Jana636

Aww congratulations!! I love reading the "finally reunited" posts. Thanks for this.

Hello! I filed September 3rd at the VSC. Received my NOA1 and then an email on 9/30 stating the alien registration number changed. As of today, no approval yet. My luck sucks. Congrats to all the September filers who were approved. Count your blessings!

I don't think it's bad/sucky luck. I know it's way too early for us regular route people to have received an NOA2 yet but I was curious/still hoping lol. So don't dismay, our time will come... in what will feel like forever.

Our timelines are nearly identical My husband is Canadian, we're moving to NC, and we got our NOA1s 6 days apart, so our estimates are nearly the same!

No NOA2 yet, but I've been gathering stuff for the NVC stage so I can just submit it all ASAP.

Oh wow! We'll have to keep each other informed then. The coincidences are hilarious. Where in Canada are you? I'm in Toronto and there was a bit of culture shock when I went to visit him for the first time in a rural town in SC.

My husband and I are in the same boat too! He's in Mexico and I'm in AZ. Our priority date is September 2nd. Our case is at the Texas service center and our projected estimated noa2s are for the end of January. We'll see. I can't wait for the next step!

Hopefully the estimated timelines don't change anymore. Ours was projected for mid December about a month ago and has been extended 3 times now to end of January.

Soooo, I'm curious. Has anyone who's filed in September 2014 who isn't living with their spouse abroad, and isn't from an auto-expedite country received their NOA2s yet?

Just in case some people get their hopes up, I think people from the Philippines are still getting auto-expedited because of the Tsunami. Oh and congrats!!

http://www.ncsbn.org/2916.htm

The requirements for eligibility to take the NCLEX and to get a license/registration are determined by the board of nursing/regulatory body (BON/RB). If you are interested in information about eligibility and licensure/registration requirements, you should contact the BON/RB where you wish to practice.

Hey guys, a little late to the game but we filed in late September. Congrats to all of the auto-expedites people!

We have a lawyer and I can't confirm if he got the same NOA1 letter or not, but my husband - the petitioner, got a NOA1 sent to him directly. Hope this helps!

Wow!! Congrats!

I feel for you while you wait out the process. The hubs and I suffered some long bouts without seeing one another despite calling for hours daily, skyping etc...Eventually I would have a slight mental breakdown moment because I couldn't stand being apart and we'd get past it.

7 yrs of marriage and living in the US later - I like to think of it as a distant memory. Now there are other challenges of missing family and friends of course.

I had one of those breakdown moments about a month ago. I was sitting on my balcony up on the 16th floor, and I'm about a 20 minute drive to the airport. So I was watching plane after plane fly above (there were at least 10 of them in the span of a maybe 45 minutes) and I kept crying as each one flew over. Not just a tear or two, but the "ugly face crying" lol. It's funny to think about now, and I'm sure it won't be the last meltdown but my gosh was it bad!

Long distance is not for the faint of heart, I have been doing it for over 6 years. Even as I write "6 years", it's hard to wrap my head around that amount of time.

My husband and I tried to see each other every 3-4 months or more - being 3000 miles apart and having demanding careers w/limited vacation time was part of the challenge. Not to mention extricating ourselves from our existing marriages (I had been separated for over 7 years when we met, and am very close friends with my ex, my husband was separated but went through a bitter and financially crippling divorce as his ex had mental health and substance abuse problems, she then passed away a couple years after their divorce, so the financial part was resolved tho not in the way we would have asked for) We have been through all these things together, even at our distance. Second Life (where we met) is still a part of our lives and we use it's voice feature to spend time with each other and friends there. Yahoo Messenger, Skype, texting, telephone. There was rarely a day where we didn't speak to each other. We also spent many evenings watching movies and tv shows together by syncing up our audio.

We knew after meeting in person in 2008 that we were in it for the long haul, as I was raising my teenage son and was not in a position to move countries until he was finished school and on his own life journey. We also knew that we each had met our absolute soul mate, and we were deeply committed to one another from the very first meeting.

Perhaps one other advantage was our ages - being older and having been in unhappy marriages, we both knew what we DIDN'T want, and we both had reserves of patience that younger people seem not to have.

Has it been easy?? Not on your life. Were there times when we both questioned the whole relationship?? Absolutely. Do I cherish every moment we've ever had together?? Totally.

So, that was my long winded reply.

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Montreal, with my interview at the consulate in the morning. Assuming I'm approved, I shall be moving to the US on Christmas day to at long last have a proper life with my beloved husband.

All I can say, if you are meant to be together and can find the strength, you will find a way to make it work.

Good luck to you.

Namaste and Peace.

Sylea! Good luck on your interview tomorrow! You must be so incredibly excited! I can't imagine being apart for 6 years. I know that we could do it, but it must have been so agonizing. Big kudos to you. I couldn't imagine a better Christmas present for the both of you! From what I've read, the interview is the easiest part - so a big congratulations to you and your husband!!

Hi Jana,

I know how you feel. I found it very difficult to play the waiting game. Although we did go the K1 route, after my (now) hubby and I met it was difficult to spend time apart. We met in December 2010, but actually didn't file our K1 petition until January 2012. Finally moved to Texas in May of 2013. (I am from Peterborough, ON - not too far from you).

We would plan trips about every 3 months or so. Either he would come up to Canada or I would fly down there. In the summers, I would go down and take the kids with me. I remember always just living for the next time I got to see him. The anticipation of the next trip got me through, and although it was awesome, that flight back - or seeing him leave at the airport was extremely difficult. I attribute it to a roller coaster ride, lots of highs, but extreme lows as well. It did not help much when our petition took so long and then we got an RFE to boot.

I was on VJ every day, and being connected with others going through the same thing made it a little easier. Plus skype daily, texting and phone calls. I remember one night we went to bed with skype on so that we could sleep "in the same room" together.

Try to keep yourself busy as much as you can. A new job will help. Distractions make the time go by. I would plan weekend trips to my sisters, just to get out of the house for a change of scenery. Try reading some good novels, they tend to take you to another place for a while.

Just remember, going through this wait is something you will never forget. I often look at my husband, and remember this wait. Just being able to do normal things together like watching tv in the evening is something we don't take for granted.

Oh yeah and alcohol does help too!

Good luck on your journey.

Ahh, I used to drive to Peterborough fairly often. Well, Norwood. There's a vizsla breeder there, called Pointblank Dogs and I used to take her to do bird training with Liz.

We also got an RFE and according to our timeline, that delays it another 30 days at VSC. You're absolutely right about not taking even the little things for granted. I've already read 4 books, and I'm hoping going back to work will help. In fact, I'm sure it will. It's also comforting knowing that all of you have gone through the same thing, and a lot of you who have responded are finally reunited with your love ones.

lol funny that you mentioned wine. I didn't have much of an alcohol tolerance over the years, but I've noticed a drastic improvement as of late!!

And I know what you mean about no longer feeling at home. After being there for 5 months, little reminders make it very apparent every day. Like, looking for my favourite vegetable peeler and realizing that I don't have it, or tonight I was looking for a specific skirt for my job interview tomorrow and realized I didn't pack it.

Thanks for the encouraging words and tips. I'm happy that you get to spend a whole 3 weeks together soon!

I went to change my name on my passport last week, and before I could even line up, a man who looked like a security guard said I had to have ID with my new name, and then I'd have to apply for a brand new passport. So now I'm waiting on my new driver's license and health card from Service Ontario, then I get to pay $120 for 5 years or $160 for 10 years (it's $190 for 5 years and $260 for those of you lucky enough to be with your spouses in the US). It just seems like a money grab to me. and if that's the case, let's call a spade a spade and and just pay $160 for a name change.

Hey guys! I found this site a while ago, but my husband has just recently submitted our I-130 petition and so I've been browsing this site every day for the past month lol.

I figured it was time to introduce myself. Our story isn't very different from most VJers' stories that I've read so far. We actually met back in 1999 as teenagers on an online game and kept in touch on and off over the years. Finally, last year, he suggested we meet up for coffee and I agreed. It was a really expensive 4 day coffee date. He flew from South Carolina and I from Toronto and "the rest is history" from there.

We decided to get married in Toronto in March, and I went back with him to SC for 5 months as a visitor. I came back to Toronto in September, and now we're playing the waiting game. I actually quit my really cushy job back in March and I've just started looking for a job since it looks like I'll be here for a long time. In retrospect, I should've stayed employed and we should've gone the K1 route - oh well.

Anyone have any tips on coping with the distance? We chat pretty much all day on and off, FaceTime, Skype, etc. It doesn't help. I miss him so much. He just came for a short visit two weeks ago and we're planning another trip in about 3 months. I guess I'm just looking to connect with others in the same situation, maybe have a pity party or two lol.

From what I understand, it depends on the deployment. You can probably read more info in this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/500937-how-to-expedite-process-in-nvc-military-deployment-reason/

I'm a Canadian citizen and was in similar shoes early this year. I'm still not entirely familiar with all of the processes, however I can tell you we are currently awaiting for our I-130 to be approved. Our lawyer is telling us it can take anywhere from 3-6 months before we'll be reunited, but from what I've read on VJ it can be anywhere 6 months to over a year! In hindsight, we should have forked over the extra money and just gone for an Adjustment of Status, but we figured we'd done the long distance route for so long it'd be no problem - worst. logic. ever. We miss each other so much, and all of the money we've "saved" by going the "cheaper" route has actually cost us more on visiting/flights/hotels, etc.

If we could start all over again, we would have gone with the fiance route. They can be issued sooner and at least you can actually be together as husband and wife permanently after your wedding. You don't need to have a big fancy wedding with the CR1 you simply get married and will never have to part again!

Is there any way you can order a new driver's license online and have it delivered to you in the US?

The fact that the woman whispered this to you makes me wonder whether or not it would hold up. Did she whisper that you can use the ID card to obtain a California Driver's License? If so, then by all means do it! If she's advising you in a whisper to use your ID card in lieu of a driver's license, I definitely wouldn't do it.

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for the quick response.

I guess, as another question - would having my name on the lease, although we haven't received our visa compromise our eligibilit?

If I understand correctly, until the IR-1/CR-1 Visa is issued, I'm not supposed to enter the US. Would having my name on a US lease jeopordize our application?

Hello everyone,

My fiance is an American and I currently reside in Canada. We are planning on getting married in March 2014 and we've been trying to figure out our options (K1 vs K3 vs IR-1/CR-1).

This forum has been incredibly helpful but I'm a little confused about one point. I was reading the IR-1/CR-1 Step-by-Step Guide and got to the part of Evidence of a Bonifide Marriage (http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1) which states:

2. A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or

He's a United States Marine and is actually going to be leaving the barracks and renting a property (in advance of me finally being able to legally stay with him in the US). Should I have him add my name to the lease in advance of receiving our IR-1/CR-1 to use as part of our evidence?

Thanks in advance!