SF2007

Thing is, if they're not happy with the income you will NOT be denied outright, they WILL give you a chance to get the info together so if it's not good enough they'll tell you they can't issue it right now and ask you for more info.

Yup. Worst case scenario they will tell you to obtain that missing info and to complete your application by mail. Be aware you additional proof will sit in the mail room for a while and it will delay your visa issuance by 4 to 6 weeks and it will be mandatory for you to use DHL at this point. It happened to me as my medical wasn't ready and I had to mail it.

A letter from her employer saying she is an employee in good standing, that she has been working there for X amount of time and that she makes Y a year is important. You could also get a letter from her bank to say for how long she has had an account with them and how much total she has deposited into the account.

You can add bonds, investments value, etc.

If she does make the 125% required it does not mean she always has. I'm sure they understand that

That seems like a long time. Call the DOS at 202-663-1225 and pick options 1 then 0. Once you get a person on the line ask for your visa status and give them your case number. They ask you for both your names and birthdays then ask what is the purpose of your call. Tell them you want to know if the consulate sent pkt 3. If they say yes then wait no longer and sent out the forms your consulate requires for pkt 3.

Bunch of us going through Montreal never received their Packet 3 by mail. If DOS says it's been mailed to your fiance, go ahead and send them your forms. I received mine a week before my interview... a pile must have been sleeping in their mail room. If you wait to get yours by snail mail, you'll be loosing precious time.

Everything needed is listed on Montreal Consulate's website here : http://montreal.usconsulate.gov/content/content.asp?section=visas&document=index. The mailed packet does not contain anymore information than the website.

Once they receive your Packet 3, it should take Montreal about 2-3 weeks to mail your Packet 4. As soon DOS tells you they mailed Packet 4, go ahead and schedule your appointment.

Good luck!

Proof of current and continuing income is typically submitted. Recent paystubs and an employer letter are commonly used to support the income claim.

I-864 will be used for your AOS, not for your interview. Just file I-134 for now. My then fiance (he's the USC) and I submitted an employment letter (featuring his annual salary, how long he's been working there and that he has a good standing), a banking letter stating for how long his account has been opened and how much he deposited a year, his last 3 pay stubs and last tax income.

If I remember correctly, I-134 also asks the USC fiance to declare mortgage value, bonds, and other investments. If he/she is above the 125% poverty line mark they won't look into it for more than a split second...

Can i select the option " Permanently Immigrate to the US (Ready to Schedule) " insted of the K1 one to skip payment?

Yes you can. I did that and had no issues with it.

Keep in mind you will need to pay at you interview with 350,00 USD$. It will delay you at the consulate because you will have to go in line to pay during your interview. When I was paying the clerk crashed the register and I had to wait a while before a supervisor could fix it. I would recommend you pay when you book your appointment. One less thing to worry about...

Same here, they just verified my fiance and I were providing all the paperwork. Our interview was scheduled with the morning crew. We were second in line that morning and we were out by 8:20 AM

Only questions they asked (it was a laid back conversational tone) :

- Hey, are you Mr. X? Thanks for flying all the way here we appreciate it.

- And you'd be Mrs Y?

- So when did you get engaged?

- Are you getting married there?

- Great, well everything looks fine. Have a great day!

I Quit : Then I find it odd because my name on my I-94 is the exact same as my passport's. Anyways I'll just roll with it

Thank you for the quick answers!

Edit : Typo.

Hey guys,

I went to my local Social Security office yesterday (I POE'd On June 15). The clerk seemed competent, he knew a K-1 holder was allowed to a SSN and didn't make a fuss about it, but I was told my name entered in the system (as in my passport) is different than the one on my birth certificate (I never used my middle name).

Because of this, it will require a 4 weeks wait period during which they will verify my documents. The clerk made copies of my passport and birth certificate and gave me a letter proving I applied for a SSN that day but because they needed to verify the documents I provided, I should hear from them within the next4 weeks.

Is this standard procedure? I've been doing a lot of research before applying and I never saw that coming up anywhere. Will I need to use my middle name on my US IDs : SSN, driver's license, etc.?

Thanks!

How was your POE

I had a good experience at the Air Canada terminal. As Canadian_wife said, officers were pleasant and professionals. Make sure you schedule enough time during your 2 flights. It will most likely be crowded on a Saturday evening.

I went through on a Wednesday morning at 8:45 and I was out 20 minutes later.

First : congratulations on your visa!!!

DHL delivery is supposed to be overnight. When I called them before getting my visa, they told me the trucks leave Montreal around 6-7 at night and overnight the visas right after going through their Dorval branch. You should be getting your visa sometime today

The email notification was pretty fast for me. It was ready for pickup the morning after they picked it up from the consulate.

There are a lot of gray areas when visiting the US as a Canadian. You can stay for 6 months at a time and technically, you could cross the border for a day and come back for another 6 months. But you cannot live in the US unless you have the required visa. POE officers have to make a call based on their guts and interpretations of the laws.

It happened to me as well (and a LOT of people). I stayed 5 months in the US with my boyfriend, flew back home in Canada for 3 months and was denied entry when I tried to re enter for another 5 months trip. When asked about my relationship status I said we had just gotten engaged and were planning to file for a K-1. I was self-employed and temporarily living at my parent's... all red flags to them. My return ticket, private travel insurance coverage for the length of my intended trip and Canadian bank accounts and investments didn't cut it as proof of ties. They told me to fly back home, get a visa or a waiver and come back. Which I did. I thought they would bring it up when I crossed with my visa last week but I didn't have any issue with it (I never tried to re enter during the visa process).

We often think that because Canadians are not refugees or fleeing their country in hope of a better life means US immigration rules don't apply to us. Which is obviously ridicule because we are from a foreign country.

You might want to consider getting a fiance or spouse visa for your loved one. Him visiting you again in the US without a visa is not impossible but it's like gambling in a casino : he better have a good hand

Best of luck!

I have my VAN # how can I register with CSC?

I don't know about Vancouver but I would assume you can give it a try

From now on you call DOS now for any question regarding your visa and the process. They have access to the consulates databases and Montreal doesn't answer calls and rarely do they reply to emails. It takes 2-3 weeks for your case to be sent to Montreal and they are notoriously slow. Montreal often takes a while to update the database so often, DOS won't be able to tell you anything until they do.

You need to register with DHL before your appointment with the consulate. The consulate uses DHL to mail your passport back to you but you can choose to send them your Packet3 by any means you want. I had no problem using Xpresspost (Canada Post). You will save yourself a lot of anxiety if you choose a courier service which confirms the delivery.

The instructions to register on the CSC are in your Packet 3 and you can also obtain them here : http://montreal.usconsulate.gov/content/content.asp?section=visas&document=visa_pkt3.

You can register when you get your MTL000000000 case number.

Sorry to read your post, I wish it would have gone smoothly for you

When I asked for a copy of my medical (Medisys), I was told the results were owned by the consulate and I would receive a separate correspondence should anything be wrong with my medical. Good for you if they can provide duplicates but DO NOT open the sealed envelope as it will invalidate your whole medical.

Read my review of Pearson (POE June 15 2011) in the review section.

He can POE alone without any problem. I'm not even sure they would admit you with him in the secondary. They never asked where my fiance was. You are basically approved for entry when you come in with a visa... POE is then a technicality. Unless you carry something illegal in your luggage they have no reason to question/deny anything.

I arrived at Pearson's customs around 8:45 and was out by 9:15. I would strongly advise him to get there early before it starts to backlog. It's a first come first serve basis.

Hang on, he's almost home

- What health-care options do I have?

Canadian public health insurance doesn't do much for you out of Canada. She needs to get a private travel insurance to cover everything that is not. Call your provincial health authority for more details but keep in mind if your friend stays out of Canada for more than 183 days in a year she will loose all her Canadian health care benefits until she comes back. Province of Quebec does allow a once in a 7 years permission to extend the coverage past the first 183 days in a year but you have to ask for it ahead.

I flew through Pearson for my POE yesterday and took a connecting flight to the US also on Air Canada. The strike was ongoing and I didn't notice anything different than usual.

Good luck with your interview!

There IS a way to skip the payment on the website if you can't do it online, although I'm not exactly sure how.

To skip the online pay simply select "Permanent Immigrant : Ready to Schedule" option instead of "Permanent Immigrant : K1" in the menu. It is an extra lineup once you get to the consulate. It took me an extra 20 minutes because I didn't pay online, the employee bugged the cash register and they had to call a supervisor. I would recommend paying online. You're out faster and it's one less thing to worry about.

If you do choose to pay at the consulate, it's $350 USD.

Congrats on your POE! My hubby will be doing his shortly......how did it go? was everyone nice? We are nervous!

Saying my POE went well is an understatement. I wrote a full review under "Toronto" section of the POE reviews here : http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/poereviews.php?poe=Toronto

Hope this helps!

Just to confirm in case someone POEing soon was keeping an eye on this post : I just went through Pearson's customs and they did not ask my items value or search.

Congratulations! Have a smooth POE. Just went through mine at Pearson and it took a big 15 minutes (at 9 AM)... now my 4 hours layover sounds way overkill!

CBP FAQ - Canadian Visitors <---- Read the bottom paragraph.

^^This is incorrect. No visa or waiver required..... just proof of ties.

If that is incorrect then I was lied to by customs officers last year. I was denied entry and was told I needed to come back with either a waiver or visa. Not sure if it makes a difference but I was flying.

And keep in mind, if 1 Cdn is staying outside for longer than 6 months, he/she may loose their health care coverage!

You can file and exemption with RAMQ in Quebec which grants you a once in 7 years permission to be out of the country for 183 continuous days which they call "vacation year". In that case the person would be covered... but any government issue coverage worth ####### abroad. It barely covers anything. Better get your own travel insurance.

According to what you say happened, I think your boyfriend withdrew his application for admission. In which case they stamped his passport and he was told he needs waiver or get a visa before entering the US again. If you two want to be together, you should consider applying for an immigration visa. keep in mind it's a year long process and you will most likely have to be the on visiting him in Canada.

I wrote my name and my MTL000000000 case number. Had no issues.