BR549

County Style????

If giving directions to men... start with Beer Store or LCBO. Then we know which Timmy's to start with.

Brooke's hubby here.... K3 VISA interview tomorrow..... wish us luck!!!

I am pretty sure they do the interviews on all weekdays. They are in the morning and generally in Vancouver you can get your visa that afternoon. Keep in mind that the canadian embassies are closed for both U.S. and Canadian holidays.

Yeah if you depart to the U.S. in any international airport in Canada, then you will go through customs in Canada. Every one of them will be able activate your visa.

I guess it all depends on how backed up they are. I know that vancouver is a lot quicker than montreal. But we still had to wait a month. there is a place on the checklist where you can request an interview date. We just put down "soonest available". I think a week after you send in packet 3 is stretching it quite a lot and will probably not happen. But you never know! Anything can happen in this immigration adventure. Check out some of the timelines for other people. That's what i did to get an idea of how long they were going to take.

They emailed us an interview date 2 days after we faxed the checklist in. The interview was still a month away but at least we didn't have to wait forever to know when it was. Be sure on the fax that give them your email address and request that they email you with the date once they get it scheduled. They were very good about emailing. Best of luck!

I have been seriously contemplating this myself. I don't want to look like I am trying too hard to look professional but i don't want to look like i'm not taking the interview seriously. The interview is actually for my husband but i'm accompanying him. I work in an office with business-casual type dress. So i'm figuring i will just wear something that i would normally wear to work. I got an outfit for my husband that is a dress shirt and tie with khaki slacks. I figure we'll do fine if we look like we care how we look but don't overdo it. I'm sure that they aren't going to base their decision on what you show up wearing but they could decide to give you a bad time if you give off the wrong impression. Teal hair sounds very fun........... but maybe you should go out and get it done AFTER the interview to celebrate! Good luck!

Thank you for your replies! This gives me some great ideas. And i feel much better about the paperwork too. I appreciate it. Now i'm just counting the days. They all seem like an eternity as i'm sure most of you know the feeling quite well!

Pri........My interview is in vancouver.

that's what i figured about what to tell customs but i just don't want to say the wrong thing. But i already have a copy of the interview letter and i will bring that with me just in case. That is a good way to show i'm not staying. Thank you for your responses!

Sorry to post so many times but I have a couple more questions. I was wondering what I tell Canadian customs when i'm going in to canada. would it be wise to tell them i'm there for my husband's interview? I visited him a lot in October and i mentioned i was visiting my husband once when i was crossing and they sent me into a room and held me up for quite some time.

Also the court document we were waiting on was for a DUI my husband got about 10 yrs. ago. Do you think this will cause any trouble in being approved? It was a long time ago and he was just barely over the limit, which the court document shows and he took classes. He hasn't had any other trouble with the law at all.....ever. I wouldn't think it would be a problem but as the interview gets closer i get more and more nervous.

Well finally today we got the last document we've been waiting on. I'm sooooo happy. My husband has an interview in Vancouver on the 7th and we were pretty stressed about getting a court document (the 4-6 weeks they'd told us 8 wks ago had come and gone) in time. But now I can really look forward to the interview. I am going to meet my husband in Vancouver for the weekend and then our interview is on tuesday. We are staying at a hotel close to the embassy (i can't remember the name right now ). I was just wondering if anyone had tips to give me about the embassy that haven't been posted in the review section. And i have a more specific question about the paperwork. Does it need to be in any certain order or is it ok as long as you know where everything is in your stack? I'm already planning on taking everything in in a plastic grocery bag so there are no security problems.

Also does anyone have any good ideas about what would be fun to do around Vancouver? Neither one of us is familiar with B.C. and i'd love to get out and see as much as i can. Thanks!!!!!!

Oh yeah. How nerve wracking to meet the in-laws for the first time. And to something where there might be a dress code to boot! Find out how dressy the wedding is going to be. and if you can't get that information then just remember that they don't dress any different than we do (my husband is canadian) and to go with something middle of the road between casual and super dressy. This day and age no longer seems to make a dress a requirement so if you feel more comfortable in a pant suit then i'd say it'd be a go. If the wedding is inside then you don't have to worry too much about getting cold. it isn't THAT cold in Hamilton. But i agree with making sure you have a dressy coat for walking outside or from the car to the building. Don't worry you'll do fine!! I'm sure everyone will be less concerned with what you are wearing than with what your personality is like. Most people would not even be able to tell somebody what you were wearing if they were asked the next day, but they would have plenty of things to say about your personality. Good luck!

Yeah I was looking at those too awhile ago and thinking they couldn't be right. And i finally figured out that they aren't. I guess when they say non immigrant they are referring to student or tourist visas. Even though K-3 visas are TECHNICALLY non immigrant they are not included by this time chart. As far as i know there is nowhere to check on embassy interview wait time frames for us. If somebody knows of where you can look please speak up!!!!!!!

Yeah i'm sorry. I guess I assumed that everyone would rush to the border and activate the k-3 like we are going to do. The I-94 record is part of the documentation that needs to be included in the EAD application. And you have to get that crossing the border. As soon as you have the I-94 you can send your application.

I know that it seems silly about making us wait to get the EAD and you have a legitimate gripe there. But not everything in the immigration process makes sense. As for how long it takes........... well there doesn't seem to be a big difference in the timeline for approval between filing for EAD with AOS or by itself. the only reason you would apply for it by itself is because you are planning to go back to your home country for the cr1 interview etc. You can apply for EAD as soon as you have the k-3 visa in your hand.

The timeline right now is right around 90 days but you can keep checking the uscis processing times site. They update it about once every two weeks.

https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/NBCprocesstimes.jsp?

We transferred to vancouver because my husband will be on a contract job in calgary and its easier for me to travel there as well. And there is also the upside that they seem to be a bit faster........... at least at mailing the interview letters. I'm not sure by the time it was transferred etc. that it really sped up the process though. I was pretty stressed about it not getting there or getting lost but it all worked out. We just called the montreal embassy and asked to have it transferred. I think you need to have an address in B.C. or Alberta to do it. But i'm not positive on that. I know they asked for what his address would be in calgary and the correspondence has been going there. But i guess in a nutshell all it took was a phone call.

It's hard to say with montreal now that the holidays are over. i know when we sent our packet in and we called it was really 3-4 months and from timelines i researched they were telling the truth. We transferred to vancouver and the wait was STILL 2 mos. . But you'd think they will have sped up after the holidays. I wouldn't expect your interview letter for at least another month. and if it comes before then.......... well you'll be extra happy. After a month i would give them a call to check on the status. good luck!

No that isn't what they were talking about........ you are supposed to have the medical done BEFORE you receive your interview date. So it isn't possible for them to require the interview letter.

I don't know what appointment letter you are referring to but maybe it was just for the appointment with the doctor. If the doctor gave you the sealed envelope and it was indeed a doctor off the list certified to do the medical then you shouldn't worry about anything. My husband went only with his letter from the nvc showing his case number.

As for your interview letter it should be coming in a month or so maybe more. Good luck!!!!

Does anybody have a good vancouver hotel to recommend that is fairly close to the embassy, fairly nice and middle of the road priced? We know nothing about vancouver! Thanks!

Congratulations and best of luck! I can't believe you two are going to be at the embassy at the same time. How cool is that? It's so awesome to hear good news.

Cheers!

Well back to your original question. Can your case be expedited with the current situation? No it can't. It doesn't fall under any of the categories. although many of us have sympathy for you........ we are all going through much of the same things, telling everyone on this forum all your problems is only going to create a support group at best. I seriously doubt the service center or anyone else in the immigration process would have any of that sympathy. They hear it everyday. Get right on that application process, think positive and you will get through it just like everyone else. Best of luck to you.

Best of luck! I'm sure everything will go off without a hitch. Have fun in Montreal and Welcome to U.S. in advance.

Most people don't have too much trouble visiting fiance's once the petition is filed. The best advice i can give you when attempting to do this is to never be dishonest............ but also not supply too much information unless specifically asked. And always be prepared to have to turn back. It just depends on the officer you get when crossing.

Congrats on receiving your packet!! It seems to me like I heard about that happening to another couple and they in fact did not require it in vancouver. We have transferred our case to vancouver and had to fill out another checklist specific to vancouver. I will ask my husband if that was on it the next time i talk to him. I know with montreal that that was on the checklist and they sent us the actual form too. We already have the I-134 taken care of so i'm not worried about it. If i were you, i would email the embassy after sending the checklist and just make sure you won't need it for the interview...... this would be a good time to also make sure they received your paperwork and everything is going normally. The email is vancouverK@state.gov. They are generally very good about replying within a few days. Good luck!!!!!!

P.S. you might post this question in the canada regional discussion.

Yes you only need the police certificate for the interview. It is your responsibility to get this from the police. I don't BELIEVE it needs to be notarized........... just the original document. If you email the embassy they can answer these questions for you. It might be better since every embassy does things a differently. The email is vancouverk@state.gov