Bethany123

If your goal is for her to have the baby in her home country then you should just get married then file for CR1. It takes a good 1.5-2 years to get approved and in the mean time she can visit you. The downside is you don't get to live together and the baby will not be a citizen at birth, creating more time apart, more money spent, and more paperwork. 

I just got removal of conditions after almost 2.5 years of waiting. It's a big money grab and for some people they have to travel to have an interview. It's really worth it if y'all just wait for the 2 year mark and let them know when she crosses. 

Canadian here. I visited my husband several times while my i130 was pending. I'd visit for 1 or 2 weeks at a time and brought my NOA's to show that I was following the proper process. I also had a letter from my employer stating I would be returning to work, but I never had to show it.

You could have a civil marriage done to start the process sooner, then have your regular wedding on the planned date. That's what we did. We just had a judge sign our license and then we had our church wedding a few months later like we'd planned.  

Canadian here. If they take the CR1 route she can visit as often as she pleases as long as she has proof of ties to her home. I would visit my husband for a few weeks at a time and never had any issues. I'd show them my receipt notices, proving that I was following the proper immigration steps, and kept a letter from my employer stating I was just visiting and coming back to work.

It seems MSC is finally approving 2020 filers. I've seen it I'm FB groups. Mine was filed October 2020, biometrics 2021 and I was just approved last week with no interview. 

She cannot live in the US. She can visit as much as she wants with proper documents and she needs to prove she's not trying to stay. It would be unwise to give birth in the US since she has no way of knowing when her CR1 will be approved. I doubt she'd even be allowed in the closer she gets to her due date. 

We got married on one of my visits to the US. We obtained a license within 24hrs of requesting. I went back home to Canada and we began the process. Just be sure to have proof of ties to your home so it doesn't look like you're trying to stay in the US. 

Canadian here, been in the US for 4 years. You can actually look up entries and exits online. You look up i94 and type in your passport number and you'll find all the entries and exits in a list. 

Canadian here. I visited my husband multiple times during the process and never had an issue. It helps to have proof that she isn't trying to stay, so leases/mortgage or a letter from her employer. I always carried with me receipt notices so they saw I was following the spousal visa process correctly and not trying to sneak in. 

I married my husband in the US and went back home to Canada. I never had an issue going to visit him. I just showed them that I had ties to Canada and that I wasn't trying to stay. I included receipt notices of my spousal visa to show them that I was following the process correctly. 

2 minutes ago, HRQX said:

*1 year: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/temporary-i-551-stamps-and-mrivs “UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR.”

Thanks. I was sure it was 6 months so either it changed or my memory is foggy. Most likely the latter haha. 

Hey there.

So I went through this process 3 years ago, pre-covid so I'm not sure exactly of the wait times. I was advised to make my medical appt at least a week prior to my interview. I got my results after 3 business days. I ended up picking them up on my way to my interview to save myself the trip. Both buildings are close by. 

At your interview, they'll take your passport. You'll get it back (I picked mine up because that was when Canada Post was on strike and I didn't want to wait weeks for it to come) when you get approved, which can take a few days because technically you aren't approved at the interview but after administrative processing. Mine was approved and my passport was ready after 3 days, I believe. They stamp your passport (I-551), and that stamp is your temporary green card for 6 months as you wait for the actual green card to come in the mail. Once you enter the US with that stamp then you're officially a resident. 

I got the results from my medical after 3 days (Canada). However I have read that if the results are not in you can still have the interview if you show proof of getting the exam done. They just can give you a definitive answer until they receive the results. 

You'll only need the flu shot if your medical is done during flu season. I was pregnant at my medical and I didn't need it because it wasn't yet flu season. I'm not sure if you can be exempt from it.

17 hours ago, Dolfishvisa said:

Should I use a binder with plastic sheets? Or accordion file? Should each plastic sheet have one piece of paper in it, or can I collect multiple pieces of paper in one plastic sheet? Should the binder be three hole punch or no hole punch.... do these details matter??

For sending your i-130 packet, just paper clip it. Don't hole-punch, don't put it in a binder, don't staple. Organize the documents in the order you put them on your cover letter. 

For the interview, I put my binder together with divider folders and labeled tabs. I put original documents in sheet protectors, and hole-punched everything else. The details don't matter, though. When you go to your interview, they will ask you to hand over certain documents, so you'll have to take them out of the binder. Having it all organized, however, makes it much easier for you to take the papers out and put them back in when you're finished.
 

Nearly everyone has to wait 8 weeks. Some people think calling NVC every day will make it faster but that's just nonsense. Mine took 8 weeks, give or take a day or two.

Even lawyers can make mistakes. A friend of mine went through this process and their lawyer failed to tell them to submit a document and it delayed their process significantly.  I did it on my own and I didn't have any delays or issues. 

Expect a wait of 8 weeks for an interview date. Montreal is slowwwww.

It's pretty simple. It took me maybe 5 minutes to go through. I told the guy that I was going through on a CR1 Visa and he took my passport, typed in my info, looked at something on his screen, asked me my husband's address, stamped my passport, and let me through. 

On 11/13/2018 at 11:54 PM, Courtney86 said:

Hey @Hill.ary  and @Bethany123 congrats again! We had our (approved!) interview this morning- Can either of you please confirm if the interviewing officer kept your originals docs? (Birth & marriage specifically)

 

If not, did they mention them coming with your passport? I'm getting super worried they forgot to give them back and my wife forgot to ask in all the excitement. Would love to know we aren't the only ones and this is normal. Thank you!!

Hi, sorry for the delay. I didn't see this comment until today. I got my original documents back at the interview when they called me up. They should've given them to you. 

I would put the closest date possible and not worry about it. I did that for my employment history, as I didn't know the exact dates that I began and ended certain jobs. You could write up a note and bring it to your interview explaining yourself. I doubt it would be an issue either way. 

8 hours ago, Imnmrz said:

Hello! 

 

Does anybody knkw know how much time it takes to pick up passport after approval? The co said one week. But would like to know from experience

My interview was on a Wednesday, and I picked it up on the Monday after. 

On 10/29/2018 at 7:54 PM, pswinontario said:

Hello,

 

Do I need to upload document cover sheet if I am uploading docs on CEAC website?

 

Thank you

No. Just upload what is required. 

On 11/10/2018 at 8:03 AM, James and Vanessa said:

My fiancee Vanessa has had to get all of her MMR shots because she was not immunized, so we are needing to reschedule her interview date in Montreal, Canada from December 19, 2018. We originally had to reschedule once before from October 24, 2018 because of these vaccinations.

The problem is that every date from January 2019 onward on the Montreal calendar is unavailable.

What can we do? We are rather concerned right now if we cannot reschedule.

Has she done her medical yet? They may be able to give her the MMR shots at her appointment. I got a diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis shot because I was a few months overdue for it, as it had been 10 years since my last one. It cost an extra $40 at my appointment. I hope it works out for you.