Kipster

Monday will mark the first year anniversary of the beginning of the most satisfying relationship I have ever known outside of my relationship with my Lord. Michelle (Emancipation) is truly the gem I knew she was moments after we started our first conversation online in April 2006. It has gotten better during the previous year and for that I am so grateful that I was given the privilege of being her husband. If I looked the world over, I don't think I would ever find a woman more perfectly suited for me. I wouldn't trade her for any hobby, business interest, or any other relationship. I wish our circumstances were more conducive to being able to celebrate in a manner worthy of the occasion, but it looks like that will have to be put off for a little while longer. Regardless, I wanted to take a moment and brag on my lovely wife who I know spends a lot of time here hanging out with y'all. She has filled the past year of my life with more happiness and satisfaction than I am deserving of. Baby, you are beautiful from the inside out, and the outside in. There's nothing I'd change about you. I love you.

"so there's pediatric advice in the Quran?"

Sort of. And it's 2 yrs not 3 yrs. This also talks about the mother *in milk* issue.

If ye decide on a foster-mother for your offspring, there is no blame on you, provided ye pay (the mother) what ye offered, on equitable terms. But fear God and know that God sees well what ye do. (The Noble Quran, 2:233)"

Would that be the King James version of that translation?

Ok. I wasn't too crazy about mine...Hixbrica, but I do remember a twist on this one. If you were ever to become a transgendered stage performer, what would your stage name be? First, take the name of your first pet, then the name of the first street name you lived on. And voila! Shorty Merriweather is born!

Ok. Been thinking on this one for a little while this morning. I will preface my comments by saying that I am a Christian, but I never heard Jerry Falwell preach a sermon. I can’t say that I ever had much of a desire to hear what he had to say. He did not speak for me as a Christian, and I would surmise he didn’t speak for many in America who claim to follow Christ. (I know, he did speak for many, but I believe there were many others he didn’t speak for)

He stood in a pulpit illuminated by a national spotlight, for various reasons. Unfortunately, one of those reasons was because he made insensitive, condemning, and just plain bizarre claims about people who engage in the various vices of our time and about how people needed to give money or else he was going to be struck down by God. Its disappointing to me to see a man who possessed such attention squander it on “preaching” his own views, rather than on the gospel of Jesus Christ who came to seek and save the lost.

His handling of the 9/11 attacks demonstrated a new low when he claimed that America was attacked because America needed to be judged. How discouraging to see a man who claims to follow the Jesus I know make such stupid, heartless accusations. America didn’t need a judge then any more than it needs one today. It seems to me that he saw God as a judge rather than as a friend (John 15:15, 21:5) and brother (John 20:17), and he felt it was his responsibility to condemn rather than build up. Perhaps he was fearful that if he didn’t judge and condemn, God would love him less. I’ll never know for sure because I did not know the man. I can only know him by the things he said in public. And what he said in public was enough to squander so many opportunities to lead people to the Jesus I know. Such a waste.

Ah…..Canadian/American differences. One of the topics that me and my beautiful maple leaf flag waving missus find ourselves talking about quite frequently. Talking about how we are different has certainly drawn us closer together and that is one thing I am thankful for. I have found the more we talk about the differences between our countries and cultures and attitudes, the more open my mind becomes and I find I become a better person for having discussed it with her. I learn new points of views and learn new things about myself and this land of America that I love and call my home.

I think the fact that we first discovered our love for each other on Canada Day last year, while she was visiting me here in the US is so cool. I can’t think of a better way to start our love for one another. I couldn’t have planned it any better. I am really looking forward to celebrating Canada Day with her this year as a way of marking a huge milestone in our lives together.

I am so glad that my wife is from Canada. The blend of her personality and character with her identity of a very patriotic Canadian makes her irresistible to me. I couldn’t have found a better wife if I had tried. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Vive la difference!

Krikit,

Thanks for extending your sympathetic heart and hand to my wife. I see the frustration and anger she feels at the paperwork issues going on on both sides of the border and there isn't really much I can do except do my best at listening and just giving her the room she needs to express her frustrations. You are someone she can really relate to because you have gone through this already. Thanks for being her friend..it means a lot to me.

I hear the frustration, and I can relate to some, but not all of it because our wait times with Montreal were not as long as the OP's. But here's the thought that came to my mind. We are now thankfully in the AOS process and we are reading reports from some VJ'ers who are receiving two year conditional green cards very quickly after they file their I-485s and without interviews being conducted. My question is this, if CIS would provide a permanent residence card to a non-immigrant shorty after filing the necessary paperwork here in the States, why does a consulate need to go to the trouble of conducting an interview for a temporary visa (K-1)? If the paperwork is all in order, and the consulate officer said ours was, then why was an interview necessary? An interview that lasted all of three minutes? Talk about being ripped off. You invest so much money and time in trying to get there, and then, *poof* its over.

The I-864 allows that documentation of the most recent tax year can be either a tax transcript issued by the IRS or a photocopy of the most recent return (along with applicable W-2). In block 25 of the form it provides lines for recording of the most recent tax year as well as the 2nd and 3rd most recent years. It then provides an optional block for checking to indicate that the petitioner has included photocopies or transcripts supporting evidence for the 2nd and 3rd tax years. I have included only my 2006 tax return (photocopy and W-2) and recorded my income in the line for the most recent tax year. I have chosen to leave the 2nd and 3rd year tax return lines blank.

Question:

Is it required to include our income from the 2nd and 3rd year on the lines provided in block 25, and if we do, is it still optional to to include the evidence for the 2nd and 3rd year tax returns?

Has anyone received an RFE for NOT including this information from the 2nd and 3rd year of tax returns?

From our experience, MTL is taking approximately 8 weeks to set a date for K-1 interviews, (sending packet 4) followed by the actual date approximately 4 weeks thereafter. So the going assumption is now to anticipate about 3 months from the time MTL receives the packet 3 until you have your actual interview. However, this is subject to change in light of the recent changes in MTL's scheduling procedures. It would appear that they are at least making an effort at speeding up the interview process by scheduling more interviews in the afternoons, followed by mailing the visas out in a day or two after the interview.

Ok, so I know how to spell the name of her country, its just that sometimes my fingers forget that when I type.

C eh? N eh? D eh?

How 'bout studying some Candian history with him? On one of my visits to my fiancee we took a tour of a museum dedicated to the history of confederation of the provinces. She lives on PEI, home of confederation, and I thought it was really neat to learn something about how her country came into existence. Speaking from my own personal experience, Candian history is something I know very little about, so the more I learn of her country's history, the closer I feel to her.

Well a week from today I'll be crossing the boarder and activating my K-1. This weekend I moved out of my apartment. Did anyone else have that very surreal experience of sitting in their apartment, starting at the blank walls, looking around you and realizing this is all really happening, and feeling an out of body experience? I am 100% about our decision, looking forward to the change, and of course being reuinited with the man of my dreams, but to leave one's country, it's altogether overwhelming at times. I just think about learning new towns, new stores, new "brands".. making new friends, and social scene. I know it will all sort itself out, that time is the one thing that will help the situation. I'm not down, don't get me wrong, but I am curious to hear anyone else's "packing" stories

My first surreal moment came when I was just 18. I can remember it like it was yesterday, even though its been 20 years now. I was sitting on the floor in my room at my parent’s house, just listening to some music and thinking, “This will be the last time I ever live here”. This was the house and room I had grown up in. This was the neighborhood I had been born into and had spent the past 18 years in. This was my world as I had known it, and it was all I had. I had just graduated from high school that summer and was enlisted in the US Navy. This was the day I was to leave and start my journey into the great unknown. This was the day I had to leave and go to Boot Camp.

Only a couple of months earlier, on the night of my high school graduation, I had come home from the graduation party and laid down on the couch in the living room in the dark and wondered where my life would take me. I wondered mostly whether I would find the love I was looking for. I never found it in high school, and now, I was getting ready to join the military, and who knows where I would find it then.

So there I was. And off I went into a strange new world that held who knows what.

So many times what kept me going was you my love, or more precisely, the dream of one day finding you and waking up next to you knowing I would never have to go back to The Day Before You. So many years passed spent at sea looking out over an empty ocean, just wanting to be with you. I pictured you and me together so many times, the walks we would take, the conversations we would have, and of course I saw you as beautiful in character as well as form. And so many nights in my rack I imagined that moment in my mind, what I would think and feel when I would finally wake up with you every morning, how surreal it would seem to me, lying next to you in our cozy bed as I reflected on how far I had traveled and all I had been through to find you. And then I would just roll over in my rack and wake up to another day at sea.

And then one Sunday evening, there you were, out of the blue. Only at the time, I didn’t know she would turn out to be an imposter. And 5 years later, she was out the door and on with her own life. And I was left with another surreal moment. Reflecting on where I had come, and now my dream was shattered.

And now here we are together my love….its you….and now I finally see the beautiful character, form and face of my beloved from a night on my graduation so long ago. You are the real one, because you are so tenderhearted, so loving, and so desirous to be with me. You are exactly the way I dreamed of you on so many nights at sea. You are so much more. I know that God loves me now because of you, and I know He loved me the night of my graduation, because He was there taking very careful notes that night. He was there every time I thought of you. And now He smiles.

Talk about surreal…

Well a week from today I'll be crossing the boarder and activating my K-1. This weekend I moved out of my apartment. Did anyone else have that very surreal experience of sitting in their apartment, starting at the blank walls, looking around you and realizing this is all really happening, and feeling an out of body experience? I am 100% about our decision, looking forward to the change, and of course being reuinited with the man of my dreams, but to leave one's country, it's altogether overwhelming at times. I just think about learning new towns, new stores, new "brands".. making new friends, and social scene. I know it will all sort itself out, that time is the one thing that will help the situation. I'm not down, don't get me wrong, but I am curious to hear anyone else's "packing" stories

My Love,

You truly have made waiting for you so worth all the heartache of our separation. To see what you have had to go through and put up with as this process has ground on so seemingly slowly at times humbles me and reminds me that I am the most blessed man around.

I can't wait to see that bridge again knowing it will be the last time I have to cross it alone. Before, happiness was seeing New Brunswick in the rear view mirror as I crossed it. Next Monday happiness will be seeing PEI in the rear view mirror, with you in the passenger seat, holding your hand as we drive across together.

I know this transition will be difficult at times for you, but I am right there for you my love. I don't want to be on any other journey except the one that leads closer to you and your heart.

I am so thankful I get to love you for the rest of my life

Hey Mo! If only the 24 hours prior to the interview had been as much of a breeze for us as the interview itself (separate post). The interview was easy-peasy..no problems at all. Having spent so much time here on VJ, checking the paperwork and having it all thoroughly organized, that made the interview practically a non-event. The only thing about our time at the consulate that surprised me was that the lady at window 12 actually asked my fiancee to sign the DS-156 there at the window. She whited it out and asked her to sign it again. I think that is really bizarre, in light of the new instructions for the DS-156 included in the Oct. version of page 3 of packet 3, but since it was not a problem, oh well. I kept thinking to myself after it was all over, how ironic it is that we had to spend so much money and time, not to mention all the emotional stress, for 3 minutes in a cubicle with an American gov't worker behind glass asking questions that he has answers to already by just reading the petition and all the paperwork included with it. My fiancee went to sit in the chair and he said, "Oh, its ok, you can stand, this will only be a moment" He was surprised at the speed with which we moved from the meeting online stage to when we filed the petition, so my fiancee told him that we both knew exactly what we wanted and that we shared the same faith and basically that we didn't feel the need for a prolonged courtship. He was ok with that..and it was over.

Thanks to the folks here at VJ posting their own experiences, it paved the way for an extremely smooth interview. I feel sorry for those who go into this without a support group like this place.

Hey y'all...thanks for the warm wishes. I hope and pray that everybody gets through their respective interviews and borders without any hitches and glitches. I think we are in pretty good shape at this point. The paperwork is all in order and we are set for the interview tomorrow. Its hard to believe at times that we have come this far. Certainly it is by God's grace that we are here and I know that He is no less at the interview than He was in bringing us together and walking with us on this journey. I can't wait to have this stage behind us so we can get back to being with each other completely and all the time. We know the journey is long and maddening at times, but sooooo much worth it to be with the lady I have dreamed of being with for so long. She really does make my heart glad when I think of her beauty that flows from within and goes all the way to her fingers and toes. She is incredible, really. Its as if God was reading my heart and mind for the past 20 years. She is everything to me, and everything I ever wanted. She is God's reminder of how good He really is. She is worth so much more than every minute my butt is planted in my car seat on the drives between CT and PEI. And she is worth so much more than the drive to Mtl today through NY and whatever lies between here and there on the roads.

For those of you who don't know, she posts here as Emancipation....and I love you so much baby

Consulate review soon to follow

Hmmmmmm.....just went back and read Step 3 on page 3 of the Package 3 we received from MTL. No word at all about not signing the DS-156. The date on the bottom of the page is Oct. 3, 2006, whereas the dates for pages 1 and 2 are Dec. 8, 2005. So it would appear that MTL no longer requires the DS-156 to be signed there at the interview, if that was their policy before Oct. 2006

Concerning the DS-156, we could find nothing in the instructions on the form or from the Consulate that require the forms to be signed in the presence of a Consular Officer at the interview. Anyone else hear anything different?

My fiancee called MTL on the 19th of Dec. and was told our interview date is January 16th, so we can be updated as well. The packet 4 arrived on Dec. 27th

Am I the only one thinking that sending a US visa document via courier to a foreign address is counter productive to good security? I mean..in my way of thinking, it would seem to make more security sense to actually hand the visa to the individual standing in front of you, this way, there is the opportunity to verify a beneficiaries identity in person. Doesn't that make more sense? Or am I missing something here?

That's great news! Looks like you sent your Packet 3 back right about the same time we sent ours...here's hoping....

And how unsettled your fiance was when he heard that the Dr. didn't possess the common decency to offer you a simple gown....sheesh..talk about crappy bedside manner...no excuse for being treated like a specimen.

When my fiancee received her packet 3 from Montreal, the checklist asked her to schedule her medical and have it complete before arriving at the interview. We are still waiting for the packet 4 with the letter stating when the interview is scheduled, but the medical is complete and the results have been couriered back to her. The Dr. in Halifax did not ask for a letter confirming an interview date.

Well..up to this point in the thread it would appear that I am the only one with a fiancee from Prince Edward Island. She was born and raised and still lives there now in Charlottetown. A beautiful little place, kinda reminds me of where I grew up in southeast Missouri, rolling hills and farmland everywhere..and lots more snow..I could definitely see myself living there someday.

I'm curious.. What exactly occurs in the medical exam? Just like a check-up or is there more to it?

I won't have to go through one but my fiancee eventually will...

In and out and it's all quite easy. Same as flames. I found more talking than anything. Nothing to make ya feel uncomfortable.

I know this is somewhat of a dated thread, but I'll add my .02 worth anyway... My fiancee just had her medical exam by Dr. Frank Doane in Halifax last week (Nov. 9th). It all seemed pretty routine until he asked her to strip and then lay on the table so he could do a breast exam and pelvic exam, feel around her ovaries and such. Since she was not prepared for this, she was quite uncomfortable. I was pretty pissed myself, but I understand that that Uncle Sam doesn't want anybody carrying communicable diseases into the country...but a breast exam? #######?

We can't get the interview letter until we send in the checklist, but according to my fiancé, having completed the medical is part of the checklist. Am I misinformed?

My fiancee just had her medical in NS this week. We are still waiting on our Packet 4 interview letter from the consulate. The checklist simply states that your medical has to be scheduled. The results of which are taken to the interview. The Dr. will courier the results to my fiancee and she takes them to the interview (hopefully soon). She was also given a full exam..meaning she had to strip and have a pelvic and breast exam..not very much fun when you aren't expecting that sort of thing. Just some things to be mindful of.