Not sure if you saw my posts but it looks like phoning is no longer even possible. I tried calling yesterday and right away when I pressed 4, I got an automated message stating that they can no longer accept phone calls about immigrant visas due to staff shortages. That's why Misty was saying that about emailing...

Hi Melyssa, The offer is to anyone in the Ottawa area that needs free long distance, I should have offered it to Sharon also when she was at the YM/YWCA but it never came to mind then.
Perhaps once everything calms down for Sharon and I, we could meet for a coffee somewhere, right now our lives are turned upside down and we are trying to adjust to everything being thrown at us.

wow havent been here in few days and its like missing a full chapter of a book ,
Liz I hope your ok and stayd save on your trip
Melyssa glad to read you finally called ( damn no phone service omg that sux , hope they get that fixed soon )
to everyone who got theyr visa in hand CONGRATULATIONS
Ron and sharon hang in ( from the sound of it you doin great hanging in there ) I just hope things will move a bit quicker for you guys , and them people realize they should have given you the visa from the beginning ( just stay strong and keep positive )

on my side well had my big 40 b day sunday my babe came we went to romantic restaurant in MTL celebrated with my aliens ( growen kids )
Monday packed our things so I can go with him and visit him for few weeks ( am currently with my babe)
anyhow the lady at the border askd the usual questions when I aplied for the new visitor visa ,
( how long I"m going to stay , what I do in canada , blah blah )
she askd to see some reseant payed bills <she askd if we are aware of the fiance visa,
I showed the aproved NOA 2 and copy of MTL letter told her we are in K1 process she lookd at it said well by this document you should have the visa by oct since it will expire in oct ,
told her i did contact the office and they informd me another 4-6 month , the NOA 2 would be automaticly extended at the interview ,
she gave me a look like ( that cant be , told her if she like to call to confirm i would apriciate it )
she said no thats ok , just to make sure I keep track on the time spend in the states to dont stay longer then I stay in canada, told her I always do and thank you , have a great day
( now got another visitor visa waver wich is good for 3 month ) hope that was the last one I had to aply for ,its hard to keep track on the stay ,
I usualy stay 2-3 weeks with my babe then 1 month in canada again 2-3 weeks with my babe the circle continues , just bad at the states side they ask to see stamps in the passport to prove my return to canada ,
and when I ask for stamps at canada side on my return , they give me a blah blah about , you are permanent resident of canada you have the rights like a canadian citizen we cant give a stamp , when I ask so if my rights are the same , why do I have to aply for a visitor waver ever 3 month ? they answer cose your german citizen ,
( am like thinking in my head dhu tell me something I dont already know lol )
even when I explain that we are in process of K1 visa and the stamps are required at the U.S as prove for me not overstaying the visitor waver , most the times all the say sorry we dont give stamps to canadian LPR , ( once in a while we run into a officer who realy understand the process and gives me a stamp ) anyhow am just glad to be here again with my babe

guys, don't panic. Even if MTL is not answering phones, you can still call the Department of State! they are quicker in responding.

Will the Department of State give you info about K visa scheduling???

Good question. I would think so.... but then again you can't be sure unless you give them a ring. I don't know for sure, being DCF myself.

I emailed MTL yesterday afternoon and got a response this morning!

We have our interview on October 24!!!!!!!!!!

I love having 2 months notice ahead of time. It's plenty of time to prepare. I would have taken 2 days, but hopefully this is a sign that they are trying to schedule things more reasonably.

Congrats!! I'm emailing them now - as fast as my little fingers can type!

that's amazing!!! Having time to prepare also means... having more time to freak (lime little ol' me). I am happy for you!!!!!!
L.

If everyone starts writing to Montreal they will have to get the phones back up and working, replying to e-mails is not the best time management practice they have. So everyone send Montreal a question per day over the next few days and see what the results will be. I have nine questions for them right now and knowng that they answer only one (My experience) question per e-mail I have 9 to send off, beleive me they will soon tire of hitting the reply button. Give their address to family and friends and have them ask questions or wish them a g'day.

Congratulation on getting te date, I for one am happy you got more than two days, I would have gladly taken the two months even though I was prepared well in advance and was ready for any date except same day.

OMG!!! Email back from MTL in record time - interview date is Oct. 17 at 9:30am.

Yahoo!!!! Can't stop shaking....

Uh-oh... Ron, our strategic thinker!!! This is good my friend - at some point those people need to actually earn their salary. So everyone: email, then email again, then email once more.
L.

This made me lol

To everyone with upcoming interviews .........Good Luck!!!


.....and those who have had them.......my apologies for missing them. Hope all was well and congrats.

Hmm, so it looks like May people are getting scheduled in October. So, Hopefully it will be December for us, and we can spend the holidays moving, and my step-daughter-to-be could start school in the states after winter break!

It seems MTL is trying (note the italics that stand for irony ) to catch up. Congrats to all the new interview dates.... and Melytha... EMAIL THEM. that's an order soldier

congrats to everyone who resived a date , am gona write MTL now too ( need some kinda prove that sais they automaticaly extend the NOA 2 on the interview, so i can print it and show it at the border next time I cross without getting the third degrea )

Yep, I got the same message. I debated trying to harass them and point out that a K-1 is a non-immigrant visa, but they'd probably just fix the message and put a note in my file to delay me another month

Congratulations and all the best getting ready and doing the actual interview, I hope your SO can make it to Montreal with you. September will fly by it is October that will drag but of course that is because you are looking at days and not weeks to pass. I am totally happy for you.


Been missing you.

Well my dear, I have a personal reason for wanting to make their lives as difficult as possible, and they deserve it anyway for all the stress they are dishing out to everyone that wants to be with their spouse or future spouse.

WOW, I sure hope mine is scheduled. You are a few weeks after me. I wish they answered my email. I will email them again. I hope they didn't pass me by!

I did - BEFORE I saw your post - as soon as I saw the other two who were a few weeks after me and received their interview dates. I'm so excited I'm shaking a bit... and hoping they didn't pass me by. I sure hope they email me back tomorrow! It will be a nice treat to come home too and to tell my fiancé!! Hopefully I will get early early Oct... it will fit so perfectly with our ideal wedding date... and maybe we can even get married a little bit earlier. But, I'm trying not to get too excited just yet still! :-P

Ron, I see your point - maybe people who are later than May should wait, but when two people a few weeks after me got their dates and they won't answer the phones anymore (I am at the end of April/beginning of May - they are middle & late May) - I want to know my date as soon as possible if it's been scheduled. Hopefully they will reply with a date tomorrow!!!

Ugh! Now I have to be patient for the next almost 24 hours - and longer if they don't reply to my email...

(Patience is a good thing, but it's going to make the time drag by, lol - I'll have to just not think about it or something)

I'm with you Melyssa - we're just after or around your time. I've just emailed them tonight. No more Mrs-to-be nice girl....

Hello,

I wanted to inquire as to whether an interview date has been scheduled for our
case. We were informed earlier that we were on the waiting list as of early May
and have heard of other similar cases and timeframes with an interview date
already set.

I understand that as of this week, telephone inquiries should not be made
regarding this type of question due to staff shortages

I'm actually feeling very stressed and a little teary - not because I'm not happy for other folks, but I just feel nervous that we'll be one of those they don't feel like answering or we'll miss our letter somehow....lately our mailman keeps giving me another apartment's mail from down the road..same unit #, different street #.....makes me nervous rhat someone else is getting MY important mail

I understand EXACTLY how you feel. Seeing Ron and Sharon, then Len and Bren get their interview messed me up alot that day. I was so happy for them, but so upset I might have missed mine.

I ran down to another woman's apt, who gets my mail sometimes,(same last name) and banged on her door asking her if she'd gotten any of my mail.

Udella and wiz....

You should be alright, my interview isn't till Sept 12....sooooo your probably between all of us.
There does that help? say yes!!

Would that be of any help to K1 applicants?

Hey Melyssa,

Looking at your timeline I'd say you're about a week ahead of me (from the time you actually entered MTL's system). I bet you'll be scheduled in early October. Hang in there - I was really surprised at how quickly they answered my email today and they seem to reply to messages more in the mornings.

I hope you hear something good tomorrow!

I don't get to be online in the mornings anymore but I am thinking early Oct too (hopefully)

Melyssa, as on buzzard said to the other "Patience my as$, I'm going to kill something" Sweetheart keep the pressure on them. When I got my date I jumped ahead of two other who now have their dates, so I wouldn't worry too much about the others that have jump ahead of you. Your turn is coming and who knows the others have October dates an you just may get a September one, all I will say now is be prepared for a short notice.Good luck praying for you and a speedy reply to your inquiries.

Thank you Ron and I hope I hear from them today!!! An Oct interview would make me happy, an early Oct one would make me even happier, and a Sept one would make me absolutely thrilled.

Thankfully our paperwork that isn't quite ready almost is! (Just had to wait on his employers, but it's almost done and if worst comes to worse I guess he can Xpress post mail it! But hopefully that doesn't have happen!)

I just wrote MTL hope they will reply my e mail ,
( so I can print it as prove next time I cross the border )
and Melyssa and Wiz ,let us know if they replied to your mail hope they did and you got a great answer from them , good luck Lona

OMG! I don't believe it. We just got an email from Montreal. Interview date is October 10th at 9:00. Woot. Can't tell you how happy we are just to have a date to shoot for.

Wiz

Yay! I'm so happy for you guys... enjoy it!

It is soo good to see another couple from here getting good news, each one of you renew my faith in humanity. Congtratulations and all the best in Montreal, just waiting now to see the biggest grin flashing from your update.

I just got back from the airport here to see if I can get a visa waiver from CBP to go to Kansas on a very urgent matter, the bad news is I had to wait 30 minutes for a reply with tears in my eyes because I was sure of a denial from there also since that is the way life has been going for us over the past few months. The good news is that after a discussion with the CBP port manager the waiver will be granted and at no cost they are waving the fee, and I am now crying for a totally different reason, this is almost as good as getting the visa in Montreal would have been. now I will be able to support Sharon as she should have been all along. All that I need for the waiver is my passport, return ticket and a letter from her father's doctor explaining the state her father is in and his time remaining with us. My boss gave me twoo weeks off to be there and I hope to leave tomorrow ASAP.

wow cool congrats Wiz been a long time coming am so happy for you guys

WOW RON AND SHARON I realy hope this is a new turn for you guys , yeayyyyyyyy you got aproved for the waver , now you can go and realy sit back and relax with your babes for at least 2 weeks ,
( sorry to hear the father situation hope hes goin to be ok , but you guys try have a good time and try to take it easy as much as possible ) have a save trip and enjoy , Lona

I an sorry to have posted this here, it is also posted in OT where it is better suited, I could not edit or delete my previous post.
Thanks Lona, getting the waiver is the best thing that could have happened, had they refused in my present state of mind I would have cancelled the entire process out of frustration. Sharon's dad is not going to get better, he has been given hours only and has 24 hour care givers to make his remaining time as easy as possible. My trip is to support Sharon and say goodbye to her father if I can make it there in time, both he and Sharon's mother have been asking that I be there.

congrats wiz!


Ron,

travel safely and may your father- in -laws transition be peaceful. our best to you all

Ajuaaaa! (Ok, that's Woohooo in spanish, though mispelled....) Congrats U&W!!!!

Congrats on your interview date

I'm happy you got the waiver to be there with them Ron. Very sorry to hear about Sharon's Dad

Jen it looks like we'll be seeing each other... my date is Oct 17!

So FINALLY the princess called/emailed

GOOD FOR YAH BABEEEEEE

Excellent!! Nothing like a little VJ moral support!

congrats Melyssa

Congratulations Udellas&wiz, and Melyssa!!!!

Ron, I'm so happy your able to go and be with Sharon, have a safe trip.

Melyssa, you have just made my day! I'm so glad you got mid and not late October, I was hoping for mid to last September but I am sure that you and Jared are not complaining about the date you did get. I do hope Jared can make it to Montreal with you, this is a special occasion and you two should be together to celebrate the good news.

Jen you'll have to get Sean there too, he can't let you celebrate by yourself that's just not fair.

All the best to all of you you're down to weeks now and will soon be counting days.