Iamy

A change of nationality does not change your identity. If it is a lifetime ban, I would say it must be of serious reason. The CBP has record of any entry attempt which I could attest based on my personal experience. Way back in 2014, we did a wrong turn from Niagara Falls, Canada which led us to the US territory after the bridge. We were held for almost 2 hours after explaining that it was not our intention to cross the border. After they checked our documents and they said “wrong turn happens”, they escorted us back to the Canadian soil without any stamps on our passport. I thought they did not record that as an entry but I just found out lately, after 4 years, when I printed my i94 after my K1 visa entry last Feb. 2018, voila! it showed that my first entry to the US was that wrong turn incident. So, to say that they have no record of the ban, I am sure they do.

Like many first time Visa Journey members, my fiance (now wife) were extremely stressed and overwhelmed with the K1 Visa application process.  We considered hiring a lawyer or using one of the many online immigration services.  
 
Through a lot of research here on Visa Journey, we grew confident we could complete this process ourselves.  
 
My wife and I started her K1 Visa process application in November 2016, had her K1 Visa approved in April 2017 and were married in July 2017.  She received her SS#, AED/AP all with no problems.  We are currently waiting for her AOS interview.  

We could not have gotten this far in the process without the help of VJ and many of the members here.  Doing it ourselves have given us a new understanding and appreciation of the immigration process.  

I’ve gotten a number of messages and questions about the K1 Visa process.  I wanted to share my advice to help others navigate the K1 Visa process and how to get the most of the VJ website:
 
Update your timeline and profile.  It helps the VJ community give more specific information if we know which country your foreign fiance is from. Once you input your country, look for the "Portals" tab.  The "Portals" section will have a wealth of information regarding your country's consulate, timetables, embassy reviews, and more. Here is a link to many abbreviations you will come across on this website and during the immigration process:
http://www.visajourney.com/content/us-immigration-abbreviations I recommend viewing VJ on a laptop or regular computer.  The information on VJ is jumbled on cell phones and does not show user's signatures after they have posted.  In my signature, like many others, I've posted a detailed timeframe of my VJ experience.  When you view VJ on a regular computer, it looks much different than on your cell phone. When replying to posts, keep it informative and good natured.  Disagreements are natural on any message board.  However, moderators will delete posts that are offensive or do not contribute positively. Some of the information on VJ is old and may not be currently applicable.  The guides are a tremendous help, but, double check with the government websites to get the latest forms, instructions, information and fees.  And ask VJ members from your foreign fiance's country their input as well.   You must have patience.  The immigration process is not quick.  You will have ups and downs, worrying, and will envy seeing other VJ members receive their petition approvals while you continue to wait.  While waiting, continue to collect evidence supporting your relationship. Keep in mind that applications from high fraud countries typically take longer to process vs. low fraud countries.  In our fast paced, gotta have it now world - having patience is truly a virtue in the visa process. Never plan your wedding, buy airline tickets, or reserve a reception hall until the visa is in-hand.  RFE's, incorrectly paid fees, incorrectly completed applications and the such will set things back even further.  Only cement your plans when the Visa is in-hand. Contribute!  There are a lot of lurkers on VJ.  But, this community is only as good as the contributions given by its members.  A great quote I once heard, "When we teach, we learn twice".  So ask questions, give advice, get acquainted, and welcome!
The K1 Visa process is time consuming and very stressful.  You will go through many ups and downs waiting for your petition to process.  Have faith, and know that many VJ members have gone through the same experience - and are here to help!

Good luck on your Visa Journey!

Thanks so much! Good to hear they processed it with the doc's listed
Best of luck also, appreciate the response! 
 
 

Hello sunj!
 
You actually provided more documents than I did so you’re good to go. The Hongkong Police issued me the Certficate of No Criminal Conviction with only the NOA2 and NVC letter I included in my application and full set of fingerprints.
 
Good luck!

Your  letter looks awesome! with the instructions and where the interview is. We never got a formal letter from mail or the one you have from the NVC (or a Letter form attached). They only sent a regular type email ( with no mention that MTL is  Montreal, LOL). Anyway, I will try to send this and my NOA2 and a cover letter.  I know the Hongkong directly send  to the respective consulate ( where the interview is) as I have previously applied Hongkong CNCC , this is for my permanent residency here in Canada. But the good thing in Canadian immigration is that you can download the Letter from the site. And the applicant will only received the payment  Official Receipt coming from the CNCC..
 
 

Understood, she wont go back home until we receive our NOA2 notice (hopefully in October)..should be plenty of time.

The thing is, if she gets the Hongkong Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC) before she leaves Hongkong, it might not be valid anymore on her interview date.Unless her interview schedule is within one year. 😉

What's wrong with using your maiden name? Also, when she came back in Hongkong, if she used her married name, she must have declared also her maiden name on her new passport. When you request for HK CNCC, you fill in a form and there you need to fill in "other names used".  As for the discrepancy on the date of birth, follow what's in her recent passport coz that's her travel document and I assume it's based on the birth certificate and marriage contract submitted when she applied for that passport. I hope I make sense😉.

Greetings my fellow Canadians. We applied for IR1/IR2 and our i130 is stuck in Nebraska. I'm starting to feel panicked too because every time I look at our estimated i130 completion date it gets pushed further and further back. I was hopeful it would've been approved by now (5 months) but it is starting to look like I should feel happy if it's approved by the end of the year!
 
I have no concrete answers. The only theory I can come up with is the fact there is a political environment which is anti-immigrant and it's given permission to the 5 service centers to work whenever they feel like. I mean really what is their consequence if it takes everyone longer? Reading previous threads from years ago it's common for back logs to happen. But 9 months for a i130 to get approved? That's ridiculous. I think the most frustrating part is there is nobody to complain to. Then what happens is everybody (rightfully so) starts to call in to the service centers and political offices taking up further resources. I'm happy when people get expedited but a part of me wonders if all those people are going to be making me wait even longer.
 
The part that drives me crazy is the fact our application fees pay the salaries of all these workers. I know if a private business were this ineffective the place would go bankrupt.

You should be okay. While yes the Manila Embassy generally doesn't accept co-sponsors for K-1 visas(with some exceptions), it is about what embassy you go through not your nationality. You should be fine.

Oh dear, you did it to the T. Most people don't actually have all the documents for the checklist when they fill it out.
I'd say maybe only a few people actually have everything they check off the checklist when they send the checklist back. Most get everything done (police check, ordering birth cert, etc) while in the wait for medical and interview. While it does say to have all of the stuff and check off what you have, at no point do they actually make sure you have it, as long as you have it by the interview then you're fine. We checked everything off because we knew we could get it all in time before the interview, so it sped things up a bit. I'll be sending my fiance all of my papers (fiance is the canadian) next week via express, so he'll still have all the papers a good two or three weeks before the interview.
As for knowing there's not any in Sept. I know they fill really fast, and we scheduled ours on July 24th for September 22nd. MOST of September was open at the time, but it was filling out very quickly by the end of July. Based on posters here, Montreal opens up dates usually towards the end of the month, but it could take a month or so before more date's open, and when they do they'll be Oct/Nov dates. There's also a few posters in the canadian form waiting for dates to open up. Myself and a few others seem to be the last ones here to snatch up the September dates before they got closed off/full. I've been stalking the canadian forums since we got our NOA2 to keep up to date on everything to do (the guides old, but new posters bring new info!), so most of everything I know is based off my and others most recent experiences.
From what I've seen on the forums, asking for an extension has never effected anyones case. A lot of people do it, even more so recently a lot of people who's case were "going to fast" have been doing it. It gives you an extension of your NOA2 for up to a year, allowing you more time to schedule when it's open. Once you're scheduled I believe it extends automatically, but not 100%.

You may have been going through the process TOO carefully. Montreal stinks at sending things via paper, most things are done via email now. You're actually a couple of months behind where you should be at the moment. I'm curious as to what requirements showed up that bounced ya'll back a couple of months. All the requirements are fairly simple and across most of the board for all consulates. The only thing that Montreal is stricter on is proving US domicille for the petitioner.
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You're suppose to send packet 3 via email, according to your time line you should have been able to send Packet 3 in late June/Early July as that's when they should have had your case up in montreal.

Packet 3 looks like this. http://photos.state.gov/libraries/canada/303578/montreal/Packet3-K1-MTL.pdfYou e-mail them at the address provided with the DS-160, Passport page, and checklist.

After packet 3 is emailed to them, THEY will email you back with an email. -THAT- e-mail is packet 4. The email back should take anywhere from 4 hours to 48 hours. The packet 4 pdf does NOT get mailed to you, it's simply there for info purposes. The email that you are suppose to get after emailing them packet 3 is what you take to both your medical AND your interview.

Yes you schedule your medical AFTER you schedule your interview because when you schedule your medical they will confirm your interview date. They will not schedule medical without having an interview date.

There aren't currently any interview appointments in MTL for September. You'll have to wait until Oct/Nov opens up. Since it will be past your time for your NOA2's expiration date, the canadian fiance will have to send a letter petitioning for an extension on the case. I'm not sure how to do it as we were able to schedule ours before our date, but I'm sure you can find a sample letter through searching VJ.


Just as a note, Montreal is NOTORIOUS for not sending anything via paper. We were lucky enough to get a paper packet 3 and it only took a week and a half from when Montreal recieved our case to get it. We had actually already completed and emailed our packet 3, and finished the packet 4 process before we got our paper snail mail.


As for the medicine, I believe the prescription from your doctors is enough.

Good luck on your journey! And remember, if it feels like it's taking too long, inquire inquire inquire! Post-NOA2 phase is the fastest in terms of getting things scheduled. All it is is paperwork, scheduling, and sitting back and waiting.

General Immigration Guide: http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada
K1 Montreal Guide:
Put this together with some help from a few other members (JeannieL, pocheros, coconuts, Stuart & Thea) to try and get all the confusing FAQs about the Montreal process in one place. Hope it helps people out!
1. NOA2
Once you’ve gotten your NOA2, it’s time to celebrate! Most people wait a while for this, sometimes even dealing with an RFE... Instead of jumping headfirst into the “What comes next!” Stage, take a minute to relax. If you’re going through Montreal, it’s going to take some time. You’ve got it. Put your NOA2 in a safe place since you’ll need it later on for AOS and relax.
2. NVC
Once at least a week has passed, you can feel free to start calling The National Visa Center (NVC). Their number is: 1-603-334-0700 (Pressing 1 for English and 5 for an Operator). They will want both the petitioner and beneficiary’s names and dates of birth, as well as the receipt number for your petition. (WAC# if you went through California, EAC if you went through Vermont). NVC can’t do very much for you as a typical K1 petition doesn’t stay there very long, but this is the information you’re looking to get from them:
-Has your petition arrived at NVC? If not, there’s nothing they can do yet. It can take time for the petition to get there, anywhere from a week to a month, so don’t worry if you find yourself calling frequently.
-Once it’s arrived, does it have a Montreal case number yet? This number will begin with MTL and if they can provide it at NVC, write it down!
-Has the petition left for the consulate? Once this happens, you’re done with NVC! No need to call them for any further updates.
3. DOS
After you get word that the petition is headed for Montreal, give it a few days (I’d say minimum a week) and you can start calling the Department of State (DOS). Their number is: 1-202-663-1225 and to get to a visa specialist, it’s 1 and then 0. This operator will want your MTL # and sometimes both the names and dates of birth for both petitioner and beneficiary. At this stage, you’ll go through the follow things with DOS:
-Has your petition arrived in Montreal? If it has not, there’s nothing to do yet. Montreal is notorious for delays in its mailroom so even if you think it’s unrealistic it hasn’t physically arrived yet, chances are it’s sitting somewhere waiting to be logged. Until DOS gives the word the petition is in Montreal, you just have to sit tight.
-Once the case has arrived, you can ask DOS is Packet 3 has been sent out. Even if it hasn’t, you can prepare and send Packet 3 yourself, the important thing is to make sure Montreal has your case before you send them anything.
4. Preparing Packet 3
Waiting for P3 to physically arrive can be a fruitless task. Many people never get it, sometimes only the petitioner gets it, sometimes it shows up months later. If you want to expedite the process, don’t wait for it. There’s nothing including in Packet 3 that isn’t available on Montreal’s website: http://montreal.usconsulate.gov/content/content.asp?section=visas&document=visa_pkt3
Since even the website can be a little confusing, this is what you send back (all forms available above at Montreal’s website):
Signed Checklist
DS-160 x 1
DS-156K x 1
DS-230 x 1
DS-156 x 2
US style passport photos of the beneficiary x 2
Many have found it helpful to also include a very brief cover letter summarizing the contents, providing an email address and re-iterating the MTL case #.
(If you are doing a K2 as well, don’t forget the forms for them!)
5. Sending Packet 3
How you send P3 is up to you. It can be done for free via DHL, but many have found it faster to just use an xpresspost mailer from Canada Post and eat the cost themselves. If you are sending it via xpresspost, it goes to the following address:
ATTN: Immigrant Visa Unit
315 Place d'Youville Suite 500
Montreal Quebec
H2Y 0A4
Make sure to again write your MTL case # on the mailer itself.
(You could also just send it regular mail, but it’s usually better for peace of mind to get a tracking number, which means XPpesspost.)
6. Waiting
Once P3 has been sent, for the sake of your own sanity give it at least a week before you start calling about it. Again, Montreal is notoriously slow processing documents so there’s no use fretting if you know it’s physically there and it still hasn’t been logged. At this stage, you’re back to calling DOS. They’re open M-F from 8:30am until 5, except for Wednesday’s when they’re closed from 11:30-12:30.
-You’ll want to ask them if P3 has been logged. If it hasn’t, you’ll have to keep calling.
-Once they tell you P3 has been logged, you’ll ask if Packet 4 has been sent out yet? If it has, you will be eligible to schedule your interview.
Note: There have been a LOT of cases of people getting incorrect information from DOS at this stage. Every consulate is different, so even if a representative tells you that your interview will be scheduled for you, this is not the case for K1s right now. As soon as P4 has been sent, you are about to schedule.
7. Scheduling Interviews
The website (Referred to on VJ as the CSC site) is here: http://usvisa-info.com/en-CA/selfservice/ss_country_welcome
You can register at any time once you have your MTL case #, but do NOT schedule an interview until you’ve been told P4 has been sent out. You’ll be prompted to select your reason for immigrating, and you can chose either of the K1 options (Permanently immigrate or ready to schedule). If you chose “Permanently Immigrate” you will need to pay the $350 fee via credit card before you can schedule. If you would rather pay the fee at the interview (US cash only, exact change!) just choose “ready to schedule”
You will follow the prompts to schedule your interview as well as select the DHL branch you wish to pick up your Visa at.
If all goes well, you will get an interview date. A confirmation email will be sent to you, make sure to hold on to that, as you will need to bring it with you to Montreal.
8. No Interviews Available!
Unfortunately, what seems to happen often with Montreal is a message stating “No Interviews Available”. If that is the case, there’s not a lot you can do except keep checking back. If someone cancels their appointment, a time may open up that you can grab. Sometimes Montreal opens additional interviews in the afternoons or just more dates... there’s no specific time of day or month that these things happen, so it’s just luck of the draw. If you’re stuck in limbo without an appointment date, calling DOS or contacting Montreal won’t do anything, unfortunately. Just keep refreshing and waiting.
If you’re lucky it’s just a day or so, sometimes it can be as long as a month without interviews being available. It’s just luck, sadly.
9. Rescheduling Interview?
Oftentimes, if interviews are available they’re months away. If you log in and that’s all that’s available: TAKE IT. Even if it’s further than you’d like, it’s better to have something booked than to hope for something better. You can always reschedule by logging in and clicking “reschedule”. (Note: If the CSC site says the next available interview day is further away than the one you have: do NOT continue from there. You will lose the one you already have booked as soon as you go to the calendar.)
Also: You don’t need to log in and out. Just refreshing the page that tells you if/when the next available appointment is will work fine.
10. Medical
You’ll need to complete a medical before your interview. There’s only four places in Canada you can do this at and they all have different processes and costs. Once you’ve decided where to have it, your best bet is to search the VJ forums for reviews of that particular place. Typing “Toronto Medical” or “Medisys Montreal” in the search bar will bring up excellent accounts.
The websites for the doctors are:
Dr. Seiden: http://panelphysicians.com/ (Toronto and Montreal)
Medisys: http://www.medisys.ca/ (Montreal)
Working Medical: http://www.wokingmedical.com/ (Vancouver)
Your medical can be done at any time before the interview, but it’s best to keep it relatively close. If done within a year of when your AOS is processed, you can use the same medical. All the locations vary for how long it takes to get the results, so refer to the specific location for the specifics on how much time you need to leave.
11. Interview
When it’s finally time for your interview, the best thing you can do is know what to expect. VJ has plenty of consulate reviews available right here: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty=Canada&cty=&dfilter=5 and searching “Montreal Consulate Review” on the forums will also bring up lots of tips and tricks.
The interview really is the easiest part of the process as long as you’re prepared with the correct documents.
For the trip, VJ also has threads about hotels in Montreal close to the consulate and information on parking and travel within the city. Again, searching the forums is your best bet.
12. DOS & DHL
After your interview is when Montreal is most unpredictable. They vary so wildly on the length of time to return visas that it’s really impossible to say what might happen. The best thing to do is prepare for a lengthy wait, you might be pleasantly surprised.
There’s four ways to learn what’s going on with your visa at this stage.
-First, you can go back to calling DOS. They can’t tell you when it will be sent, but they can tell you if the Visa has been printed. Keep in mind, it getting printed doesn’t tell you anything about how soon you’ll be getting it, but sometimes it’s nice to have an update. (Also: Don’t worry too much if DOS tosses around comments about AP at this stage, sometimes they say it to just mean Montreal is still working on the case, not true AP.)
-If you signed up correctly for DHL, you should get an email with your tracking # as soon as the Visa departs Montreal. Depending on your location, the shipping time varies but you’ll be able to track it. Not everyone gets this email, even if they signed up correctly.
-Logging into the CSC website: If you log in and see a waybill # printed underneath your DHL location information, you can track that at dhl.ca to get an update. Not everyone sees this on the website, though.
-If you never get the tracking number, there’s a good chance you’ll get a phone call from DHL once you’re able to pick up the package. If you don’t hear anything, you can always stop by your DHL location and ask, but while it’s happened, there’s a pretty small chance it may be there without any notice. (I’d save this option until you’re absolutely at the end of your rope, however.)
13. POE & Shipping Belongings
Once you have your Passport back from Montreal, you can POE at any time within 6 months. All you need at POE is your passport and the sealed envelope that will come with it, then you’re set to go!
If you’re curious what to expect for POE, head to the reviews section on VJ and look up where you intend to cross: http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/poereviews.php
If you have questions about shipping belongings from Canada, search the forums. There have been plenty of threads on this topic!
14. Get Married
You have 90 days from POE to get married. Congratulations!