Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Canada	Didn't get my letter in time, missed my interview date!	Ugh, that really sucks. Contact both the NVC and Montreal. Explain that your husband is deployed and that his stuff didn't get to you in time because of... well blame mail forwarding or something on the U.S. side. But definitely call both NVC and Montreal and tell them you never got anything and get them to double-check your address and postal code.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-04 09:20:00
Canada	You got a large package from immigration	I don't think it'll be a problem to just contact the NVC tomorrow and tell them there was an error and you're adjusting status in the U.S. so you're not going to process through the NVC, etc. You don't need to pay the NVC anything as you've already paid and had your biometrics done with your I-485. Your I-130 is already approved which is part of what is needed for the I-485 to be approved. The other part is for the I-485 to be approved at or after your interview which hopefully you'll get a notice about soon! Edited by misa, 16 September 2007 - 05:26 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-16 17:25:00
Canada	You got a large package from immigration	Hang on... is it from the National Visa Centre? It sounds like they mistakeningly forwarded your approved I-130 to the NVC assuming that you're going to interview in Canada. I would contact the NVC and tell them that you're adjusting in the U.S. and have already filed for AOS. Edited by misa, 16 September 2007 - 12:57 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-16 12:56:00
Canada	You got a large package from immigration	I'm not sure what it could be. The interview letter is just one or two sheets of paper. Ask her to open it!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-16 11:25:00
Canada	Completely Off Topic	I've had my share of dealing with injured birds before. If it's major head trauma, it usually results in a seizure and death a few hours later. If it's minor, they'll fly away shortly. The best thing you can do is let the bird be. How is Bren with larger birds? Could you ask him to put the bird in a box with some towels, water and food? Do NOT toss the bird off the balcony! A call to the local wildlife centre is a good idea too. You can ask them what to look out for as far as fatal head trauma, etc. I know that you don't like larger birds but try and think of what you'd do if this happened to Company and Mysery and treat the bird with the same level of care that you would extend to them.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-18 11:24:00
Canada	Wait here or not here?	Your best bet is to ask other UK people on VJ about the panel physicians there and how long it takes to get the medical after your appointment. You should also inform the NVC about interviewing in the UK as opposed to Canada. Also ask the UK consulate if you can get your medical done in Canada instead of the UK. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter that the NVC says that you're allowed to interview in Montreal because if Montreal says it's a no-go, it's a no-go. Every consulate is allowed to have their own rules for certain things. I think the answer they gave you is quite clear, "visitors cannot have their cases pending here. You will have to go back to your home country." Not sure what is vague about that. You should also inquire with the NVC about ditching your lawyer and the choice of agent and how to change that with them. Good luck with everything! Edited by misa, 17 September 2007 - 09:07 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-17 21:07:00
Canada	Wait here or not here?	WOW... that lawyer is horrible. Dump that lawyer ASAP. USC and sponsor are not required to go to the interview. Only the applicant (yourself) is required. I'd contact the NVC soon and get it transferred to the UK. It may be expensive to have to go back to the UK for your interview but that's pretty much your only option since you don't have legal presence in Canada. You can use it as an opportunity to say goodbye to family and friends too. Good luck!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-14 14:35:00
Canada	Wait here or not here?	Lenina, thanks for clarifying my thoughts about the "legal presence" issue because that would cause them problems once their case got to Montreal. I guess the OP has two available options: - apply for some sort of Canadian permit - have the NVC change their address and interview in the UK instead Good luck with your decision!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-13 11:02:00
Canada	Wait here or not here?	Your timeline for an interview in Montreal should be the same as everyone else waiting for a CR-1 interview there. Unfortunately the NVC is at the mercy of Montreal as well and how many interview "slots" they have free each month so calling Montreal for a interview will be fruitless (they'll just tell you to contact the NVC). Are you on any specific visa in Canada or just a visitor? Maybe someone can shed more light on this but there is a possibility that you may be asked to show legal presence at the interview in Montreal and I don't think visitors count. <--- someone else please correct me if I am wrong. Have you checked the timelines for UK interviews? It may be faster to interview back in the UK... Edited by misa, 13 September 2007 - 09:04 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-13 09:02:00
Canada	Q about depositing a Canadian Chq in the US.	I also changed my address with my bank to my sister's address in Canada. Same with my Canadian credit cards. I'm still paying them off (don't use them though) but I don't want to close them out since I don't have any credit cards in the U.S. to use in case of an emergency. Edited by misa, 19 September 2007 - 05:05 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-19 17:05:00
Canada	Q about depositing a Canadian Chq in the US.	There's no easy way around it as U.S. banks are very difficult when it comes to Canadian cheques. Keep your Canadian account open especially if you're applying for EI. I don't think they'll do direct deposit with U.S. banks. So... if you keep your Canadian account open, you can mail the cheque to your home branch and ask them to deposit it or ask a friend to do it for you (any branch of the same bank). My sister deposits all my cheques for me and I gave her my ATM card since I don't need it here. I just transfer all my Canadian money to my U.S. account through Custom House.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-19 15:10:00
Canada	I can't stop checking online case status	QUOTE (bradcanuck @ Sep 19 2007, 01:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What do you do to sort of calm your nerves with the wait? For me... I chain-smoked, whined to my husband, whined to my friends, cursed at the USCIS case status online... and organised, EVERYTHING. Interestingly enough, very time I reached that low where I was convinced nothing would change and I had better things to do with my time, I got updates, approvals, notices, etc. Also, I would breeze through some of the more difficult cases online and be grateful that my case isn't complicated and that I was never going through a "difficult" consulate. After I got here on my K3, I concentrated on that at least my husband and I were together. I was very lucky at each stage though. My cases (K3 and AOS) both went incredibly fast compared to most people. Spend this time organising all your documents and doing everything you can humanly do to prepare for the interview because there's a certain calm that comes when all of that is done, filed, organised, prepped, etc. That calm is that you've done all that you can do you know that you're not missing anything when the time comes to interview. Edited by misa, 19 September 2007 - 10:07 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-19 22:04:00
Canada	Rate cut powers loonie above 99 cents US	It's good news also for us who have savings in Canadian and are just waiting to transfer it over at a decent rate!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-20 06:31:00
Canada	Anyone thinking of remaining a resident somehow?	QUOTE (thermophile @ Sep 17 2007, 11:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> the very powerful insurance lobby has convinced Americans that they deserve 40% of our health care money-that if we deny them that money we would be beholden to that oh so scary "government bureaucracy" which for some reason is worse than the insurance bureaucracy whose only goal is to maximize premiums and minimize payments for treatment This is true. My husband works for a health insurance brokerage and you should see some of the bullshit presentations that the carriers present. Total lies, inaccuracies, data skewing, implied cause and effect when one has nothing to do with the other, scare tactics, etc. I've been happy with the Canadian health care system. I've used it for minimal and moderate care and surgery but friends and family have used it for much more dire surgeries (i.e, complicated, life threatening, etc.) without delay. I suppose it all depends on physical access... if you live in a big city (like Toronto) then there are more surgeons and specialists available. Also, I've never equated any "waiting" to be because of "the system" but because of the number of doctors/specialists available and the way the country is populated. Not saying it's "perfect" but I think it's way better for a variety of reasons which many here in this subforum have already stated.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-17 23:10:00
Canada	Anyone thinking of remaining a resident somehow?	trailmix, great info for Canadian PRs!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-17 15:33:00
Canada	Anyone thinking of remaining a resident somehow?	Good info Cassie! We're also doing the dual route eventually. I'll apply for citizenship here in 3 years and then decide when we'll move back to Canada. When we do, we'll get him his Canadian PR status and then later citizenship and then, like others plan to do, we're free to live in either country and not have to deal with immigration on either side!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-16 17:29:00
Canada	K3 approved and Montreal interview behind us yippee	Ha ha! Congrats again Monica!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-20 14:05:00
Canada	1:1 CDN:USD	I'm debating whether I should transfer a big chunk Cdn > USD tomorrow or wait to see if it goes up so I can make a profit (finally).	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-20 22:33:00
Canada	Does Anyone Need an Informal Wedding Dress?	It's lovely! Alas, I'm already married and ended up wearing a black shirt and red pants to my wedding. Har har... anyway, try posting it on craigslist too.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-20 14:11:00
Canada	Parents names are not on Birth Certificate for Vancouver interview	Where was she born? If in Canada, she'll need to get the "long form" from whatever province she was born in since those are not "unobtainable".	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-21 09:54:00
Canada	Processing Times....	The problem is, if you pursue a K3, USCIS will more than likely retain your approved I-130, essentially taking away the option to pursue CR-1. "Essentially taking away" as in if it were retained you would have to pay and file an I-824 to have it forwarded to the NVC. That forwarding based on what I've seen here takes about 6 months or more. Then there's the processing at the NVC and the waiting for Montreal... which isn't a huge problem for you since you're going to retain your job in Canada. I think if I were you, I'd continue with the CR-1 because the time is about the same as K3 through Montreal unless you happen to um... "move" out west so you can interview for a K3 in Vancouver...	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-21 18:48:00
Canada	About moving....	Just estimate to the best of your ability what the value of items are. You don't have to be exact and chances are that CBP aren't even going to look at the list. I didn't really pay that much attention to values and just put down random values for things like books, cds, etc.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-22 13:48:00
Canada	About moving....	If your stuff is going with you when you cross, you don't have to list everything but you should to make life easier for CBP if they ask (it's less likely they'll rummage through your stuff if you're prepared with a list). The list doesn't have to be complex, just break it down to things like: - clothes, approximate value - books, approximate value - CDs, approximate value etc.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-22 11:46:00
Canada	About moving....	Let us know what CBP tell you re: Bren's stuff.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-08-11 11:25:00
Canada	About moving....	bumped for Len and Bren! Someone's got to have the answers. I tried looking but couldn't find anything. You may want to give CBP a call though. I do know that you need to fill out "CBP Form 3299 - Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles" but not sure if you can send it before Bren crosses or not. All I can find is reference to shipping it AFTER you and Bren cross, not before but CBP is the best place to get an answer, so give them a call. http://customs.gov/x.../toolbox/forms/ http://www.cbp.gov/l....ctt/moving.doc Edited by misa, 09 August 2007 - 10:11 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-08-09 10:10:00
Canada	Which is faster???	Oh lucky! Yeah, it should hopefully not take too long for DCF. I'd probably stick with that because it looks like Montreal is back on track for DCF. Good luck! Edited by misa, 22 September 2007 - 02:06 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-22 14:02:00
Canada	Which is faster???	DCF is traditionally faster but there last year it grounded to a halt. It does look like it is back on track though based on someone's recent DCF timeline: http://www.visajourn...l...l=&id=35079 Curious though, did you file the I-130 at a consulate in Canada or to USCIS in the U.S.? If you filed in it to USCIS in the U.S., I'm not sure if you can switch to DCF but hopefully someone will come along with more info on that.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-22 11:36:00
Canada	Hockey or wait?!	Nope, you can't get "banned" unless you've actually done something and been caught (prior overstay, EWI, misrepresentation, etc.). You can be flagged for lack of ties as well as, "come back when you have your K1/K3/CR-1/etc. visa" which has happened to people here before.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-20 18:07:00
Canada	Interview in Montreal	Congrats Karen!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-23 11:04:00
Canada	Now a car thing thrown at me, HELP	I've never had a driver's license and have no idea how these things work but yeah, I just wanted to send you some virtual support and well wishes for your father too. *hugs* You may be better off declining the car and not bringing it with you. ETA: here's the CBP doc about importing a car: http://www.cbp.gov/l...portingacar.doc Edited by misa, 22 September 2007 - 11:42 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-22 11:39:00
Canada	can i move my stuff without visa?	You can try and say it's your husband's stuff. Best to call up whatever moving company they use for Canada/U.S. moves and ask them about required documents that a USC needs to provide to them when they ship stuff without the person being there.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-24 15:28:00
Canada	vaccinations-seiden	I meant that the only one that doesn't give lifelong immunity is tetanus since you need a booster every 10 years. That's the one that hurts since it's given intramuscularly. Ouch! Maybe the other one you're thinking of is diptheria which is part of the tentanus one (it's a combination vaccine). Here's the required ones that are age-specific: http://panelphysicia...munizations.htm For most of us, all we need are: - Td - MMR - chicken pox (can give a verbal declaration at Canadian panel physicians) If you're 19 and under, then you need Hep B. Edited by misa, 24 September 2007 - 03:25 PM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-24 15:24:00
Canada	vaccinations-seiden	samaci, you don't need another MMR shot if you already had it and have proof of that. The only vaccine that's on the required list for most of us in a certain age group (18-64) that doesn't give lifelong immunity and needs a booster shot every 10 years is the tetanus shot.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-24 14:43:00
Canada	vaccinations-seiden	You'll need to be up-to-date with Td (tetanus diptheria). Tentanus is not a lifelong vaccine and only lasts for 10 years so you'll need to get a booster if you haven't had one in the past 10 years.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-24 10:46:00
Canada	Prepaid cell phones	That's always an issue... roaming chargese with a prepaid phone will kill your minutes really fast. I guess check with each carrier's prepaid plans for their roaming costs (Bell, Rogers, Telus, Fido) before you go to Best Buy tomorrow.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-21 18:31:00
Canada	It's been awhile...	Congrats! You'll do fine at the interview. If you need help prepping, send me a PM!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-23 09:47:00
Canada	Off we go...	Enjoy your time in Montreal and good luck!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-24 10:48:00
Canada	Better late than never...	Do you have your assessment envelope from your 2006 taxes? I think there's a change of address flap on the envelope if you feel like mailing it in instead of doing it on the phone. Edited by misa, 25 September 2007 - 10:12 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-25 10:12:00
Canada	Hopefully he got it put in the mail!	Congrats on the first step!	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-24 17:48:00
Canada	Redundancy is a gift	- DS-156 and DS-156K - long form birth certificate for beneficiary - police certificate for the beneficiary Edited by misa, 25 September 2007 - 11:35 AM.	misa	Female	Canada	2007-09-25 11:34:00