EmilyRugBurn

you need to send in the form AR-11... you can do this online now too... plus the I-865, which you have to mail in..

Ar-11 - Online change of address

you have to send in these forms every time you move...

Muchos Graçias, MarilynP! Duely noted!

~ Em

Hey Em!!

now.....my impression was that you ALWAYS need to inform the gov't of your change of address regardless of whether you have a petition pending.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

All non-U.S. citizens (aliens) who are required to be registered are also required to keep the USCIS informed of their current address.

Good to see ya woman !!

Andrea

Ah, CutienPurg! Always coming to my rescue!! Thanks for the link. It appears as though I do indeed need to notify them of my change of address. Although... it makes no mention of the I-865, only the AR-11 (which can be filed online). Looks like I will need to do both... (well, one for hubby, the sponsor, and one for me the alien).

Much Thanks!!

Hi VJers!

Quick question I'm hoping you can help me with.

Since coming to the US (on a K3 visa) in June I have moved from one address in NYS to another in NYS (10 min. apart). My previous address was that of my inlaws, who are still there. When hubby and I moved into our new house (end of Sept.), which is new construction, and thus a brand new physical address, we had some trouble with mail being returned to sender (likely because our mail delivery person was not familiar with the house nor the address). I was uncertain as to whether or not I needed to report this address change to anyone, and hesitant to do so seeing as I was waiting for my interview letter and wouldn't want it to get lost trying to get to the new house... I figured I'd just wait to receive the interview letter at the old address and then look into it.

In December, my interview letter was delivered to my previous US address, and now that that the mail issue at our new house has since been resolved (to the best of my knowledge), I'm wondering if I need to file an I-865 form with the USCIS? (Although, technically, it appears as though this form is for sponsors, so my husband will need to complete it.)

I was under the (false, perhaps?) impression that I only needed to notify the USCIS of a change of address if I had a form/petition pending with them...

If it is advised that I complete and send this form I will do so asap, but I'd sure appreciate your input.

Cheers & Thanks!,

~ Em

...Hey Emily!, so nice to see you..we will be in Montreal on the 24th, 25th.. Im more nervous about the drive than anything!...LOL.. Good luck to you!!

Hey, kimmbo! Yes, me too!! And best of luck to you, as well!!

~ Em

I totally forgot the other item we offered at the POE .......the I-94.....that was the other thing the officer suggested to have along. Just pull it out of your passport before leaving it in Montreal , if that's what you end up doing.

Again good luck and Happy holidays!

Thanks, CutienPurg, but I don't actually have one of those. When I crossed to activate my K3, all the officer did was stamp the visa. When I applied for employment authorization, they wanted a copy of the I-94 along with the rest of the paperwork, so I had to explain that all I had was a stamped K3 and they accepted it. Weird, eh?...

I just spoke with Dr. Seiden's office. In regards to immunizations, all I require (I'm assuming based on my age, which is late 20s) are:

* I have had the chicken pox, so no vaccination is required.

- Measles

- Mumps

- Rubella

+ Tetanus & Diphtheria: I need to have had 3 shots in my lifetime; 1 of them in the past 10 years.

I asked her if there was any difference between these immunization requirements and those I needed in order to obtain my K3 visa and she said no, and she was nice enough to squeeze me in during the week I am in Canada over the holidays. PHEW!

She also reminded me to bring the following with me to my appointment:

- Letter indicating interview date & case #

- passport

- 3 passport photos

- $185 CAD (cash or money order only)

- copy of immunization records

Anyway, thought I'd post this here for the record in case anyone finds themselves in the same boat.

Cheers & Thanks to EVERYONE for all your help & input! Happy Holidays, VJ-ers!

~ Em

Go to this website, www.http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/default.htm. This is where all the information for what vaccines you will need comes from. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta are the ones responsible for determining the immunization requirements for admission and immigration to the US. All doctors doing immigration medicals (including Dr. Seiden) must follow their rules. There's even an interactive quiz on the website to help you and the actual schedule itself. You don't need wait for the e-mail, you can get the answer immediately, from the source itself.

Thanks for the link! It's helpful, however I see only "recommended" vaccinations, and not "required for immigration" vaccinations... I'll do a little hunting, but yes, Dr. Seiden's office will ultimately know what I need.

Hey Em!!!!

Hub had his Cr-1 interview on the 6th. He also is living in the U.S. on a K-3.

Thanks for responding here!! I was wondering if I'd hear from someone in the same position! Congrats to you and your hubby!!

Anywho , i emailed the consulate to inquire as to whether they could issue the gc the next day and they replied with " no guarantees". So of course we didn't make arrangements to stay over .....low and behold the interviewer said we could pick up the visa the next day UGH!!We opted for option B ...delivery to an address in Canada , which is the only place they'll mail it.It was mailed this past Monday, the 10th, to MIL's in Barrie and arrived on Wednesday. You're going to need to have the IR-1 activated/processed at a POE I would think.....dunno how you'll accomplish that if you have it mailed to you in the states.

Oh, yes of course -- I completely forgot about the activation. This may be more than a one-day trip after all. (January in Montreal does not sound like fun driving weather!) Based on your experience (assuming Montreal will tell me the same thing about not making any guarantees), I will plan on staying over two nights, and hopefully I can pick it up next day.

Since you're driving back across the border like we did , then you can ask the lady who collects the paperwork at the consulate to give you a copy of your appointment letter with a note saying your passport/gc will be mailed. Also I spoke with an agent at the border(before going) and he suggested making a photocopy of the K-3 and having the birth certificate ready as well as hub's Michigan drivers license. When we crossed the agent didnt seem to have any issues with what we offered him , including our explanation.

Wow, good to know they will take accept photocopies if I have to have it mailed to me. They are so strict at the border I wouldn't have thought it possible!

Also , he didnt require a 2nd medical since his was done in the past year. Cant imagine how it'll work if you needed additional immunizations......again I emailed to confirm that a 2nd medical wasn't required. You may be pleasantly surprised if they say just an updated immunization record will be ok.

Regardless of whether or not I require these new immunizations, since it's been more than one year (Nov. `06) since my K3 medical, I imagine they'll want new paperwork... and I am so beyond fed-up with this process that I will do pretty much anything to make it easier! Since I'll be in T.O. over the holidays, I'll take a couple hours out of my visit to get poked and prodded once more.

I have to say the people from security to the interviewer were awesome. Very easy to deal with and quite flexible.

All the best to you and good good luck come interview time!!!!!

Andrea

Thank you SO much for this, CutienPurg! Glad to hear your journey is over! (Until 2017, at least!)

If the consulate won't issue your visa that day, it's not the end of the world. you don't have to have a passport to get back into the US if you are driving, bc and drivers license is good till sometime in the summer. but you may want to make copies of the face sheet of your passport and of your K3 visa, just incase you get pulled into secondary and they want to see proof of your status.

I would not feel comfortable crossing back into the US without my passport (avec K3 visa) -- if they'd even let me. And I certainly wouldn't want to just use my birth certificate & license because it does not acknowledge my status in the US. They could easily turn me away and that would be a *huge* inconvenience as my husband will be with me and will need to get back to the US asap for his job. If they will not issue it same-day, I will see if the consulate can issue me something that will allow me entrance back into the US without my passport/visa. Or, I will have to mail it to them upon my return to the US along with an XpressPost envelope addressed to my dad (in Canada) who can then forward it to me.

varicella=chicken pox

perussis did you mean pertussis=whooping cough part of the DPT

pneumococcal-I didn't know that there was a common vaccine for pneumococci, they can cause meningitis but that's not required for immigration

Yes, sorry it was "pertussis".

"Pneumococcal" was on the list of required vaccinations. Not sure if people in my age bracket require it though -- hopefully Dr. Seiden's office will return my e-mail early next week and let me know what/if I need any new vaccinations prior to medical #2.

If you're going through Montreal, then you need to get your medical done in Canada and S & J has given you the link to Dr. Seiden's website. Immunizations come from the CDC recommendations so if you go to their website, they have everything you would need to know about immunization.

Yes, thanks, I figured as much. I'm familiar with Dr. Seiden as I had my K3 medical done at the Toronto office.

The link, although helpful, does not mention some of the other immunizations that are listed on the letter I received. I have e-mailed Dr. Seiden's office to find out which are required of me (based on my age) and if I am missing any, since they have my records from the K3 medical.

Q2: I see nowhere in this letter about bringing an xpresspost envelope (or equivalent) with me… will they be confiscating my passport? (i.e. do I need to bring an envelope)? Or will they just send me the greencard in the mail?...

Hi Emily,

Congrats on your IR1 interview. Would you mind having a look at this Montreal interview letter, posted at the dept. of state (which does mention the expresspost envelope) to see how different it is from the one you received? I'm wondering if the online version is outdated.

Thanks!

These pages were not included in the package I received, however they did provide this url address on the cover page, which leads me to the info about the envelope, etc...

I don't know how old you are, but you will see those two you mention are not required for people between 20 and 49 yrs old.

As well, when I was reading over the interview prep letter I was positive it said they will not mail the visa to a US address.

Good luck with your interview!

Thanks SO MUCH for this info S & J - I am indeed between the ages of 20 and 49. I will call panel physicians on Monday to determine if I require any of these new immunizations I'm seeing on the list that came with my interview letter. Some of them I know I have, but some I know I don't and some I haven't even heard of (like varicella, perussis, pneumococcal?...). If I don't require any of these new ones, perhaps I can ask them to provide me with another copy of all the paperwork they gave me for my K3. I think I read somewhere, way back when, that they can do this for a fee... if so, that'd be perfect.

Worse case scenario they can send my passport to my parents' house (in Canada) and I can have them forward it to me here in the US. Seems ridiculous that the US consulate can't send mail to the US. I have a FedEx account here -- I wonder, if I were to provide them will a pre-addressed envelope/waybill if they would just slip it in there and send it to me that way.... Anyway, I'd better send an e-mail to figure this out.

Thanks again!! And have I mentioned how much I *love* these VJ-ers! You guys/gals are the best!!

If the gov't made sense, since the interview for most of us canaucks is like 2 minutes long, one could just mail them the passport for them to put inthe CR-1 stamp and mail it back to ya, saving u $$$$$ in airfare. Best of luck

I was wondering if they would do this (ie. I go to interview, return to the US, mail them my passport, they mail it back with visa)... I'm sure that's probably what is going to have to happen if they cannot issue it same-day.

No worries on the airfare - we're only a 5 hour drive to Montreal from where we are in NYS. (And we may even take the train.)

But having to have 2 medicals at the same place and 2 interviews at the same place for the same reason in a one-year period is *beyond* ridiculous.

I recall another VJ'er going through a similar hassle (k3 going back fro cr-1) and they contacted Mtl and Mtl issued them the visa the same day or next day!! Email them and they might get back to u,lol

Thanks, flames9!! Will do!!

they will keep your passport so bring the envelope. Your K3 is a 1 entry visa correct? maybe I have that wrong-but I thought that k visa holders had to have AP.

But I will need my passport (with K3 visa) in order to return to the US - where I live now... I was planning to return on the same day as my interview... How they can keep it if I need it to cross the border?....

K3 is multiple entry, so no AP required.

Howdy, VJ'ers -- it's been a while since I've poked my head in here. Life has taken... some bizarre and stressful turns and this impending interview was *so* completely off my radar that my interview letter has totally caught me off guard, and now I have only 4 weeks to prepare (and it's the holiday season). Ugh!

Anyhow -- Here's my situation; I currently reside in the US (upstate NY) with my husband. I’m here on a K3 (since June).

It appears as though I require another medical (had one done in Toronto for the K3). The immunizations that I see listed on these instructions are different (for eg. I do not have Hep B or influenza immunization, as those were not required for the K3).

Q1: Does anyone know how I can find a licensed immigration physician who can perform my medical closest to where I am located (upstate NY)?

Q1(a): I will be in Toronto/Canada over the New Year. Perhaps I should get all my missing immunizations done here (in NY) and have another medical done in Toronto while I’m there over the holidays?... Is that a good plan? Anyone have any advice?...

Q2: I see nowhere in this letter about bringing an xpresspost envelope (or equivalent) with me… will they be confiscating my passport? (i.e. do I need to bring an envelope so they can send it back to me)? Or will they just send me the greencard in the mail?...

Ack, I’m so out of the loop. Life has kicked my butt a bit since I got here and I am so far removed from this process.

Any advice you’re able to give would be MUCH appreciated.

Thanks Again, VJ-ers,

~ Em

Howdy, VJ'ers -- it's been a while since I've poked my head in here. Life has taken... some bizarre and stressful turns and this impending interview was *so* completely off my radar that my interview letter has totally caught me off guard, and now I have only 4 weeks to prepare (and it's the holiday season). Ugh!

Anyhow -- Here's my situation; I currently reside in the US (upstate NY) with my husband. I’m here on a K3 (since June).

It appears as though I require another medical (had one done in Toronto for the K3). The immunizations that I see listed on these instructions are different (for eg. I do not have Hep B or influenza immunization, as those were not required for the K3).

Q1: Does anyone know how I can find a licensed immigration physician who can perform my medical closest to where I am located (upstate NY)?

Q1(a): I will be in Toronto/Canada over the New Year. Perhaps I should get all my missing immunizations done here (in NY) and have another medical done in Toronto while I’m there over the holidays?... Is that a good plan? Anyone have any advice?...

Q2: I see nowhere in this letter about bringing an xpresspost envelope (or equivalent) with me… will they be confiscating my passport? (i.e. do I need to bring an envelope)? Or will they just send me the greencard in the mail?...

Ack, I’m so out of the loop. Life has kicked my butt a bit since I got here and I am so far removed from this process.

Any advice you’re able to give would be MUCH appreciated.

Thanks Again, VJ-ers,

~ Em

Thanks, everybody!!

It's so weird trying to wrap my head around "living here". I still feel like I'm visiting... but once we're in our new house, I'm sure I'll feel right at home. (Found one we loved yesterday, btw! Putting in an offer as soon as we hear back from our agent! Woot!)

Cheers!,

~ Em

Hey VJ-ers!

Just thought I'd post my POE experience. My husband and father-in-law (since he has a van for all my stuff) brought me from Toronto to (upstate) NY yesterday (Tuesday).

We crossed at the Queenston-Lewiston bridge around 12:30pm (our car was in line for 10-15 minutes). When we reached the booth the guy was really nice. I opened the side door of the van to tell him that I was there to activate my K3 visa and he had a look in the van and said "Yep -- looks like you're movin' in! Anything other than personal belongings with you?" And we all said "No - just my dog." He took all of our ID's and gave us the little slip of paper and told us to park and go into the building. (My father-in-law stayed outside with the dog.)

10-15 min. later my name was called and hubby came up to the counter with me. The guy was immediately rude: "Sir - go sit back down, please!" As if hubby should know that, although he was the petitioner - and my spouse - that it was not necessary for him to be up there with me. He handed me back hubby's and dad-in-law's licenses and asked me, rudely, "So - do you know where you're going to live?" and I said, "Actually, I think it's all right here in the mystery envelope." And, with disappointment he said "Oh, you have one of those...". And, even though there were only about 3 other couples in there, he said "Couldn't you have crossed at a less busy time?". I apologized and told him that I thought a Tuesday afternoon would be less busy than a Friday or the weekend and I asked when I better to time to come would have been and he said "Midnight." and the guy next to him said "September". They shared a snide chuckle. I did not find it remotely amusing.

The rude guy (who shall henceforth be known as McPherson, because that's what his name tag read), then said, with a huff, as if it weren't the job he was being paid to do: "These things take a loooooong time. Go sit down." No one came in during this time, so the place was even more vacant than it was before. 15-20 minutes later (after watching him move slower than molasses in June and spend a good 5 minutes looking for a pen) he called me back up to the counter and had my passport opened to the visa page where a shiny new stamp now laid. "This will get you in and out of the country until you get something more permanent." I said, with a smile, "Thank you very much, I really appreciate it." And that was it. They didn't ask about what I brought with me (I had a typed list) and they didn't ask about my dog (I had his Rabies Vaccination Certificate and a Health Certificate). No fingerprints, no fees - no nothin'. The entire border crossing and K3 activation was over in less than an hour (even though I crossed at such a "busy" time). Aside from McPherson and his condescending attitude, everything went smoothly.

I am finally with my husband in NY and we have house hunting appointments all day today! I can't believe I'm FINALLY here! SUCH a relief! I slept like a baby last night.

Hope everyone's doing well and staying cool.

The next step for me is to mail my EAD application (and then apply for an SSN) while my I-130 is pending at the NVC. But I'm taking today off!

Does illegal immigration upset you big time too?

No. Especially after going through this process. It is stressful and expensive. And the immigration system is no where near perfect. I wonder how many people they "weed out" by making it as complicated as possible, and by having us (pay to) submit the same information in duplicate and sometimes triplicate. It's ridiculous and there is DEFINITELY a better way to do this. It is daunting and intimidating.

Desperate, poverty-stricken people and families do not even have enough money to file the paperwork fees, let alone have the money to sustain themselves in the US; and as you know, these are both requirements for legal entry.

You can't justify to me having poverty be a reason to break the law.

This reminds me of "Les Miserables"; do you fault Jean Valjean for stealing a loaf of bread to save his family's life?

Yes, stealing a loaf of bread or crossing the border without the proper papers is illegal, but the reason these people break the laws is because their country failed them. Mexico's government has failed its people and forced their hand.

I personally get upset because there is a legal way to simply work or become a student in the United States, but generally these are never looked into.

For free? These people have NO money. None. If you don't have any money, you cannot immigrate legally. That is not an option.

If you had to choose between legal death/suffering (for you and your family) and illegal life in a neighboring country, what would you choose?

The reason they can remain in the US illegally, is because US employers are willing to hire them to do the worst jobs for cheapest wages. That, IMO, is where the problem lies. If US employers did not hire illegal workers in the first place, there would be no illegal immigration problem. And as others have already mentioned, US employers have been relying on illegal workers so long that the economic ramifications of removing these people from the US (which is virtually impossible anyway) would be near catastrophic.

As much as it seems America complains about illegal immigrants, deep down, it also knows that it's a case of "we'll scratch your back if you scratch ours" (meaning, if you come here illegally, we'll still hire you and reap the benefits), which is why the US is trying to figure out a way to get status for those who have already established themselves here.

Uppdated:

Myself & Geist: NOA2 after 106 days of waiting

Hey, alright! CONGRATULATIONS!!

(Btw, 106 days is nothin'! Talk to me after 294 days have past!)

In all seriousness -- VERY happy things seem to be finally moving along! Way to go, CSC! (Woot!)

~ Em

Simply question. I just received my 3 years tax transcript from IRS. When summiting them to the NVC do I send in my originals from IRS or can photo copies do? What do you think guys and what did you do?

If I remember correctly, when I had my K-3 interview, they specifically asked for the originals (not that there's any major or visible difference between original IRS transcripts and photocopies), but keep in mind, when you copy them to sent them in (or when you copy them for your records), the pages are double-sided, so be sure to copy both sides.

Wow. That was a really long sentence.

Anyway, good luck to ya!

For all of you that have had a Montreal Interview within the last 3 months I would very much appreciate if you could let the rest of us know how long it took for you to get the Visa in Hand.

Interview in Montreal: March 19/07

Received Passport/Visa in the mail: March 26/07

(It's also posted in my signature.)

It took exactly 7 days (5 business days) and it arrived with the regular mail. (No special delivery truck.)

Hint: Save yourself from a nervous breakdown and don't forget to write down the tracking number! (I forgot, and it was the longest week of my life!)

GOOD LUCK, Geist and dillydally and to all awaiting approval!!

So i've been waiting to say this for several months...please update my status.

YAY, Singha! CONGRATS!

So, lemme get this straight: I wish you Good Luck on June 1st, and your petition is approved on June 1st... Coincidence?... ...