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KevinandNadia

USA bringing in my Canadian love

By KevinandNadia in Introducing our Members

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ellasim3 Contributor

ellasim3   0

Posted
Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Canada
 Timeline
Posted

Hello!

I am so happy for you. I am Canadian my fiance lives in the US. We are at the final stretch and expecting my VISA to arrive pretty soon. my thoughts for you is to be very thorough with all your paperwork. Check things over again 3-4 times before you send anything in.

My fiance submitted the petition at the beginning of September. My interview was on Feb.26, 2014. Everything went as planned (and our time frames for things were pretty much exactly what websites had stated) up until the interview. I had some problems because I was adopted from South Korea when I was a baby, so I didn't have an original birth certificate. The Korean Embassy luckily helped me get an original document from Korea within days.

Make sure you due diligence. I was very up to date with everything I could. Once you file the i-129f petition with USCIS, you will receive a receipt number that starts with 3 letters then a 10 digit number. Mine started with WAC##########. You can go to the USCIS website and then create a login and password and you can track the process until the petition is approved. The petition is the easy part. Our petition was approved October 30th and that was with one NOA (notice of assessment). In order to avoid any notice of assessment, make sure you send in evidence of your relationship when you submit the petition paperwork. You will want to include pictures of you two together, any hotel/flight receipts, call logs, skype logs etc. Again, be thorough!

Once your petition is complete, you will receive packet 3. It is smart to have this stuff prepared ahead of time. Packet 3 really is just a checklist that you can find online. The checklist is a list of everything you will need for the interview. You will also have to go online and complete a DS-160 electronic application form. Once you complete that, you will get a confirmation form to print and save for your records. Hold on to this, you'll need it for your interview. (VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure that you choose a consulate that takes care of k1 Visa's (Montreal, Toronto, Van) I accidently chose Ottawa, which gave me a slight delay because I had to redo my application). To move to the next step, you will have to email the consulate the DS-160 confirmation page, and you will need to scan the biographic datapage of your passport and send in a passport size photo, as well as the scanned checklist.

After about a week, I started to call Department of State to find out my MTL Case Number. Once you have that, you can start tracking your file on CEAC VISA website. As soon as I got this number, I called my closest Medyis (Montreal) and booked my medical appointment. At the medical appointment, they want a copy of your packet 4 letter. (In my case, I didn't receive it yet but all they really needed was my MTL case number so I just gave it to them).

Next was my interview, I was probably the 3rd person there but they didn't allow me to bring in my purse so I had to leave to drop it at the hotel and come back. My advice is to just bring the required documents and thats it. It is pretty high security and takes quite some time waiting so be prepared. Dress professionally. And good luck!!!!

Please feel free to pick my brain, I would love to help in any way I can :)

Oh and one more thing.... VJ has been an amazing help to me. Great support system..... but at times it gave me both hope and concern. Take everything day by day and don't check statuses every hour like I did haha it drove me nuts!


Hello!

I am so happy for you. I am Canadian my fiance lives in the US. We are at the final stretch and expecting my VISA to arrive pretty soon. my thoughts for you is to be very thorough with all your paperwork. Check things over again 3-4 times before you send anything in.

My fiance submitted the petition at the beginning of September. My interview was on Feb.26, 2014. Everything went as planned (and our time frames for things were pretty much exactly what websites had stated) up until the interview. I had some problems because I was adopted from South Korea when I was a baby, so I didn't have an original birth certificate. The Korean Embassy luckily helped me get an original document from Korea within days.

Make sure you due diligence. I was very up to date with everything I could. Once you file the i-129f petition with USCIS, you will receive a receipt number that starts with 3 letters then a 10 digit number. Mine started with WAC##########. You can go to the USCIS website and then create a login and password and you can track the process until the petition is approved. The petition is the easy part. Our petition was approved October 30th and that was with one NOA (notice of assessment). In order to avoid any notice of assessment, make sure you send in evidence of your relationship when you submit the petition paperwork. You will want to include pictures of you two together, any hotel/flight receipts, call logs, skype logs etc. Again, be thorough!

Once your petition is complete, you will receive packet 3. It is smart to have this stuff prepared ahead of time. Packet 3 really is just a checklist that you can find online. The checklist is a list of everything you will need for the interview. You will also have to go online and complete a DS-160 electronic application form. Once you complete that, you will get a confirmation form to print and save for your records. Hold on to this, you'll need it for your interview. (VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure that you choose a consulate that takes care of k1 Visa's (Montreal, Toronto, Van) I accidently chose Ottawa, which gave me a slight delay because I had to redo my application). To move to the next step, you will have to email the consulate the DS-160 confirmation page, and you will need to scan the biographic datapage of your passport and send in a passport size photo, as well as the scanned checklist.

After about a week, I started to call Department of State to find out my MTL Case Number. Once you have that, you can start tracking your file on CEAC VISA website. As soon as I got this number, I called my closest Medyis (Montreal) and booked my medical appointment. At the medical appointment, they want a copy of your packet 4 letter. (In my case, I didn't receive it yet but all they really needed was my MTL case number so I just gave it to them).

Next was my interview, I was probably the 3rd person there but they didn't allow me to bring in my purse so I had to leave to drop it at the hotel and come back. My advice is to just bring the required documents and thats it. It is pretty high security and takes quite some time waiting so be prepared. Dress professionally. And good luck!!!!

Please feel free to pick my brain, I would love to help in any way I can smile.png

Oh and one more thing.... VJ has been an amazing help to me. Great support system..... but at times it gave me both hope and concern. Take everything day by day and don't check statuses every hour like I did haha it drove me nuts!

09/10/2013 - sent in i-129f

09/19/2013 - email notification of USCIS acceptance & rerouted to CSC

09/25/2013 - received official receipt notice via mail

10/02/2013 - received a RFE

10/16/2013 - sent in RFE

10/18/2013 - checked USCIS site & RFE has been received

10/29/2013 - Alien Registration Number changed

10/30/2013 - NOA2 i-129f APPROVED!

12/06/2013 - received Packet 3 in mail

12/08/2013 - completed DS-160 & sent in checklist

12/??/2013 - called DOS and got my MTL Case # (can't remember what day in Dec)

01/09/2014 - consulate asked me to complete a new DS-160

01/29/2014 - received Packet 4 via email

01/29/2014 - medical appointment complete

02/26/2014 - Visa Appointment in MTL - requested additional documents

03/03/2014 - Mailed in documents via Loomis

03/04/2014 - Documents arrived at US consulate in MTL

03/06/2014 - CEAC updated to AP

03/06/2014-03/17/2014- CEAC status updates daily, but still remains on AP

03/18/2014- CEAC status READY (to schedule an interview)

03/19/2014- CEAC status READY (case is open) Case creation date changed to 03/19/2014 and switched to Non-Immigrant Visa

03/24/2014- CEAC status updated but still says READY (case is open)

04/01/2014- CEAC status updated but still says READY (case is open)

04/02/2014- CEAC status back to ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING

04/03/2014- CEAC status ISSUED

04/03/2014- Email from Loomis that passport has been shipped

04/04/2014- Picked up Passport

TBoneTX Grand Master

TBoneTX   45,537

Posted
Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Ecuador
 Timeline
Posted

Welcome to VJ!

06-04-2007 = TSC stamps postal return-receipt for I-129f.

06-11-2007 = NOA1 date (unknown to me).

07-20-2007 = Phoned Immigration Officer; got WAC#; where's NOA1?

09-25-2007 = Touch (first-ever).

09-28-2007 = NOA1, 23 days after their 45-day promise to send it (grrrr).

10-20 & 11-14-2007 = Phoned ImmOffs; "still pending."

12-11-2007 = 180 days; file is "between workstations, may be early Jan."; touches 12/11 & 12/12.

12-18-2007 = Call; file is with Division 9 ofcr. (bckgrnd check); e-prompt to shake it; touch.

12-19-2007 = NOA2 by e-mail & web, dated 12-18-07 (187 days; 201 per VJ); in mail 12/24/07.

01-09-2008 = File from USCIS to NVC, 1-4-08; NVC creates file, 1/15/08; to consulate 1/16/08.

01-23-2008 = Consulate gets file; outdated Packet 4 mailed to fiancee 1/27/08; rec'd 3/3/08.

04-29-2008 = Fiancee's 4-min. consular interview, 8:30 a.m.; much evidence brought but not allowed to be presented (consul: "More proof! Second interview! Bring your fiance!").

05-05-2008 = Infuriating $12 call to non-English-speaking consulate appointment-setter.

05-06-2008 = Better $12 call to English-speaker; "joint" interview date 6/30/08 (my selection).

06-30-2008 = Stokes Interrogations w/Ecuadorian (not USC); "wait 2 weeks; we'll mail her."

07-2008 = Daily calls to DOS: "currently processing"; 8/05 = Phoned consulate, got Section Chief; wrote him.

08-07-08 = E-mail from consulate, promising to issue visa "as soon as we get her passport" (on 8/12, per DHL).

08-27-08 = Phoned consulate (they "couldn't find" our file); visa DHL'd 8/28; in hand 9/1; through POE on 10/9 with NO hassles(!).

aimeejane Rookie

aimeejane   1

Posted
Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Canada
 Timeline
Posted

I am Canadian and just made the move to Florida last week with my K-1 (fiance) visa. This site was very helpful with the process but I found it hard to navigate at times with so many different experiences at different times (a lot of things have changed with the process in the last year). I went through the Montreal US Consulate and although things went quickly at first, the process slowed down significantly once it hit their hands.

I was lucky in that when I first started dating my fiance, an acquaintance who had gone through the process told me to keep absolutely everything to show proof of a relationship, in case it became serious. When we submitted our petition, it was quite thorough-- with a lot of boarding passes, especially. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit him for months at a time which established the seriousness of our relationship.

My only advice would be to keep track of where things are within the process and to not be afraid to contact whoever you have to for info. Once your case is created at the US consulate (Montreal or Vancouver), if you don't receive your Package 3 within 2 weeks, call the National Visa Center to find out if it was sent. Apparently, a lot of the packages sent from Montreal are never received. I didn't receive mine, so they had me download the forms and email them in. Once you submit your petition, start working on Package 3 items (available online) so it's all ready as soon as you're able to submit to them. Once they tell you that you're ready to schedule your interview, be prepared that there might not be appointments available. This was probably what stressed me the most. I had to refresh the page as often as possible, but after a week of doing it, I managed to get one 6 weeks away.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. We started the process in late June 2013 and I had my visa in hand early February 2014.

Best wishes with your process!

 

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