The Interview Process

[The Mean Lady 604]

The Canadian is the one that will be interviewed......The American will NOT be. The American may goto the Consulate and be with the Canadian, but may or may not be allowed to go into the small room where the interview takes place. In Canada the American does NOT have to attend......In other countries with high fraud rates, the American is strongly recommended to attend...Not thew case in Canada

Gotchya. Clearly I misunderstood something somewhere.

I thought I was going to be interviewed for something at some point.

I'm not looking forward to that drive to montreal though >=[

Typically, how long after beginning to file does that part come?

Just wondering if we have the chance of hitting it this year (planning vacation days! lol)

[Flames9_RN 358]

Gotchya. Clearly I misunderstood something somewhere.

I thought I was going to be interviewed for something at some point.

I'm not looking forward to that drive to montreal though >=[

Typically, how long after beginning to file does that part come?

Just wondering if we have the chance of hitting it this year (planning vacation days! lol)

To help others help you----You should fill out your timeline. I'm guessing your going for the cr-1 as you stated husband!! Normally takes anywhere from 6 months to a year! Probably closer to the 8-9 month time range from start to Finish

[The Mean Lady 604]

To help others help you----You should fill out your timeline. I'm guessing your going for the cr-1 as you stated husband!! Normally takes anywhere from 6 months to a year! Probably closer to the 8-9 month time range from start to Finish

I haven't filed anything so I wasn't really sure what there would be to fill in.

Seriously? 6 whole months until an interview?

Dang!

[Flames9_RN 358]

I haven't filed anything so I wasn't really sure what there would be to fill in.

Seriously? 6 whole months until an interview?

Dang!

for a cr-1--already married thats on the faster side of things if ur extremely lucky--very very few are. Some take over a year! The paperwork process is relatively easy....it is the waiting that is the hardest!!

[NikLR 13,220]

I haven't filed anything so I wasn't really sure what there would be to fill in.

Seriously? 6 whole months until an interview?

Dang!

Probably longer. It takes approximately 5 months for the USCIS petition to go through and then you have to do the NVC stage.

Also if you had done the paper work to be a permanent resident of Canada, it would have taken longer for you to become that than it will take him to become a permanent resident of the USA. If you are living in Canada with your husband when you applied, it should have taken 11-12 months for his paperwork to go through and then 8+ months for yours. If you were not living in Canada it would take from 50-90 days for his paperwork to go through and then 10-12 months for your paperwork. I'll take by your response that wasn't the route you guys chose to do things. Because at the end of that there is still an interview as well. I have work associates and friends that have husbands who are American.

[Rob & Monika 87]

With the recent announcement of the IR(I-130) being handed off to field offices, it may be beneficial for you to wait a month before filing, you are almost to your 2 year anniversary. They may go considerably faster than USCIS.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=c3c7ca7c5fed9310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

[The Mean Lady 604]

With the recent announcement of the IR(I-130) being handed off to field offices, it may be beneficial for you to wait a month before filing, you are almost to your 2 year anniversary. They may go considerably faster than USCIS.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=c3c7ca7c5fed9310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

One thing I do know, is that you do not wait until the 2 year mark exactly. It's (I believe) roughly 90 days before then and we've already passed that mark.

Probably longer. It takes approximately 5 months for the USCIS petition to go through and then you have to do the NVC stage.

Also if you had done the paper work to be a permanent resident of Canada, it would have taken longer for you to become that than it will take him to become a permanent resident of the USA. If you are living in Canada with your husband when you applied, it should have taken 11-12 months for his paperwork to go through and then 8+ months for yours. If you were not living in Canada it would take from 50-90 days for his paperwork to go through and then 10-12 months for your paperwork. I'll take by your response that wasn't the route you guys chose to do things. Because at the end of that there is still an interview as well. I have work associates and friends that have husbands who are American.

I live in the US and he lives in Canada, there has been no paperwork filed whatsoever so I'm not sure what you're speaking of.

[alizon 77]

One thing I do know, is that you do not wait until the 2 year mark exactly. It's (I believe) roughly 90 days before then and we've already passed that mark.

You're thinking of removing conditions on a conditional green card, and that's a whole other beast. If you have been married for 2 years by the time your husband crosses the border with his visa, he will get the normal 10 year green card, not the 2 year conditional green card.

[dukeandduchess 141]

I'm pretty sure they asked me this for my K1 and I never even thought to say "To be with my fiance (now husband)"...

I think I said something like "His family is closer so we would have more support when we have a family."

Maybe something like that?

[NikLR 13,220]

One thing I do know, is that you do not wait until the 2 year mark exactly. It's (I believe) roughly 90 days before then and we've already passed that mark.

I live in the US and he lives in Canada, there has been no paperwork filed whatsoever so I'm not sure what you're speaking of.

. I left behind a LOT of family and it's difficult for me to work remotely from the computer all of the time so I think he just finally caved and literally said to me 'it's only fair.'

This quote makes it sound you are living in Canada currently. I apologize if I got it wrong. Also on your profile it says you were married in 2010. If you get the visa approved after your 2 year anniversary, he, as the Canadian like me, would receive a 10 year green card vs the 2 year one. (The IR1 vs the CR1)

The link posted is confusing, it says for Stand-Alone Immediate Relative (IR) I-130, Petition for Alien Relative: (A stand-alone I-130 is filed on its own and is not filed concurrently with any other application (such as with an I-485). An immediate relative I-130 petition is one that is filed by U.S. citizens for a spouse, a child under age 21, or a parent (if the petitioner is 21 years old or older)) will be processed at field offices vs the regular NVC offices. It's not saying that a CR1 wouldn't be, but to be on the safe side, you could wait until November to file the petition and probably get the petition done faster than it has been taking. I think this is why we have seen an influx of people saying their petitions have been transferred. Also November is when the US Government does their fiscal year. October is a always a slow month for them because they have no extra funds but in Nov, the ball starts rolling according to my husband (he used to be an NCO in the USAF) so it's when things start to go faster, at least on that end.

As for your original question, tell him not to be a smart a** and to think about what he's saying. My husband isn't exactly a people person like I am. He has no problem telling someone "You are stupid. Get your head outta your a**" when perhaps something more tactful would be appropriate. Moving to the USA wasn't my first choice either. Some very important people live here, not just my parents or siblings and they're choosing to stay here. Sometimes you make choices and wanting to be with my husband for the rest of my life, with the best foundation for us as a couple, is what is most important. You guys have a bit of time to talk about and prepare for the interview so perhaps by then, you can help him think up a better answer, and maybe just practicing thinking about the answers vs spitting out the first thing that comes to mind.

Edited October 3, 2012 by NikiR

[The Mean Lady 604]

You're thinking of removing conditions on a conditional green card, and that's a whole other beast. If you have been married for 2 years by the time your husband crosses the border with his visa, he will get the normal 10 year green card, not the 2 year conditional green card.

Well, considering I don't think I will get a visa approval in like 3 weeks, I don't think this will matter, correct?

Our anniversary is 27 days away, so for me to file even TODAY, he still wouldn't get an approval for months from now.

Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but, in my mind, that tells me that it doesn't matter. Unless the person above is suggesting I file a different form of paperwork other than the i-130 I'm filling out?

Thanks.

[The Mean Lady 604]

This quote makes it sound you are living in Canada currently. I apologize if I got it wrong. Also on your profile it says you were married in 2010. If you get the visa approved after your 2 year anniversary, he, as the Canadian like me, would receive a 10 year green card vs the 2 year one. (The IR1 vs the CR1)

The link posted is confusing, it says for Stand-Alone Immediate Relative (IR) I-130, Petition for Alien Relative: (A stand-alone I-130 is filed on its own and is not filed concurrently with any other application (such as with an I-485). An immediate relative I-130 petition is one that is filed by U.S. citizens for a spouse, a child under age 21, or a parent (if the petitioner is 21 years old or older)) will be processed at field offices vs the regular NVC offices. It's not saying that a CR1 wouldn't be, but to be on the safe side, you could wait until November to file the petition and probably get the petition done faster than it has been taking. I think this is why we have seen an influx of people saying their petitions have been transferred. Also November is when the US Government does their fiscal year. October is a always a slow month for them because they have no extra funds but in Nov, the ball starts rolling according to my husband (he used to be an NCO in the USAF) so it's when things start to go faster, at least on that end.

As for your original question, tell him not to be a smart a** and to think about what he's saying. My husband isn't exactly a people person like I am. He has no problem telling someone "You are stupid. Get your head outta your a**" when perhaps something more tactful would be appropriate. Moving to the USA wasn't my first choice either. Some very important people live here, not just my parents or siblings and they're choosing to stay here. Sometimes you make choices and wanting to be with my husband for the rest of my life, with the best foundation for us as a couple, is what is most important. You guys have a bit of time to talk about and prepare for the interview so perhaps by then, you can help him think up a better answer, and maybe just practicing thinking about the answers vs spitting out the first thing that comes to mind.

Sorry, I do not legally live here (please don't mistake that with me illegally living here!).

I can see how this is confusing, but I work/live in the US. I go down to the office/home once every 3 months or so to continue to claim my US citizenship, check on things, etc, but after 2-3 weeks, I return to Canada and "reside" with my husband. I spend a whopping maybe 15% of my year in the US so that's what I mean when I say I left everything behind.

Am I correct in what I stated above, that it wouldn't matter that I filed even today because the visa will not get approved for months and we would be well past our 2 year mark?

[NikLR 13,220]

Technically and legally without extended stay permission you have to spend 50/50, but whatever floats your boat! I'd live with my husband today if I could just up and move! Lol. We've thought about it but because I'm a research freak, I found out what a bad idea it would have been. Btw, It's good to have proof of domicile in the USA already too.

Yep it looks like you could file today and he would get the IR1 visa which means the 10 year green card. Gives you guys lots of time to find out if you like the USA.

[The Mean Lady 604]

Technically and legally without extended stay permission you have to spend 50/50, but whatever floats your boat! I'd live with my husband today if I could just up and move! Lol. We've thought about it but because I'm a research freak, I found out what a bad idea it would have been. Btw, It's good to have proof of domicile in the USA already too.

Yep it looks like you could file today and he would get the IR1 visa which means the 10 year green card. Gives you guys lots of time to find out if you like the USA.

The border where I cross said I could stay for up to a year here /shrug

I already have proof of domicile in the US so that's not a problem.

We've had issues since the VERY beginning getting my husband across the boarder so we take ties to our countries very seriously.

He is red flagged at our border so for 3 years, it's taken no less than an hour and a half inside to get him in IF they will let him in.

Only very recently have they finally been quicker reviewing his paperwork and allowing him in. It was so exciting to spend christmas with him last year!

[NikLR 13,220]

I bet it was. It'll be our first married Xmas this year and he'll have to come up since I'll be working. No time off until Jan, but that's retail. Sigh.

Legally it's 6 months, just like the USA but if the border officer said you have a year, then you can get a year. Understand that the only reason I mention it at all is because of all the issues we, as Canadians, have to jump through to be able to live with spouses in the USA. It makes me a little more defensive of my own country's borders. I think it's kinda understandable, I love my country living here was our original idea until he got his FAA job. I worry everyday about visiting, getting approved, etc... I think the sentiment is shared on the board by more than a few :-)