US Immigration from Canada

Hello Everyone,

I hope you re all doing well. It s been a little while since my first post, and I wanted to share an update and get some advice regarding the next steps in our immigration process.

Update on Our Situation:

My children have successfully received their CRBA (Consular Report of Birth Abroad) and passports (yay!). We are now just waiting for their Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and cards. A quick note for anyone currently going through this: the SSNs are not automatically issued with the CRBA, so I had to apply for them separately and in person after the CRBA interview in the States. Just something to keep in mind if you re in the same boat!

Next Steps An Application for My Husband:

Now that we ve crossed that milestone, we re moving on to filing the paperwork for my husband s spousal visa. We are planning to file for an immigrant visa (ideally a spousal visa), but I m a little unsure about the exact forms we need to file and how to navigate the process, especially since we are currently living in Canada.

Here s a bit more context about our situation:

• I do not have U.S. residency at the moment, which might complicate things slightly.
• We are living in Canada, and my husband and I are both self-employed.
• I work as a freelancer for a company in Texas, but I don t have a full-time job in the U.S. at this time.
• Once we reach the interview and final stages, I plan to seek employment in the U.S.
• We have two small children, and we don t want to be separated as a family, so we ve decided to stay in Canada during the application process.

Our Question:

Given our situation, we are considering having a U.S. family member (who is financially stable) act as the sponsor for my husband s visa. Is this a good option, and if so, what additional forms should we expect to file along with the I-130? I ve seen forms like I-130A, and I want to make sure we re filing everything correctly to avoid delays or issues down the road.

Additionally, would it make sense to explore any other types of visas given our current circumstances, or is the spousal visa still the best route?

Timeline:

We re giving ourselves a realistic 2-year timeline from the date the application is received by U.S. immigration. This should give us enough time to plan accordingly, but we want to make sure we re taking the right steps to avoid unnecessary setbacks.

Any insights or suggestions from those who have navigated this process would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your help!

Additional questions:

-For the police background check and the panel doctor exams, should we do this first and submit these items all together or should we wait to submit them until they are requested?

-If we proceed with the I-130 route, am I the one who will fill out the information and add the sponsor (my family member living in the states) document to the application?

-Will the sponsor need to accompany us to the interview when that date is set?

-Since we live in Canada, do we get to chose the office to process our application or will that automatically be chosen based on us living in Canada? (I'd like it to be processed in Pittsburgh, PA but that might not be an option)

-What are the general timelines for the I-130 from the date that it is received, to the interview, to approval? How many months after an approval is sent do we have to move to the US?

The below lists are for information to submit with the I-130 application. However, if we need to go a different route then the below might not be relevant. Either way, here are my lists:

I am planning on submitting the following for our relationship documentation:

-photos of family events, vacations, our wedding, time with our kids, etc.

-screen captures of text messages and/or emails
-marriage license/certificate from Canada

-marriage vowel renewal certificate from our church in the US

-birth certificates of our children

-joint bills/statements that have our names on the same form

-mortgage statement

-affidavit letter from our priest in Pittsburgh, PA (we are looking to move in that area)

-affidavit letters from friends

Financial documentation:

-US and Canada bank statements for me and my husband

-tax filing information for the US and Canada

-business plan for my husband and the company he would like to start once he moves. Along with proven track record of work completed in Canada (not sure if this is needed but we will have this ready)

-US based sponsor financials/forms (if needed)

-paystubs and employment letter from my current US employer

-retirement plan information

-liquid assets (if needed)

Documentation for my identity: (not sure what I need to submit but I have all this info ready to go)

-US passport

-US birth certificate

-Canadian driver's license

-expired US driver's licenses (yep, I kept mine)

-Baptismal certificate

-Tax forms (I have filed every year since moving to Canada... how many forms should I send)

-employment letter from current US based employer (I freelance for them while living in Canada)

-HS report cards/transcripts

-University transcripts

-University diplomas and awards

-US banking information

Documentation for my husband's identity: (not sure what I need to submit but I have all this info ready to go)

-Canadian passport

-European birth certificate (with original translation)

-Canadian citizenship documentation

-Baptismal certificate

-First holy communion certificate

-Canadian driver's license

Hi everyone! After 14 days of our approval, we did a public inquiry and we received this email. Should we wait further or email them our I-797 (NOA2)? Thanks!

My Canadian passport has my maiden name on it while my green card has my married name. I started the process to change the name on my green card (timeframes were estimated at 18-24 months). It took less than 3 months and they renewed my green card as well.

Now, I would like to travel back to Canada as my dad passed away. I don't want to wait for my Canadian passport to renew. Can I book a one-way trip there with my passport name and the return ticket in my green card name? Or do I book everything in my passport name and carry my marriage certificate with me.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I was a frequent poster in this forum 10 years ago when myself and my now ex partner were going through this process. Unfortunately our relationship ended in 2018.

I apologize if there is another thread on this but I'm having trouble navigating this site now... it all looks so different!

In October 2018 my relationship ended and I moved back to Canada. In late November/early December 2018 my friends and I went for a day trip through Peace Arch Land Border (Vancouver) where I was pulled into secondary for not presenting my Green Card with my Canadian passport at entry. I honestly didn't realize I had to do this if I was using my Canadian passport as idenification. I let them know I just hadn't had a chance to mail the Green Card back with the appropriate forms and they offered to do that there for me. The whole process was about an hour of me

signing paperwork and answering questions at a counter, no private interview although I suspected it was all still filmed. I don't recall ever getting any type of receipt and just assumed if applicable it would be mailed to me when I gave them my updated address.

In summer 2022 I crossed the land border without issue, but in January 2023 when travelling by air to Florida I was given a pretty difficult time by one of the officers, it almost seemed like he couldn't find proper records of me giving up my Green Card back in 2018. I really didn't think he would let me through but he did. I'm going again to Florida in January and I'm paranoid it will be a similar interaction.

I got formally divorced at the end of 2022 and I have remarried to a Canadian Citizen in September of this year. Should I bring any of that documentation with me? Is there someone I can contact directly to get a receipt of some kind from 2018?

Thank you!

Erica

Hi everyone! Thank you to this group, it has been helpful. We just received our NOA2 and I'm an international student here in Canada.

1. While waiting for the case number (I'll do a public inquiry after 14 days from receiving NOA2) what documents should I prepare?

2. In our I-129F form, I put the US consulate in Toronto as the nearest. Is the interview going to be here in Canada too or in my home country, Philippines?

3. should I try and get a police clearance here in canada since i am staying here for more than a year now?

4. should i keep the original copy of the NOA2 Letter, have my fiance mail it to me? Do they need this for the interview just in case?

Thanks again!