languageladki

nah, the police wil just knock on ur door and take u to jail!! lol

When we first attempted to do our taxes here in the USA, I called up H&R block and told them my situation,they assured me they had a Canadian "expert" on staff. He was nooo expert. Thanks to the above site i knew a few things (and backed up from a few other websites) the Canadian "expert" had no clue on form 8891 or 2555. I thanked him for his time and left! Then went to JAckson hewitt and the fellow that helped us was great. he wasn't sure on some things, BUT he listened to what i stated about forms 8891 and 2555 and it all worked out!! This year was the first year that my taxes have been straight forward and was able to use turbo tax!! whewwwww But forms 8891 and 2555 and fairly straight forward

As long as they knock and don't beat the door in when they come to cart us of to the IRS Tax Jail lol,lol

Your first visit to H&R Block sounds identical to what we just had done. I even showed her some of the answers to tax questions I had from VJ regarding Canadian source taxes and income and the 2555 and the 1116 for non-resident along with things from the IRS site.

But it was " oh no we don't need all that stuff" and all she did was photocopy my GC and proceed to fill out Lorry's taxes as married jointly

We both asked several times are you sure no forms for the Canadian income have to accompany the filing? She then said "okay let me call Allen, he's an expert on these situations".

So she calls Allen and explains to him that I have Canadian source income and taxes were paid in Canada and that I arrived in the U.S. in June with my Visa and married in July.

Allen asks if I had any U.S. income since coming here? " No he only has the Canadian income slips".

Allen then tells her no need to even show his income from outside the U.S just get his SSN and file normally as married jointly

Although they figured Lorry out for a nice big refund of $2800 we are both very doubtful of the whole filing process they did for us

Although we did get a free T-shirt and hat from them to wear in prison lol.lol

I wonder.....do these people at H & R block and the other places ever READ the instructions for the 1040???? The guy we used certainly acted surprised when I told him that what he gave us totally contradicted what I had read in the manual. He then went and talked to some colleagues and called me back and pretty sheepishly and in not very clear words said that he was wrong and I was right. He then added..."well, I was in the ballpark". Right......that's what we paid you $600 for, to be in the ballpark. Honestly, I could do a much better job than they did and should've but I have an infant to care for and don't have the time.

My best advice to everyone.....hire a tax professional that does this type of return on a daily basis and is truly an expert...the other big companies don't seem to have a clue.

Well for Canada tax purposes, you really dont exist!! lol He can claim no credits/deductions for you (assuming u resided in the usa!)

For his RRSP's he should, well HAS to fill out irs form 8891 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8891.pdf and submit it with his taxes!!

An ok cdn/usa tax forum: http://forums.serbinski.com/index.php?sid=...9e0066bcbee3f79

Ensure u do a SEARCH, as only a few people answer questions, and NELSON, can get grumpy,lol But lots of info on 2555 and 8891 on there!!

Thanks so much for the info. That forum is great. I asked a question of nelsona.....let's hope I don't get yelled at if it is a repeat. LOL

Well, my husband entered the US on a CR1 visa on April 21, 2007. Now we are trying to find out what to do with our US/Canadian taxes. We hired a so-called "tax professional" but he totally messed our returns up, at least they don't look anything like what we expected. The guy filled them out as a 1040 in the US with just my husband's US income (that earned after his move to the US) and my income (also US). He filled it out as married filing jointly. He didn't include my husband's canadian income at all beause he said that because it was income earned during the "nonresident period" (when my husband lived in Canada) that it was exempt from taxes. Nor did he include any information about my husband's RRSPs.

I read some totally contradictory things in the 1040 instructions and some other IRS documents but I am not a tax professional. Another tax professional that had a blog online told me that we should include ALL income earned for the year and then take a tax credit by either using a form 2555 or a 1116. He said that if we filed married jointly that all income earned, including Canada's had to be included. He said that if we wanted to exclude the income that we had to file married separately (including on state returns) and that we then couldn't take the standard deduction. He also said that we had to file another paper to claim the internal earnings of the RRSPs.

My question is, WHO IS RIGHT? Can we claim just his US income or do we need to file stating the Canadian income and then take the tax credits for what was paid to Canada for income tax.

Also, on his canadian return my income is not mentioned at all, but I did earn it in the US and have never lived in Canada. That seems correct to me but I am not sure. One person told us that he would have to file in Canada a T1161 if he had any assets left behind in Canada but we're not sure about that either.

This is totally confusing.

So much for hiring a tax professional a month and a half before now and still having to file extensions.

Okay, we finally got everything.

Entered on CR-1 April 21. 2007.

Rec'd welcome letter May 7, 2007.

Rec'd social sec. card May 14, 2007.

Rec'd green card May 18th, 2007.

All in all not bad....all within one month. My husband also already got a job and we will be relocating within 3 weeks to our new home. We are so happy. After 3 years we finally get to be together. Hurray!

Hi there. Well, my husband entered on a CR-1 visa at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge (Canada to US--Buffalo) on April 21st. He got his welcome letter on May 7th. We had heard nothing from social security and called them twice. On the second call they told him that he was not in the system and that he would have to come in. So he went in and reapplied (even though he had checked the box on the 230 requesting the card) in person on May 7th. He received the card today, May 14th. We still haven't gotten the green card yet. I'll let you all know when we do.

My husband entered POE Lewiston-Queensboro Bridge into Buffalo, NY on April 21, 2007. He entered on a CR-1. Of course, we have heard nothing yet. It is still early.

Okay, my husband has a CR1 and is moving tomorrow and crossing at Peace Bridge POE at Buffalo. I thought with a CR1 that he already has work authorization. However, i am seeing lots of people commenting on getting an EA stamp when they cross. Are those just for K visas or does a CR1 visa holder need one as well?

Hi there. My husband crosses with his CR-1 tomorrow and will be bringing a minimal amount of stuff for his immigration into the US. He'll be moving all the rest in a few months.

I've read a little bit about the bridges out of Toronto. Peace Bridge (Ft. Erie) is what I think I've seen as the best POE. Right? Any comments?

Also, does my husband get the customs form for accompanying goods at the bridge when he gets there or is he already supposed to have one?

I told him to make a list of what he's got ahead of time and then he can just transfer it onto the form.

Surely they have all those forms there, right?

Hi all. I asked this question before but I don't know if people aren't understanding my question or what? Nobody has replied after 45 views.

My husband wants to cross into the US with his CR-1 just for a little while and then go back to Canada to settle up his business. We know that with a CR-1 he has 10 years to bring his goods to the US. Several people said on VJ that they crossed and then went directly back to Canada. One person said they activated the visa, went across and got gas and then turned around and went back to Canada, moving all their stuff later. We are confused as to whether or not my husband can come for Easter weekend and activate the CR-1 when he crosses and then go back to Canada Monday to finish up his job and other obligations there for the rest of the month of April. If he comes in using the Visa he only has to have the customs form for the items with him, right? So a suitcase with clothes and toiletries would all be allowed stuff and we could write "nothing to declare" on the customs form. This is true right?

My husband is afraid that they will want the other inventory form of everything he owns that will be coming later; he hasn't even packed and can't provide that now because he doesn't know how many boxes, etc. of different things he will have, nor does he know the exact date he'll move with his stuff.

He called Customs and the girl told him that if he wasn't crossing to live there at that moment that he couldn't activate the visa. This is totally untrue right? I told him that I thought the girl didn't know what she was talking about and that I thought he should try to cross using the visa and just listing what's in his suitcase on the customs form for items coming over with him.

Any comments or ideas? This is totally confusing.

I agree with what the others say. It does depend on the country and the service center. You should go in and look at the processing times and immigration timelines (see links at top of VJ page) and look for your country and service center (if you have already submitted the I-130).

My husband's took about 2 weeks shy of one year start to finish and he is from Canada. I heard when we went to our interview from other folks there also having CR-1 interviews that theirs took a year and a half. I really doubt that you could ever get through as quickly as you are hoping unless you had a direct consular filing (DCF). Otherwise, I hate to say it, but you're probably fantasizing. Good luck with the process. Be patient, it will happen. All the best to you.

Okay....my husband wants to enter US with his CR-1 for the first time but plans to only bring some clothes and personal effects like a visit. He will then go back to Canada for a little less than a month to tie up loose ends. He will be moving all his furniture, household, everything basically when he comes after a month. I know he has to do inventory then but if he just crosses for a few days but wants to activate the visa then does he still need to fill out a form and present it at customs? Do he need to provide a list of everything else he owns too and show the date he will enter with all that? We are confused.

Okay....my husband will be moving his things from Toronto to US soon. How do we get in touch with this Upack place? Does anyone have the phone number or website info? Thanks

Hi you guys. Well, my husband is planning his move to the US but we're a little confused about what to do about his car.

Those of you that have brought your car in from Canada to the US, can you tell me what steops you had to go through to do that. We know there's some kind of form he needs and that he'll probably have to pay duty on it but we're confused as to the step by step. Please help.He wants to come ASAP but we've got to get all this in order.

Hi, you can add our information. We had the CR-1 interview on Friday the 16th and were approved. My husband received his visa yesterday, on March 20th. Hooray!

Languageladki

I activated my green card, went and bought gas, and drove back over. I never had any issue when I brought my stuff down 6 months later. Sorry I'm not sure of the exact details, but it is possible.

That is so exciting that he received his passport so quickly, I'm hoping Michael gets his that fast

Thanks Riblet. Glad to hear it. This is all very exciting. We just want to avoid all issues if possible. Like its possible at all LOL.

I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't had VJ people to go to for help.

Hey everyone. My husband got his passport with CR-1 yesterday in the mail. Can he go ahead and cross the POE so that we can get everything started like bank accounts, insurance, SSN, etc. and then go back in the next month or so and pack up his apt and move his stuff over later? If so, how do we go about this? We're really excited but pretty confused.

Hi all. My husband just got his CR-1 visa (in the passport) in the mail yesterday. What we're wondering is this: can he go ahead and cross so that we can get things like the SS card, insurance, etc underway and then he can actually go back to his apt in Toronto, clean it out and move his things a little bit later (like in the next month and a half or so)? If possible, how does he go about this? We're so happy to have the visa but a little confused about what to do. help?!

Amarceau.....I was hoping that it would go smoothly. Great for you guys. Best of luck with everything; enjoy your life together. It feels great, eh?

Amarceau.....I was hoping that it would go smoothly. Great for you guys. Best of luck with everything; enjoy your life together. It feels great, eh?

W-2's for 2006 ?? My husband is going with me tomorrow. We didn't bring any income stuff with us. We didn't think we needed anything per the package we got from the embassy.

I have the medical stuff, but what tax stuff were we supposed to bring for the USC?

Don't worry. I don't think they'll ask you for anything about 2006 taxes since technically you don't have to file until April 15th in the states. I did take my last paycheck stub from 2006 but they never asked for anything else. You should be fine. Take a deep breath, it'll be over soon.

Congrats !! WTG !!

I'm in Montreal right now, my interview is tomorrow morning at 8:30am.

Question: Are there any fees to be paid at the embassy when you go for the interview ? I'm going for the CR1 like you.

Amarceau....no, there shouldn't be. They didn't ask us for anything. Good luck...do try to get there early, maybe about a half hour or so. Perhaps you won't have to wait too long. I'll be thinking about you but I'm sure it will be great.

Amarceau.....good luck tomorrow. We'll be thinking of you. I'm sure it will go great!

Hi all. We had our CR-1 interview on Friday the 16th in Montreal. We were both super nervous but it really went by very easily--AFTER we got into the building that is.

First of all, in the interview letter it says no backpacks, luggage or large purses. Be careful when you go, because the day we went they wouldn't allow ANY purses, big or small, into the building. No bags whatsoever except those plastic grocery store bags with documents. They won't let you into the building at all and tell you to go store your belongings at a mall or in a coffee shop. My husband just walked mine back to the hotel, which was fairly close. I read in the embassy reviews that you should tick off the woman security guard with the way black hair. Whoa!!! You can say that again. She was just doing her job, I understand, but she is very harsh and pretty much yells everything. Very scary!

Once inside we went up and got a number. After about 45 minutes to an hour we were called back for document review. They basically just look through everything there and make sure that you have everything that you are supposed to have. Make sure that you have the list of documents that they specify and in the order requested. They do not want to wait when going over your documents. The lady that we had for that part of the process scolded us because we didn't understand that when she slid documents under that she wanted us to removed those before handing her what she had asked for. It was actually kind of funny. All in all, she was pretty nice.

Then we went back out into the waiting area for a little over an hour waiting for the interview. The consular officer that we got for the interview was super nice and only had a few questions to ask. He wanted to know if my husband had ever been in trouble with the law, if he had ever been denied crossing at the border and how we met. Other than that he took my husband's fingerprints and said that things were pretty much in order and that if the prints came back clean that my husband would receive the visa in the mail this week, probably by Thursday. We went in at 8 am and were finished by 10:20. Not bad, at all. It can be kind of confusing when you get in there. Dependent upon what type of process or interview you are going through determines what window you go to at the beginning. Some lines moved faster than others....we were actually in one of the slower lines and seemed to wait more than others. That being said, most of the people there were nice and the process wasn't tough, but it was nerve wracking. We're certainly glad its over.

By the way, we took the train from Toronto to Montreal and stayed at Le Square Phillips hotel, which was super close to both the train station and right around the corner from the embassy. We were both very impressed with the room and the service for the price. We paid about $139 and the room was huge....kitchen, living room and dining room in addition to the bedroom. Everything is extremely well appointed and super nice. If you're willing to pay a little extra the luxury is worth the price.

Good luck to all that are waiting for interviews. We wish you well!!!

Hi Riblet. I am sooooo happy for you. I thought it would happen soon. We had ours on Friday and I'll be posting again tonight to let everyone know how it was. Relatively problem free in general and some of it pretty amusing. Congrats. I know you've been waiting a long time and before you know it, it will be time.

Oh my gosh!!!!! We are so excited. The CR-1 interview is tomorrow in Montreal. We'll update you

when we get back. Wish us luck.

Hi everyone. I have another quick question before our CR-1 interview on Friday. In the interview packet it told us to get

an Express post mailer for them to send us the passport back. They gave us a mm size which was roughly equivalent to 12 X 15 inches but we cant find one exactly the same size in mm that they said. Does anyone know if it will be a huge deal if we find something close, but NOT the exact size? We don't know what to do. Thanks