Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	SSN	Just for the record....not all offices will give you the SSN over the phone. The Erie, PA office and many others require you to come to the office in person, with ID, before they'll give you your number. I can't imagine any clerk giving you the number over the phone - there's no way to verify your identity. Your office may have done it, but others should be prepared to make that second trip if they need the number immediately, just in case (though, in most cases, you won't need the number immediately). It was just a suggestion. If they need the number that desperately, but like you said, in most cases they won't. I never bothered to try to call to find out the number. I know they said I could go to the DMV if I needed it to try to get my license and they'd be able to look it up in their system after 1 week if needed.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-26 12:01:00
Canada	SSN	Sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with several things Darnell said. I was really lucky with my SSN. I had someone who gave me NO trouble, and I successfully obtained a SSN in my MARRIED NAME right off the bat, no questions asked. Since you are already married, apply for it in the married name. Doing it in your maiden name is a waste of time, because you'll just have to go through the trouble of getting it changed. I brought my marriage certificate with me when I applied, and there was no confusion whatsoever since it clearly states what my name is now. Don't waste your time going every 2 days (who wants to bother with that?! plus you'll just be annoying). However yes, Darnell is correct in that you need to wait a full 14 days after your POE (I'd give it a day or two longer even... like, no earlier than the first business day after the Easter holiday is my suggestion), and try again and hopefully you'll get a different clerk. If you get the same one, ask to speak to a supervisor, or politely decline and wait to talk to someone else. Print off the stuff that Kimbear linked to and bring it along. Once they issue you the SSN you do not have to go back to the office to get the number. If you urgently need it (and for K-1 purposes I don't know why you would so desperately need one immediately), you could try to call the office and they could look it up, otherwise wait, and you'll receive it within 2 weeks. Mine arrived exactly one week after I applied. Good luck!	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-26 11:04:00
Canada	Approved!!!!!!!	Congrats	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-23 18:12:00
Canada	For those who have been in the U.S. for awhile...	I thought about this more, and I'm thinking my answers are also swayed by the fact that my husband is also somewhat new to this area. He's been here less than 2 years, and doesn't really have any friends, so I don't have much of a social circle here other than his parents. lol But I'm volunteering several places and it's helping. I'm meeting a lot of people that way, and keeping busy. I also signed up to take some night classes at the local college. I'm excited about that.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-27 23:58:00
Canada	For those who have been in the U.S. for awhile...	Well, I don't really think I should answer this as I might skew the results since we had such a shitty experience when I first got here, what with the hubby completely unexpectedly getting fired the day I arrived in California. I'm sure if that hadn't happened things would be a lot different and I'd feel differently about the situation. However, I think I'd still feel homesick regardless. I was lucky in that I saw my parents 2 weeks after I moved, because they came for the wedding (and to drive their car back home...lol). But I miss them alot. I also miss my friends alot, and I miss my brother and his family(my sister in law, niece and nephew) but they live in Cambodia, so that's different. lol Also, I somewhat think that the weight gain or loss can depend on what area of the country you move to, and at what time of year. For example, I moved from snowyish southern Ontario to sunny southern California in January (mind you, it rained for several days the first month I was here). lol The people are also a lot more active here, and there's a big healthy eating focus. It's whacky.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-27 21:55:00
Canada	Maintaining permanent residency	Dan and Ali... is this by chance a job that you could do remotely from within the U.S. without having to move back to Canada?	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-30 00:28:00
Canada	Approved!!	Hurray! Congrats	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-30 18:47:00
Canada	OH YA BABYYYY!! APPROVED!!	Woot! Congrats!!	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-31 00:27:00
Canada	Finally sent in our K-1 application	Woot! Congrats! I hope you have a speedy time But regardless of how speedy it'll still feel like forever. Good luck!	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-31 00:29:00
Canada	2 RFE's :(	Just out of curiousity, did you include the vaccination sheet with your paperwork initially? I'm confused as to why they wouldn't have your medical from the K-1 already... By proof of medical, do you mean they're asking for the I-693? As for the support, did you include anything initially? Tax returns, and what not? Sorry for asking questions that won't really help you. I'm just worried as I've recently submitted AOS as well. lol	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-30 17:37:00
Canada	Where to donate a used 55" tv? any ideas?	You could donate it to me! *cough*	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-31 14:13:00
Canada	Happy Easter!	Lol Hope everyone enjoys the holiday, I'll be at work for normal hours as usual, woohoo Although I guess in these times I'm still happy to just have a job Bingo! Enjoy! lol	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-01 17:50:00
Canada	Is it an AMERICAN thing???	Sorry, I should explain, by 'rural' I meant rural areas in Canada, not the U.S. I know it's not just a 'rural' thing in the U.S. The area I'm in now is not rural either, by any means. But where I grew up, and where Sam grew up (1/2 hour away! lol), it's... very rural. But I still only really associate it with school. Edited by ashenflowers, 04 April 2010 - 12:14 PM.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-04 12:14:00
Canada	Is it an AMERICAN thing???	Yeah, I'd call it a southernly, rural small town thing. I went out for dinner a few nights ago with my husband and his parents and the waiter kept referring to me as 'miss'... it was the FIRST time EVER I kept thinking 'miss, I'm a Ma'am'!... I dunno what got into me. I usually miss 'miss'. lol	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-03 23:19:00
Canada	April Fools on the Internets!	omg, please tell me the Dharma Alarm Clock is real... I SO want one of those!!!! lol	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-02 01:04:00
Canada	Songs that got you through the rough times	Eat you up - BoA	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-03 03:01:00
Canada	where in the world is my approved petition?	Not anymore, thanks to you. *thwap* You're welcome	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-06 15:10:00
Canada	where in the world is my approved petition?	but... am I the only one that can't read this topic's title without going CARMEN SAN DIEGO.... at the end?	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-06 14:51:00
Canada	k1 POE windsor / detroit	I crossed at the same place. Sounds like one of the old men you talked to was similar to one that I met. He asked me if I knew what I couldn't do when I entered the U.S. and I said 'work' and he said the same thing, that I can work right away. I'm like... uhhhh?? no. Anyways, he meant that I can't leave. It sounds like despite both going to the same place we had different experiences. They didn't search my car at all, didn't give me an I-94 at all, took fingerprints and had me sign something, and it still only took me about 45 mins to get through. But ultimately, they STILL don't seem like they know what they're doing with K-1s there. It's kind of sad really. lol	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-07 16:50:00
Canada	We got it We got it!!	Hurray! Congrats!	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-03-30 17:34:00
Canada	Zed or Zee	QUOTE (Sprailenes @ Oct 7 2009, 06:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm going to start calling B "bed" and T "ted" So there. QUE AR ES TED U VEE You mean 'VED'? lol	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2009-10-07 21:11:00
Canada	Zed or Zee	I use Zee mostly... I think because I was close to the border (40 mins away) when I grew up, and 'zee' rhymes in the aforementioned alphabet song, and I like rhyming... Zed just seems so out of place in the alphabet... also because they said 'zee' on Sesame Street Swiss Chalet makes me sick, every time, and I had a HORRIBLE service issue with them one time, so I won't miss them at all. lol Tim Horton's yes, but they also make me sick, so I don't have their coffee and donuts much (but timbits I'm cool with.. I'll miss timbits)... though I will miss the F.V. Cappucinos, and the Iced Capps made with chocolate milk instead of cream... sigh. I will also miss donair (now that I know what it is... haha)... we don't call it that though, and I've never heard that term... but yes... in London we have Sammy's Souvlaki, which is like THE after-bar street meat to have at 2-3am... lol My fiancé misses it alot, and I will too. (side note, out of curiousity I searched wikipedia for 'sammy souvlaki' to see if they had a page, and they don't, but it asked me if i meant 'sammy soultaker'... hahaha) And I refuse to drop the 'u's from my favourite colours	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2009-10-07 15:39:00
Canada	Need prayers	*hugs* I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope everything is ok.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-07 22:29:00
Canada	AP forum	I'm guessing the AP thing may just be regarding being a PR in Canada, not a citizen. They just might have to clarify things. How long have you been in AP so far?	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-11 19:17:00
Canada	Separating the Religious Ceremony from the Civil	I would choose CR1, at this point, as my last option if there was nothing else on offer It's funny how each of us see this differently - in terms of which visa to apply for. At least if they get the ball rolling on the K1 now, they should be in the U.S. living together by the end of this year. Why they would want to wait another 5 months, then get married and apply for a CR1, which might get them together by say May-June 2011 - I just don't get that - but hey, that's me (this is aside from the whole have a religious ceremony first question). For me, the reason I suggested the waiting is because looking back now that's how I wish I could have done it. At the time, my now-husband and I were only able to visit each other every 2-4 months, so being together faster seemed like the more logical way to go. Not seeing each other, and having to take so much time and expense just for visits was wearing down on us. And even then, we still saw each other more often than some other couples do. But since at the time we would've had to wait a few months (for planning and for his next visit there) in order to just do what would have felt like, for us, a rushed marriage, we went for the K-1 and waited to marry. I also felt it would've been strange to be married and apart, as opposed to engaged and apart. If things were different (i.e. we were able to visit each other more often, like the OP is able to do, and if we were closer), I'd definitely have waited a few months, been married in Canada with all friends and family, and done a CR-1. Actually... scratch that. If things were different, and we'd have known they'd end up like they are now, my husband would've moved back to Canada, we'd have been married there and probably DCF'd it a few years down the line. lol ... but that's just me and my situation, I guess. Edited by ashenflowers, 13 April 2010 - 04:33 PM.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-13 16:32:00
Canada	Separating the Religious Ceremony from the Civil	Personally, since you just filed for the K-1 in April, I would seriously consider withdrawing your petition, getting married in September on the day you want, 100% legally, and then applying for the proper spousal visa. That is the less risky, and best course of action in my opinion. It's all about priorities. That's a good point as well. You've already had frequent visits (12 visits in less than a year is stellar compared with how often some couples are able to see each other, or NOT see each other, while waiting for visas), so you can continue to visit while waiting. It won't be fun to wait, but you see each other often enough that the time will go by quickly. Then you can have one legal and religious ceremony together, and can apply for the CR1 Visa, which negates the need for AOS later on... in the long run, it could possibly be the better option. All depends on what you're willing to do I suppose. Check out the comparison guides to see what looks good to you.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-13 14:52:00
Canada	Separating the Religious Ceremony from the Civil	What I'm about to say isn't going to be all that helpful, and I'm sorry if I come off as bitter about it, but hey, I am. I think all of us have had to make changes or sacrifices to our wedding plans in one way or another. I know I certainly did, and I'm still sad that we couldn't have all our friends and family there. We are close to them too... but it's just not feasible for them to all come out here, or for us to go back to have another ceremony in Canada. So... ultimately, if it's really important to you both to have a spiritual ceremony with friends/family present.... DO IT. Or you will regret it. However, keep in mind any risks, and consider if it's best to do it AFTER the civil wedding (i.e. in 2011, instead of this year). Personally, if given the option/chance, I would do it after. Also, I'm not sure where you're from vs. where you're going to, but why have the civil in Vegas? Is there a reason for that? You can have your civil ceremony anywhere in the U.S. of course... That said, the K-1 visa process can take much more than 5 months, just so you're prepared. I'm sure you said that just because Sept is 5 months from now, but just wanted you to know. Have you applied for the K-1 already? Or is that still in the works? Just curious. The other thing you might want to consider, is if you have already applied for the K-1, especially if you did so in February (though I'm doubting it because if you had you'd have known it takes forever ), then you might hit a string of luck and end up with needing to plan your move and/or interview around the same time as your wedding. That, to me, would be way too stressful. If you haven't already applied, then you likely won't run into this problem. lol	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-13 13:54:00
Canada	Pippy, the Begging Kitty	haha Pippy is cute. Thanks Kathryn! lgg, your cats sound like mine. Kitty is NOT liking Finnegan at all. I am sad.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-11 17:10:00
Canada	employment insurance claim	lol yeah... read the thread (start from the END of the thread and read backwards... some information is outdated). Also, check out the service canada website ( http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca ). It has tons of information about EI for people who live outside of Canada.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-13 21:50:00
Canada	Health Insurance Help - Non-Employer?	HAH. Both my husband and I are without insurance right now, as some of you know, NEITHER of us has a job. So... yeah. We're in no position to really be able to pay ANYTHING for these stupid insurance policies. We really don't know what to do right now actually. Cause we will struggle to make any monthly payments, and regardless if we have coverage or not, we don't have the ability to cover any co-pays anyway. It's a bit ridiculous actually. This isn't making me any more happy about the U.S. to be honest. lol And it's not really because we're "young", because I'm 29 and he's 33, and I don't consider that young anymore We've just been dealt a ####### card for the moment, and don't really know what to do... We've been off and on looking at policies for a month or so, and we found one for $70/month but doesn't really cover anything. I just don't even see the point. It's like throwing money away. Edited by ashenflowers, 16 April 2010 - 04:38 AM.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-16 04:37:00
Canada	Prescriptions of the 'Ladies Only' kind... ifyouknowwhatimean	My sister in law, I swear, got married because she got pregnant. They married about 7 months before they had their kid. I mean, why else would you announce an engagement, get married a month later then announce a pregnancy a month after that? Suspicious! That reminds me, a few years ago we celebrated my aunt and uncle's 50 wedding anniversary in Sept. The following April we celebrated my cousin's 50th birthday. I did the math and was like heeeeey...... LOL She was only 16 when they got married too. I feel like there's an interesting story in my family's past that no one told me.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-18 01:42:00
Canada	Prescriptions of the 'Ladies Only' kind... ifyouknowwhatimean	There seems to be a lot of controversy about the patch, or at the very least increased warnings? "Women who use the Ortho Evra patch receive a dose of estrogen that is 60% higher than that of birth control pills" source There is also a drug called depo prevera that has been on the market for years, for that you only need an injection once very 3 months - and yet that is not really in common use either - with just cause I might add. Anyway, I am absolutely NOT one to fear monger and to each his own! But just be careful yeah there was a warning sent out with my most recent visit (just over a year ago) to the clinic. I was just like 'meh'. lol I shouldn't be 'meh' about it of course, but I'm still o ne of those 'oh it won't happen to me' people. But... That is part of the reasons why I went off it for a few months, just to see if I noticed any differences to myself, but since I didn't notice anything I didn't think anything further on it. That's definitely worth noting though to anyone considering other methods. Thanks for mentioning it	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-18 00:28:00
Canada	Prescriptions of the 'Ladies Only' kind... ifyouknowwhatimean	uh... WOW.... So I only now had a chance to get on VJ just now, and was NOT expecting so many responses on this thread... haha! That was... interesting. I knew most of the information about birth control/condoms/other methods already, as I've researched it quite a bit, but I certainly learned alot about all of YOU... bwah haha... I'm glad you guys had fun with that. lol I am on Evra, the patch version of BC, and I like it. I didn't like taking pills. The patch is only once a week, instead of daily, and I've been on it for a couple of years, with no incidents or problems (besides a bit of slight side effects like some increased depression and severe cramps, but not bad really). I went off of it for a few months last year when the hubby and I were long distance (so I knew I wasn't getting any.. har har), just to see what would happen to my body and give it a break. I didn't notice anything significant though, so went back on it. I have quite regular cycles (within a day or two), so that's good. I'm actually surprised no one else mentioned the patch yet. It doesn't seem to be a common method of BC, for whatever reason. My ex-roommate's sister is a big advocate for the natural family planning (and yes, I meant the billings method), and we had a lengthy discussion about it one night. She had 6 kids though... LOL, mind you they are PLANNED... so I guess it works. hahah Anyway... Joyce, that IUD story is so frightening and heartbreaking. I'm sorry to hear that	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-17 23:53:00
Canada	Prescriptions of the 'Ladies Only' kind... ifyouknowwhatimean	Sorry for the double post, but I've passed the allotted 'editing available' time. Anyhoo, I think I will visit the local 'planned parenthood' clinic and see what they have to say. I'll update the thread for anyone else curious about this topic.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-16 04:58:00
Canada	Prescriptions of the 'Ladies Only' kind... ifyouknowwhatimean	So... normally I wouldn't write on the interwebs about something like this, but I'm really kind of concerned about it. Of course, I never would be in Canada. I'm running out of birth control. I brought a few months worth from Canada, thinking it would hold me over and I'd have time to figure out how to get more here. Well, that was before my husband lost his job and health insurance coverage (thanks Sam for the other thread that reminded me I've been meaning to ask about this... lol) and still haven't been able to find either 3 months later. Now, I'm almost out. I know, from the recent post here, that Canadian prescriptions can't be transferred to the U.S. I always just went to the clinic in London, and got them directly there anyway. My prescription is now up, so I don't even know if I can get them to send me more (or if they even would), since a) they're not technically a 'pharmacy' in the same way that, say, Shoppers Drug Mart is... and b) I'm due for an exam, and they probably won't take 'I'm in the U.S. with no insurance' as an excuse, cause they'd have to write me a new prescription. lol I didn't have a family doctor anymore in Canada either. So, bottom line, anyone have any good ideas on how I could get more? And if not, has anyone tried the 'natural family planning'? Further Bottom Line. I DON'T WANT KIDS right now. I'd seriously be devastated if I found out I was pregnant. Like... worse than a 16 yr old finding out after prom night. I'm not kidding. I don't want this to turn into a 'oh kids aren't that bad'... lol... I just had to say that. I need to know how to find birth control here. (sorry... after a smidge more looking I found out it's somewhat being discussed in the baby thread? I haven't really been following that thread, since I don't find it relevant to childless-me, but I will have a look there ) Edited by ashenflowers, 16 April 2010 - 04:54 AM.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-16 04:52:00
Canada	YAY!!!!!!	Congrats Coralie!!!	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-20 01:16:00
Canada	YAY...FINALLY	Congrats Coralie!!!	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-27 18:02:00
Canada	The Canadians-in-D.C. Area Get-together Thread!	You guys should chatroulette with the southerners and the west-coasters who can't make it.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-11 13:04:00
Canada	Mothers’ Day Dilemma…	a) I think you're over-thinking it. lol b) You are SUPER lucky to be close enough to all mothers involved to even have these options! c) Spend as much time with the grandmom's as possible, since.. well... let's face it, they won't be around forever Morbid yes, but someone had to say it. lol As for me, since there's no way I can go to Canada to see my mom *pout* I will have to just call her and mail her a card. We've ended up spending almost every Sunday with my husband's parents, so we will likely end up with them again. She gave us baskets of candy for Easter so we will probably refill them with stuff and regift them back to her. In Canada when my family was still all there we'd always get together... one year we had a picnic in the park. It was fantastic with all the trees blooming at the time.	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-04-26 00:05:00
Canada	no I-94 at the border!	ugh! my closest branch is 3 hours away!!! that is so frustrating!!!!!!!!! Yep, I feel your pain. Mine was almost a 2 hr drive away. I responded to your PM. Hope it helps! Good luck	ashenflowers	Female	Canada	2010-05-05 17:55:00