ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
US Citizenship General DiscussionHow to answer section D of N-400 application
QUOTE (hchhon @ Apr 23 2008, 12:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi,

My wife was ticketed for shoplifting and the police told her to go to court the next day.
The judge asked her to pay fine and 16 hours of community service. She did not spent any jail time.
The Judge gave her 180 days probation. After 180 days she was dismissed.

We answered YES on I-751 but not sure how to answer these questions in section D of N-400 when the time comes:

* Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested? [/color]no
* Have you ever been arrested, cited or detained by any law enforcement officer
(including USCIS or former INS and military officers) for any reason? yes (i'm assuming she was questioned by the police)
* Have you ever been charged with committing any crime or offense?yes
* Have you ever been convicted of a crime or offense?yes
* Have you ever been placed in an alternative sentencing or a rehabilitative program
(for example: diversion, deferred prosecution, withheld adjudication, deferred adjudication)?no
* Have you ever received a suspended sentence, been placed on probation or been paroled?yes
* Have you ever been in jail or prison?no
* Have you ever given false or misleading information to any U.S. government official
while applying for any immigration benefit or to prevent deportation, exclusion or removal? i'm assuming this would be no
* Have you ever lied to any U.S. government official to gain entry or admission into the
United States?[color="#FF0000"]and again, i'm assuming this would be no

Thank you!


Using honesty as the best policy, my thought for answers are in red above. Dismissed or not, she was still charged with a crime.

Edited by MarkNAshley, 23 April 2008 - 02:31 PM.

MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-04-23 14:30:00
US Citizenship General Discussiondual citizenship
QUOTE (Wacken @ May 6 2008, 01:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (fwaguy @ May 6 2008, 04:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
For the US, a USC MUST enter on a US passport.... This or similiar situation may be the law of your land... since you tell us not what your other nationality is there is little additional information that can be provided you.


If you enter Canada, you have to do that on your US passport if you are dual citizen. I learned that the hard way with my daughter. Don't ask me why, just I got bitched at about that at the border among other things. innocent.gif


Unless you are a Canadian Citizen. I'm both US and Canadian and I generally travel on my US passport since I don't have a current Canadian one and I'm a resident of the US. When I kept both up to date I used my US passport to cross into the US and my Canadian passport to cross into Canada.

The thing about using your US passport when crossing in to Canada probably has to do with visa agreements between Canada and the US. It is easier for a US citizen to gain entry to Canada than just about any other nationality. This is because of the openness, and size of the border between the countries and the huge volume of trade.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-05-06 15:58:00
US Citizenship General Discussionlost passport
It all depends on what part of the process you are at. If your interview is at the consulate level in a foreign country then you need your passport as that is what they put your visa in.

We need more information on your situation before we can provide more help!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-06-03 16:51:00
CanadaHow much did you bring with you?

Did anyone hire a moving company to move your belongings? If so, how much did it cost, and do you recommend or not recommend any moving companies? I'll be moving from the West Coast of Canada to the US Midwest, and that's way too far for me to drive.

You all sound way better at cutting down on what to bring than I'll be. :whistle:


I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona from Ottawa, Ontario. I moved the contents of a one bedroom apartment. It came to about 2700 Pounds. The total cost of the move was $2500. There was no duty on any of it because I had owned 90% of it for over a year. I carried my xbox 360 since it had been in production for under a year on the plane with me. Nobody noticed my 10 day old custom Tri bike.

Hope this helps
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2007-03-23 15:59:00
CanadaAnyone Remember the tax accouting firm

I've tried the search engine and had no luck.

We used to have links around here somewhere for a tax accounting firm in the US who did taxes for Canadians in the US.

Any clues? I can't even remember the name to google it. :wacko:



I am not an accountant!


But here's what I know.

I'm a USC but moved from Canada in July 06. I just finished doing my taxes with TurboTax and QuickTax. TurboTax is the simple part because in general you do the US return first if you are living in the US. When you get to Quicktax you adjust your world income to the value based on the amount you were in the US. Take a look on the CRA website for instructions but the formula is (Income / 365 * Days in canada = Canadian Exposed income). If you are leaving canada be sure to list yourself as a Canadian resident who gave up residence on your date of departure. If you list yourself as a non-resident because you were in canada for less than 183 days you will have problems.

Turbo Tax will take care of your RRSP contributions pretty efficiently. They actually managed to find a form that my accountant from the year before had missed.

QuickTax is terrible but it's semi-usable. Following all of the instructions the first time through left me with $35000 worth of exposure but after about 2 hours I got it down to $600.

In my case I have been earning income in the US since November 2005 so I didn't need to exclude income from Canada with a 2555 but it should be pretty easy. Use your US income to claim a Canadian FTC(Foreign Tax Credit) and use your Canadian Income to claim a US FTC(2555).


Also an Retirement Contribution note. RRSP's are protected by a Tax Treaty. You have to notify the US government of them with a form I can't remember the number for it now but Turbo Tax found it. Your contributions will reduce your global income. 401Ks are not protected by this process. So if you were contributing to a 401K during the months that you were living in Canada be aware that they are not tax exempt and you will need to pay income tax on that income in Canada. You probably should have been aware of this before contributing because if you're in that boat now you're up a creek.

If you can do an I-129F you can do the tax forms just read everything very carefully and go through the form several times before submitting. Since you may be claiming a foreign tax credit it may be helpful to file by mail so you can send both forms. For 2005 they just ignored this and decided to re-assess me. If you get re-assessed appeal and re-submit a copy of your US taxes to prove that you paid them. This will get CRA to give up the fight.

Oh another thing to ease your mind. The Auditor General has submitted several scathing reports on the International Tax department. They are being very lax in there processing of the forms.


A final note. I am not an accountant and if you get overwhelmed you should get one. An audit can be costly in either country. I did work for CRA for 5 years though. They are no where near as scary as the IRS.

Wow that was way more than I intended to write.

Mark
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2007-03-23 13:56:00
CanadaTransferring Money from the US to Canadian Account
My bank account is with chase. I use their wire transfer feature to transfer money. It's free if you're transferring USD to USD(or at least used to be). I found when I put money into a CAD account last week they charged me $20 per transaction.

It's easy to set up you just log in and create your recipient. It usually takes about 2-3 days for them to verify the entry and then it's about 3 hours between transfer to receipt in your account in canada.

Mark
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2007-03-25 01:23:00
CanadaHow Understanding is Your Family
My family get's it. My sister did the same thing with her husband. My mother passed on her US citizenship to us. We've lived in Canada most of our lives. I moved to Arizona for work in 06.

Ashley's folks are having a hard time with it. They don't really understand why we would need to get married in order for any of this to happen. I've been dating Ashley for nearly 2 years but they never really seemed to figure out what was going on.
Mark
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2007-03-23 16:05:00
CanadaI asked for a new interview date
When you cancel at Montreal you automatically go to the back of the line. It is the fairest way to do it because rescheduling you means someone else would have to be rescheduled and so on. They can't let people pick and choose there interview dates unfortunately as it would just complicate teh process so much more. Your best bet is to either prepare yourself for an earlier move or prepare yourself to not be able to attend the family event.

Sorry that there isn't more positive options!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-02-12 15:50:00
CanadaQuestion
QUOTE (kcmetzy @ Feb 16 2008, 11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
For those of you who have contacted your state rep or senator, how did you contact them? Was it beneficial? I e-mailed my state representative and senator, but I don't know if they even take e-mails seriously.

I'm too lazy to write a letter (but I will if it works) and I'm over my minutes on my cell phone to call. sad.gif

Just curious..

Thanks! smile.gif


I contacted my congressman to try to get our case moved up at the Montreal Consulate. They tried hard to help us out and it seemed like at some points they did make some progress by getting us an interview a little earlier than expected. Unfortunately we could not accept the earlier interview date due to a conflict.

I sent a letter to his local office and his house on the hill via fed-ex and requested a signature. Sending by fedex meant that whoever accepted it knew that we had record of there acceptance. This might have accelerated the process a little. My sister used to lobby the Texas house of representatives and this was the method that they always used to get quick response from reps.

Probably your best method is to send them a letter. It gives you a chance to give your full story and timeline.

Mark
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-02-16 13:32:00
CanadaReal estate, RRSP, and future move
the RRSP question depends a little on what year you withdraw it from the account. If you are a foreign resident at time of withdrawal from the RRSP account you will be charged a 11%(last I checked) withholding tax but not eligible for canadian income tax since you are not a resident and Canadian taxation is based on residency.

Once you have the funds in the US they are eligible for US income tax (There is a special form for RRSP withdrawals) you should be able to write off the withholding with a foreign tax credit so you won't have to pay double tax.

I haven't heard a way to roll them over into a US IRA without paying tax first but someone with more US accounting experience might be able to help.

Hope this helps
Mark
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-02-19 16:44:00
CanadaHow do you enter the USA on a K1 Visa
I flew in through toronto. Although we clear customs on this side of the border, the customs agents you are dealing with are US custom agents.

When you are going through customs just tell them that you are entering on you K-1 and wish to activate it. They will then take your paperwork and you will be taken aside to finish the rest of the process. Then you will be on your way.

You do NOT need to fly oversees then come back. They will know how to process everything at the airport.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-02-20 13:55:00
CanadaCan you live in the USA while waiting for visa
I stayed in Phoenix from August to the end of december while waiting for my interview to be scheduled and had no problems crossing the border at all.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-02-20 14:56:00
CanadaHow long could an interview in Montreal take?
My interview was at 8:30...Got there around 7:15'ish, was out of the embassy by 9:45'ish. Just depends when you get in, as it is first come, first serve.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-06 14:57:00
Canadawaiting on interview date
We applied in March '07 and just had out interview feb '08 in Montreal...we were told the same thing, 6 months. Then 11 months later...........we were finally approved. The one bonus was that i had no problems crossing the border so I was able to come and visit for a few months.

I know how hard the waiting can be, and this post isn't to discourage you...it's just encouraging a bit of patience, and if that doesn't work, you can always have your fiancee call his congressman and ask for his help!

Keep smiling, you'll make it through this!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-04 17:32:00
CanadaCan I visit him while the K1 is in progress???
Don't lie to the officer. Remember that your passport is linked to your application, so lying could get you in trouble.

I had zero problems when crossing through buffalo to visit my fiancee and I was coming down for three months. All i had to show was my return ticket.

Honesty is the best policy.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-17 13:01:00
CanadaHow long to receive Packet 4?
QUOTE (jonandmary @ Mar 24 2008, 10:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
They havnt responded to my emails for the past 2 weeks in regards to vaccinations - so thats why I didn't email them in this case. I will tho - just to try it.


I waited about 1.5 - 2 months to get my packet 4 from Montreal for my first interview (i had to reschedule). Unfortunately they are kinda slow. Keep positive!!!

Edited by MarkNAshley, 24 March 2008 - 02:13 PM.

MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-24 14:11:00
Canadatime between interview and move
I would recommend about 10 days. I booked mine for one week after interview and cut it close as my visa didn't arrive til late the night before my flight.

If all goes well at interview, I'd say 10 days is the safest bet.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-26 17:45:00
CanadaAnyone have Kaiser Permanente Insurance in the USA?
I'm not sure about your insurance company specifically, but with my husbands (he is on United), pregnancy is the one "condition" (that is there term, not mine) that they will cover regardless of when you signed up for insurance if it is through a spouse. I think very few respectable insurance companies would consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition that they would not help pay for. Your best bet is to call them and ask, that way you can be sure!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-30 09:21:00
CanadaOk to arrive late to interview in Montreal?
They opent he doors at 7:30, so if you arrive between 7:30-8:00 you shouldn't have to wait outside!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-26 13:52:00
CanadaKind of discouraged...
QUOTE (~Laura and Nick~ @ Apr 6 2008, 07:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (JillA @ Apr 6 2008, 10:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi Laura, I have sort-of the same timeline as you, I am getting ready to send in packet 3 and make my appt with Dr. Seiden in Toronto... Is it true you need to bring your appointment letter (AKA Packet 4?) to the medical along with your vaccination records and photographs? I'm not sure if I should book my medical yet...


yes it is true...
I booked mine for May 21st and she told me I need my interview letter...
Hopefully I have mine by then!!! blink.gif
I guess I could cancel if I don't have it before then....eeek!



I'm not sure if things have changed, but I just needed my packet three with me to show my case number, not the appt letter. I went to dr. Seiden in toronto also.

Just thought i'd share!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-04-06 21:37:00
Canada30 year old fillané to go visit for 6 monts any danger
My wife came down for 4 months without while her visa was in process. They may ask you to prove intent to return but a round trip ticket if you are flying should be enough. Otherwise proof of residence or some other proof that shows you don't intend to immigrate at that time would help.

If they ask you how you intend to support yourself answer it honestly. If your fiance is going to support while you visit that shouldn't be a problem. They are probably just looking to ensure that you don't intend to work while you are in the US.

Some people have been turned away if they try to bring furniture or other household items because it suggests that you are moving not just visiting. Just remember that you are going for a visit and not moving to the US while you await your visa and you shouldn't have a problem.

The 6 month limit has more to do with your status in Canada. You may put your public medical insurance iat risk f you spend more than 6 months out of the country in one year.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-04-13 15:08:00
CanadaCanada birth cert. HELP!!
I ordered my longform BC off the service ontario website and it cost me $35.

I just had my interview in February 2008 and just brought my longform to the interview and they handed me back the original after looking at it (i believe they made a copy of it before giving it back to me) and as well, I just sent a photocopy to DHS for my AOS, EAD and AP.

As for the marriage license - i only used my passport and they had no problem granting us a marriage license.

I suggest never sending original documents for any of this process, just certified copies if necessary. You won't get the originals back most of the time if they are mailed somewhere. Bring all the originals with you to the interview so that they can authenticate anything if they wish.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-31 12:57:00
CanadaMedical\Interview
There are Dr.'s is London, Ottawa, Windsor AND Toronto.

Depending on how far north you are, there are 2 Dr's in Winnipeg also.

I received my interview notice the end of November for an early February date.

For my medical, I called and got an appointment one week later. They seem to have a very open schedule (or at least the place I called did).

In relation to this statement "it might be a good idea to get your family doctor to do the tests since OHIP will cover most everything but when you get to Medisys or Dr. Seiden they will charge. The panel physician will do the tests again (USCIS regulations). If you need treatment for anything (highly unlikely but you never know) OHIP will cover it if your family doctor does it. Since the medical is sealed you might want to know if you have anything before you go to MTL or the panel physician so you can get treatment if need be."- there are two things to correct in this statement

1. a doctor is required by law (or at leasts by their ethical code) to tell you if any of your tests don't come back as healthy. They cannot send your medical off to Montreal without making you aware if something is wrong. Do not fear that your medical could have gone wrong if you hear nothing. Just keep in mind that this physical should NOT replace your annual physical with your family dr.

2. If something is wrong on your medical, even though you had the testing done through an immigration dr. and had to pay, you can still have your treatment done through OHIP. There is no such thing are private health care in Ontario.

Hope that helps, best of luck!

~Ashley
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-05-10 19:26:00
CanadaAny problems obtaining Employment?
I live in Phoenix and I was very fortunate find a job in my field within about a week of starting to apply for jobs. I work in the social sciences field. I think it mainly depends on your field of work, where you live and the opportunities. Where I was hired didn't even flinch when I said I was Canadian.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-05-21 15:38:00
CanadaMTL Timeline to Interview
I think I belong here now. I'm having my congressman try to transfer me to Vancouver but I've heard that that's pretty much a no-go since Vancouver is experiencing "staffing shortages" and cannot take any more applications.


<rant>
Does anyone else feel like they're being failed by the State Department? I develop software so I work with foreign citizens all the time. This morning I interviewed a visa holder from India. Last month we brought two people in from Brazil. At USCIS you can pay a fee to have a work visa expedited. At the state department you can use NVARS to schedule interviews and again you can pay a fee to expedite your interview. The expedited interview process doesn't apply to K visas since they are scheduled by the NVC.

I believe in using foreign labour. It's tough not to in the industry I'm in and I am not concerned about my job safety because if a foreigner can steal my job so can another US employee.

What I am very frustrated with is the fact that it's a longer process and there is no fee based acceleration for family visas. The government as a whole should be more committed to uniting families than it should be with foreign work. I understand that large business will obviously petition for faster visa timelines because it's in there best interest to reduce time to delivery of labour. What I don't understand is how the K visa process is being left behind. It should at least be given similar advantage and not de-prioritized below other visa types because of lack of corporate sponsorship.

Is there any way that we can raise awareness about the situation in Montreal, and for that matter the service centers where people can pay to jump ahead in line for other visa types while K visas wait for someone to get around to helping them?

</rant>


Sorry for the rant... I'm frustrated with this whole process. And working every day with offshore labour.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2007-07-12 14:20:00
CanadaMTL Timeline to Interview

How long does it usually take to get Packet 3 from Montreal? I haven't heard anything from anyone lately. No packet 3 nor a letter from NVC saying they have received my petition and forwarded it, etc. I called the NVC late June to find out that they received my petition on the 27th and sent it to Montreal on the 29th. I know it hasn't been too long, but does Montreal take a long time to send Packet 3s, too, or just scheduling interviews?


I received a letter from the NVC saying that they had received my petition and were forwarding it to Montreal. Someone spoke to Montreal for on Tuesday and they said that they had still not received the paper copy of my petition. My Fiancee still has not received her Package 3 either. You're not alone there are other's with similar timelines in the same situation.

Mark
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2007-07-12 14:00:00
CanadaSpeedometer in km/h in the USA
I just registered my car in Arizona (the car is in km/h nad the odometer is in km) and I had no problems. They didn't even mention anything about it.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-06-16 18:24:00
CanadaGood Luck Tomorrow - Laura & Nick
Good Luck!!!!!!!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-06-19 18:01:00
CanadaMarriage Certificate
We sent in a photocopy of the one our officiant gave us on the day we were married and didn't receive an RFE for the certified copy.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-08-12 18:07:00
CanadaPictures of your Wedding
QUOTE (Carlawarla @ Jun 17 2008, 04:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
What wonderful pictures everyone! Ashley and Mark...a lovely slideshow presentation. Is the little guy yours? What a sweetie!


Nope, the little one is my nephew. He's such a cute kid!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-06-17 10:02:00
CanadaPictures of your Wedding
QUOTE (Leafgal @ Jun 16 2008, 05:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Very nice Ashley.


Thanks Tracy and Cassie!! I am still in love with my pictures and with my photographer...they were sooo great. A tad on the expensive side, but they have since doubled their price so I figure I lucked out!!

Edited by MarkNAshley, 16 June 2008 - 10:25 PM.

MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-06-16 22:25:00
CanadaPictures of your Wedding
Everyone had such beautiful weddings!!

Here are ours...well, the link to the slideshow from out photographers wedding. Easier to post that since i'm at work and my work computer doesn't seem to want me to upload pictures...
http://www.thevision...shley_mark.html
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-06-16 18:17:00
CanadaGrocery Items Unavailable in the US
QUOTE (MarkNAshley @ May 12 2008, 09:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Apparently Heinz sells an organic brand that is a little more similar to the Canadian Ketchup since it uses Sugar instead of HFCS. There is more sugar in Canadian ketchup so it doesn't taste quite the same.

Also I found this website from a link about the differences between the two. It seems to have some of the products that can't be found in the US.

http://www.canadianfavourites.com/

Mark


Just looked at this website a bit more and they ship to the US...easy way to get some of the stuff that we are missing down here! smile.gif
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-05-12 15:51:00
CanadaGrocery Items Unavailable in the US
Apparently Heinz sells an organic brand that is a little more similar to the Canadian Ketchup since it uses Sugar instead of HFCS. There is more sugar in Canadian ketchup so it doesn't taste quite the same.

Also I found this website from a link about the differences between the two. It seems to have some of the products that can't be found in the US.

http://www.canadianfavourites.com/

Mark
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-05-12 11:31:00
CanadaGrocery Items Unavailable in the US
My best suggestion for swiss chalet sauce is in Canada you can buy small packets of it powdered from the grocery store and you just add water and it tastes EXACTLY like the restaurant stuff. It's only like $1 a package and it very easy to ship/bring back with you!

I do miss dill pickle chips and ketchup chips a lot...

We can buy heinz ketchup here...i get it at all of our grocery stores.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-05-11 13:50:00
CanadaThe pet thread!
I don't have a pet yet...our new house closes in three weeks though and then i get a puppy dog!!! I can't wait!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-06-17 18:43:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussionfood stamps
From what I read of the post, I agree with NoelandTintin.

Until you clarify the situation for us, it will be hard to help you out. I believe that the male is the foreigner and the wife is the US citizen, but again, am unclear.

But like was said, there was a necessary amount of support required in order to have your petition approved and to avoid these situations.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-02-29 20:25:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionRFE question
You can get an RFE up until the point that you have your green card in your hand. There is no way to know when they will or won't send an RFE.

You shouldn't panic about it though, everyone is in the same situation!
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-03-10 16:17:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionSimple question: what to take to biometrics date
Same in Phoenix, your cell phone wasn't even allowed inside the building. You will want to make sure to remind her to not take it with her.
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-05-05 11:26:00
PhilippinesNotary??
QUOTE (genenelson @ Feb 20 2008, 10:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Do I need to have Notary sign off on anything other than the I-134 Affidavit of Support. Thank you... Gene Nelson



The only thing that needs to be notarized is the I-134. It was the only thing notarized in our package and we were approved without RFE.

Good Luck
MarkNAshleyMaleCanada2008-02-21 01:27:00