of chickpeas? LOL!) at a decent price. I do not want to eat everything out of a box- my health is important to me, not to mention home made tastes way better! My fiance always commented on how great the grocery stores are in Canada whenever he visited me. Now I understand why! Fortunately my fiance is a foodie like me and likes everything home cooked and healthy too, so this will be an adventure for us together... Edited by pocheros, 16 September 2011 - 02:21 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-09-16 14:19:00
Canada	To those of you finally home (US side)!	When you go thru the POE, what is the process? and when do you apply for the SSN? right after you get married? what you need with you? thanks and congrats to all You should really check out the guides. They are stickied at the top of the forum and they go through every step of the process in detail. You can also read reviews of POE which will give you an idea of what the process is like. Remember that no one cares about your visa more than you do- it's good to ask others for information, but it's also important to do on your research since you don't know what false information others may give you by accident. It can take awhile to do all the necessary research but you are immigrating, after all, and it requires some work VJ is a treasure trove of useful information, if you just look for it. Edit: I'm pretty sure that receiving your SSN is different for CR1/IR1 visas and K1 visas. I -think- K1s have to actually apply for it whereas it sort of comes automatically in the mail for CR1/IR1s. This is an example of why it's important to do your own research- although we try to be helpful, no one is an expert on every nitty gritty part of the process. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'm super busy right now and haven't done thorough research on the process beyond POE. You have to particularly watch out for the differences in CR/IR1s and K1s. Edited by pocheros, 07 September 2011 - 02:36 PM.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-09-07 14:31:00
Canada	To those of you finally home (US side)!	My POE is going to be by land in International Falls, MN. I just read a thread and I am nervous because someone said that not all US border POE do K1 visa entries. What does that mean? I thought that any border I can cross and activate my visa...I will have to do more resarch on this. Good Luck to you and I hope all goes smooth and safe for you on Friday!!!! Perhaps you should call the border crossing and ask? I think some people have done that before when they were unsure and it was helpful. Thanks for the wishes Good luck to you as well!	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-09-06 12:36:00
Canada	To those of you finally home (US side)!	First of all, congrats on your POE! Isn't it amazing that the process is over? (Well, besides AOS & ROC of course...) I POE on Friday and it feels quite weird. Like you, I never thought this day would come. Best of luck to you and your hubby! I am so happy for you and that you are HOME. I can't wait to POE in 3 days and finally be settled in to a routine and life with my soon to be husband. We all paid our dues and waiting for this moment and it will be awesome to experience it soon!!! Good Luck and WELCOME HOME I'm making my POE on the same day as you- can I ask where? I'm going to Toronto Pearson airport	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-09-06 12:28:00
Canada	May have lost Packet 4	As long as you have your case number you should be fine. Packet 3 or a printout from the CSC website should be sufficient as well.	pocheros	Female	Canada	2011-11-11 14:21:00