Bringing Canadian Spouse to the US

[Destiny2000 10]

Hi, I'm new here & am thrilled to have found this forum

My husband is a Canadian citizen, I am a US citizen. We married in 2000, I moved to Canada in 2001, then back to the US (Ohio) in 2005. My husband stayed behind to sell our house & finalize things. His father became very ill & he stayed in Canada to help care for him & his mother. Between him driving to Ohio to see me & me driving to Canada to see him every couple months, we've stayed close & are as much in love today as ever. We are now ready to start the immigration process to bring him to the US permanently. I believe I have all the correct forms to get this started, however I have some questions.

1)I start with the I-130 correct? Is there anything I should send in besides that form to begin with?

2)How long will he have to stay in Canada once I send that in?

After these 2 things are answered, I'm sure I will have more questions. The process is just a bit nerve wracking as I'm sure you will all agree & I want to make sure we do everything right.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice you give me

[Inky 1,110]

CR-1 takes around a year, Montreal is the only consul in Canada that processes spousal visas.

You need to send all your evidence and the payment with the I-130.

Please see the step by step guides they are extremely helpful.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

[canadian_wife 1,791]

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

1. you are going to have to send in a lot more than just the I130 petition. Follow the guide in the link above so you know what to send in

2. he'll have to 'stay' in Canada until the visa has been issued. He can, however, visit you as long as he is admitted into the US.

Good luck, welcome to VJ

[Done--Really 331]

Most Canadians have found it easy to travel back and forth to the US after the I-130 is filed, so long as they have plenty of evidence that they ahve strong ties in Canada--I'm sure many will chime in with their experiences.

And don't just send in the form--there are a bunch of things to include in the package--read through the guides at the top of this page before you do anything, and then come back with questions--it will be a lot more productive.

[Destiny2000 10]

Thanks so much for the quick responses!! I will read the step-by-step guide & get back with you with any other questions and/or updates!!

[LuvIllinois 1]

Destiny: what is your status in Canada? The reason I ask is, I'm Canadian and my husband is the USC. We already went thru immigration for him to live here in Canada with me back in 2007. He is a permanent resident. We have now decided to move to the US (he is an only child and his parents are older...dad had quad. bypass surgery 10 years ago and his mother now just suffered a heart attack).

Anyway, we filed DCF. Because Montreal is so backlogged, it's not necessarily faster per se, but it seems a bit easier. You just kinda file everything at once at your nearest consulate, in my case it was Toronto. Everything still goes thru Montreal, we have our final interview in July there. Check out the DCF forum, there is a good thread for Canadians. It helped me immensely!!!

Although, if you are not a permanent resident anymore, DCF might not help you.

Edited June 23, 2011 by LuvIllinois

[Destiny2000 10]

Destiny: what is your status in Canada? The reason I ask is, I'm Canadian and my husband is the USC. We already went thru immigration for him to live here in Canada with me back in 2007. He is a permanent resident. We have now decided to move to the US (he is an only child and his parents are older...dad had quad. bypass surgery 10 years ago and his mother now just suffered a heart attack).

Anyway, we filed DCF. Because Montreal is so backlogged, it's not necessarily faster per se, but it seems a bit easier. You just kinda file everything at once at your nearest consulate, in my case it was Toronto. Everything still goes thru Montreal, we have our final interview in July there. Check out the DCF forum, there is a good thread for Canadians. It helped me immensely!!!

Although, if you are not a permanent resident anymore, DCF might not help you.

I am no longer a permanent resident of Canada. Thanks for the advice though, much appreciated

[CougarFan 0]

Hey! Congratulations on the decision. My husband (the US citizen) and I (the Canadian, of course) are near the end of the process, and we will tell you how we did it:

We were married in August, and filed the I-130 in October. We had 2 RFE's (it was, of course, before we were lucky enough to come across this forum...HUGE help!). We didn't send in the photocopy of back of our marriage certificate, and my husband (the US citizen) needed 2 passport photos.

Our I-130 took about 6 months to process. Average wait time, at that time, was 5 months.

We made 2 trips down to the States while it was filing - one in August for our Utah wedding reception, and another to see his adorable, new little nephew, in March of this year. So, we had to provide evidence that I was certainly coming back to Canada, and not just "sneaking off" across the border. I had a letter from my employer, stating the time and date of my next shift, a letter from my landlord (the upstairs tenants...we live in a basement suite), stating that we still had a car and all of my belongings at our current place of residence, tuition receipts, and an invitation to the blessing of the baby and/or wedding invtation (the reason for our trip). I think we had a few other things, but those were the most important. While crossing the border in August, the border guard asked the purpose of our trip, (like usual), then said, "How can you prove you are coming back to Canada?" We handed him the evidence, explained a few things, and he sent us on our way. No problems with our most recent trip in March, either.

Now...my husband. We were living in Edmonton when we filed the I-130, so I could finish school. Jake was on "visitor status", and didn't need a visa or anything to be here in Canada. So, he took some online classes through his college and stayed at home, while I went to school. When I finished school in December, we moved to Lethbridge. As we knew we would need evidence of domicile and employment down the road in the NVC stage, he got a job in northern Montana. He commutes almost every day, a 2-hour drive one way. The border guards say this is fine, as long as he doesn't spend more time in Canada than he does in the States. I have been known to meet him at the border for lunch, as he sometimes works at the actual border station itself! (Hence why we get so many great hints... )

We slugged our way through USCIS, then flew through the NVC. Our case was complete on June 16, and now we are waiting for our interview in Montreal. We are hoping to be done before the fall semester, so my husband can return to school.

That's it! If you can manage to see each other often, it isn't a big hassle, and just have lots of proof you are coming back on your trips down. Put in the paperwork right the first time, and wait it out. Good luck on the journey!

[Destiny2000 10]

Just another question, I was told somewhere that my husband could file for Unemployment Insurance Benefits in Canada when he arrives here in the states with me after starting our immigration process....do any of you fine people reading this know wether this is true or not?

Thanks in advance!

Edited October 24, 2011 by Destiny2000

[canadian_wife 1,791]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/8-the-canuck-ei-thread/

Good luck