kc247

That doesn't sound correct to me? I am quite sure a US citizen can move to Canada and eventually get Canadian citizen without renouncing their US citizenship...

I am thinking that I won't, partly because we don't plan on living here forever. My husband will be done school in a year and a half, we will either plan to move to Canada then, or if he gets a job where he would like, they have a couple locations in Canada, so he would work here for a year or so and then put his name in to transfer to one of those locations. So either way we hope to return to Canada shortly after his graduation. Though I am not opposed to living on the east coast of the US, closer to my family than I am now...if that were to happen I might choose to naturalize mainly because it would be easier to cross the border
If it wasn't for the fact that the oath mentions renouncing any foreign citizenship...I would be more for it. I know it is just words & you are not actually renouncing it, but it still bothers me and I don't take it lightly. I am a proud Canadian and in no way want to take any other citizenship before my Canadian citizenship. I know they don't make you renounce it & it is just words..but that is just how I feel. Maybe I will be okay with it in the future.

I think every relationship is different & you need to do whatever works for the both of you.
For me & my now husband, when we were doing the K1 process we texted quite constantly. We both understood we had our own lives and we might send a message and if the other person didn't answer for awhile, we knew they were busy doing their own thing. If I was going out with friends I would send him a text and say I'd be out with them for a couple hours and he might not hear from me. Same if he was busy. We would skype at least once a week, more if possible. It all worked for us. Communication was important for us during that time. Every month or so I would send him a package, some Canadian chocolate bars or things like that. He'd send me written letters quite regularly, he was better at that than I was.
But I think you just need to do what you both feel keeps the relationship stronger. Is he not willing to learn how to use the internet or a computer or phone in order to keep in contact with you better?

Whoever it was has no idea what they are talking about haha, since I am receiving benefits now and I came here on a K1. I did it all online and through the mail so I never had to talk to someone on the phone for them to tell me 'no'.

Whoever it was has no idea what they are talking about haha, since I am receiving benefits now and I came here on a K1. I did it all online and through the mail so I never had to talk to someone on the phone for them to tell me 'no'.

Lots of people have replied but I'm just going to add what I did. I got my SSN after we got married, and I got it in my maiden name, even though I am technically changing my last name to his name. Since so many of my documents are in my maiden name, I still use my maiden name for many things (EI etc). I also never had to put on our marriage certificate if I was officially taking his name or not. I just decided to take it, actually I would of preferred to keep my maiden name, but I didn't want to make things complicated when we had kids and their last names and having a different one than them..soo I decided to just suck it up and change it haha.
Anyway I believe most people wait until they have their EAD to change their SSN to their married name. I haven't yet , because the SSN office is an hour away and I don't see the point in rushing to change it when I can still use it in my maiden name... so no rush unless you really care about it being the married name haha.
Also I will add you don't have to have the SSN to Adjust Status, I didn't, and just left it blank. I am also in no rush to change my passport, etc, I will change those things when they need to be renewed.

Where did anyone say we call it whatever we want? I said it is easy to get the names confused when you have been calling it something else your entire life. There is a lot of things that are different here that take time to adjust to.

I wish I was California bound...we went to Anaheim for our honeymoon and I would of gladly stayed! I love warm weather. People here are like 'you are Canadian you must be used to it!' I may be used to it but that doesn't mean I like it! It is warmer here in Utah than home, but not a whole lot, just shorter winters mainly.
I found cheese curds at a local grocery store and was way too excited. I have also made home made donairs for a few friends that turned out fabulous!

I wish I was California bound...we went to Anaheim for our honeymoon and I would of gladly stayed! I love warm weather. People here are like 'you are Canadian you must be used to it!' I may be used to it but that doesn't mean I like it! It is warmer here in Utah than home, but not a whole lot, just shorter winters mainly.
I found cheese curds at a local grocery store and was way too excited. I have also made home made donairs for a few friends that turned out fabulous!

Just ranted to my parents about this on the phone today haha, drives me crazy, even though I will have 'healthcare' once I finally get my application stuff figured out...it really doesn't help me any..I still have to pay to go to the doctor/get a prescription.. all it does is make me not go crazy in debt if I .. get in a car accident..etc.. something that will cost thousands. Nothing like I am used to..going to the Dr for free, paying barely anything at the dentist. We aren't planning to have kids for a few years but it worries me if something happened and we had an unplanned pregnancy.. it costs so much! I took as many packs of birth control as I could before I left, and have 4 more left in my year prescription and am hoping if I call the clinic where I get my pills, my Mom will be able to mail them to me. After that I plan on just going to Planned Parenthood here & seeing what the options are.

I've been here 2 months on the 20th. It's easier than it was but I still miss home a lot & that will never change. i miss living in Canada. I live in a bigger city than I came from, I came from a small town, so that is nice. I find the hardest part not having my friends & family around anymore. The only friend I have is my husband, which is fine, but he works & goes to school a lot & I have nothing to do/no money to do anything even if I wanted to. I would of course rather be here with him than home waiting like I was before. I would rather us both live in Canada but at the moment that isn't an option. The health care definitely bothers me, I came from a job that I had really good benefits from, covered everything basically. I don't understand the US health care, so I complain about it a lot but try to suck it up. I miss my dog a lot, if I had him with me it would make it easier because I would get out more with him. He couldn't come with me though, our apartment isn't pet friendly & it is all we can afford at the moment. Once I get settled in a job we will move somewhere that is and hopefully my parents will eventually drive down with him. I don't want him to go on a plane. It probably would of been easier if I came from living alone, but I lived at home with my family and then came here to not having them around and being alone a lot. I am not one to go join groups or anything like that if I am alone. I would rather stay home than have to be put in a social setting that makes me feel awkward haha. I do go to the university gym a few mornings a week which gets me out and about so I like that! It will be easier once I am working, but the thought of having to go apply for jobs and go through interviews stresses me out as well haha. My worst fear is that I won't find a job in my field & will have to go get a job at a grocery store or something.. & there is nothing wrong with that at all, but I worked at one for 7 years and the thought of having to go back to that type of job worries me!
Sorry for complaining, it really isn't all that bad, we have fun and I do like it here. I just wish I could go visit home! But I will say it is easier than it was..I don't get choked up thinking about my family anymore so that is progress! I think it just depends on the individual, some people adjust to change better than others!
Oh & it is funny when people ask where I am from and I say Nova Scotia, I usually don't add in Canada...because I stubbornly think people should know that is in Canada. Often they are like....Nova Scotia..Europe? One guy was like 'that's technically in Canada right?' I'm like....it is fully in Canada actually. I do like the price of gas much more here..it is about $3.30 a gallon, not sure if that is a good price in the US? But home we were paying about $1.40 a litre when I left.

Same thing happened with my husband, he lived in Canada & made no income in 2011 so he didn't file for that year. We went on the IRS website and requested proof of not filing, printed it off, and attached a statement from him saying why he wasn't required to file. We just left that space blank for 2011. Not sure if we did it the right way, but that is what we did. Also we did NOT check the box off saying he filed for the past 3 years, since he didn't.

Hmm, I thought all you needed was DS-156 (2 copies) and DS-156K? & don't they already have those from your packet 3? Or do you have to fill out another copy of each? Also was not aware we needed copy of the petitioner's passport? I have a copy from our i-129f I can bring, but had not read that it was needed. Also, is just a photocopy okay of the petitioner birth certificate? I have read some people saying they brought the original. I don't have the original.. I would need him to mail it now if it is needed!

I just had my medical done on Friday Dec 6 (yay!). I had it done in Ontario with Dr. Zatzman.
My appointment was scheduled for 9:30am, I got there at about 9:20. The room you go to is on the second floor and is quite small. I went to the desk and told the receptionist I had an appointment with Dr. Zatzman at 9:30 (I had the pleasure of dealing with Michele....), she asked me if I had the right paperwork (without telling me what the 'right' paperwork was..) I said 'yes' (because I knew from reading other reviews what I needed to bring), then she asked what I brought, I was like '...everything' and just handed her my folder of all my stuff so she could sort through it since she wasn't being very helpful. I brought my interview appointment confirmation, packet 4 from Montreal, my immunization records, 1 passport picture, and my passport. She then photocopied a bunch of stuff and it took probably 10 mins. She called the courier to see how much it would be to courier it to Nova Scotia, and that was $25. Then she asked for $240 in cash (CANADIAN cash). Then told me to sit down and wait.
I waited about half an hour before Dr. Zatzman called my name. It was very quick with him, we sat down and he asked me a list of questions, I don't even remember what they were, there were a bunch of them but none of them applied to me, just asking about different diseases and whatnot, asked if I was taking any prescription drugs I think that was the only question I didn't say no to. Then he got me to stand against the door and read the 2nd bottom line of a chart of letters to check my eyes. Then he took my height & weight, took my blood pressure and checked my heart rate. This was all very quick & he made small talk the whole time, talking about how he was from NS as well. After that he took my immunization records and typed them into the computer, this took the longest, he told me only about 50% of the people he see actually have the right vaccinations done and then they can't get the results in time for their interview... so everyone make sure you have the right vaccinations beforehand! After this he gave me a couple forms, one for the bloodwork, and one for the xray, and told me where to go. Very simple process with the Dr!
So I went downstairs and tried to find the blood place, went to the wrong room first but then they told me where to go. You go in & take a number and sit and wait. I probably waited about 10 mins before my number was called, the lady asked for my health card, then looked at the form I gave her, looked slightly confused, then said, 'oh nevermind you pay $7.76 for this' (which I knew already), then said she would be right back, and left for a few mins then came back and I paid with my debit. Then she told me to go to this little cubicle and sit down. I went in and someone came and tied a rubber thing around my upper arm and told me to make a fist, then basically just stabbed a needle in me and took some blood, stuck a bandaid on and told me to go haha. It was very quick & slightly unpleasant.
So then it was on the the Xray! I found that room easily and took a number and sat and waited some more. Waited probably about 10 or 15 mins, then was called & gave the lady my passport and the form I was given & $50 in cash. She then told me for some reason she couldn't put my Nova Scotia address in the computer (...dunno why, they had no problems at the Dr. office with it), so then I had to call my Uncle to get his address in Ontario. Then sat and waited a few more minutes before they called me in. A girl told me to go to a little room with a curtain & take off everything waist up including my bra, & put on a yellow gown that was open at the back. I velcroed it closed and awkwardly waited with the curtain half open until someone came and told me what to do. A nice lady came and got me and took me in a room right across from me and told me to press my chest onto this big machine and put my arms around it, she undid the velcro at the back and told me to breath in and hold it and then breath out. That was it! i went and changed and left.
The whole process felt like it took forever but it really only took an hour and a half.. of mostly waiting..each thing took only a few minutes for the actual process. I would recommend this place for a medical!
(sorry for the super detailed post I just thought it might be helpful for people who are going to go!)

I just had my medical done on Friday Dec 6 (yay!). I had it done in Ontario with Dr. Zatzman.
My appointment was scheduled for 9:30am, I got there at about 9:20. The room you go to is on the second floor and is quite small. I went to the desk and told the receptionist I had an appointment with Dr. Zatzman at 9:30 (I had the pleasure of dealing with Michele....), she asked me if I had the right paperwork (without telling me what the 'right' paperwork was..) I said 'yes' (because I knew from reading other reviews what I needed to bring), then she asked what I brought, I was like '...everything' and just handed her my folder of all my stuff so she could sort through it since she wasn't being very helpful. I brought my interview appointment confirmation, packet 4 from Montreal, my immunization records, 1 passport picture, and my passport. She then photocopied a bunch of stuff and it took probably 10 mins. She called the courier to see how much it would be to courier it to Nova Scotia, and that was $25. Then she asked for $240 in cash (CANADIAN cash). Then told me to sit down and wait.
I waited about half an hour before Dr. Zatzman called my name. It was very quick with him, we sat down and he asked me a list of questions, I don't even remember what they were, there were a bunch of them but none of them applied to me, just asking about different diseases and whatnot, asked if I was taking any prescription drugs I think that was the only question I didn't say no to. Then he got me to stand against the door and read the 2nd bottom line of a chart of letters to check my eyes. Then he took my height & weight, took my blood pressure and checked my heart rate. This was all very quick & he made small talk the whole time, talking about how he was from NS as well. After that he took my immunization records and typed them into the computer, this took the longest, he told me only about 50% of the people he see actually have the right vaccinations done and then they can't get the results in time for their interview... so everyone make sure you have the right vaccinations beforehand! After this he gave me a couple forms, one for the bloodwork, and one for the xray, and told me where to go. Very simple process with the Dr!
So I went downstairs and tried to find the blood place, went to the wrong room first but then they told me where to go. You go in & take a number and sit and wait. I probably waited about 10 mins before my number was called, the lady asked for my health card, then looked at the form I gave her, looked slightly confused, then said, 'oh nevermind you pay $7.76 for this' (which I knew already), then said she would be right back, and left for a few mins then came back and I paid with my debit. Then she told me to go to this little cubicle and sit down. I went in and someone came and tied a rubber thing around my upper arm and told me to make a fist, then basically just stabbed a needle in me and took some blood, stuck a bandaid on and told me to go haha. It was very quick & slightly unpleasant.
So then it was on the the Xray! I found that room easily and took a number and sat and waited some more. Waited probably about 10 or 15 mins, then was called & gave the lady my passport and the form I was given & $50 in cash. She then told me for some reason she couldn't put my Nova Scotia address in the computer (...dunno why, they had no problems at the Dr. office with it), so then I had to call my Uncle to get his address in Ontario. Then sat and waited a few more minutes before they called me in. A girl told me to go to a little room with a curtain & take off everything waist up including my bra, & put on a yellow gown that was open at the back. I velcroed it closed and awkwardly waited with the curtain half open until someone came and told me what to do. A nice lady came and got me and took me in a room right across from me and told me to press my chest onto this big machine and put my arms around it, she undid the velcro at the back and told me to breath in and hold it and then breath out. That was it! i went and changed and left.
The whole process felt like it took forever but it really only took an hour and a half.. of mostly waiting..each thing took only a few minutes for the actual process. I would recommend this place for a medical!
(sorry for the super detailed post I just thought it might be helpful for people who are going to go!)

I have been calling the past 2 days to try and book a medical for the first week of December. Keep getting the answering machine... super annoying!! I need to get it booked so I can book a plane ticket!

Pretty sure it can't be done. Or I would gladly fly to Vancouver instead of Montreal for less of a wait time for an interview!

I would say no.. because you were denied entry, not a visa, since you are Canadian and we don't need a visa to go into the States. I seem to remember there being a question in one of the forms of packet 3 that specifically asked if you were ever denied entry into the US. I would think that is the only question you would say yes to.

I have B2 written there on every stamp on my passport! One of them even has a date written underneath (6 months from entry). I put 'no' to ever have been issued a visa. I never thought twice about the 'B2'.

I actually found it the least pleasant going back INTO Canada than going to the States last month, the customs man I got going into the States was really nice (slightly flirty?), and when I was coming back I was glad I got this young, nice looking fellow, & I thought..oh he's young, I shall work my charm. I don't think he so much as cracked a smile the whole time haha. So..it all depends I guess! Let's all hope we (or our fiances) get nice people when we or they enter the States on the K1 visa!

My grandparents go to Florida from New Brunswick every year for 6 months and have only just had to show proof of vaccinations. Never have had a problem with the dogs at the border. My plan is for my parents to take my dog with them after I am settled, they will drive with him for their visit, and leave him with me. I have done some research and it doesn't seem like people have too much trouble with dogs at the border as long as you have the proper paperwork. (Maybe I'm wrong? Just what I've heard..I sure hope I don't have problems as I can't live without my boy!) I wonder if it's easier to fly? I really don't want to have to ship him on a plane.

I'm from Nova Scotia too!
From what I've read the most common thing is to go for Montreal for approximately a week (to make sure you get the results in time), have the medical first and have a few days in between then have the interview. So you would wait until you get the interview date then call the medical office & tell them your interview date so they can schedule the medical ahead of time.
I wish there was a place in Halifax to get it done! Would make it so much easier to just go to Montreal for the interview!