Julie B.

Oh Paisaman I would be so close to cracking right now if I was you.

JUST received an e-mail from USCIS stating, "On March 23, 2012, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I130 IMMIGRANT PETITION FOR RELATIVE, FIANCE(E), OR ORPHAN."

Almost can't believe it and I know my heart skipped a few beats when I saw who the e-mail was from and the subject line!

Hang in there, everyone! Your approval will be coming very soon too!!!!

This is so exciting!!! Congrats Kerry & Carl

I have a question about filling out my affidavit of support. I have custody of my 3 kids, but I only claim 2 of them on my taxes and my ex-husband claims one of them. In the section where it is asking about household size should I only claim 2 of the kids, or do I have to claim all 3? I'm trying not to have to get a co-sponsor, and I make enough money for a 5 person household, but just barely. It would make me breath a little easier to only claim 2 kids, but I don't want to do anything wrong. Any advice?

Hello!

My son and I came into the US on February 9 on Visitor's Visas, and I just married My Love, James, on March 12 (yay!). We are going to be filing for AOS for myself and my son shortly.

I have the option to pay $50 to download a package from USAVisaNow.com that will have all the paperwork needed, with examples and advice to fill it out properly. I also have the option to pay a very reasonable fee of $749 to have them do everything for us. I have read reviews about them online, and the majority seem to be positive. (I do know the fees are extremely reasonable. I was communicating with a lawyer that wanted $3000 plus all fees for myself and my son.)

My question is this - Does anyone on here have any personal experience with this site, or know anyone that has? If so, are they a good investment?

Thank you for any and all help/advice!

When my husband and I started this process we thought we were going to have to hire someone (a firm, or a lawyer) to do all of this for us. Then I stumbled onto Visa Journey and found out I could do it all myself, with a little help from my VJ friends. Everything you need is right here on Visa Journey. Save yourself a ton of money.

hey guys whats up? how do you all feel, why is our thread so quiet of late? Anyway just to highlight we are going into our fourth month now, we should be seeing some more approvals now. keeping my fingers cross for you all.

This process seems endless.....

Trust me I know how frustrating this issue it. My husband lives in Windsor and I live an hour north of Detroit. He has to cross every weekend and it's a pain about 25% of the time. He always brings his lease agreement, paystub and paperwork showing we have filed for his visa. He hasn't been turned back yet, but it's always a possibility. Plus they aren't very nice, which I know they don't have to be, but jeeeeeez. Not everyone is up to no good.

Thank you so much for this new information!

Don't worry. I will start updating stats Friday night

Thank you so much Paisaman for all of the work that you do. It is so helpful to us all.

That is great news. I figure it is better for me to come to the USA with a job rather than leaving a perfectly good job to be unemployed...I would hope they wouldn't force you to do that considering there is no guarantee as to how long the visa process can take.

I'm glad I read this thread. Someone at work was telling me that my Canadian husband wouldn't be able to go back to Canada after his POE for 6 months. I thought with a CR1 this wouldn't be a problem. He needs to be able to go back and forth to see his mom and son. Thanks for posting....

Nothing for me either. Jeez.

I just assumed he was "coming down" from Alaska to Canada...couldn't think of what else that would mean.

Haha funny. My husband is Canadian and I live in Michigan. He has to "come up" to see me as he lives in Windsor. They call it the Miami of Canada. It's often warmer there than it is here. Seems strange huh?

Hiya - I looked at the US Border patrol site but I didn't see anything saying I can't bring things like hotdogs or Schneider's bologna back in a cooler. Anyone done this recently? It used to be you couldn't bring anything with beef(mad cow scare) and sometimes pork too, but perhaps they've lifted the ban?

It would be for personal use, so a small amount just for us.

You know I'm not sure but I'd really love to see the look on the guard's face when he asked if you had anything to declare and you said "yes, weiners.". lol.

After all the anticipation... my husband and a friend came through Detroit yesterday with the rest of my belongings (I am in the United States on my K1 Visa) and it was a 6-minute event! The border guard looked at the 3299 and photocopies of my visa and passport . I also included photocopies of my new SSN and driver's licence. He opened the back of the U-haul and then he let them through. He kept the photocopies He also looked through my 11 page llist of the numbered boxes and their contents.

They didn't even get secondaried!

Phew one more thing over.

I told you the tunnel was they way to go!

So glad for you. Welcome!

I´m the applicant and i live in Brazil; my husband, the petitioner lives in America. It should go for me or him? The address, from both, are ok!

It should have gone to the US. It does seem strange. My husband travels to the US every weekend to visit me so I liked having the hard copy to give to him to show at the border. More proof that we are doing this the way we are supposed to be doing it. I guess maybe just print off a copy of the email to keep in your file.

Two weeks. Just long enough to get our marriage certificate in the mail.

Hi All! We are November filers and soooo excited to finally have this process underway. I joined this site last summer and sign on every day to see what's up with everyone. This site is a blessing and I have learned so much. We have our NOA1 and are going to just be patient and try to enjoy the holidays. We are very fortunate that we live close to one another (Canada-Michigan) and get to see each other every weekend. I have read everyone's posts and am very interested, and look forward to seeing how all of this plays out for us all. I'll keep reading, you keep posting.

Same for me.. i lived 6 months in Windsor and David and i went back and forth across the bridge, they got to know us and started asking us when the visa was gonna get here lol. Make it real easy to go through after a few times and in 2ndary as well.

My husband has been going back and forth from Windsor every weekend for 2 years. He always gets a hassle at the bridge. I wonder why it's so different for others. Maybe it's his loud muscle car:). I always take the tunnel and never have a problem. Anyway, good luck.

Thanks for the replies.. I thought there was a U.S Consulate in Toronto? How come Montreal? Just curious. I know this is going to be a lengthy process. Do my children also need to attend an interview for their K2 Visas?

You sound like me 6 months ago. The information on which way to go is long and complicated. I signed on to this site every day and just read people's questions and learned a ton. Just click around and you will see what I mean. What my husband and I decided was to go the CR1 route. He will be moving here to Michigan as soon as he is approved. We decided to go this way because he needs to be able to travel back and forth during the process. He has a son and an elderly mom in Canada that he needs to be able to get to if need be. He lives and works in Windsor, but can still come and see me every weekend (we only live 60 miles apart). He just brings his rental agreement, pay stub, NOA 1 copy, cell bill with his address on it. He also has a Nexus pass and so far hasn't had any trouble crossing. Cr1 is less expensive and if we had gone k1 he wouldn't have been able to get a job right away once he moves here.

Lots to consider when making this decision. Good Luck to you.

Good Morning,

Next Week my husband and a friend will go to my hometown near Windsor with a U-haul van or small truck, pick my 70 or so small boxes of belongings, plus several small things like lamps, a vacuum cleaner, etc. and bring them back over the bridge or tunnel to our home in Michigan. Plus a small suitcase where I have my personal stuff like some toiletries, medicine, jewelry box. I poe'd on November 10 and we were married on the 18th. They will have all the proper documentation: the form 3299, photocopies of my passport and Kvisa, and a list of the items. All the boxes have been numbered and I made a list just stating "household", "Kitchen", "books" "plates"... whatever items were in the boxes on the accompanying list.

Does anyone have any advice or experience they can share? We assume they will be secondaried... has anyone just gone right through without secondary?

How long does the secondary inspection take?

Thanks for any advice.

My only advice is to take the tunnel and not the bridge. Those people at the bridge are not nice.

Good Luck and welcome to Michigan. Hopefully my husband will be following you in the coming months from Windsor. I'll be waiting to see how the move goes for your husband.

I was wondering if I can use the balance in my 401k as an asset when I fill out the 864? I'd like to not have to ask my mom to co-sponser, and my new job is above the limit (40k a year). The last 2 years however, I've only made about 22k and I'm afraid even if I use a letter from my current employer, they won't approve due to my last 2 years w2s. I have about 100k in my 401k and it says something about stocks and bonds, which my 401k is in, so I'm not sure what to do. Any advice?

I completely understand how you feel. My husband and I have just started the process (just mailed in our I-130 today yea!) but I have been on this website for man months researching and I know how bad it can be. My husband crosses over every weekend to come and see me (windsor to michigan) and he gets the worst hassle every single time. Enough already. They know all the answers to all the questions they ask him. He even has a Nexus pass and they still pull him in. I can't wait until we don't have to do this anymore. Can't we just live together already? Good luck to you.

Thank you everyone so much for the helpful advice. A fiance visa really isn't an option for us because my man has his son and elderly mother back in Windsor. He needs to be able to be with them if need be. I would rather him be there and wait out the time period and I can visit him every other weekend (I have 3 kids that go to the x's house every other weekend. Hopefully that won't be necessary if he can continue to cross on weekends. He just got approved for his Nexus pass, which I know doesn't always make things easier, but hopefully it will. Again, thanks eveyone. Looks like I'll be a Mrs. in a week!

Thank you all for your replies. I know that you can not apply for a cr1 until we are married. I guess my question is should we wait until right before we file to marry, or would it be okay to get married now (as we will be waiting to file at the first of the year) He won't be lying at the border either way as he will be telling the officer he is going to see his wife. If we do it now, he just wont have any proof that we have filed for a cr1 yet. If we wait until right before we file, then the next time he were to come over he would have some type of proof that we just got married, and applied for the visa. Wow I just re-read this and it sounds really confusing. Sorry everyone, maybe I need some sleep:)

My fiance is Canadian and lives in Windsor. I live in Michigan and he comes over every weekend to see me. We are going to get married in Ohio soon, and can do it spur the moment so he doesn't have to lie at the border as to why he's coming over. We wont be able to apply for cr1 until after the first of the year, due to finances. We are just trying to decide when to tie the knot. We could do it next week since I will be there on business. We are worried that when he crosses after that and before we apply for cr1 that when he says he's coming to see his wife, they won't let him cross. He will be able to have his rental agreement and a letter from work, but we both know it would be better if he had something showing he had already applied for his visa. If he continues to tell them he's crossing to see his girlfriend, and they find out later that we had been married for a few months, that won't be good. Should we wait to get married until just before we apply for the visa? That way he can have something in hand showing he has applied? Jeez this is hard. Thanks in advance for your help.

My 13 year old daughter, who has been watching me do research for months, just said to me "Mom they should make a book How to Marry a Canadian for Dummies". Hahaha.