ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
CanadaTravelled here together?
A lot of people do this. Especially US-Canadian couples, because many of us drive down. I wasn't much help to my man when he moved---all I did was sit in the car as he drove across the prairie for five days---but I did go with him.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-13 17:06:00
CanadaU.S. employment wages
I think it varies from region to region in both countries. Also, generally speaking, the places that pay better tend to be the places that have higher cost of living as well. In our case, a large part of the reason he is the one who moved here was the cost of living in Alberta is ridiculously high, too much to be offset by higher wages.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-12 16:05:00
CanadaHappy Baby Melyssa!!
Melyssa has not been here in months. Will someone who is in touch with her tell her this is here or send her a copy?

Josiah Samuel is a cute name. Samuel is one of my favorite boy names. I'm sure he is utterly adorable, too!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-20 09:15:00
CanadaHappy Baby Melyssa!!
Congratulations!!!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-19 15:59:00
CanadaHah! US medical coverage at its best!
QUOTE (Mephys @ Aug 20 2008, 10:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Funny thing is, I called work and asked if I take the test and its positive if the doctors ( my vets) could let me get some of the Metronidazole so I can start my treatment today, but if its positive that's what they are going to give me on saturday


At least the Metronidazole the vet gives out is chewable and tastes like chicken!

Actually I wonder why they can't let you start on it from the medical doctor. Isn't that kind of a multipurpose antibiotic? I was given Cipro (also a multipurpose antibiotic) to take along "just in case" when I went to South America (naturally, my health insurance did not cover a trip to the travel clinic, of course, so maybe that's the difference).
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-20 13:59:00
CanadaHah! US medical coverage at its best!
QUOTE (Mephys @ Aug 20 2008, 10:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I am currently sick at home from a severe GI infection since last friday.


I hope you are feeling better soon! Giardia's nasty.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-20 10:19:00
CanadaHah! US medical coverage at its best!
QUOTE (Reba @ Aug 19 2008, 05:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
And I know more people who were almost killed by the local hospital than I know who've actually been helped there. Its a scary scary place I tell ya! Yeah, I'd rather go to the vet too. She's nice. And she calls the next day to follow up.


That's what everyone says about the one and only local hospital here, too. Part of it is we have a big city with a medical school right across the river and that is where all the doctors want to go, for obvious reasons.

I like my vet a lot better than any of the local doctors I've found, too. My dog even didn't mind going to the vet (because they would always pet her and give her treats and there were so many wonderful animal smells in the waiting room---and rabbits for her to try to chase when we walk along the bike path next to the vet's office after her visit) but then she had surgery and now she's a little wary.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-20 09:25:00
CanadaHah! US medical coverage at its best!
QUOTE (Carlawarla @ Aug 19 2008, 12:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Personally, when I saw the amount of "specialist's" in St. Louis, I thought hmmm, no wonder people have trouble finding a family physician! Franky I think they're overrated and used FAR too much. Give me a good ol' GP anyday.


Yep, that's a HUUUUGE problem here! (And by "here" I mean St Louis, though I doubt it's unique.) I go to an out-of-network family doc because there are so few in network to choose from. If you are a doctor with all those med school loans, what are you going to do? Practice family medicine in the Metro East or be a specialist in a St. Louis hospital?

I would say having to wait more than a day or two for an appointment with a GP once you have a regular doctor is very much the exception to the rule in the US, at least in my experience.

QUOTE (thetreble)
(I had CIGNA prior to this)


Okay, this is off topic, but I have CIGNA now and was thinking of switching next open enrollment. My doctor is out of network so instead of having a nice little $10 copay, I get to wait for them to bill the insurance company, and then pay the remaining balance, which is usually about $52 (for a basic office visit). Did you switch because they sucked or because of changing jobs? I'm just curious. I can't really decide wither to switch to one of the other plans, look for a new doctor, or just suck it up and be glad any hospital bills would be covered because there is only one local hospital so that HAS to be in-network (you know, unless you want good care, in which case you go across the river to St Louis.....).
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-19 14:48:00
CanadaHah! US medical coverage at its best!
Depends how good your insurance is and how well served your community is. When I lived in Springfield, Illinois (and I was on the same insurance plan I'm on now---plus it sucked less then), I had a sinus infection. Really simple to treat, just needs a quick office visit with a prescription for antibiotics. No big deal, takes 15 minutes of the doctor's time, tops. I could not find any doctor in the entire city willing to take a new patient without first having a full on physical, and the waiting time for that was two to three months (eventually I went to a clinic where I could see the nurse practitioner with a day's advanced notice). I ended up going to Planned Parenthood for my gyneocologist even though I had insurance because I could get in there without a six-month wait.

Of course, if you do not have insurance---or you think you have insurance but it finds some loophole that allows it to deny coverage---you are going to be well and truly screwed.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-19 10:23:00
CanadaGood luck with your interview tomorrow Moos!!
Good luck!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-21 09:42:00
CanadaHow did you start to build your new credit rating?
Just FYI, Marilyn, even if your overall credit rating is bad because of medical bills, a lot of potential creditors will overlook that (it will show on the full report what the debts are). I used to manage rental units and if the only blemish on someone's credit record was either medical bills or student loans, as long as they also had the income to qualify for the house or apartment (which you need no matter what anyway), we would approve them. I suppose if you want to get a credit card from a bank, they might be less understanding, but I think that is actually a pretty common thing.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-07-15 11:10:00
CanadaJust curious . . . . . . . . .
We crossed by car at Portal, North Dakota, two days into a five day drive. As we found out the hard way, there really isn't much besides prairie between Portal and Minot, where we stopped for the night, and I started needing to use the rest room really really badly half an hour before we left the border. So, err, well, the first thing we did was desparately look for a gas station with a rest room. Very romantic, no?
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-22 14:06:00
CanadaHaving a baby in the USA on K1
I'd strongly recommend having the baby in Canada and then moving down. Most private health insurance plans have periods during which they exclude from coverage preexisting conditions. That is true even if you have a plan that will cover you immediately, as ours does. This happened to a friend of mine who got pregnant while doing a public health nursing internship in Sri Lanka. She had to pay several thousand dollars up front for delivery in order to be allowed to have her baby in the hospital! Fortunately, she had the money; you may not be so lucky.

I'm not sure where you are in the immigration process OR in your pregnancy, but you do have six months to activate your visa once it is issued, and you also have some leeway to ask the consulate to schedule an interview date that will keep your due date within that six month window. That is, once your petition reaches the consulate, you will know more or less what time frame they are scheduling interviews for (from comparing timelines on here), so you can ask for an interview in "late December" or "mid January" or some time beyond that point. Vancouver is better about this than Montreal, though. So you can start the process (if you haven't done so already) and still plan to have the baby before immigrating.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-25 13:25:00
CanadaDon't know where to begin
Yeah, I'm a bit confused about wife vs fiancee too, although I'm sort of assuming she is your wife and you are doing the K3 visa (I have been married for a month and occasionally call my husband my fiance out of force of habit....).

We went the K1 route, so I am not sure if this is different, but for a K1, BOTH fiances need to fill out a G-325A. Each of you will sign in the "applicant's signature" box on the G-325A with your own information. Yes, it is a little misleading that it says "applicant," but it is a multi-purpose form. There is a box at the bottom where you check "purpose." For ours, we checked "other" and then wrote "I-129F petition for K1 visa" on the line. I think you also need to check the "other" box (because the other two boxes are for citizenship or permanent residence, I think). Someone who had a K3 can probably tell you what to put in the line (I-130?).

Also, I will second the recommendation to take some time to read the guides on VJ and maybe read through some of the threads before even starting. It takes less time than you think to familiarize yourself with the general process so it becomes much less daunting.

Good luck, congratulations on your marriage, and welcome to VJ and (soon) the US!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-27 11:27:00
CanadaSSN in New Jersey
For getting a marriage license, what we did was call the County Clerk's office the morning we went in to ask what they would need. I've already forgotten whether I gave them my social security number and they just left my husband's blank. I think all they did was look at our passports or drivers licenses and ask for a lot of information about where we were born and where our parents were born and who our officiant would be and where we both lived. It could not have been easier, but we did call ahead.

QUOTE (Texanadian @ Aug 23 2008, 11:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The answers are pretty much right in this thread. What most people don't know is that there are actually 3 different types of Social Security cards.
  • 1) Regular
  • 2) Valid for work only with DHS authorization.
  • 3) Not valid for employment

2) This is the card that K visa holders get no matter which checkbox they choose on the application. This card is given out to people who are legally allowed to work in the US on a temporary basis. Social Security considers a K-1 visa to be valid for work until it expires.......unfortunately to actually get a job, you'll need to show something with DHS authorization (I-94 stamp or EAD or Green card)


That's why when the lady at Social Security told my husband to leave that part blank, I took it to mean that is what we are supposed to do---i.e., K1 visa is its own special separate category without a proper box. It may be that the woman who processed it filled in the correct box for us, whichever box that is, but I think it probably does not matter which you check, because you will get that second type of card regardless of which box you check.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-25 10:48:00
CanadaSSN in New Jersey
She actually told him to leave it blank. It could be that the person who actually processed it for him (which was not the woman at the counter we spoke to initially) filled in the right box.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-22 14:47:00
CanadaSSN in New Jersey
Just FYI, we went today to apply for my husband's SSN and get a duplicate card for me because I don't know what happened to mine. Since there were 3 different answers here as to what to fill in on the line that asks if you are an alien authorised to work, not authorised to work, or "other," we asked about it before filling it in, and they told us just to leave it blank.

In case any of you are in the St Louis Metro East area, we went to the one in Alton--it was easy as pie and they were really nice and actually even knew what a K1 visa is. We called the one in Belleville because for some reason I read "Belle Street" in the Alton address as Belleville, and they told him in no uncertain terms that he would have to wait until completing AOS. If you have a choice, I would go to the Alton one (there is also one in East St Louis).
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-22 14:24:00
CanadaSave me from my panic attack
Heh, I don't remember what we needed to bring to the interview anymore and it was only three months ago! Also different type of visa and different consulate. BUT having the memory of a gnat does not prevent me from being able to at least wish you safe travels and good luck at the interview! Good luck, Cat!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-28 09:28:00
CanadaCanadians, please read!
QUOTE (Len_and_Bren @ Aug 26 2008, 10:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
And in some provinces you are not allowed to have sex on Sundays under penalty of neutering. They are so weird this Canadians wacko.gif


That's why hubby immigrated here instead of me going there. devil.gif
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-26 15:42:00
CanadaPictures of your Wedding
Wow, Cat, those are absolutely stunning! Both the scenary and you and your hubby.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-20 09:30:00
CanadaPictures of your Wedding
Heh. I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one who doesn't know how to upload pictures.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-05 13:44:00
CanadaILLINOIS
I also live in southern Illinois, in the St Louis Metro East area. David and Amber are in Illinois also, but I don't know where.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-07-21 11:17:00
CanadaMontreal Interview Review ~ CR-1 ~ Approved
Woohoo! Congratulations, Cat, and happy moving.

Comparative housing costs was one of the biggest factors in our decision as to which one of us was going to move also (my husband is from Edmonton too). My house is a three-bedroom Victorian on half an acre which is a registered historic landmark. The house he sold is a two-bedroom early 1950s bungalow and a fixer-upper. But his house was worth more than mine. I actaully think it's a bit sad because it went to a developer who bought it sight unseen, so by now it's likely been knocked down and replaced by a duplex. I think in another 10 to 15 years people will start to see the historic value in the homes of that era. Well, it's sad, but it benefitted us.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-02 11:50:00
CanadaCalling my K1 NJ friends
We are just sending the DS-3025 from the doctor in Calgary. I'm thinking if they've misplaced the medical, we are going to get an RFE for the entire thing even if we do get the vaccination record transcribed.

Just to make sure, Laura---you probably know this, but the 693A is now obsolete. There is a section on the DS-693 itself for the vaccines to go now. You can have him just do that section, plus the certification section, and fill out the "information about you" section yourself.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-27 11:05:00
CanadaGetting on my husbands health insurance
Okay, I am not sure if this will work but what about something from Alberta Health Care's web page showing you are not elgible to continue coverage once leaving the country coupled with something showing when you got the visa? A letter from the Alberta Blue Cross stating your coverage will end on September 30 actually sounds like it should be enough to do the trick even if that is all you have. Of course "should" and "will" are not the same thing. They may not understand that you've been married for over a year but are only just now moving to join him.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-02 13:03:00
CanadaGetting on my husbands health insurance
Oh, okay, now I see why they are doing this. He has a benefits choice period, and getting married is an exception to being able to make a change outside of that period. I am on a crappy health insurance plan that I really want to switch because I never get off my butt and figure out what I want to switch to during our benefits choice period. Yes, it is incredibly stupid that they do that, especially considering you were not able to live together as husband and wife until now.

I PMd you a link to my other thread, but it is probably redundant since Kathryn already answered here. We ended up not doing anything about it because the prescription plan is separate from the health plan and does not have a 6-month preexisting condition exclusion (which is all that mattered for us). So I don't know that I could recommend anything other than what's already been suggested.

The only other thing is if for some reason nothing works and they do not let you onto his plan until January, my husband was pretty happy with the temporary health insurance plan he got through 7 Corners. You can get coverage through them I believe for anywhere from 30 days to five months (it may be three months--but that would still cover you October 1 through December 31). They charged less per month than we are paying for him to be on my crappy plan, but if his employer pays any of the premium for the first dependant (as mine does not, the weasels), that would be different for you. Proviso---we did not have to make a claim on it and only had it for a month. In terms of setting it up quickly and looking at their terms and conditions, though, he was happy with them.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-02 12:55:00
CanadaAre XRays on CD-ROM accepted by the consulate?
Here you go: http://www.uscis.gov...0004718190aRCRD

The new TB test requirement applies to medicals after June 1.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-20 16:22:00
CanadaAre XRays on CD-ROM accepted by the consulate?
QUOTE (Mephys @ Aug 20 2008, 03:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well, the embassy itself doesn't care much about the X-ray anyways. Only the radiologist can make an interpretation of your x-ray, which is included in your medical's result in the seal enveloppe. After the medical nobody ever needed those X-rays, and everyone will tell you the same.


Yes, this is what I was thinking too. The people at the consulate are not doctors and cannot read the Xray itself any more than most of us can. But we went through the Vancouver consulate, where they do not even take the Xray, and I wasn't sure if this was the same in Montreal.

One other thing---I don't know when you or your partner had the medical done and I'm also not sure exactly when the change went into effect, but they are now no longer requiring an X-ray UNLESS a skin test for TB comes back positive. This also means they are requiring a TB skin test. There are two different changes---that one and a change in the vaccine requirements. One of the changes went into effect for anyone having their medical after May 1 (my husband's was in April). Hmmm, I will see if I can find the link for you quickly. If not, I'll get it tomorrow. You will probably find it if you check the AOS forum in the sticky threads at the top.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-20 16:14:00
CanadaCanadian credit report
Thanks, Trailmix.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-16 16:10:00
CanadaCanadian credit report
Thanks.

I'm not sure if that's the one he tried yesterday. It doesn't seem to let him put in his US address. It also says it is available only to residents of Canada. Gah, there has to be a way he can speak to an actual person and get a copy even if we have to pay for it.... oh, wait a minute, who am I kidding? Actual people on the other end of a business phone line are hard to come by these days.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-16 14:31:00
CanadaCanadian credit report
It's really easy to get a copy of your US credit report (especially if you are still trying to rebuild credit and get turned down for things). My husband tried to get a copy of his Canadian credit report from I think it was Transunion, but when he went to their site, they wanted to charge him a MONTHLY fee and to find out which province he was in.

Gah, this is frustrating, this credit BS. Everything else is going smoothly these days.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-16 14:10:00
CanadaPck 3 Question
Re DS-230 -- I don't know, but I'm sure someone here will.

Re OF-167 (or whatever its called--the Social Security one) -- Yes, the USC fiance signs it. And that is the one form that is NOT available on line, so you'll need to mail or fax it to him and have him send it back to you (unless he's going to be at the interview with you).
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-17 13:53:00
CanadaI'm back... and married :-D
Congratulations!
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-18 12:36:00
CanadaOne Year Anniversary Coming up!!!
Heh, I think I'm going to give my husband a dirty coupon book for a wedding present. No expiration dates, either!

Or is that too much of a present for myself, too?
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-16 16:09:00
CanadaOne Year Anniversary Coming up!!!
Wow, Carla, that's really beautiful.

G&A, I'm really bad at gifts for anyone over the age of 8 (I enjoy buying books for little kids---anyone else, including my own husband, I have no idea what to get). But surprising him with something special--dinner out, a trip, a movie, a massage or something like that--is always nice.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-16 14:14:00
CanadaDelightful news!
QUOTE (BH45 @ Sep 16 2008, 07:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats.....they have now given you your Canadian. Have a safe journey back.


Great minds think alike. good.gif


Congratulations, Aravis! kicking.gif kicking.gif kicking.gif

Edited by SonoranSongbird, 17 September 2008 - 09:40 AM.

SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-17 09:39:00
CanadaWe're Off Tomorrow to Seattle
Awww, poor little kitty! I'm glad he's feeling better today.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-23 11:23:00
CanadaWe're Off Tomorrow to Seattle
Have a safe and wonderful trip, Cat!

And don't forget all your VJ friends in the middle of winter when it would be a really nice time to invite random people you know on line to Hawaii for a week-long VJ meet-up.......
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-23 10:16:00
CanadaSomeone's Having a Birthday On Saturday.
To quote my favorite birthday card ever:

Old fart? Old fart my @$$! That smells like a fresh one!

Happy birthday anyway.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-09-26 11:01:00
CanadaKeeping in touch
You have brilliant timing, Ron. You and Sharon came to mind while I was walking our puppy this morning and I was wondering how you both were doing. I hope you will both be feeling MUCH BETTER very soon.
SonoranSongbirdFemaleCanada2008-08-12 12:00:00