Last night after we got home from work my husband says to me, "We need to head to the border". I am kind of puzzled as to why he needed to go there
, so I ask "Why do we need to go, nothing we need there." He says, "Want to activitate my visa". I had just figured we would do it when moved, so never looked into activation prior to moving. So into the car and we head to the Queenston/Lewiston, NY border crossing. (a whole whopping 10 min drive). So we get to the border, and officer asks citizenship and why we were crossing. Husband states that he was here to activate his visa. Offer contacts another officer that green car 1 coming for paperwork, and instructs us to pull ahead. We park and head in. We had arrived at 7pm. The waiting room was completely packed full of people. At about 7:15 a lady officer called my husband up and asked him to verify all of the information on the top sheet of the brown envelope. She instructed him to carefully check everything as to information on the sheet will be put on his greencard. She informs hubbie that it will take a bit to get everything in order. At about 7:45 she calls him back up, takes INK prints of his fingerprints. She then had hubbie go and wash the ink off and come back to finish up the paperwork. After all is done, I was able to go up to counter and clarify a few things. The officer told me that his visa in his passport is now his greencard until the actual greencard arrives. She stated it is good for one year from the date of landing. Informed he is now considered a PR of the United States ! WOOHOOOOO!!! 
She stated that he can freely travel into the US now. The officer said that when we move our belongings, just a list with box number and an "idea of whats in the box" is sufficient. She stated that just makes the crossing much easier if you can produce a list that shows what your bringing across. She did mention that if we are still living in Canada when it gets close to the year mark on the visa, that we may be instructed to come in at the border, and given a "nice lecture" to make us aware and to notate his passport that we were told of the remaining time left on the visa. She said to just smile and nod yer head. She was a very sweet officer and very helpful 
. Overall the landing was very painless and very easy. I have NEVER seen officers treat my husband with so much respect as they did last night. (since the day we started dating, canadian border officers have always been very pleasant to me, but US officers have always been rude to my hubbie. I really dont understand why, he has not one negative mark to his name at all.) It was kind of weird though, seeing the officers degrade most of the people in the waiting area, and then so nice to my hubbie, so use to it being the other way LOL.I did inquire about importing a vehicle. The officer instructed me to go to another counter to get information on importing. So we walked to the other side and inquired on the rules of importing. Explained to officer what my specific problem is and he stated that I do not have to import my car at the time I move from Canada to the US, but I would have a time frame in which the vehicle would have to be brought into complience and imported into the USA. At least now I know, and if I can help it, I will have everything done at the time we move, but if not, I do know that I do have a short time frame to bring car in and have it fixed then imported in to the US.
We were heading back home at about 8:10pm. Just over an hour to land in the usa.
So yeah ....... one step down
Finally considered part of the US population 
They only missed the first ten minutes of My Name Is Earl.
