missingmycanadian

WHOA! They told you wrong - she is not authorized to work - she should not try to work until she receives her EAD through the AOS process (or her GC).

Immigration authorizes her to work not the SSN office. I'm sure someone else will chime in with the particulars, but she would either have to show an EAD or a GC (neither of which she has yet) in order to work somewhere legally. She should not start working.

There is a misconception that after K1 entry, one is authorized to work for the first 3 months...it's technical double-talk.,..but the short of it is - she is not authorized to work yet

That was my fear, that they told her wrong. My wife told me that the lady at the SSN office checked the status of her visa, and then told her she was authorized to work. Shes going to be upset when I break her this news

He just called DHL, and they said we have to contact Montreal, since it is requested for pick up, and the have no power to change it. No idea how we are suppose to contact Montreal.

Sounds like it may have ended up in the Montreal DHL office? Which I believe means you either have to drive out to Quebec again or figure out a way to have it forwarded on to your local DHL branch. Sadly, I fear the drive to QC may be easier, unless you live out in Western Ontario

She can change her last name just by applying for the AOS in her married last name - all her future communications with immigration will come in her new married last name (including her GC). The marriage cert is the document which you use as proof.

She cannot change her first or middle names through AOS......a person has a 1 time opportunity to change those for free through immigration when they apply for US citizenship - so if she wants to become Princess Consuella Banana-hamock...so be it ;P

Remember that she is only changing the names with the US government - doing these name changes doesn;t affect anything back home in Canada - if she wishes to change her last name back home(like on her passport) she can change it using her marriage cert.

Thanks for the very helpful answers guys!

My wife went down to the social security office yesterday, and they are issuing her a SSN today!! I had no idea this process would be so fast! They also told her she is authorized to work until November 11, which is about the time we should be receiving her work authorization based on I-765 - I had never heard of such a thing, but I'm thinking if the SS office tells you that you can work, you can work!

According to the Canadian Consulate, the only part of the name change that will take a little time is changing her passport - but her last name has officially changed here in the US, so we're good to go Now I can pay for all sorts of fun things like health insurance and AoS filing fees! hehe

On to submitting AoS!

So, we finally got our marriage certificate(s) so we can now begin the AoS process and name change process, as my wife is changing her name. But I'm not sure if I should officially change her name before, during, or after submitting the AoS application? Ideally we would like to have it done ASAP, but is changing during the AoS process going to be trouble. According to information from the consulate, the name change is going to be a drawn-out process...

Thanks for your help!

I really liked this post; thanks for the great information.

also agree, excellent post - congrats to you and your husband!

I actually went without it and it wasn't a big deal. (i was surprised).I was approved!! yay! I'm just waiting for my passport. What's my next step to get a work permit?

phew!! glad it went well.

After your POE then its on to Adjustment of Status (Green Card) and Work Authorization. You have to file an I-485 for your Green Card, the forms and instructions for which can be found here:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=3faf2c1a6855d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

In conjunction with that filing you can file an I-765, which is the employment authorization. You will want to do this because a Green Card can take a very long time, over a year in some cases, but work authorization can be obtained in about 3 months (no experience, just what I've read). The I-765 form and instructions can be found here:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=73ddd59cb7a5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=7d316c0b4c3bf110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

I am about to start the AOS process myself, as my fiancee arrives tomorrow!!

No Luck on Mozilla. I will keep checking both.

Good call - also, never use Google Chrome for the CSC website, for some reason its wholly incompatible.

Thanks, did you need the USC birth certif?

Any idea if having a 2010 tax return is enough or do I need more from the sponsor?

I was the USC, and they did not ask for my birth cert.

With regard to the affidavit of support, the more evidence you have the better. Like ralyse, I was Montreal, so I can't be 100% sure about the requirements for Vancouver either. I was asked specifically for tax returns, but they were unavailable. Thankfully, my affidavit of support was accepted without any tax returns, and instead I had pay-stubs from my job which I've had since Jan. 2011. I had a co-sponsor as well, which is possibly why they accepted my pay-stubs. I didn't use any tax returns for my co-sponsor either though. Instead, I had statements from their financial adviser, employer, and bank, along with supporting documents regarding available funds.

Basically, as long as you are able to demonstrate there are sufficient funds available to prevent your fiancee from becoming a public charge, you will be fine.

That being said, the more evidence you can bring the better, just to ensure your bases are covered. As it is up to their discretion, a single year of tax returns may be sufficient. Though, if that tax return demonstrated an income of extremely close to the 125% limit, they may require more information to ensure that a steady income exists.

I'm not sure but the instructions state that it should be signed in her full name- that's why it doesn't have to be done before a notary. But honestly I don't know if it will cause any problems. I don't want to worry you unnecessarily >_>;; I was really ####### about the whole process so... Maybe someone else can chime in? I probably shouldn't have mentioned it.

actually, I believe a notary is not required, not because of the full name requirement, but because there is a clause on the form that makes the signee strictly liable for perjury if it is not their signature or if there are any misrepresentations.

I called dos today, the visa was printed yesterday. Still no waybill number though…..maybe tonight lol

Nice!! Hopefully you do get it soon, though when I spoke to DoS last week they told me Montreal is a bit backed up and asked for my patience, so don't get your hopes TOO high

My fiancee got a call about 11:30AM from DHL to tell her that her passport is ready for pickup!!! DHL office is closed between 9 and 4 though, so she'll be going this afternoon.

Just thought I'd note that the DHL waybill tracking doesn't designate that its ready for pickup, nor does the CSC website.

POE tomorrow at 7AM, she'll be home by 1:30PM, hurrrrrah!!!!

Yup, same issue here. Has anyone had it appear on the website recently?

So I guess CSC made a liar out of me! Within an hour of receiving the email my CSC webpage was updated. So its not totally unreliable!

I checked the CSC website an hour ago - no waybill number.

Yay for everyone getting their waybill numbers! I hope everyone's POE goes well!

PS: I wish I had found this thread a lot sooner...it helps to know we're not the only ones going through this process.

-Been2's wifey

the CSC website doesn't work, you're going to want to check his email. He would have given CSC an email address in making the account, and you should get any notification of the waybill number there.

I guess Montreal likes to send them out in large batches since everyone's getting their waybills now Congrats everyone!

Edit: Also the CSC website doesn't display my waybill. Guess CSC is unreliable.

Same here on the CSC website, and I believe raylse had the same experience, so definitely unreliable.

Congrats to everyone who also got their waybills! soooo pumped!!

Waybill received!!!!!! Hurrah!!

We received the email at 7:15PM EST tonight

Best of luck to everryone else! Now to book a flight!

I can't believe how inconsistent the DoS is with sending out visas! If they approve a certain number of visas on a certain day, they should send them all out that day. This guessing game is ridiculous and totally stressful!

Missingmycanadian, I really hope your fiancee gets hers soon! I haven't seen my husband in 5 months and its killing me!

Thanks everyone for well-wishes, it helps to know there are people who feel our pain! Hopefully it will only be a few days til she returns to me.

My fiance got a letter from the NVC saying her application was forwarded to Montreal on the 12th of July. We still haven't received packet 3! I need to leave the country to go back to the states next month and I am worried she won't be able to come with me. We only have enough money to move once and my stuff is in limbo.

Are we frakked?

She might not get to come with you, thats a pretty tight deadline and scheduling an interview can take some time. But like the post above me says, you don't have to wait to physically receive the packet 3 - so get your packet 3 stuff together and send that out ASAP!

I called DoS and they said it's printed. Does that mean I will not go to AP? I hope everyone gets word from DHL soon!

Yep, from what I understand that means no AP! Now you're just waiting for the consulate to stick it in an envelope and mail it to you!

Hopefully your wait is shorter than ours has been, ours was printed on the 5th of August!

I just got some clarification from him. He called the number on the back of the letter he was given at his appointment (after he was approved). They told him the visa was already at DHL and I believe they had the waybill number. Then he called DHL to look up the package and they confirmed it was already there.

So my fiancee called the number on the back of the letter, and when she asked if they documents had been given to DHL the lady replied "there are no documents available for pickup at this time." - I don't even know what that means

guess its just back to checking email religiously...

This is been2's wife. We've been waiting anxiously to hear back from DHL regarding his visa and never got an email or call from them. So he decided to call them this morning - DHL had his visa ready for pickup. He's on his way to pick it up now and hopefully, will be in Texas tomorrow.

If you haven't heard from DHL, call them. There is a chance your visa might be there.

Good luck to everyone!

Congrats! I just sent my fiancee over to the DHL office to see if they have hers.

My passport looked like new inside but the covers were worn. I accidently washed mine when I left it in my shorts two years ago. The funny thing is no one at any boder crossing complained and so I did not think too much about it. The moral of the story is that if you think your passport maybe damaged take it to a Passport Canada Office before you go to Montreal to get their opinion first. This delay may cost me 2-3 weeks of time now...grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Oh man, that's brutal! Thankfully your emergency passport will be issued quickly enough, so maybe your delay will only be limited to a week or so. Best of luck!!!

I'm still waiting to hear from DHL after our visa was approved on the 3rd of August, so there really is no telling how long it can take. I've seen other people get their passports back within just 3-4 days, so who knows, you could get lucky!

Anyone have an interview around August 10th and heard something from DHL?

I had my interview on the 3rd and I still haven't heard anything from DHL

Only about a week or so, but there were times people were waiting almost a month

Sadly, its rather hard to say with Montreal. I was lucky in that I only had to wait about a week as well, but then my interview was scheduled 3 months out.

From what I understand they are all picked up around 4-5 p.m. at the Consulate. Most emails come in the evening when they get back to the warehouse and are entered in.

They are picked up every day. I was there on a Weds and the reception girl was also there with a stack of passports. Mine was picked up on a Tues and I got it delivered the next day, Weds.

Thanks for the answer - god, I really hope I get my waybill today!!

Have those who have gotten the waybill emailed to them from the consulate generally received them in the evening? I know there were a few who received them around 6pm, was just wondering if thats generally the case so i can stop checking my email religiously... haha