laura428

Thanks everyone. I checked Indiana's DMV site (where we're headed), and found it to be much more helpful that the person who spoke with my husband over the phone. Seems getting our drivers licenses won't be a problem.

Insurance will be interesting. Since we're both living outside of US borders, there's no policy to just add him to, so we'll have to call around. My parents have used State Farm for years... talked to them earlier and they're going to have a chat with their agent to see if he can help us out. Fingers crossed.

Question for those who have been through the process and are now living in the States... how difficult was it to get your drivers license and car insurance once you arrived?

I never thought this would be a problem, but my husband was told by the DMV last week that he would need a credit card and a utility bill with his name on it before he could get a license. We're in the process of doing a global transfer on his Canadian AMEX, so the credit card shouldn't be a problem. But we won't have a utility bill for a while as we're staying with my grandmother until we find a house (probably a month or two). We'll hopefully get cell phones as soon as we get there, as long as that doesn't present it's own problems, so we're hoping this would suffice... what has everyone else's experience been?

And with car insurance... I just applied online to Geico. Although I was initially given a great rate, I was emailed a few days later, informing me that they could not insure me because I didn't have enough revolving credit history. ?????? Are there certain companies who will work with newly arrived immigrants? Are we going to pay ridiculously high rates for a while simply because we're new to the country? (Well, I'm not, of course, but have been gone long enough that I might as well be for credit reasons, apparently.) We both have perfect driving records (and have our driver abstracts going back five years)... so what do we do?

Any help would be greatly appreciated... thanks?

Thanks Laura428 I will do that. Wonder why they send the old ones

To make life more interesting.

Should I use the old forms they gave me with the new rules or download the new forms?

Download the new forms... they don't require a notary and Montreal prefers them, anyway.

If you decided to stay here and get married to see him through his treatment, then would DCF filing be an option when you wanted to return to the US? This may be a very naive question and I'm sorry if it has already been thought through.

They could dcf after she got PR

Just a point of clarification... they could DCF one year after her PR status is approved.

Lyric, after reading some of the latter posts, and after experiencing healthcare in both countries, I would have to agree with keeping your fiance here in Canada for his care. It sounds like he's already near an excellent facility, would have far better coverage than here than in the US (if any in the US), and treatment could be immediate (rather than waiting to find someplace down there).

You mentioned that you didn't want to leave your employer hanging. But you know, I'm pretty sure they'd understand. They should agree to a leave of absence and can make adjustments to accomodate you. After all, they were there before you starting working there, and they'll be there if you're gone for a while, too.

Just focus on the two of you, and what needs to be done. And make sure to take care of yourself in the process, too. ((hugs))

I didn't even see your post till now. $5000?!!! That will take every bit of my savings I was hoping to use to live on while there This just gets worse and worse.

Lyric, this is just heartbreaking... I'm so sorry.

I'm not sure what the costs are now, but when I came to Canada in 2001 (filed as fiance and crossed after wedding in the US), the costs were $950 for PR status and $500 for permission to work. There were costs involved in the medical exam as well, but can't remember precisely how much this was... don't think it was more than $100. So the total in my case was approximately $1500-1600. In any case, the costs of immigration were far less than I'd imagine his treatment in the US would be, even as a co-pay with insurance.

I wish you both the very best of luck, with everything. You're in my thoughts.

So, how long does the entire DCF process take now?

It exactly six months from the day we filed the I-130 to our interview day in Montreal.

Congrats and good luck!

hey laura....

we got blaine's SSN in the mail 2 weeks after he activated his visa; hopefully, you'll have just as much luck.

we've started the mortgage process as well - the two lenders we've talked with have been more than willing to build a US credit history for blaine, using his canadian creditors (he has excellent credit, as well). perhaps you can explore that angle? email me if you want more details.

when are you guys planning to move? soon, i'm assuming.

take care!

kara

hey kara!

fortunately, we've got a great mortgage broker who seems willing to do what it takes to get us a good rate. he's willing to use brian's canadian credit history, as well as mine, so i think we'll be ok. if we run into any problems, though, i'll be giving you a shout.

we're moving as soon as we sell the house. we've had it on the market for two weeks... tons of showings (at least one a day), but no bites yet. two weeks seems like forever with the way calgary's been the last six months or so, but apparently things are starting to slow down here. supply has gone up (the number of listings is pretty much in line with any other september), so buyers have more to choose from. we're not worried, though... chatted with our realtor today who assured us that our house is priced just right. she's convinced we'll sell in the next week or so. hoping that's the case... with a 30-day close, we're hoping that the kids go trick or treating in warmer weather!

how's everything there? are you still at the same email addy?

As your probably already aware, by checking off the box doesnt gaurentee that the SSN wil arrive as planned. I waited for quite awhile, no SSN, had to make a trip down to the local SSn office!!

Same thing happened when I crossed in Maine, they had to get the book out and make a few phone calls, but al went well. congrats

Regarding the mortgage, he may not even be required. We just bought in the DC area and the mortgage stuff went on my wifes credit, was if I didnt even exist, lol I'm not on the mortgage, but when we came to closing I am on the actual house deed. Actually saved a few $$ (like $9) becuase the damn mortgage company charges you for the credit check, lol Best of luck

About the SSN, I know... keeping our fingers crossed that we don't have a problem. About the mortgage... I WISH we could just apply using my credit, but we have a bit of a problem. Although I have an excellent score, my lack of revolving US credit causes me to be automatically declined for anything. Incredibly aggravating... even had one guy tell me that he could see my history, and saw that it was excellent, but could do nothing to help me without revolving credit history. (I got some bad advice when I moved to Canada five yrs ago... told I couldn't hold a US credit card outside of the States, so I naively canceled all of them. Oh, the regret.) So I thought, ok, I'll apply for a Canadian AMEX and do a global transfer, no problem... then soon after getting to the US, I'll have revolving credit with a great score, no prob. But AMEX requires personal income, not just household, and as a stay at home mom, I have none.

So...

I have excellent Canadian and US credit scores, but no US credit history and no income.

My husband has good income and Canadian credit score/history, but no US credit.

The mortgage broker we're working with is working with us to get the best rate with our situation... basically putting all of the mismatched pieces together. But because of my lack of US credit history, we'll need to rely on our Canadian histories and use my husband's income... hence the need for work status and SSN.

Make sense?

We crossed the border at Coutts, AB / Sweetgrass, MT on Saturday afternoon so as to kickstart the whole SSN process for my hubby. When I called earlier in the week, I was advised to arrive between 8:00am and 4:00pm - a supervisor would be on duty just in case we needed them. Very glad to have gotten this advice, too, as the staff seemed to not know what to do with my husband. They got the supervisor, who actually pulled out a manual... whole thing took about 50 minutes after entering the building. (Plus the 20 minute wait to cross into the States, plus the 45 minute wait to cross back into Canada... way long while trying to keep a nine month old and two and a half year old entertained!)

Everyone was very nice, however. My husband also asked about what we'd need to do when we finally move everything down to the States. They told him to just provide our movers with copies of the visa page of his passport, the Canadian citizen page (called it something specific but can't remember... the one with his photo and info), and a copy of my US passport as well.

So, a very long trip (when added to the two and a half hours to Lethbridge (where we stayed overnight), and an hour fifteen to the border... then back again). I wish we'd had someone to watch the kids (and am sure they Holy cow, it DOES exist! wish we'd had someone, too), but it turned out ok. We're back, my husband's SSN should arrive at my folks' place in several weeks, and we'll be able to apply for a mortgage as soon as, if not before, we move down there.

I'm beginning to see that light at the end of the tunnel. Yay...

Try this part of the Guide...

5- The foreign spouse enters the US, and at the port of entry will have their MRIV endorsed with a stamp. That is now proof of the immigrant’s new status: Permanent Resident. It is adequate evidence for most purposes and is equal to the I-551 card that will be mailed to them, also known as the Green Card.

The foreign spouse receives immediate work and travel authorization from the “green card stamp”, and will only need their social security card before starting to work. You may have already applied for this on the visa application DS-230 II. If you have applied for the Social Security number via the visa application, your SS Card s mailed to you separately within a month. Your Green Card will be mailed to you in the same time frame.If you haven’t received anything within a month, it’s time for follow up.

I actually read that, but it wasn't clear to me that the actual Green Card would be valid for longer than that year. Should have been, now that I'm re-reading it... chalk it up to mommy brain.

According to the Guides:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=dcf

"Note: If you have been married for less than 2 years when you enter the US, your Permanent Resident status has “conditions”. A CR-1 PR is no less a PR than anyone else, but they do have an additional step to take 2 years after they enter the US. Please see the Guides for Removal of Conditions (form I-751)."

Jen

Well, that would seem strange as we've been married over five and have two children...

And if it's an additional step two years after he enters the US, why does the stamp say one year?

Yay! My husband (your Calgary VJ friend) and I have been watching for your post, hoping that everything went well. We're so happy for you both... cheers and good luck!!

So, upon reading...

"upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551 evidencing permanent resident status for 1 year"

on my husband's visa stamp in his passport, we're a bit confused. What happens at one year? What next steps do you we need to take to secure his permanent residency in the States?

We're heading down to the border (Sweetgrass, Montana) so as to kick-start his social security number processing, and figured we'd ask there, but I thought I'd put a question into you knowledgeable folks first.

Just got the call from my husband - he was approved! Said it was actually very easy, everyone was very nice. The only bump he ran into was the notary on the I-864, oddly enough. Apparently, in my rush to get everything done, I neglected to notice the fact that if you use the old form, you must get it notarized AT THE US CONSULATE (or anywhere in the US). They weren't too harsh about it, though, since the new form doesn't require a notary anyway. They told my husband that it would have been better had we used the new form you can download online... despite what I'd heard about them being sticklers for using the forms they send you.

The officer actually told my husband that his was the cleanest case he'd seen. Paperwork was in perfect order (except for that little notary mix-up ), we qualified on assets alone (he'd brought a joint sponsor's I-864 but didn't even have to pull it out), and domicile by clearly demonstrating our intent to move to the States, both by presenting our realtor's contract and a copy of the MLS listing, and my husband's statement that our reason for moving is to be closer to our kids' other grandparents (my parents). So after all that worrying about domicile issues, we were actually totally fine.

Oh, my husband ran into the "Irish woman and the guy from Pittsburgh...?" I'll have to skim through the messages to remember who that is!

So now that all of the stress is over and done with, he's going to relax for the rest of the day. He flies back tomorrow, soon after which he'll owe me a little downtime after watching our two little ones, the puppy, and keeping the house in perfect order for showings (not easy to do when dog hair and toys seem to magically re-appear after just cleaning them up!). But it's all good... today, all is right with the world.

Just got the call from my husband - he was approved! Said it was actually very easy, everyone was very nice. The only bump he ran into was the notary on the I-864, oddly enough. Apparently, in my rush to get everything done, I neglected to notice the fact that if you use the old form, you must get it notarized AT THE US CONSULATE (or anywhere in the US). They weren't too harsh about it, though, since the new form doesn't require a notary anyway. They told my husband that it would have been better had we used the new form you can download online... despite what I'd heard about them being sticklers for using the forms they send you.

The officer actually told my husband that his was the cleanest case he'd seen. Paperwork was in perfect order (except for that little notary mix-up ), we qualified on assets alone (he'd brought a joint sponsor's I-864 but didn't even have to pull it out), and domicile by clearly demonstrating our intent to move to the States, both by presenting our realtor's contract and a copy of the MLS listing, and my husband's statement that our reason for moving is to be closer to our kids' other grandparents (my parents). So after all that worrying about domicile issues, we were actually totally fine.

Oh, my husband ran into the "Irish woman and the guy from Pittsburgh...?" I'll have to skim through the messages to remember who that is!

So now that all of the stress is over and done with, he's going to relax for the rest of the day. He flies back tomorrow, soon after which he'll owe me a little downtime after watching our two little ones, the puppy, and keeping the house in perfect order for showings (not easy to do when dog hair and toys seem to magically re-appear after just cleaning them up!). But it's all good... today, all is right with the world.

I remember reading a while ago about somebody taking a shuttle from the airport to La Tour Centre Ville, or from a bus station or something like that, but no further information was given. Does anyone know how to catch the shuttle, if one exists?

Well, I did it just to be safe. We got the old I-864 in our packet (from 1997!?!?), and figured it couldn't be a bad thing to get it notarized, if even just for peace of mind.

To clarify with a possibly silly question... what if I just leave it there to grow, never withdrawing until retirement? Any US paperwork I'll have to file?

My husband was wondering what everyone does with their x-rays on the plane. It's such a huge thing, but he wants to make sure it doesn't get damaged in transit. I can't imagine everyone just holds it the entire way , but what would you do?

I know someone has already posted about this (Zyggy, perhaps?), but I'm doing some last minute organizing and saw that we never had our I-864 notarized. My husband leaves for his interview Thursday morning, so we still have time to get it notarized tomorrow, if need-be. I'm remembering something about how nothing needs to be notarized anymore, but to be sure, do we need to do this?

1) You do not have to liquidate your RRSP when you enter the US... You can just keep it there and let it continue to grow without paying a cent of US taxes. There is an IRS form where you report the amount that you have in the account each year.. you will be taxed on it when you eventually withdraw it.

There are lots of people on here who still have their RRSP's and haven't touched them when they immigrated to the US...

Phew - thx for clarifying. I just about had a heart attack, there!

Well me and my husband have made our decision. We are going to Calgary in 3 weeks to file the I-130 from Canada. We are selling our house too right now so we thought this would be a good time. I will then go home to Chicago to get a job and what not. I will be living with my parents and they are going to be my joint sponser. My hubby will being staying with his parents in Canada until we get word on his visa. I know we will be apart for about 6 months but in the end it will be worth it. Wish us luck as our journey is just beginning

Tracy, I replied to your post in the Canada thread. Are you sure you need to go back to the States? We're doing DCF and are in a very similar situation to yours.

If you are able to file I-130 in Canada instead of the Service Center, the wait time to visa will be closer to 5-6 months. If you file in the US, the wait will be much closer to one year.

Yep... our DCF process, from I-130 filing to interview date, will be six months to the day. Montreal is now telling people to expect 6-8 months from start to finish.