Buxi&Dusk

Good idea! There is a website that already does that but the shipping cost is silly. Also the markup on certain products.

I'm SO glad I'm not the only one. I thought I was being too picky about food in the US. I'm not finding things all that cheaper here than they are in Canada, could be the area I live in though. I've found mostly British foods, but that is great in my books!
Giant: (Giant has a pretty good international food section)
Billy Bee Canadian Clover honey in the bear shape! Expensive but worth it. IMHO.
Sharwood's Tikka Masala and Pataks Butter Chicken simmer sauces. They are british, but I love a good curry.
Pim's european biscuits - Orange and chocolate
Yorkshire puddings and pancake mix
Ribena
Nature's Promise Tuna - just tuna, salt and water! Expensive though.
Shoppers Foods:
Bird's custard
PG tips
World Market:
Various foods, but I found HP there and After Eights oh and a stale coffee crisp.
Trader Joe's
Wheetabix
Target:
Dorset Cereals
I'm going to get new flour. I didn't know that. Could be why my soughdough starter hasn't worked!
I miss pickles, they are not the same here and have "yellow 5" in them.
Hope this helps!

VSC approval here guys.
I got it while I was watching TV. I squealed and screamed and hopped.

Helpful info for anyone in Toronto!
If you might not know what kind of vaccines you've received by your family doctor, etc you can call Toronto Public Health and request a copy of your immunization record. I can't remember the number I called. With some research I found two numbers; the number for Toronto Public Health is 416-338-7600 and the number for Immunization Information Line is 416-392-1250. When I called in, the lady was very nice and helpful.
I got my records mailed to me and received it in 4 business days from the call.
It'll be very helpful for your medical exam when the time comes.
Hope that helps!

Lesson learned from this thread, do not try to be positive. Because someone with a worse timeline than you will inevitably tell you that your waiting meant nothing, theirs was longer so theirs means more, and you don't know what you're talking about because YOU didn't wait as long as THEY did.
Let people be miserable if they want to be miserable.
Let them check USCIS five times a day if they want to.
Let them draft letters and petitions if that makes them feel better, though chances are, they won't go anywhere.
Let people do whatever they need to do to get through their waiting period.
We all know the waiting sucks, but here on VJ, it's turned into a competition. So let the miserable ones "win" the title of Most Rightfully Irritated With USCIS and move on with your life and YOUR relationship.
They don't want advice. They don't want positive words of encouragement. They want to do exactly what they're already doing.
It was nice of you to try, though.

I filed for K1 in June 2012...
I knew, and I accepted the fact that it would be a long ride....
So I just waited... My fiancé' and I skyped several times a week, we sent text massages daily.. and we just waited... Of course I was upset at the 5 month mark.. we all are... but we just waited.. and we prepared our documents for the next step, and we spoke of our dreams for the future.... and in December we rec'd NOA2.... the prepared for our interview in Moscow in March.. and all went well..!!!
So please, relax... it will all be done... prepare your documents, work on your relationships....
dreams to not come true overnight.. sometimes it takes 6 months, sometimes 12 months....
make your time productive... I painted bedrooms, cleaned the house, did some gardening....
and all will be fine...

No kidding - I keep having people say it's sooo expensive. But think about it. It lasts 5 years so it's just $10 a year and since I'll likely be crossing at the busiest times I will save myself hours and hours not to mention gas sitting in line! So worth it!

Be honest, don't lie. There is no reason to lie. If you get caught lying you're going to be S.O.L. and possibly have challenges with your petition or he could be denied entry for a length of time instead. If they turn him away on this attempt he can always try again right away but provide the ties they're looking for.
Many of us have crossed throughout the process with no problem. I have for 3 years before getting married and then after getting married, crossed just about every other weekend until this past week when we completed our interviews.

I agree with Buxi. The moment they discover that the car in front contains the fiancee, and not one of you mentioned it, game over. You need to be completely honest when dealing with CBP. Anything else will get you in a world of trouble. If they discover he's been lying or trying to hide something it's going to be very unpleasant for him in secondary. Your father and grandmother in the car backing up the fact that you're going about things in the right way with the visa will be more helpful than them sitting in a car on the other side waiting to pick him up. He may get denied and he may not. Just be prepared with a backup plan. Lying and telling the truth will be the difference between him being allowed to withdraw his application for this particular entry and him being hit with misrepresentation and barred.
Here is a link on visitation:
http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1visit

I think the best thing is to tell the officer the truth. If they find out otherwise - they can deny entry. I heard people get denied for less.
" the easiest thing to do would have him say he's coming down for a vacation/getting away from the Canadian cold....If asked any further questions, i.e where he's staying, THEN he'll say he's staying with his fiance, etc. etc. Our biggest worry is the POE officer not believing him when he promises he'll be leaving at the end of his stay. But like I said, that's IF they ask for proof of ties."
That is two different stories and will NOT fly with the officers. I'm sorry.
He may also need to prove that he has enough money for him to support himself to be there that long as well. Also, a good tie to Canada is having a ticket with a return date, proof of address, visa bill,etc.
I have crossed many times and I'm just going by my experiences. They have all been good, because I told the truth, had return tickets and itineraries, proof of being tied to Canada, etc.
I hope this has been helpful. Good luck!

One idea would be to just have him go with you and explain everything. He can get denied either way, but your chances might be better. Just a thought.

If you do a search her eon VJ--you will find a zillion hits on Canadians visiting the USA during the visa process, I mean this question gets asked multiple times a week. All one can do is have the best evidence you can have and hope you get an understanding POE officer. Most visit the USA with no problems, but of course most only stay for shorter periods, the longer one stays, the POE officer MAY ask more questions, may not Never LIE, answer the questions truthfully, it doesn't take them long to figure out whats going on----- But just answer their questions--keep it short and to the point, but do not lie or make them think one is hiding stuff. Denied entry is not a big deal--yes it sucks--but if one gets banned, that is a totally different story!!

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/monthly_filers.php?form=1&visa=1&scenter=3&option=2&sortby=2
If you are on this list, please check your case # and edit your timeline to the correct service center. It will help everyone else on the site to see more correct info.
WAC##### = California Service Center
EAC##### = Vermont Service Center
Mailing to the Texas Lockbox does not equal Texas Service Center.
Thank you.

I think you can do either or... We don't have a local police dept which is why I went to the rcmp. It was only $25 and I got it back right away. It took them less than 5 mins to do the check. Lol.

You do not have to go through the RCMP unless you have a criminal record in which case you'll need a fingerprint check done. Otherwise your local police department is fine so long as they search the CPIC or national records repository with your name(s) and date of birth. You can also use commissionaires: http://www.commissionaires.ca/ I went to my local police station in Mississauga and got a police check done in 5 minutes. It cost $45.

While I can appreciate there will be some impact especially at border services, what I find most interesting is to try and see what impact sequestering will have on the processing of any immigrant or non-immigrant petitions since USCIS claims that they do not use any tax-based funds to process any immigration related costs. Immigration fees are set at the rates they are because no tax payer dollars are assigned by Congress to be used for immigration purposes - those receiving the benefits must pay the costs related to those benefits -which means that the wages and overhead expenses of those USCIS employees adjudicating and processing petitions and applications should not be affected by sequestering. There should be no real impact on processing time since these people are not going to be affected by sequestering- their wages and overhead costs are not paid for from funds affected by sequestering but are paid by all of the non-government immigrants and sponsors. Crossing the border may take longer because of the lack of security people at the border, but that is going to be the same impact any of us travellling overseas would experience; it is not immigrant specific.

OK, there seems to be some confusion on how this data was arrived at, or that if this data even exists from USCIS (it does).
Also, I am not expecting anyone to take my word on this, if you are skeptical, I encourage you to look at the data yourself, and come to your own logical conclusion.
From the USCIS web page, the chart with their data (only updated to Nov 2012): http://dashboard.uscis.gov/index.cfm?formtype=6&office=2&charttype=1
it shows the national average, and the CSC data in a chart below (make sure to scroll down).
You can change the service center by the tabs, as well as form type (the link is for I-129F, CSC, which is one of the data sets I am using).
The raw data used to derive these charts (and what I used in my charts) is here (also is a link on the lower left corner of the graph, csv format): http://dashboard.uscis.gov/csvfiles/I-129-F_California-Service-Center_Trend-Chart.csv
The data is arranged per month, so it shows "Receipts" which is the NOA1 ("On xxxx xx, 20xx, we received this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)") and "completions" (NOA2) they have completed that month. Those completions are not the same petitions as the ones received in that month, they are only the data of each type processed in a given month.
The all other pending are the amount of petitions outstanding, that is receipts (NOA1) that are not completed yet (NOA2). The awaiting customer action are RFE's. That number seems high, and in fact doesn't jibe with VJ data, but there is an explanation for that: VJ users have been thoroughly prepped to send in a complete application. Do you think you may have recieved an RFE if you didn't use VJ (or another resource on the internet)?
Now for some reason, there are some on VJ who, unbelievably, don't acknowledge the existence of this data. They seem to have some kind of agenda to keep you uninformed. They also downplay the significance of VJ data. I really don't know what their intentions are...perhaps they don't want to have people see that CSC is slower than VSC, and has been since December. What ever their intentions are, it is very un-american, and I don't like it.
The data is there, you are free to use it...or not use it. Your choice.
And in fact, I am going to try to predict the USCIS NOA2 numbers that will occur for Dec-feb (later today, after I get back from the beach and have time to analyze the error between VJ and USCIS data).

Looking back 2 years of data from VJ and USCIS, these are some observations:
"CSC is faster than VSC" or "They go back and forth being faster, it doesn't matter in the scheme of things"
Well, lets take a look.
(sorry, #u&!n@ Bill Gates wont let me put text labels for an xy plot, month 1 starts at December 2010 sequentially to month 27 February 2013, half month up to Feb 14. The VJ data I only looked at as far back as Feb 2011, which = month 3)

or for those that prefer a bar graph:

So for most of 2011, VSC is actually ahead of CSC, while in 2012, half of the months CSC is ahead of VSC, although April-june 2012 CSC is quite a bit higher than VSC (months 18-20), then VSC is quite a bit higher the rest of the time from September 2012 through today. So, in general, CSC is not faster than VSC. But, in the scheme of things, it does matter, looking at the data from October until today (month 23-27), CSC is in a rut. It is unprecedented in the last 2 years. Only one earlier month, sept 2011, had a low point near the present levels, and it did not sustain a low level for long.
"But, does VJ timeline data reflect the actual data from USCIS?"
Well, we can take a look at superimposing VJ data over USCIS data and see.
VSC data:

and CSC data:

Well, it looks pretty darn good. Looking at the actual numbers from USCIS data (right y axis), you can see that for VSC data, VJ represents about 7.5% of the actual case data, and CSC is roughly 7% of the actual data...that is a pretty good sample size of the population! Good job VJ!
So, if we agree that VJ data is a good representation of real data (and you don't need to agree, this is all up for debate and discussion after all, which is the reason for this post), then it is pretty clear that CSC is pretty slow these past few months, by just about anyone's definition.
Also, if we use the approximation that 1 person in USCIS can complete 15-20 I-129F cases a day, and VJ data is 7% the actual data, that means that since October 2012, only 1 employee (or the workload equivalent of 1 employee) has been working on CSC I-129F's (I assumed 20 working days in a month). Keep in mind, the average K1 cases processed a month is ~1850 at each service center, so in VJ numbers, that should be about 130 NOA2's a month average. That means we "should" be seeing about 4 NOA2's per calendar day. The number of NOA2's reported for CSC in the last 7 days? 1.
"CSC is slow because of the Dream Act/DACA/etc...."
Well, I don't know if this can really be definitively proved, or disproved. USCIS works on a lot of other visa applications besides K1 visas, much much higher in number than the K1's in fact. However, what has changed recently in visa applications? Well, in August 2012, USCIS began accepting DACA applications, and they began processing them in September, and in huge numbers beginning in October (month 23).
Lets overlay the USCIS data of approved DACA applications over the VJ CSC NOA data:

If we look at the numbers, at ~50,000 DACA applications approved/month, the amount of DACA applications approved per 1 1/2 days is about the same number of NOA 2's processed in an average month at either service center. And dont get too excited about the drop in February (month 27), it is only half the months data, so it will probably end up near 50,000 at the end of the month.
So, are CSC employees that would normally work on I-129F's, working on other applications instead?

My husband and I have been together for 3.5 years but only married in October of 2012. Once we knew that moving to the USA was the better choice for us we wound up moving our marriage forward so we could be together all the time sooner.
Immigrating to the US is a huge privilege and a huge deal. I feel the same way about immigrating to Canada. Either way, you'll have to deal with having a long distance relationship until you both know for sure you want to get married. I agree with you that you should not rush into marriage. Don't talk yourself into it just because you miss each other and it's the only way to immigrate. Be patient with your relationship. If it can withstand the long distance and you truly decide it's the right decision for you then you'll both be stronger and so will your marriage.

General Immigration Guide: http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada
K1 Montreal Guide:
Put this together with some help from a few other members (JeannieL, pocheros, coconuts, Stuart & Thea) to try and get all the confusing FAQs about the Montreal process in one place. Hope it helps people out!
1. NOA2
Once you’ve gotten your NOA2, it’s time to celebrate! Most people wait a while for this, sometimes even dealing with an RFE... Instead of jumping headfirst into the “What comes next!” Stage, take a minute to relax. If you’re going through Montreal, it’s going to take some time. You’ve got it. Put your NOA2 in a safe place since you’ll need it later on for AOS and relax.
2. NVC
Once at least a week has passed, you can feel free to start calling The National Visa Center (NVC). Their number is: 1-603-334-0700 (Pressing 1 for English and 5 for an Operator). They will want both the petitioner and beneficiary’s names and dates of birth, as well as the receipt number for your petition. (WAC# if you went through California, EAC if you went through Vermont). NVC can’t do very much for you as a typical K1 petition doesn’t stay there very long, but this is the information you’re looking to get from them:
-Has your petition arrived at NVC? If not, there’s nothing they can do yet. It can take time for the petition to get there, anywhere from a week to a month, so don’t worry if you find yourself calling frequently.
-Once it’s arrived, does it have a Montreal case number yet? This number will begin with MTL and if they can provide it at NVC, write it down!
-Has the petition left for the consulate? Once this happens, you’re done with NVC! No need to call them for any further updates.
3. DOS
After you get word that the petition is headed for Montreal, give it a few days (I’d say minimum a week) and you can start calling the Department of State (DOS). Their number is: 1-202-663-1225 and to get to a visa specialist, it’s 1 and then 0. This operator will want your MTL # and sometimes both the names and dates of birth for both petitioner and beneficiary. At this stage, you’ll go through the follow things with DOS:
-Has your petition arrived in Montreal? If it has not, there’s nothing to do yet. Montreal is notorious for delays in its mailroom so even if you think it’s unrealistic it hasn’t physically arrived yet, chances are it’s sitting somewhere waiting to be logged. Until DOS gives the word the petition is in Montreal, you just have to sit tight.
-Once the case has arrived, you can ask DOS is Packet 3 has been sent out. Even if it hasn’t, you can prepare and send Packet 3 yourself, the important thing is to make sure Montreal has your case before you send them anything.
4. Preparing Packet 3
Waiting for P3 to physically arrive can be a fruitless task. Many people never get it, sometimes only the petitioner gets it, sometimes it shows up months later. If you want to expedite the process, don’t wait for it. There’s nothing including in Packet 3 that isn’t available on Montreal’s website: http://montreal.usconsulate.gov/content/content.asp?section=visas&document=visa_pkt3
Since even the website can be a little confusing, this is what you send back (all forms available above at Montreal’s website):
Signed Checklist
DS-160 x 1
DS-156K x 1
DS-230 x 1
DS-156 x 2
US style passport photos of the beneficiary x 2
Many have found it helpful to also include a very brief cover letter summarizing the contents, providing an email address and re-iterating the MTL case #.
(If you are doing a K2 as well, don’t forget the forms for them!)
5. Sending Packet 3
How you send P3 is up to you. It can be done for free via DHL, but many have found it faster to just use an xpresspost mailer from Canada Post and eat the cost themselves. If you are sending it via xpresspost, it goes to the following address:
ATTN: Immigrant Visa Unit
315 Place d'Youville Suite 500
Montreal Quebec
H2Y 0A4
Make sure to again write your MTL case # on the mailer itself.
(You could also just send it regular mail, but it’s usually better for peace of mind to get a tracking number, which means XPpesspost.)
6. Waiting
Once P3 has been sent, for the sake of your own sanity give it at least a week before you start calling about it. Again, Montreal is notoriously slow processing documents so there’s no use fretting if you know it’s physically there and it still hasn’t been logged. At this stage, you’re back to calling DOS. They’re open M-F from 8:30am until 5, except for Wednesday’s when they’re closed from 11:30-12:30.
-You’ll want to ask them if P3 has been logged. If it hasn’t, you’ll have to keep calling.
-Once they tell you P3 has been logged, you’ll ask if Packet 4 has been sent out yet? If it has, you will be eligible to schedule your interview.
Note: There have been a LOT of cases of people getting incorrect information from DOS at this stage. Every consulate is different, so even if a representative tells you that your interview will be scheduled for you, this is not the case for K1s right now. As soon as P4 has been sent, you are about to schedule.
7. Scheduling Interviews
The website (Referred to on VJ as the CSC site) is here: http://usvisa-info.com/en-CA/selfservice/ss_country_welcome
You can register at any time once you have your MTL case #, but do NOT schedule an interview until you’ve been told P4 has been sent out. You’ll be prompted to select your reason for immigrating, and you can chose either of the K1 options (Permanently immigrate or ready to schedule). If you chose “Permanently Immigrate” you will need to pay the $350 fee via credit card before you can schedule. If you would rather pay the fee at the interview (US cash only, exact change!) just choose “ready to schedule”
You will follow the prompts to schedule your interview as well as select the DHL branch you wish to pick up your Visa at.
If all goes well, you will get an interview date. A confirmation email will be sent to you, make sure to hold on to that, as you will need to bring it with you to Montreal.
8. No Interviews Available!
Unfortunately, what seems to happen often with Montreal is a message stating “No Interviews Available”. If that is the case, there’s not a lot you can do except keep checking back. If someone cancels their appointment, a time may open up that you can grab. Sometimes Montreal opens additional interviews in the afternoons or just more dates... there’s no specific time of day or month that these things happen, so it’s just luck of the draw. If you’re stuck in limbo without an appointment date, calling DOS or contacting Montreal won’t do anything, unfortunately. Just keep refreshing and waiting.
If you’re lucky it’s just a day or so, sometimes it can be as long as a month without interviews being available. It’s just luck, sadly.
9. Rescheduling Interview?
Oftentimes, if interviews are available they’re months away. If you log in and that’s all that’s available: TAKE IT. Even if it’s further than you’d like, it’s better to have something booked than to hope for something better. You can always reschedule by logging in and clicking “reschedule”. (Note: If the CSC site says the next available interview day is further away than the one you have: do NOT continue from there. You will lose the one you already have booked as soon as you go to the calendar.)
Also: You don’t need to log in and out. Just refreshing the page that tells you if/when the next available appointment is will work fine.
10. Medical
You’ll need to complete a medical before your interview. There’s only four places in Canada you can do this at and they all have different processes and costs. Once you’ve decided where to have it, your best bet is to search the VJ forums for reviews of that particular place. Typing “Toronto Medical” or “Medisys Montreal” in the search bar will bring up excellent accounts.
The websites for the doctors are:
Dr. Seiden: http://panelphysicians.com/ (Toronto and Montreal)
Medisys: http://www.medisys.ca/ (Montreal)
Working Medical: http://www.wokingmedical.com/ (Vancouver)
Your medical can be done at any time before the interview, but it’s best to keep it relatively close. If done within a year of when your AOS is processed, you can use the same medical. All the locations vary for how long it takes to get the results, so refer to the specific location for the specifics on how much time you need to leave.
11. Interview
When it’s finally time for your interview, the best thing you can do is know what to expect. VJ has plenty of consulate reviews available right here: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty=Canada&cty=&dfilter=5 and searching “Montreal Consulate Review” on the forums will also bring up lots of tips and tricks.
The interview really is the easiest part of the process as long as you’re prepared with the correct documents.
For the trip, VJ also has threads about hotels in Montreal close to the consulate and information on parking and travel within the city. Again, searching the forums is your best bet.
12. DOS & DHL
After your interview is when Montreal is most unpredictable. They vary so wildly on the length of time to return visas that it’s really impossible to say what might happen. The best thing to do is prepare for a lengthy wait, you might be pleasantly surprised.
There’s four ways to learn what’s going on with your visa at this stage.
-First, you can go back to calling DOS. They can’t tell you when it will be sent, but they can tell you if the Visa has been printed. Keep in mind, it getting printed doesn’t tell you anything about how soon you’ll be getting it, but sometimes it’s nice to have an update. (Also: Don’t worry too much if DOS tosses around comments about AP at this stage, sometimes they say it to just mean Montreal is still working on the case, not true AP.)
-If you signed up correctly for DHL, you should get an email with your tracking # as soon as the Visa departs Montreal. Depending on your location, the shipping time varies but you’ll be able to track it. Not everyone gets this email, even if they signed up correctly.
-Logging into the CSC website: If you log in and see a waybill # printed underneath your DHL location information, you can track that at dhl.ca to get an update. Not everyone sees this on the website, though.
-If you never get the tracking number, there’s a good chance you’ll get a phone call from DHL once you’re able to pick up the package. If you don’t hear anything, you can always stop by your DHL location and ask, but while it’s happened, there’s a pretty small chance it may be there without any notice. (I’d save this option until you’re absolutely at the end of your rope, however.)
13. POE & Shipping Belongings
Once you have your Passport back from Montreal, you can POE at any time within 6 months. All you need at POE is your passport and the sealed envelope that will come with it, then you’re set to go!
If you’re curious what to expect for POE, head to the reviews section on VJ and look up where you intend to cross: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/poereviews.php
If you have questions about shipping belongings from Canada, search the forums. There have been plenty of threads on this topic!
14. Get Married
You have 90 days from POE to get married. Congratulations!

Most likely they have concentrated on other petitions for a time, it happens. Be aware that this Igor's list is but a tiny fraction of what is received and hundreds of petitions could be approved and not "hit" one on Igor's list, and then even if they do, the person needs to update their timeline. It is a completely imprecise method to determine what is happening except as a broad gauge.
If I depended on such data for my job I would be fired within a month.

I spoke with my Senator's office today. They did an official inquiry into our case for us, and we had an interesting discussion about the cSC workload. They confirmed that the dream act has a separate department that was hired to handle these cases. What we are seeing is the cyclical shift of processing amongst the various other visa's they handle. While the USCIS is still reporting July 18th as the official last processed date, and has been reporting this day for about 1 month, this slowdown is not because of the Dream Act. The VJ members represent about 3% of the cases that are filed with the USCIS (at least that are handled in CSC) and from the historical data from Igor's list, it looks like about 9% of all the VJ members don't update their timelines past NOA1 (taking March through June, assuming that they are all processed, guessing that 3% of the cases are truly still being adjucated leaves a balance of 9% that don't update). So the previous post is about right on for the sweet spot (although I calculated it to be the 25th of July, based on 1.5 VJ approvals per day).

It is, however you find things to pass the time to keep busy and get to plan your life out with your other half.
They are working in the offices, I'm sure. It is paperwork and checking everything. I'm waiting as well, but I would rather see a child that was raised in the US be allowed to stay, rather than be deported back to a country they don't know. (for example)
I'm not going to blame a president either. It isn't one person's fault - I don't think there is fault here, just change. Change isn't always a bad thing either.

If I had to guess, I would say DACA (The Executive Order for staying deportation of illegals who came here as children, similar to the DREAM Act but definitely not the same thing) is consuming a lot of resources for USCIS because a lot of petitions have been filed. Meanwhile, with Congress slashing the federal budget left and right, I am sure they have not been able to hire additional officers to handle the extra work. Hence the longer backlog.
It's not Obama's fault. The Congressional GOP's delegation is the one insisting on budget cuts, which prevent more employees being hired. Having said that, My fiancee and I are beginning to regret the decision to go the K-1 route. Based on earlier processing times, I thought it would be faster than getting married abroad and consular processing for a green card, which takes about a year (or at least used to). If the K-1 timeline is now about the same, we could have married abroad and wouldn't have all to spend the extra fees on the AOS application, the EAD, etc.

shaun of the dead