Matsiepan

Perhaps someone can ease my paranoia here.

Last year I requested and paid for a certified copy of my long-form birth certificate from the Office of the Registrar General here in Ontario. At the top it says " Certified a TRue Photostatic Print of a Record and then below is the copy of the original Statement of Live Birth. With a seal stamped into the paper at the bottom. We are sending a copy of it with our I-130 since some people are getting RFE's asking for the beneficiary's BC, so I went out today to have it photocopied so I can have the original certified copy with me when we get further along in the process.

My father was with me when I had it copied and started saying this doesn't look like what he thought long-form birth certificate. This was the only long-form BC option I was offered from here: https://www.orgforms.gov.on.ca/eForms/start.do

Is this theversion of my BC I will need to send to the NVC when the time comes or do I need to get something else entirely? I know my small blue BC used for most other things is not what will be asked for but I am a bit confused now.

Ok. Thank you!

Informally (i.e. on none of my actual forms of ID) I hyphenate my husband and mine's last names. I have not and do no currently plan to change this on any of my IDs. However, I receive mail from my husband's family either addressed using my husband's last name,or the hyphenated version (they presumed I was going to take his name without even asking). Additionally, in one of the affidavits a friend of our referred to me by the informal hyphenization of my maiden and husband's last name. Should I be including this name in the "other names used" box on the I-130? I want to avoid any possible confusion by whomever reviews our package.

Excellent. Thank you for the quick reply!

On the I-130 for question 15, are they asking for the current employer of the applicant or the beneficiary?

Please bear with my ignorance, but I thought I would ask those who may know more than I.

My husband will be PCSing to a new training program within a year (new MOS), which will be requiring him to pack up our entire apartment while he is in barracks housing during the 10-month program (required since I am not currently living with him). This however will pose a problem for where I will be able to live should I receive my visa during this training program if he is not allowed to live off base with me

What he (and I) are wondering is if we are justified in asking for an expedite on our I-130 and subsequent steps on the grounds his PCS will prevent us from living together if the visa process takes the expected time? Or perhaps on similar grounds.

I am not really putting much hope in this route, but it is always best to explore all out options. I don't want to waste an expedite review if it is guaranteed to be denied.

Hey all,

Couple of quick questions:

1) My husband and I have delayed submitting the I-130 for various reasons, but now that we are back on track, will the fact that two of our notarized affidavits are from over a year ago be a problem?

2) If not, on one of the affidavits a friend of our referred to me by an informal hyphenization of my maiden and husband's last name. I have not offically changed my name, and only among friends use the hyphenated name. Should I be including this in "other names used" box of the I-130?

I thought that may be the case, but it did not hurt to ask.

Thank you for your reply!

I am just putting together all the proofs for our I-130 application (finally submitting it!!!) and was wondering if including letters I have had my employer write over the past year when I go to visit my husband stating and I going to visit my husband and I am expected back on a certain day are fine to include as evidence of ongoing relationship?

When listing on the I-130 addresses you have lived over the past 5 years, how should you list deployments? My husband was deployed to Afghanistan for about a year but was moved around between Kandahar/another base and doesn't recall actual addresses. He and I are both confused about this one.

Thanks!

It is determined based on your POE date.

Your permanent residence status is conditional if it is based on a marriage that was less than 2 years old on the day you were given permanent residence. You are given conditional resident status on the day you are lawfully admitted to the United States on an immigrant visa or adjustment of your status to permanent residence.

Ref: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=745218a1f8b73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Excellent. So should I POE with my visa AFTER my second anniversary, I will be issued a IR-1 and will not need to ROC, correct?

Thank you for your reply. However I am asking whether it is determined by the day of your interview or the day you POE.

I think my eyes are going fuzzy through all my reading, but I just need a clarification:

Is what determines whether you get an CR-1 or IR-1 visa is the time lapse between when you got married and the time you enter the U.S. on the visa, correct? I.e. if you enter the U.S. with your visa after your 2nd anniversary, you will be issued an IR-1 and 10-year GC (not immediately, but in general). Whereas if you enter before the 2nd anniversary, you are issued CR-1 and need to apply to removed conditions 90 days before 2nd anniversary ?

I'm just confused with the wording, because I have heard it said it is determined by the proximity of the day you were interviewed and the day you were married ( interviewed b4 2nd anniversary and are approved = IR-1).

Husband and I are trying to figure out the timing of submitting our application in the off-chance we seem to get through extraordinarily fast (unlikely).

Thanks again for all the help!

So my hubby and I are finally submitting our application in the next month and I was just going through the initial filing forms and have a couple questions ( I apologize for the length of this post):

i-130 questions

1) On the I-130 form where we fill in the biographical information about my husband (he is the petitioner), he has a "jr" as part of his name. Does this get included in the family name box or his first name box?

2) I live in a house and not an apartment, so do I leave that box blank or put "none" in section C?

3) I have not changed my name since we were married, so do I leave "other names used, including maiden name" blank (or type none), or type in my maiden name?

4) Is short form permitted? I.e. when listing that I live in Ontario, Canada, can I type it in as "ONT, Canada". I looked at the sample form, but I still like to double check.

5) Just noticed I typed everything so far in caps. Should I fix this?

6) We have not yet lived together, so is typing "Have not yet lived together" acceptable for question #21

7) Montreal is the embassy where I will be applying for the visa when we get to that stage, correct?

g-325 questions

1) As these are filled out separately for both myself and my husband, the information needs to only be about myself on my form, correct? So when It asks for the applicant's employment for last 5 years, I fill in my information?

2) When filling in the " this form is submitted in connection with an application for:" section, do I click "other" and type in I-130, or Status as permanent resident?

3)My husband is in the military and was deployed to Afghanistan for about a year within the last 5 years. Do we just list his military base as the residence for that period? This part is confusing us greatly.

Last

1)I know that we do not need to submit my long form birth certificate at this stage (that comes later on when I am applying for the visa itself, not the permission to apply for the visa which is what we are doing now), according to the application guidelines. Is it wise to include it anyway as I have noticed a few people on the boards here get an RFE for not including it?

2) Do our bank statements need to be notarized? We receive our statements electronically for our joint account, so we were just going to have to print them off ourselves and include them in the package as part of our relationship proof. If so, should we just go into our bank and ask for notarized statements? Same thing with any bills we have in both of our names?

As always, thank you for any help you can all provide

Laura

Hey All!

So I want to send my hubby some of my kitchen uquipment. Much of it has been gifts his family has sent me over the past year or so for birthday and Christmas and since I live at home with my father who has a fully-equipped kitchen, it is just hiding away in packing boxes or my closet. Since we have an apartment of our own now where he lives and I would like to have my preferred arsenal of tools when I visit since he is rather clueless about buying kitchen tools. I have been contemplating sending a few boxes over the next few months (about $100 worth of stuff each time), but I am reticent to incur massive amounts of charges in postage. Does anyone know of more cost-efficient ways to get my stuff there? I can carry a bunch of my stuff in my suitcase on my upcoming visit, but things like a hand-mixers and a small food processor does not seem feasible, unless I check a second suitcase (which at $25 is certainly an option) and risk damage in-flight.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

BNA- Nashville. 8.5. I have never had a complaint once in my numerous times flying in. Security takes no more than 5 minutes. Easy to navigate. Staff are beyond friendly. I can usually be off the plane and have my baggage in 10 min flat. Clean and friendly.

YYZ- Pearson Int'l Airport Toronto. 8. Very modern but it can be a tad slow. Have waited over an hour on more than one occasion to pass through U.S. customs (but never coming home). Security checkpoint staff are usually a bit prickly. If you are in one of the outer gates (which I always am flying to Nashville) be prepared for a LONG walk. Even with this ungodly length, baggage still often takes awhile to be brought to the carousels. The Maple Leaf lounge is worth the price of admission (unlimited food, booze, magazines and relaxing and the better wifi, but there is still free wi-fi throughout the entire airport.

MCO-- 8. Clean and modern.

Bank of America allows you to open joint accounts using Canadian passports (that is what I used when my hubby and I opened up a joint account).

Personally, given the fact that you are going to be apart for a few years I would go the CR/IR route. Get married and when she is finally able to be with you she will be issued a 10-yr GC, you don't have to go through the hassle as you noted that comes with the K-1 once she gets here. She can work fairly soon after (providing there are no mess-ups with Social Insurance and GC production)as opposed to having to wait for EAD etc. This is actually the route my husband and I are going (we have delayed our I-130 submission by a few months to ensure our finances are more secure and to figure plans after he is discharged). We don't like the time apart, but we figure if we delay now it will save us a much greater headache later on.

You can do a great deal between now and then to substantiate a bona fide marriage case (joint property, bank account, insurance, lease, trips, phone logs, etc) and many couples live in the U.S. on separate coasts and can prove the same, so I would worry a little less about this if this is your main concern. I would focus on whether the extended time apart is what you are both willing to handle.

She will need a police check from every country she has lived in for 6 months or more.

Hey there!

Quick question here about submitting evidence. I just noticed that the online monthly statements for my hubby's and I's joint bank account does list both of us on the account (which makes sense since it is a joint account, but I've never really seen statements that list both names before). Can I print out these monthly statements and include them in the package as an example of mingling of financial resources, or do they prefer a photocopy of the original paperwork from when we opened the account. I am trying to put together the 1-130 package and need to know if I have to pester my sweetheart to find the original paperwork in the mountain he calls his "filing" or not. Love him to pieces but tidy he is not.

Thanks as always!

Excellent! Thank you ever so much!

Do any of my fellow Canucks have a template for a letter from one's employer confirming my expected return back to work date to present at U.S. customs? My employer wants to know exactly to put in the letter.

Is it also advisable for them to print it with company letter-head?

Any other sort of guidelines I should have them follow (pertinent information, etc)?

Thanks!

Kitchener, ON eventually going to Clarksville, TN if hubby re-enlissts, or wheremever we find ourselves. Hoping for Florida.

Hey all!

I am sure this has been answered before, but I always like to get fresh insight.

My husband and I are planning to visit his parents for a few days at the end of June. They live in Florida. He has block leave from the Army then (he is stationed in TN) and will be driving in and I will be flying in from Canada. We have not as of yet submitted our I-130 application so we have no impending visa stuff on the books. I will be flying back ( have a return ticket and my airline taxi already paid for which I can show) and I will have our hotel room reservation information available.

I don't have a great deal of financial ties in terms of a lease, etc (I live at home and pay my father rent but I don't have an actual rental agreement). However I do have established credit cards, debit cars, cell phone, school loan currently being paid back and a job here.

What else is there that I can bring with me should U.S. customs be concerned that I am not coming back? Having not seen my husband since January I really do not want to mess anything up in terms of being denied entry or anything that could increase my chances of such. From your experience, what exactly should I tell the customs agents? I am visting family? I have no intention whatsoever in lying I have just always experienced that you shouldn't offer up too much to anyone unless asked as it looks rather suspicious.

Thank you for all your help