configuration

By default, they will make you come back for the passport unless your travel is within a day or two. If I were you, I'd make the appointment for December 18th. It may be a little scary, but the only way to be sure they don't force you to make a second drive out to pick it up. Either Boston or NYC is fine. I'd check on which one has easier/cheaper parking.

Thanks Kovacs, I appreciate your advice.

Though I am frustrated by the situation. I would think that the State Department should make some exception and provide same-day service for people who live far from a passport agency and not force these people to make two trips. Especially new citizens who have no control over the date of their naturalization ceremony.

I know that Canada has a policy for brand new citizens who may have previously scheduled international travel-- they allow them to hold on to their permanent resident cards for travel for a few days, until they receive their Canadian passports.

Thinking over your suggestion, what's to stop someone like me from just making a flight reservation on a fully refundable ticket for any day, and then showing up at the passport agency the same-day, getting same day service and then cancelling their ticket?

Hi,

I would like some advice on what to do: my naturalization ceremony is December 11th (a Friday). I need to travel to Canada on the 19th, which is the following Saturday. So I urgently need to apply for a U.S. passport the week of December 14th.

The problem is that I live about 2.5 hours from the nearest passport agencies (Boston and New York, about equally far). I know I need to travel to one of these places-- but I really, really want same-day service because it will be too difficult/expensive to make two trips, or to spend a night. I'll make an appointment of course. But any thoughts on whether Boston or New York is more likely to do same-day service? Anyone with experience doing same-day at either location?

Thanks.

Had my interview today, went very smoothly. The officer was thorough and efficient. He went through every single question on my application, asking if all the information was correct. Then we did the test. He wanted to see some additional documents (glad I brought them), and then said I was approved. He left the room for a minute and then returned with my letter of invitation to the Oath ceremony, which will be on December 11.

I was relieved that it was not any later than that date, because I have a trip to Canada planned for December 20th. That gives me about a week to get a U.S. passport. I think I will visit a passport center to get same day service. There isn't one immediately in my area, but there are 3-4 within 2 hours drive.

Got the letter today, interview on 11/19.

In line for an interview as of 10/14.

Very easy biometrics today-- took under 10 minutes from when I first entered the building.

I have a question though. My interview will probably take a while to be scheduled, since I am still about 2 months from the 3-year anniversary of my GC. It seems very likely that I will have the interview in late October or early November, going by my local office timelines. I have some travel planned for around one week around that time which I will not be able to reschedule. Also, my job involves important weekly meetings every Thursday which I cannot possibly miss.

I'm hoping my interview will not conflict with the one-week travel or on Thursdays. Is there any point writing a letter to USCIS or to my local ASC requesting that they avoid certain dates for the interview? Or is it better to just wait to see when the interview is scheduled and then ask for rescheduling if necessary?

My biometrics will be on 9/15.

Just got the letter today. They gave me three days notice! Luckily I can make it without a problem.

NOA received 8/29.

Hi,

Kash or someone else, can you add me to the Dallas list please?

GC date: 11/14/12

Sent: 8/19/15

Cashd: 8/26/15

Office: Albany, NY

Ok, thanks everyone for the replies.

Hi,

I'm eligible to apply for citizenship in August this year under the three year-rule. My wife and I have been living in the U.S. since I entered as a permanent resident, together with our child. I've been working here full-time since then.

I've just accepted a new job based in Canada which will start in September. The job will have me working in Canada 2 days a week, but I'll be working from home (i.e. in the US) the rest of the time. We'll still have our house and our lives very much here in the US, as my wife's job and my son's school are here. For the two days I will need to be in Toronto, I may either just stay in a hotel or rent a condo if I get something cheap.

I'm not worried about showing that I have been, and will continue to be, a full-time resident of the US. But my question is: will my new employment based in Canada will raise any red flags that might make the Citizenship process harder or longer?

Thanks.

Hi,

My family lives in NY State. Wife is a USC, I'm a Canadian citizen and US Permanent Resident. We have a baby who is a few months old, born in the US. We recently applied for and got him his US passport. Our long-term plans are in flux because of our job situation. We have better job prospects back in Canada and are thinking of moving back there this summer. I will need to start the sponsorship process for my wife quite soon in that case.

But I don't understand what to do about our child. He is a Canadian citizen too, as my son (first generation born abroad). But I looked up the rules and it appears we need to first obtain a citizenship certificate, and only then get him a Canadian passport. But because we live in the US, we need to apply for the certificate through the Canadian consulate in NYC. I contacted them and they say it takes a year to get it because of application backlogs at CIC.

But we want to move back to Canada in a few months. If we show up at the border with just his US passport, and his birth certificate showing me as his father, will they let him in to stay indefinitely? And how do we go about getting the benefits that he is entitled to, namely health insurance in the province we live in? I know there will be a three month waiting period for him to establish residency in the province, but once that is done he is entitled to be on the province's health plan. Will CIC not fast track his application for a citizenship certificate? I don;t understand how they can deny a citizen of Canada his/her rights just because they have a long backlog of applications.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think you can pull this off.

I was in exactly the same situation as you earlier this year. Wife is USC, with apartment in the US, I'm Canadian citizen with apartment in Toronto. We needed to set up a new house in the states in advance of expecting our baby. But I had no official status in the US, and she had no legal claim to the stuff in *my* apartment (even though we were married, and she had originally bought most of those things). So there just wasn't any way for either of us to bring the furniture over until my greencard was officially approved.

It sucked, but we had to buy new stuff, which basically duplicated all the existing stuff in my Toronto apartment, and then sell or give away my stuff when the time came for me to move. There really is no way around this.

I started doing this just a few weeks ago. Became a US PR and live in NY State. But I have kept my job in Canada, at least for the next few months. They allow me to mostly work remotely, except for having to come in for a few meetings a couple of times a month.

I have given up my Canadian residence, drivers' license and health card, and have no family or personal ties in Canada. So I will make the case to the CRA that I should be treated as a non-resident for tax purposes. As I understand it, this will imply paying taxes to the CRA on my Canadian income only, but not on any income that my spouse or I earn in the US. Then the US should not tax me for any income earned in Canada, since I will earn a tax credit for taxes paid to Canada which will be more than what the IRS would have taken anyway. THe IRS will tax us on any income earned in the US or the rest of the world, which should not be subject to Canadian taxation.

If anyone thinks I am reading the tax situation incorrectly, please let me know.

Also, about pay cheques- there is no reason it should be too difficult. My Canadian employer will only deposit my pay in CAD into a Canadian bank account. I then use something like xetrade or my brokerage account to periodically convert these amounts to USD and send them to my bank account here.

Thanks for both replies above. I will contact CBP to ask about my case since it seems to a be a bit unusual. I guess not too many people have imported a car to Canada from the US and then want to re-import it into the US.

Most large Canadian airports allow Nexus members to use Nexus kiosks and skip the regular lanes. This has been the practice for a number of years. But unlike at the land border, you still need a passport. THat's because airlines require passports when taking international flights. THere have been some instances of Nexus members occasionally being allowed to board on the strnegth of their Nexus card alone (I've done it myself), but it is not standard practice, and you could be in a big jam if the airline says no, which is most likely.

Hi,

I was granted conditional permanent residence status last week. Now I'm working on importing my car to the US. Three questions:

1. I have owned my car in Canada for the last 6 years. I read that I can import it duty-free to the US, and would only need to pay the fee to register it in the state I now live in. Is that correct?

2. I originally bought the car in the US 6 years ago, and imported it to Canada. Since the vehicle was manufactured to meet US guidelines, is there any need for me to to obtain a recall clearance letter in order to bring it back to the US?

3. Once imported to the US, is it true that there is a 1-year restriction on my being able to sell it here? I know that was the case when I originally took the car to Canada. I am toying with the idea of selling the car soon, so if there is in fact a 1-year restriction on selling then I may decide to get rid of it in Canada itself.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

With regard to your second question- yes you can re-enter Canada without a passport IF you travel by road in a personal vehicle, and if you carry proof citizenship such as a citizenship card or Nexus card or expired passport. These things will not be enough if traveling by air, train or bus.

Hi,

Just a quick review of my CR-1 journey over the last 2 weeks. I had my appointment on November 5th in Montreal. Nothing special to report, my experience seemed to be similar to that of all the others at MTL. Got in line at the consulate, went upstairs, showed my documents at the first window, had my "interview" 5 mins later at the second window, and was told I was approved after some pro-forma questions.

One thing that did strike me though was how unnecessary the whole interview process was. The questions I was asked were perfunctory, and the checking of documents seemed unnecessary given how much documentation I have sent USCIS/NVC over the last few months. I have actually gone through the entire Permanent Residence process in Canada too (5 years ago) and the Canadian process was much more efficient. No need for an in-person interview, they just asked for documents by mail, requested additional information if needed, and then asked for your passport by mail as well in order to stamp the visa which they returned by Fedex. By contrast the US makes applicants from all over Canada travel to Montreal just for a 5 minute interview. Seems like a huge waste of time and money, both for the consulate and the applicants. I understand needing to personally interview applicants in some high-fraud countries, or even some questionable applicants in Canada, but making ALL of us do this is silly in my opinion.

Anyway, the consulate told me that the visa and passport would be returned in a week. That was too long for me to wait in Montreal, since my wife and newborn baby were at home in the US (NY state) and it was too hard for my wife to manage things on her own for a week. So I drove to the US the same day using my Nexus card, then drove back to Montreal a week later to get the passport. I then crossed the border at Champlain, NY to activate the visa. The agents there were generally competent, although the agent doing my paperwork took FOREVER to get my fingerprints right. I had anticipated being at the POE for just 20 minutes, but it took over an hour just to get the prints. In the end I'm glad she made sure that the prints came out ok, but I'm sure a more experienced officer would have done them right in 2 minutes.

So all done. Just waiting for the green card and new SSN card now.

Thanks everyone.

I did send a photocopy of the CR1 visa, with the stamp issued at Champlain. That's when the moving company insisted on the I94 as well. I am glad that you all agree that they are making a mistake here, not me . I will insist that they proceed with shipping my goods.

Thanks again.

Hi,

My Cr-1 visa was issued a couple of weeks ago, and I entered the US yesterday by driving across the border at Champlain, NY. My visa was processed and stamped, which creates a temporary green card, until the physical card arrives in the mail. So I am now a permanent resident of the US.

I had already given my household goods to a moving company, with instructions to move them to my new US address once my permanent residence came through. But now the moving company wants a copy of my I-94, before they can send my goods to the border. But I don't have an I94! As I understand it, that document is only given to non-immigrants in the US. All I have is my validated CR1 visa, until I receive the green card in the mail.

THe moving company says that their drivers have been refused entry with goods in the past if not carrying a copy of the shipper's I94. So they are refusing to move my goods until I show them a valid I94 (impossible), or my green card. I tell them that they don't know what they are talking about.

I'd just like someone to confirm that I am not missing something, and the moving company is wrong. Any opinions?

Thanks.

Hi there,

I have an interview with Montreal on November 5th for a CR1 visa.

I am thinking about requesting a later date. I'm currently at my wife's place in the US, since we just had a newborn baby. It is hard for me to schedule two trips back to Montreal in the next month, one for the medical and one for the interview, given that i don't want to leave my wife alone with the baby for too long. So I am thinking of contacting the Montreal consulate to see if they will give me a later date(ideally a month later).

Is this a good idea? Any idea if they would be receptive to this request? Has anyone here done this? My biggest concern is that requesting a later interview may delay it much more than 1 month.

Sheesh! I've been waiting for a case complete from the NVC. Instead, today I received a checklist from them. They want a police certificate from India, where I was born and lived until I was 21.

The thing is that I am no longer a citizen of India, since I lost citizenship automatically when I became a Canadian citizen last year. And India does not provide police certificates to non_indian citizens who live outside India. The State department acknowledges this on its website.

I wrote this in my cover letter when submitting the IV package. But today I got this checklist asking for an Indian police check. Immediately below the request they provide information on how to obtain one, but state that these are not available to non-Indian citizens applying for visas outside of India.

So... catch 22? I guess I should call them.

Hi, our CR-1 visa application is moving forward at the NVC.

August 15: received case number, paid AOS fee, sent DS-261, sent optin-email for electronic processing.

August 17: paid IV Fee

August 20: IV and AOS fee show as PAID. DS-260 complete and submitted.

I have two questions:

1. We have not yet received confirmation that the our request for electronic processing has been accepted. Do you think it is ok to go ahead and email the AOS and IV packages anyway? They are ready to go.

2. I read Saylin's instructions for submitting AOS packages. She says to include the document cover sheet as part of the PDF package. But the instructions on the payment portal state:

"Unless this case has joined the Electronic Processing Program you will need a Document Cover Sheet."

Since we are in fact doing electronic processing, do we still need to include this? It is easy to do so, of course, but I don't want to include something they specifically do not want.

Thanks.

Uh, your own timeline isn't filled in. Why not practice what you preach and fill yours in first?