After 7 and a half months, I finally got back home to Canada this past weekend. Man was it good to get back. Damn USCIS with their "advance parole" though, like we're friggin' criminals. Anyways, they stamped both forms and gave them both back to me. I thought they'd keep one of them?

I'm going to report to all the Timmy's fans that another one has opened up in Windsor where a parking lot was before I moved.

I have a question. Do I have to apply for AP a year from the original date or a year from the date I used it or what? I'm kind of confused by that.

You go by the expiry date on the AP.

I am with you 100% on the advanced parole. I think it's total nonsense... I live about 9 hours from my parents' house in Canada (easy drive for a long weekend) but I haven't been able to go home. I missed Christmas in Canada and Thanksgiving. Grrr I guess it wouldn't be THAT bad if it didn't take so long to get and there weren't so many problems. I STILL don't have it.

Anyway, glad you got to take a visit home without any problems...

As for your question, I can't really answer it sorry.

Your AP is good for one year from the date it was issued.

You should have your Green Card by the time it expires, and you only need your GC to travel so another AP won't be necessary.

Ok thanks. Why did they stamp my AP for Feb. 9, 2009 then?




Yeah, I had to miss Christmas in Canada too and Thanksgiving obviously. It made me mad but my wife made me a nice Thanksgiving dinner so I felt better. AP is total bs and I hope you get yours very soon. Let us know when you do eh?



Ok. Here's hoping I have the green card by then.

I'm not quite sure I understand your question so I'm going to hazard a guess. I'm assuming your reentry date was February 9th, 2008 but your AP expiry is sometime prior to that. It was probably a clerical error.

I feel your pain. I was held hostage in the US for Christmas also. It was the saddest Christmas of my life, not being able to be with my family.

I just got back as well and I'm confused by the same thing. The AP was issued January 23rd - but they stamped my AP document and my I-94 for mid-February 2009. So I'm curious what's with that.

And our border people were pretty nice but we were still held up for almost an hour just waiting for them to process my AP. I think that's only for the first time though, because they have to process the paperwork...

The questions I were asked were simply what colour I considered my hair, what colour were my eyes, was this my correct address, and who was driving the car. lol. They were nice though and the lady said congratulations and that she hopes everything comes through [I'm sure she was referring to the green card.] So besides being held up for an hour almost and getting home after 11 p.m. we were fine

No, I returned on February 10th and they stamped the paper and the new I-94 for February 9th, 2009 like they did for Melyssa. Strange eh?

It must be a new practice or something eh? LOL you were asked a lot of questions. They didn't really ask me anything. It took them about 15 or 20 minutes to do the paperwork as someone was being trained but they were all pretty nice. My wife only had a photocopy of her birth certificate and her dad was with us and he had Tennessee plates so they might have been confused by that too.

Yeah - we were pretty sure we also had someone who was being trained, because she was working alongside someone else who was helping her out a LOT and there was a third person as well who would come help out a bit from time to time, as well.