Koalaem

I had my interview Oct 24 and got a 221g request for additional documents (offer letter proving my husband's income). Documents were received at the sorting facility Nov 3 (according to Canada Post tracking).

My CEAC page is STILL in administrative processing and the only times there's an update to the date is if I email.

The CO had said it would take a week or two.

Has anyone been through AP at MTL recently? My husband has already missed more than half of our infant son's life because of this BS. I'm angry and frustrated.

I know this topic is pretty dormant, but I had my interview at MTL on Oct 24 and was issued a 221g- they wanted additional proof of my husband's income. Tracking shows it was delivered Nov 3, but my CEAC login page is still the same as before my interview.

Does anyone have more recent experience of the processing time? My OC said "1-2 weeks" but this forum has got me doubting that. I just want to be with my husband again!! So sick of this.

20 minutes ago, Nattie_Bry said:

I've already started to prepare the interview documentation. Any idea if they will send us an actual letter or just an email for an appointment?

I'm not planning to call until after thanksgiving since i'll be visiting husband next week 

I got an email first and a letter followed

10 minutes ago, Nattie_Bry said:

Oh do you mind telling what kind of supporting they asked for? Here is what has been accepted for AOS we submitted:

 

- I-864ez signed copy 

- IRS transcript 2014-2016

- Notarized company letter showing current position, employment start date, current salary

- Pay stubs for the past 3 months

 

Wonder if i should bring my own income / tax / asset info as well to show my capability of supporting myself?

 

 

You've already got it, then. They wanted an offer letter and pay stubs from his current employer, though just his last three tax returns were requested before the interview. 

5 minutes ago, spa said:

Oh not bad. But your timeline shows about 2 months from when you got the interview notice to your interview date? When did you get CC?

I corrected my previous post- it was more like 6 weeks. I got my interview date within a week of my CC. You won't have to wait long to know.

My biggest tip: bring MORE supporting documents than they asked for. I brought everything on my list and more, and they still requested additional proof of income, so now I'm waiting on them to process those additional documents. 

2 hours ago, spa said:

Did you call to see when you may get an interview date? I called and they said they get a list from the embassies and then assign cases to open slots based on the CC date. So he couldn't tell.

My interview in MTL was six weeks after I received my CC- to give you a bit of an idea.

Just had my interview this morning in Montreal.

They now need additional proof of my husband's income (which if course wasn't on the list of documents that they had requested) so now we have to send that in and continue to wait.

Does anyone know if these additional documents will be processed online? I've been too deflated to even go the the web address they gave me.

Also, does anyone have any experience with how much more this is going to delay things? The woman at my interview said a couple of weeks, but the letter said 6-8 weeks. We're at 14 months since we applied and living apart for almost a year. I'm exhausted and depressed.

My interview in Montreal is on the 24th, so I'm trying to be as prepared as possible. The website link in my appointment email doesn't actually work (so that's fun) so I've been googling instead.

Were there any fees anyone needed to pay at the consulate on their interview date? I won't be bringing much with me to make security faster, and I want to make sure I have a payment method if required.

I also have a 5 month old (already has his US citizenship) who is breast fed and won't take a bottle. My in-laws are coming up from Boston (both US citizens) to see us/watch him during my interview. The information I've found says I can't have anyone but an interpreter with me in the interview, but can they come into the consulate so my son can be nearby if he needs to eat? 

TIA

Sent in my documents Aug 22, received interview letter Aug 28!

Can't wait for my interview Oct 24!!

1 minute ago, synthrian said:

Hubby called NVC regarding the IV fee again. We were told there's still an issue with the payment system and to check our account again on Friday. I am so frustrated rn! 

 

Thanks for the update! 

25 minutes ago, argothiusz said:

Still stuck in "In Process" after 2 weeks. They told us to email asknvc@stategov.com with our bank statement. Not sure if this will be the best way to do it as I heard it can take them more than a month to reply.

Paid July 13, AOS switched to paid this afternoon, DS260 is still processing

44 minutes ago, JBMG said:

This forum is for the following countries using Method 1: Upload documents online using CEAC.  

BNS = Buenos Aires, Argentina

FRN = Frankfurt, Germany

HNK = Hong Kong

MTL = Montreal, Canada

RDJ = Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

SYD = Sydney, Australia

 

 

The following forum is for Method 2: Email processing. The following countries can submit their NVC package via email. 

 

ADD = Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

AKD= Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
AMM = Amman, Jordan

BGH = Baghdad, Iraq  (except I-730 petitions)

DMS = Damascus, Syria

GTM = Guatemala City, Guatemala

GUZ = Guangzhou, China

KEV = Kyiv, Ukraine

MRV = Monrovia, Liberia

PHP = Phnom Penh, Cambodia

TGG = Tegucigalpa, Honduras

THT = Tashkent, Uzbekistan

 

 

 

I paid the fees and they've been withdrawn from our account, but the CEAC forms aren't "unlocking" for us to fill them out and the fees still say processing. 

Can I fill out the forms and mail them in? 

Is anyone else's taking way longer than 3 days to become accessible?

I'm so tired of this process 😑

On 20/07/2017 at 3:28 PM, vbjohn said:

I paid fees on july 12. nothing happened so far. Website is still showing fees in process. I can see many people in this forum getting it done within a couple of days. Anybody faced delays with fees processing ?

I submitted mine July 13th and I'm also still waiting. 

On 15/07/2017 at 7:09 AM, JBMG said:

That's very strange... Just curious, when you originally called the NVC, did you provide them with the petitioner's and beneficiary's email addresses? 

That was the first time I'd called. If I recall correctly we had them on the i-130?

Got an email from my husband's state representative (we requested their help and. Sure glad we did!)  on July 5 saying the NVC sent our AOS and IV fee statement to us June 21st. We never received it. Did anyone not receive something written?

Did everyone have to fill out DS261? Our fees were already unlocked before I had filled it in, but I hadn't specified an agent as far as I recall.

I read in the Wiki it restarts the clock ~30 days if you open it after it's been done already and I don't want to do that!

But I should expect another 11 weeks? We're trying to figure out if my husband should come back to Canada for a couple of months, but if our son and I will be able to join him soonish there's probably no point.

We just sent in our fees and are waiting to be able to send in AOS and DS260.

How long after you sent yours in did you get your interview date/have your interview?

TIA

9 minutes ago, Gretch said:

You could find yourself banned from the US until your green card comes through. 

I'm fairly certain that if you get a 5 year entry ban it doesn't matter that you get your green card, you're still banned. You can appeal, but it's a lengthy and expensive process.

If you've EVER had trouble entering the US before it's not worth the risk.

Best suggestion would be to let your wife go down, you get a job in Canada, then go down and visit her with a letter from your employer saying when you're required to return for work and a few pay stubs showing you're dependent on that income. 

Some medical appointments you can't miss, contracts for your cable, power, water, etc, could also help.

Again, there's definitely no guarantee and your interaction with your CBP officer will be completely arbitrary.

3 hours ago, Michael2017 said:

Well, in  this case it might be worth trying a tourist visa?

As a Canadian we don't require a tourist visa, (we are allowed in the US for 180 days without a visa) and when I tried to apply for one at the consulate in Vancouver just as some extra reassurance (before any of this even happened) I was denied because they said I didn't need one and it would be at the discretion of the CBP officer if I would be allowed entry.

So again even with a tourist visa you would need proof of ties to Canada showing you HAVE to return to Canada.

13 minutes ago, Michael2017 said:

With which reason would he get a 5 year ban? I am not sure this is even possible. I think you should consult some senior members here, but I do think that there is an option to visit even if the CBP officer sent your husband back on the border. Maybe a visa is needed, but someone else should answer this as I can not say for Canadians.

If you are rejected based on suspicion that you are trying to immigrate illegally they can ban you for 5 years according to the CBP officer, his supervisor, and my immigration lawyer.

17 minutes ago, Jenn22 said:

Hello,

 

I am an american citizen currently living in Canada. I have been here for over 6 years on a student visa and I have recently married a Canadian about a month ago. I sent off the I-130 paperwork as soon as we received our marriage certificate and have yet to receive anything back.

 

Here is the issue, I have completed my schooling and now I am going to be starting a new job in California in February. My husband is currently unemployed and I was hoping to bring him to the US with me and financially support him while we wait for the process to take its course. I have secured an apartment in California and our plan was to drive over the border together in a uhaul with our cats and all of our stuff and have him visit with me for a few months before possibly returning to his parent's house in Canada to wait out the process longer. Is this a horrible idea? Is there a better way to do this? What sort of proof would satisfy the border crossing people that he isn't going to be working in the US and that he is just visiting?

 

thanks in advance!

This is almost identical to my plan with my husband.

He is American, we've been married for 2.5 years and we're expecting a baby in May.

We've been living together in Canada for 5 years, but his work Visa is now finished and he got a job in Arizona. We submitted my i-130 in August (still no updates), but he needed to start work Dec 5th.

We left for the border on Nov 18th with the car packed to the gills (including our cat) and brought my immigration forms, proof of my return flight in February, a letter from my mum's landlady stating I would be living with my mum upon my return, and my husband's offer letter from his new job showing he would be able to financially support both of us without me working.

No dice. 

The CBP officer decided that I must be immigrating illegally (even with proof that we were going through the correct process, not to mention the fact that I'm CANADIAN, so why would I give up my free health care, ability to work, and, y'know, my entire family) and he refused me entry and said that if I were to try to cross again I could be banned from the US for five years.

So basically, you COULD get a nice CBP officer, but it's not worth the risk.

The better way (that my immigration lawyer recommends to those who haven't already been given a warning of potentially being banned) is to have you go down by yourself and have him fly down later. Customs at the airport tend to be more lenient and understanding.

Even so, he'll need to provide a LOT of proof of commitment to Canada (ex. A job, a lease, a mortgage, a scheduled surgery) or chances are, he ain't coming with you.

I'm now waiting in Canada without my husband, experiencing my pregnancy without him because of this wonderful process and the arbitrary rules that the CBP seems to run on.

Best of luck to you. I hope your experience is better than mine.

Does anyone have experience crossing from Canada on a bus with a ticket for a flight home after the full 90 day VWP?

I would like to meet my husband in Seattle so we can go on a road trip then I can help him settle into his new digs down in Arizona, but I'm worried that staying for 90 days would set off alarm bells with CBP, even with my i-130 processing and with a return flight booked.

I don't work and will be staying with my mum. Do you think a letter from her landlady saying I live with my mum would help?

I'm a homemaker, so not working isn't much of an issue.

I think what we'll have to do is continue proceeding with the CR1 and I'll just have to spend as much of my 180 days with the VWP as possible.

*Sigh*

Holy cow... really?

The position is only three years, and then after that we aren't even sure we'll stay in the US. Do you know of an more temporary visa option that doesn't take so long?

My husband and I both live together in Canada. He is an American citizen here on a working visa. We have been married for two years, and now my husband has been offered a great position in Arizona starting at the beginning of December.
I am about to send off my i-130, and I'm getting stressed that I won't be able to move down with him in December.
I have seen so many conflicting timelines and wait times that I'm getting confused and really worried.
Is there anyone else in a similar boat?
How long did it take from sending in your i-130 until you were actually able to join your spouse in the US?
Is there any point applying for a K3 visa as well?

Thank you in advance for any knowledge/opinions/experiences!!