Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I-751 January filers	It took us two trips to the DMV yesterday, but hubby got his license renewed! Got a hassle at the first agency (Randolph), so we left and drove all the way our to rural Warren County to another agency, where they were nice as pie. They guy even jokes that this means the GC should turn up tomorrow. Hopefully soon, no doubt it will when we are away on vacation! Nice! Good call on trying another office. Stupid NJ MVC.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-07-01 21:17:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I-751 January filers	*sigh* Here is the part where the delay at VSC causes hubby and I additional financial outlay and probably a HUGE headache. All because hubby's NJ Driver's License expires in a few days, and we need to renew. But it's not that simple... NJ is NOTORIOUS for having a difficult motor vehicle agency. Since many of the 9/11 hijackers had fake ID from NJ, they have toughened the process up to the point where it takes a minimum of 2-3 trips to accomplish anything. My big worry is that the know-nothing worker behind the desk will wrongfully not accept the NOA1 letter as proof of extention for his 2-year green card. Don't say it won't happen, it's exactly the type of thing that happens! When he first got here, he went for his DL, only to be told in error that he needed additional documents and that it would be no problem to return the next day. We did, only to be told that he never needed the additional documents, but now he couldn't get a DL because he needed to have 60 days left on his I-551, and today there were only 59! If the worker hadn't screwed up the day before, we would have been fine, but now he couldn't drive until he had adjusted his status and actually had a GC in hand. Now do you think that 60-day policy posted or printed anywhere? No. When we complained we were told it was not publicized on purpose, to "thwart potential terrorist". Well, all that meant to us is that he was now housebound for 7 months with no way of finding or getting to work. So as it stands now, instead of using a 10-year GC to get a license that will expire in 4 years, he'll be given one that expires in less than a year and will have a huge red "CONDITIONAL" across the top. Then we'll have to go through the cost and process again. That is, if they decide to renew him at all. If they don't, his license will expire, and he will have to pay and take his driving test all over again when the 10-year card arrives! Sheeesh. Wish us luck. I can't not have him able to drive again. I hear you sister! I was in the same boat and the only way I ended up driving during AOS was that I used my Canadian driver's licence. Our car insurance company kept sending us letters asking for my NJ driver's licence and I had to keep saying, it's coming! They were just about to cancel my policy when my conditional GC arrived and I could get my licence. A close call. However, when I brought my extension letter to get my licence renewed this time (because it took VSC almost 6 months to approve my ROC) they didn't give me any hassles at all. Except that as you say it's only approved for a year. I was so relieved to get my licence renewed that I didn't care. btw, it only cost $10 (and an afternoon). I waited to the very last moment to renew my licence, and of course my GC arrived about 5 days later. A big pain. If you have problems, it might be worth trying different offices. I'm not sure where you are in NJ, but I went to the Cherry Hill office. Here's another link for someone who had success in South Brunswick. http://www.visajourn..._1#entry3976228 Good luck!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-06-30 08:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 Approved!!	Hi, We just received our approval on Friday as well!!! Looks like VSC has stepped up the pace. It has been a long wait. I hope everyone else gets good news soon! Karen	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2007-11-11 16:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Waiting for a NOA2 from VSC for your I-129F?	We just got approved as well!!! (I tried to post to this thread, but I think I mistakenly started a new topic instead. Oops.) The USCIS website showed that our approval was November 9. Yay! Karen Edited by Gypsyangel, 11 November 2007 - 04:34 PM.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2007-11-11 16:33:00
Canada	HOOOOOOOOOOOCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY	Prob get flamed for this,lol but womens hockey should NOT be in the Olympics! There just isn't enough quality teams! Its pretty much a 3 country tournament, Sweden, USA and Canada! makes more sense to have the women ski jumper competition than W. Hockey in the Olympics! Canada kicked butt on what team was it this week 18-0! And that team beat another team 87-0!! crazy! Just isnt enough skilled countries for womens hockey to be in the Olympics as of right now. Canada Men played well last night, some real nifty passing took place. That's kinda like saying they shouldn't have long distance running events (or insert other sport here) because the Kenyans (or insert another nationality here) always win. Though I admit 87-0 is really crazy. Maybe they need different entrance requirements. Of course, I admit I'm biased towards women's sports, and I think there should be lots of women's sports events to encourage young girls to dream a dream for themselves.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-02-20 16:57:00
Canada	NJ Driver License	The test is by computer. I recommend going through and answering all the ones you know, then it will recycle back to the other questions until you get enough right to pass. and yes, study! It's not hard but it gets technical. Bring your valid Canadian driver's licence or they will make you take a driving test. They will return it to you. Also, you need your green card to write the test. That can be a pain if you're waiting for it and you're trying to get car insurance - at least it was for me. Good luck!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2009-12-07 10:36:00
Canada	ANY OTHER SURPRISES I SHOULD BE AWARE OF???	QUOTE (OBX @ Mar 17 2009, 05:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Gypsyangel @ Mar 17 2009, 05:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> - make sure you understand car licensing and driver's licensing in your state. In NJ you need a green card before you can get a driver's licence. If I'd known that I would have managed some things differently. Even though it says on the web site that you just need your passport and the I-94 and a few other things, it's not true in NJ! Excellent list!! Regarding NJ driver's license: For the 6 Point ID verification did they not accept your passport with the visa stamp? Do they just require a written test? Any idea how long I could drive in NJ with my Ontario license before I would need to change it? So many questions!!! I thought I had it all figured out with the 6 Point ID verificatin thing ... but I was wrong. I went to the MVC before my I-94 expired, and was told that I needed to have 60 days left on my I-94 for them to give me a drivers licence. Part of the 6 Points is that you need your SSN. Well, it took about 6 weeks to get my SSN so there was no way I could apply for my driver's licence and still have 60 days left on the I-94 (which in my case was only valid for 90 days). 90 days on I-94 less 42 days (or six weeks) to get SSN = only 48 days Now, if you could get your SSN faster or if your I-94 is valid longer you might have a different experience, but it seemed like the 60 days was completely arbitrary anyway. It wasn't written down anywhere so who knows if it's true. I also went back when I had my AOS NOAs and Biometrics letter and they still weren't interested. I even tried different offices to see if I'd get different answers. Nope. At the end of the day it seems you need a green card to get a driver's licence (maybe EAD would work but I didn't try). I just got my green card so I'm going to write my test next week (cross your fingers for me!). In the meantime I have been driving with my Canadian driver's licence with my Ontario plates. Our real estate agent who is also a cop told me not to worry about it as long as I could show that I had made every effort to get a driver's licence and to carry the AOS paperwork with me in the car. I managed to get on my husband's insurance but they keep bugging us for a NJ driver's licence and we've been putting them off . They could cut me off any time. Also, I had to renew my Ontario plates in November. I did it on-line so and had the sticker sent to my sister's address but I did have to tell a little lie by putting my Canadian insurance company on the application even though I'd cut that off in July. So, what I would have done differently is I would have updated my Ontario plates before I left Canada to ensure they'd carry me through to getting my green card. And I was lucky that my husand's insurance company would insure me without a NJ driver's licence. Others haven't been so lucky. Another reason to apply for AOS soon after you arrive! I hope that helps!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2009-03-18 12:53:00
Canada	ANY OTHER SURPRISES I SHOULD BE AWARE OF???	That list was really good. I made my own list from it, but I'm not sure where it is right now. Here are some other things I've thought of, in completely random order: Before you Leave: - get a copy of your medical file from your doctor - make sure any pets are vaccinated - cancel OHIP and any Canadian health insurance - bring your visa! and the envelope from your K1 interview. Keep important papers separate so you can find them when/after you move. - make a list of things you are bringing over the border (it doesn't seem like anyone really gets asked that). If you're using movers, make sure you go over the border first and fax back your I-94. - make sure you understand car licensing and driver's licensing in your state. In NJ you need a green card before you can get a driver's licence. If I'd known that I would have managed some things differently. Even though it says on the web site that you just need your passport and the I-94 and a few other things, it's not true in NJ! - set up an account with Custom House if you have $$$$ to transfer. - leave your old bank account open for awhile and maybe give your bank card to someone locally so they can do any banking that you need. - change of address to the post office (costs $200 to the U.S. Yikes.) - until you get new credit in the U.S. leave a couple of your Canadian credit cards open rather than cancelling them. They might come in handy until you're up and running credit-wise in the U.S. You might need a Canadian address to send them to. I have mine sent to my sister. - bring comfort food you may not be able to get it in the U.S. After you get there: - file for AOS as soon as you can after you enter. It took me 3 months to file, which meant I couldn't go back to Canada for 6 months. I was more homesick than I thought I'd be and it would have been nice to go home sooner. Expect that you'll be homesick and keep it in perspective. - when you get married, ask in advance about how long it takes to get the marriage certificate and what the procedure is. I've heard some people waiting months to get their marriage certificate because someone was on vacation or something. Which delayed their AOS. - get a GPS! - get a new place together if possible, rather than moving into your spouse's place. - remember that although it's exciting it's not without stress for both you and your partner. Give each other support and understanding. - When you get there, find your peeps! Don't rely completely on your partner as it puts a lot of stress on them. Join a running group, do yoga, take classes, go to the library, etc. Meet people. Get a long distance plan. - Make sure you start comingling finances so you have evidence when/if asked for evidence at AOS: get your name added to utility bills; after you get your SSN, get added to the bank account; get your name added to the home insurance; (at our AOS interview they asked only asked us for bank account info and insurance info); get a cell phone by being added to his account; get your name on the lease of your home; etc. Whew! That's enough for now. I'm sure there are other things!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2009-03-17 16:35:00
Canada	Auto Insurance in the U.S.	Here's the DMV link for DC http://dmv.dc.gov/se...en_convert.shtm Sorry, I'm no help with the insurance question, but it seems that you could get insured by somewhere like Geico. They seem more flexible than other insurance companies when it comes to out of country people.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-02-03 09:41:00
Canada	Is it an AMERICAN thing???	It's in New Jersey too. At least in South Jersey. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on, but it is meant to be respectful. It's just a little foreign and takes some getting used to. I think it's kinda cute.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-04-05 08:26:00
Canada	Songs that got you through the rough times	Waiting in Canada by Jann Arden all of the empty rooms all of the silent space every warm embrace is you nothing is like it was there's nobody here but us i have been filled right up with this write down the words of sadness burn them in a cup write down the things you've wanted throw them to the wind that's soaring up to heaven and buy a ticket for a plane and come and see me baby or drive your car all night by just starlight to Canada oh buy a ticket for a plane and come and see me baby or drive your car all night by just starlight to Canada that's where I'll be waiting waiting	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-04-05 08:47:00
Canada	Vacations outside of Canada / U.S.	As others have said, you just use your Canadian passport and when you want to get back into the U.S. you have to show your green card and Cdn passport. When we were in Europe last summer, the airline (US Air) actually wanted to see the green card while we were checking in. They were quite strict about it. It was no problem at all though. Happy travels!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-05-17 08:37:00
Canada	AP usage	It's not likely that they'll give you a hard time, but you do have to go into secondary and it takes a bit of time, depending on where you are. I did it a bunch of times at Pearson and it took from 10 to 20 minutes each time -- there was never a line when I went through.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-05-19 08:09:00
Canada	Waiting for my Green Card...	It seems that every office does things differently. I actually received the I551 stamp at my AOS interview. So, you should be able to get it if you make an infopass appointment. I'm not sure what you would bring. If it was me, I'd just bring my whole darn file that I brought to the interview because you never know. And, of course, you know once you go through all this hassle, the next day your green card will show up in your mailbox!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-06-08 07:43:00
Canada	The Vent - Part Trois	It really sucks that they won't honour the extension letter. They have their rules that override common sense. I'm worried about that for my ROC as well, but I have a year to go. Can you escalate at the DMV? Or try another office?	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-03-31 13:29:00
Canada	Need a bank account in Canada	You could try ING. I have both a Canadian and a US ING account. Not sure what their requirements are. Could you use a Canadian address?	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-06-25 06:34:00
Canada	bringing dog with you at poe	I POE'd at Peace Bridge with my cat. They didn't ask me anything about my cat, but I did want to mention that they were really strict about leaving your pet in the car. They will allow you to walk them, but they would not let anybody bring their pets into the facility. This is an issue if it's really hot. If you're POEing when it's really hot this summer, you may want to do it early in the morning or later in the evening. They were not sympathetic in any way about leaving pets alone in a hot car. It sounds like you might have a crate and you could leave the windows open. Or if someone else is with you, perhaps they can stay with your dog. It turned out ok for me because I ended up POEing in the evening,and it was cool enough to leave him alone. Thank goodness, we were running late. As an aside, my fiance (at the time) was in a separate car and they would not let him stop with me. They told him to park down the road. So, if it had been mid-afternoon, I'm not sure what I would have done.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-07-03 14:18:00
Canada	Travelling with my cat to Canada	Thanks everyone! It's a big help. If I decide to travel with my little guy, I'll make sure I have papers.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-07-06 19:38:00
Canada	Travelling with my cat to Canada	Hi, Thanks for all your replies. Believe me, I am reluctant to travel with my cat as I know it will stress him out. Sorry, I wasn't clear in my original post, but one of the options is to board him at the vet. Because he's a medical-needs cat, I would prefer to board him there. I guess I should have simply asked if they ask for papers when you bring your cat over the border into Canada. They didn't ask for any papers at all when we POE'd to the US. I was hoping that it would be the same into Canada, but for some reason I think Canada is more strict about such things. It sounds like it'####### or miss so I should have papers. I'd hate to drive for 7 hours and then get turned away. Thanks for all your experiences! PS. For those of you wondering about pet sitting - it's just someone who comes into your home on a daily or whatever-you-want basis. It's definitely the least stressful and not much more $$$-wise than boarding. However, my cat generally hides under the bed when the pet-sitter comes so she'd never be able to catch him to give him his fluids. For me, prior to the medical issues, it was always the best option. It was more cost effective when I had more cats. Down to one these days ...	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-07-06 14:47:00
Canada	Travelling with my cat to Canada	Hi, Does anyone have any info/experience with travelling with their cat back into Canada? I'd like to bring my guy with me on vacation to Northern Ontario in August and I'm worried about vaccines going into Canada. I understand from what I've read that they need to have a rabies shot and be up-to-date on vaccines. I believe my (Canadian) cat is up to date on his vaccines, but I'm not 100% sure about the rabies -- need to ask my vet -- they say you need proof that the cat has had a rabies shot within 36 months of your visit. The thing is, that he's older and he's a CRF cat (he has chronic renal failure, which I need to medically manage) so I don't want to give anything that will stress his system. I wouldn't really think about travelling with my little guy, but I'd like to visit my parents and his medical needs mean I can't leave him alone with a pet sitter which is what I used to do. And I don't want to leave him at the vet for two weeks. Anyone know if the Canadian border is really strict about this sort of thing? I don't think the U.S. border coming back will be a problem. Any thoughts, advice, info? Thanks!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-07-06 13:14:00
Canada	Question for freelancers	What I did was invoice them in Canadian dollars. Then they don't really have to do anything, except pay your invoice. It's your responsiblity to claim the income in USD on your US taxes. I had cross-border accountants (located in Canada) do my taxes for two years and this is how they did it. It means you have to put aside a chunk of dough aside to pay your taxes. I've also heard that you should pay your taxes quarterly if you do this ... I haven't done this yet, but I really should look into it. We got a question on our taxes this year from the IRS, but it was on a separate item and this never came up. So, they looked at our return, but didn't ask anything about it. I hope this helps. Love to hear what others do.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-08-25 14:33:00
Canada	canadian credit score in us ??	QUOTE (Texanadian @ Nov 12 2007, 07:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So the tips I have from from this thread and from my own experiences are as such. 1) Get a US department store card in your Canadian residence if you haven't moved. I also got a Visa card from Target using my Canadian SIN. Hopefully, they can roll that over to U.S. credit as well. You can use the Visa card anywhere, not just Target. I don't know if it will work, but I'm crossing my fingers. Karen	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2007-11-21 13:11:00
Canada	Is it just me, or is this kind of overwhelming?	It's not you ... it's overwhelming. I like Katherine's advice. It's not hard, it's just confusing. And time consuming ... I found it was a lot of running around, making copies, getting yet more passport pictures, etc. And cross your fingers that you don't get an interview! That's easy too, but stress you don't need! Good luck!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-09-09 08:36:00
Canada	Employment Help	Back in the olden days, we always used to send thank you cards or thank you notes. Maybe that was before email. I think an email is enough, but if you think the person interviewing you would be appreciative of a hand-written note, I think it's a great idea. It's important to say thank you, however you want to do it, if you want the job. When I used to interview people, I was surprised at how few people sent thank you's. I think sending one (either via email or snail mail) makes you stand out from the crowd and also indicates that you're still interested in the position after the interview.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-09-15 09:16:00
Canada	Anyone feel like they've made a huge mistake?	I used to hate to drive in Toronto. Toronto was for visiting if you wanted to go to the Museums or some shopping - it wasn't for 'living' (not meaning to offend anyone who did live in GTA, btw). I did two internships in Toronto and yeah, it is definitely a different experience than the rest of Ontario. Kingston is my home town even though I was born in Montreal and lived a good many years in Southern Ontario (St. Catharines and Chatham). I still feel like I am 'coming home' when I visit Kingston and would love to live in my old apartment (built 1828 as the First Bank of Upper Canada) overlooking the downtown market, City Hall and Confederation Basin. It was a whole 'lifestyle' and one that agreed with me. I moved a number of times in my adult life for employment and each time I moved to a new city (there are only so many jobs for museum curators in any one city), I went through being homesick for the familiarity of my former home. When I first moved to Georgia, though, I wasn't homesick and I am still not really what I would call 'homesick'. It is not so much the loss of my 'home' I mourn, but my sense of self. I love the natural beauty here - it is indeed a feast for my eyes - and I have to pinch myself at times to realize that I really am living here. It isn't the obvious things that are a problem but the subtler ones - the ones that grow in your realization over time when you begin to understand that the 'ideology' and the 'culture' are alien to your way of thinking. There is a comfort level of 'beingness' that I have not been able to find here; of being at home in my own skin, so to speak. That is what I miss. My circumstances are such that provide me with the opportunities to compare what my life is like here to what my life was like in Canada, the person I am now to the person I was in Canada. Part of the situation is the relationship itself, part of the situation is where I am living, and part of the situation is the realities of day to day life in the Southern US. As was mentioned above, Canadians are expected to adapt so easily because - superficially at least - Canada and the US seem very much the same. We even expect this of ourselves so it takes us by surprise when these 'other' unexpected reactions and emotions raise their heads. I have been here over 6 years now and and find myself wondering 'who' I would be if I were still in Canada. I suspect I would be a happier, more secure and more confident woman than I am now. I may be wrong, but I don't think so. But anyway, yeah - I hear you about Toronto:D . I lived in Toronto for 25 years and really loved it. Towards the final years, I was ready to live somewhere else, but I miss it terribly sometimes. I liked the idea that you could explore different parts of the city, find so many different cultural influences, easily take a course in pretty much anything, it was easy to take the subway and easy to drive within the city -- I admit that getting in or out is terrible. And, if you're a vegetarian like me, lots of vegetarian restaurants and other vegetarians! I also lived in Kingston to go to school. A beautiful city. Kathryn, your apartment there sounds wonderful. I really miss my condo in Toronto. I moved so many times within Toronto and I finally found a place that was "perfect". It was hard to leave, but I didn't know how hard it would be. I knew I'd miss it but I didn't think I'd miss it so much. I think I just miss my old life. On the other hand, I have a lot here too, but it does feel different and it's hard to connect. I've met so many great people and have actually found a couple of amazing friends. But I still feel isolated and without a support system. I thought my husband would be that, but he is not. The thing that resonated with me about your post was the last line ... "and find myself wondering 'who' I would be if I were still in Canada. I suspect I would be a happier, more secure and more confident woman than I am now. I may be wrong, but I don't think so." That sums up how I feel -- I just didn't know it until I read your words. I took a big financial hit moving here; I'm working but need to make more $$$; we have a nice house, but my husband and I have a hard time living together in it. There are "wifely" expectations, primarily around housework and how I spend my time -- I thought being married would mean it would be easier because we'd share household responsibilities, but I feel like there's more to do because my husband tries to cast me in the role of a traditional wife -- which he knows I'm so not. But he can't seem to help himself. Regarding housework, he likes things a "certain way" and I never live up to his expectations. I also don't really aspire to perfection in that area of my life. It's a constant source of stress between us. I know there are compromises and that married life is different from single life. I just expected more positive things. Layer onto that, the missing of things that feel like home and feeling so different much of the time, yet still trying to fit in (My FIL, to this day, can not understand that I'm not french. He thinks I'm from Montreal no matter how many times we tell him I'm not he just doesn't get that all Canadians are not french and from Montreal. "Frenchie" is my new nickname.) I wouldn't say it's a mistake, but it sure is hard.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-08-04 14:42:00
Canada	Want Credit?	Also, as soon as you can, get U.S. credit cards using your Canadian SIN. You can do this before you move. The bank cards like Visa or American Express probably won't do this, but try department stores or other retail cards like Best Buy or Victoria's Secret. These are usually easier to get. Target's Visa card also a good one (because you can use it anywhere), though I understand that'####### or miss. The way I got my cards was just by buying something and then they ask if you have one of their cards and I said, "no, I'm Canadian", and they replied, "you can still get one". They took my SIN and I waited while they got it approved right in the store. I did this and then when I moved to the U.S. I transferred the cards from my Canadian SIN to my U.S. SSN. The reason to do this is that one of the factors that goes into your credit score is how long you've had U.S. credit. To my surprise, when I looked at my credit report recently, it gave me history right back to when I received those cards, even though I had them on my Canadian SIN for a couple of years. So, now I've been in the U.S. for two years, but I have four years worth of credit history. It doesn't sound like much, but it helps your score in the short term. Also, when I arrived in the U.S. I already had credit cards. It was nice to have my own Visa card (from Target) and not have to rely on my husband, use my Canadian credit card, or wait around until someone decided I could have one.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-09-30 14:56:00
Canada	moving back to Canada	It seems odd to me that Canadian immigration would take the green card, a U.S. document, at the border. Do they really do that? Maybe it's just that you need to just close the loop with U.S. immigration. Personally, I would try not to surrender it at the border, and I would go through the process of advising U.S. immigration that you are no longer a resident and that you won't be removing conditions. As Flames said, I don't think your green card is worth much once you are no longer a resident of the U.S. but personally, I'd rather do everything in writing, so it's documented. I have no experience with this ... just my opinion.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-11-08 11:19:00
Canada	Removing Conditions	Wow OBX! You are uber organized. I thought I was organized because I'm not waiting until the last minute! Where are you in NJ ... I'm in the South, near Philly. I see your local office is Newark -- thank goodness there are offices down here and I don't have to venture into Newark to do anything. Newark is intense.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-10-19 09:48:00
Canada	Removing Conditions	Bump. Getting ready to file in November and thought I'd get my paperwork together now. Anyone else getting ready to file for ROC?	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-10-18 17:37:00
Canada	Experiences travelling with Advance Parole.....	I used AP at Pearson a number of times. It's pretty standard procedure, but I know it's nerve wracking. There's nothing really to worry about. You hand over your passport, declarations form and AP documents (both copies the first time, one after that) and they will put it all into a yellow folder and send you to secondary. They will take your yellow folder and ask you to sit and wait while they look up stuff on the computer. They may photograph and fingerprint you. Sometimes they did that, sometimes they didn't. They will stamp both your passport and your AP document, return them, and send you on your way. My processing was pretty fast every time I did it but it depends on when you're travelling. The first time they asked me a trick question once .... when are you getting married? ... I had already been married for several months. The following times they didn't ask me anything, just processed the paperwork. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you have to fill out an I-94 the first time, which are located with the declaration documents and also on the wall inside the customs area.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2010-12-21 14:45:00
Canada	Canadian Christmas Presents?	Rush playing cards. (And a whopping cold .. sniffle) Edited by Gypsyangel, 01 January 2011 - 02:03 PM.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-01-01 14:02:00
Canada	Not much feedback on AOS forum	Hi, We had our AOS interview in NJ. I was pretty nervous too. We arrived about a half an hour early, just to be sure. I brought as much paperwork as I could think of ... just in case. Our interview lasted about 10 minutes, and it was pretty straightforward. The interviewer was very nice and said, "Hmmm, I'm not sure why you're here because everything looks very straightforward." He asked us a few questions, including that long list of questions on the application where you answer "yes" "no". He did ask for bank statements and maybe the deed to our house. I can't really remember. He took my EAD card and my AP document and said we were approved. I asked him, don't you want to see all the stuff I brought? I held up my big file. He laughed, "No". "Not even some pictures?". He finally indulged me by looking at some of our pictures. And that was it. Our interview was early in the morning, so my husband unexpectedly made it to work on time. I think it's good to be organized and have everything on hand, in case they ask for it. If you did everything you're supposed to do, it should be easy-peasy. I think it's natural to be nervous because it's a really important interview, no matter how easy it is. Good luck. It'll be such a relief to get it over with.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-02-15 11:31:00
Canada	Next Part of the Journey	I filed for ROC in November. Still waiting. You're lucky you're CSC as it's approving fast. VSC, where I am, is very slow. I just need to get my new green card before my driver's licence expires in May. Crossing my fingers. Other than that everything is fine. It's kinda Spring here in NJ, so that's kinda nice.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-03-08 12:39:00
Canada	Need info from other Canadians....please comment	Hi, From experience, I can tall you that the process is stressful enough when you're doing everything legally. I can't imagine the stress if you had something to hide. It's just not worth it -- you have too much to lose. Doing it legally is short term pain for long term gain. If you really think about it, do you really want to risk being in a situation where you have to sit across a desk from a U.S. government official and lie to their face? And then get caught in that lie and be deported? Do you want to risk being turned back at the border and being given a multi-year ban from entering the U.S? Is your fiance/husband going to want to move to Canada because you are no longer able to move to the U.S.? If you think about it that way, it's much faster and cheaper to do it legally. Like JustBob said, it sounds like the CR-1 might be a good route for you. Best of luck to you!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-03-21 10:44:00
Canada	Packing my car today...	Safe travels Brad! Best of luck in the next leg of your journey. It sounds exciting!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-03-21 10:10:00
Canada	Peace Bridge Crossing during ROC with extension letter	Even though I had problems this time, I would still recommend the Peace Bridge over the other border crossings. It usually has lower wait times and is less touristy because it's not right beside the falls. Moosker, the questions weren't that tough, but if I had been in the right frame of mind I might have answered them more thoroughly and confidently. As I said earlier, i was just expecting the "where do you live? what are you bringing back questions". I was preoccupied with remembering how much my new car battery and two new tires cost and wondering if they'd give me a hard time about that. - Citizen of what country? Canada (I was in my car with NJ plates, so he perked up right there). - How did you get your green card? I married an American. (If I was on top of it, I might have answered that I came to the U.S. on a fiance visa, got married, adjusted status and now I was removing conditions. - Where is your home? NJ - Who do you work for? Marketing consultant, I'm self-employed. - What is your status? I said that I had applied to remove conditions on my 2 year green card and was waiting for approval. Should have just said permanent resident - I added that later. I can see how saying i had an application pending would make him think something was up. He was already writing stuff down by that point, so I was already being sent in. So, I definitely could have answered the questions more cleanly. Also, I think it always depends on who you get. If I had had someone more knowledgable, it probably wouldn't have been an issue. The guy was very young and very nice about it. He started asking me about the hockey game (bunch of people were crossing the border to go to Buffalo for the game). I've gone over the border a million times during this whole multi-year process (many times at the Peace Bridge), and it's usually been ok, but I'm very careful to make sure I have everything in order so things go smoothly. My husband is so blase about it. He never even thinks about it at all. If I'm driving with him, there have been times when they don't even ask him a single question and then he looks at me like I'm insane because I take it all very seriously. I did have another issue at the Peace Bridge after we'd applied for our K1. I was sent to secondary because I was going to visit my fiance. I had brought a brief case with files showing my ties to Canada (thanks to visajourney). But all they did was: fingerprints, picture, ask for my ID. Then he asked for my wallet and took everything out of my wallet and looked at everything. Then he asked for my purse and took everything out of my purse and looked at everything in my purse. I just stood there while he looked through everything. I piped up and said I had a bunch of other stuff in my brief case, but he shook his head. Then he just shoved everything back at me over the counter and said, "have a good trip". So stressful! Way more stressful this time when someone is deciding whether you can go back to your home, your husband, and all your belongings. I don't know how people do things illegally ... I"m a nervous wreck doing it legally! You probably won't have any problems. And at the end of the day, someone just had to look me up in the system and I was on my way. Two hour wait sucked though! At least I was driving and not running for a plane. PS. Hurry up Vermont and process my ROC application! Edited by Gypsyangel, 26 April 2011 - 12:47 PM.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-04-26 12:44:00
Canada	Peace Bridge Crossing during ROC with extension letter	I was in Canada for about a week and was coming back yesterday via the Peace Bridge. I filed for ROC back in November because my conditional card was expiring in Feb. I received my extension letter back in November extending my green card for a year. I'm currently waiting for them to approve my ROC application but VSC is so darn slow that it's been almost 6 months. So, I'm going over the border back into the U.S. and I think it'll be no problem because all my papers are in order, but I was wrong. I gave the CBP dude both my expired green card and my extension letter. He starts asking me questions I wasn't really expecting. Nothing hard, but not the usual how long have you been gone and what did you bring back ... what's your status, how did you get your green card, where is your home, how long have you been in the U.S., what kind of work do you do, etc. And then he says, your green card is expired you know. To which I answered yes I know, but you have the letter that says its extended for a year while I wait for them to process my ROC. And then I see he's writing stuff down which is never good. He says I don't have time to look all that up so you'll have to go into secondary. But, it's a really good thing that you brought this letter or I would have denied you entry to the United States. I'm just thinking, are you kidding me? He was acting like I was trying to get into the U.S. on an expired card and he had caught me. And just by chance I pulled this letter out of my ear, which if I'm lucky just just might save my butt. It's so annoying ... first you have all these rules, then nobody who works there knows them, plus VSC is so slow processing these applications. I wasn't really buttoned-down with my answers because I wasn't expecting my status to be questioned, so maybe that was part of the problem. Bleh. I waited for almost two hours in secondary. It was easy once I got up to the desk (which, btw, it looks like they're renovated in there -- something I didn't really need to know). The woman keeps asking if I've received my new card, almost like it's my fault I don't have the new card yet. She photocopies everything, fingerprints me, takes my picture, forgets to give me my green card back (which I had to ask for) and I was out of there in less than 5 minutes. I dunno ... I guess this is yet another immigration rant. We follow all their stupid rules but they still treat you like you're a criminal sometimes. btw, when I was waiting there was this older Asian gentleman. The CBP officer was talking really loud telling him that being in the U.S. for 10 months is living in the U.S., not visiting. And the fact that you have a business card shows me its more than just a visit. You can't go to the U.S. anymore. I guess there was a language barrier because she kept reiterating that he has broken the law and he is not allowed into the U.S. anymore. She told him to go and sit down and after awhile she came out and got him, his luggage, and escorted him out of the office still saying to him you can not go into the United States anymore. You have broken the law. I felt bad for this guy. I kept wondering where they were sending him. At the end of the day, it's all fine, just a pain. And I guess my day turned out better than that other guy. End rant.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-04-25 14:31:00
Canada	Lawyer for CR1?	Thank you Miss Krikit! Shorah, it is so very very hard, but remember that your sweetie will be waiting for you on the other end of that flight. During that hard airport wait, at some point, your heart will lift as you begin to look forward. It doesn't make it any easier to say good-bye, but there is also a lot of happiness waiting for you.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-05-11 15:37:00
Canada	Lawyer for CR1?	Wow I sense some sarcasm there. Of course I'm happy I have my visa and looking forward to seeing my fiance, as I'm sure you were as well. Its nice to know that I went through all the proper channels and that my patience has paid off and that I have done everything legally! What I'm not looking forward to is saying goodbye to my family, going through Pearson airport and the long flight. Oh geez. I'm sorry if that came across as sarcasm. I didn't mean it that way at all. Definitely feels good to know you're doing it the right way and that when you get to the border everything is in order!	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-05-10 07:58:00
Canada	Lawyer for CR1?	Yes well I have everything in order and I actually HAVE the visa in hand now so I'm not terrified of being turned away and sent back home. You're right! That is a great feeling! Enjoy activating your visa.	Gypsyangel	Female	Canada	2011-05-09 18:59:00