US Immigration from Canada

I am currently on an F1 visa and was granted OPT which is valid until spring 2025. I am weighing my options on post F1 and AOS and which to best proceed with and what steps/timeline would each take.

I have been working for a company for almost a year and would love to stay with them long term. There is a potential of a sponsorship although not confirmed. Not a STEM field but I do have a master's degree.

I plan to marry my long term girlfriend who is a US citizen in the next year or so.

Thanks in advance

Sharing my recent experience with Dr. Gulzar Cheema in Surrey, BC for the medical exam in case anyone may find it helpful.

Medical Exam date: April 9, 2024 at 0700, finished the entire process at 0820
Cost: Paid the cost for my age range, no additional fees required

Getting the appointment:
I had to email them at panelphysicianusa@drcheema.ca - I included my appointment confirmation and my vaccination record. I got my packet 4 emailed in the afternoon on March 20, 2024, so their office responded first thing the next morning with availability. They initially offered me April 12, 2024 and beyond but that timeline felt too close with my interview date. I read on the booklet they send you by email that you can ask about earlier dates if you're in the area. So I said I was going to be and asked for April 8 or April 9 - they fit me in April 9. There was some confusion about vaccines for me so I sent them my vaccination records again with my questions and we were able to sort it out by email. Aman and Indu are very kind and helpful throughout the process. Both appear to monitor the email, but it is mostly Aman.

Appointment day:
I showed up for my appointment 20 minutes early and ended up walking in at 0645. There was lots of parking available at this time. The door was already open and there was one other person there. They asked for the 5 passport photos, my appointment confirmation, my vaccination record, my passport, and another photo ID. I included my recent bloodwork from September 2023 that showed my immunity for varicella, because I only received one dose as a child and have never had chicken pox (we discovered this by email). They wanted to take my records but asked if I needed it back. I said yes, so they made copies of it.

They book you in ahead of time for the blood work - mine was at 0720. The office began to fill up fast and because of this and my approaching blood work time, Indu asked me if I could go to the lab first, so I did. It was around the corner and isn't the one that's in the booklet. The lab was great but also filling up fast. Indu cut my passport photos further and put one on my lab work requisition. At Life Labs, she gave it back to me and said she didn't need it but I unfortunately cannot use it further because it's been trimmed to be smaller than the 2x2 inch standard. The girl was amazing, she poked me once, took one vial worth of blood and I was on my way, super quick! I did not need to provide a urine test. Then I went back to Dr. Cheema's office and was seen right away. Indu got me to take off my shoes and weigh myself, then she took my height. Then I waited in the exam room for him. He was super kind - talked about the eclipse, asked me all the standard questions they do for physicals - any histories, etc. Then he asked me to cover one eye and read a line on this handheld eye chart. Then he listened to my chest with his stethoscope, took my blood pressure, had me lie down, pressed on my stomach, felt my wrist. I was good to go, it was 5-10 minutes max. He asked if I had any questions. Then he gave me the requisition for x-ray, which is the address given in the booklet. It is walk-in basis only. It is about a 6 minute drive north up the road, parking is in the back with first hour free. I waited here for about 20 minutes. They took one chest x-ray and that was it. It was all a great and very efficient process. I do believe having an earlier time slot helped because all the places can fill up quickly. As others have said to me, the process is much easier than the stress we put ourselves through getting to it.

What I learned:

• A series of 3 doses received in childhood of Hepatitis B gives you a lifetime immunity
• Hepatitis A is not required
• Tdap is required within the last 10 years (I got this beforehand)
• COVID-19 booster is required within the last 12 months (I got this beforehand)
• Polio booster is not required
• Varicella requires two doses, if you do not have both or records of both, you can get your family physician to get bloodwork done to test for immunity. If it is reactive, you are immune. An additional dose if needed at the office would have been $95.00 CAD
• They provide you with a CD (for border crossing) and vaccination record (for AOS) by mail - they told me this is not required for the interview
• Once results are sent to the US embassy, you will receive an email stating so

Hello,

Has anyone used the follow to join process to get their family to the US? If so, would you please tell me your average timeline after being DQed with the NVC, preferably if you applied through the Montreal Embassy.

Thanks

Hi,

I came into the United States on a K1 visa (Feb 26th, 2024) and have married my husband who is a citizen of U.S. (March 21st, 2024) and I just had a question that stumbled me while I was filling out my I-485 and I-765.

So basically, while filling out the I-485, you get to the question that asks something along the lines of Are you applying under section 245i of the INA? After looking it up, I m fairly confident that I am not and that I don t fall into that category. Then, I was filing out the EAD form to be able to work while we wait for approval and I was stumped when selecting the eligibility category. Technically, I would fall under (a)(6) because I m a K1 non-immigrant fianc e. However, that technically also doesn t apply to me because I m not looking to only work for the 90 days that I hold my K1 status like the description of that category states.

The only other eligibility category that I thought of or saw something about online was (c)(9) because it discusses applying for EAD while applying for adjustment of status. The problem with this category is that it s titled Adjustment applicant under section 245, which I figured was not me.

Basically, do I fall under section 245? Am I missing something here? Which eligibility category do I fall into?

Hopefully someone can help. These forms have been stressing me out and I can t wait to hand them in and never look at them again lol

Hi

My friend wants to visit the USA from Canada. In the past, she had some immigration issues but was never deported; she just received an exclusion order. After some time, she managed to regain her permanent resident status. How should she respond to the questions on the US visa application? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you