OK so now for Part 8. UGH!

[Ms Hogan 296]

Part 8 asks about time outside the United States.

1. How many TOTAL DAYS (24 hours or longer) did you spend outside the United States during the last 5 years?

Well first of all, I haven't lived in the U.S. for five years since I'm applying under the 3 year spousal situation!

What do I do? I have lived here for 33 months, not 60!

2. How many trips of 24 hours or longer have you taken outside the United States during the last 5 years.

3. List trips... etc etc. There is NO WAY I can remember all of these since we live so close to the Canadian border and we go back all the time for weekends here and there to visit my folks! Sometimes I cross the border just to drop the kids off for a visit and come back right away so those don't count since they aren't longer than 24 hours.

I asked about this elsewhere a little bit BUT that was before my brain broke about the five year part.

I listed my 6 most recent trips but I can barely recall prior to that. I will attach a letter saying as much but i'm trying to decide what to do with the actual form. I can't put words in the boxes, it will only accept numerals because I was going to write "attached" or something like that and put a supplemental document explaining that i travel frequently to Canada for a weekend here and there due to our close proximity and my family being nearby.

Do I guess at the number of days? Do I put 800 days for the past 5 years since that is the truth because I didn't even live here 5 years ago?

Help!

[Spoom 8]

I can tell you that we scoured Facebook for anything we'd posted about going to Canada for the weekend etc. We weren't there every weekend though, so it wasn't too hard. As for the five years, I would do exactly what it says: If you were living in Canada for part of the five year period, list that period. Attach an explanation that that period was before you entered the United States to live there. It shouldn't be a bar to anything as long as you otherwise qualify under the three year rule.

When I filed my DS-160, I also attached a note at the bottom of my list of trips that I couldn't remember every single one of them, but that I certified that none of those trips had been greater than 180 days in length and that I had never been out of the United States for more than 180 days in any given year. It seemed to be enough for them.