jle2234

If your taxes have not been automatically deducted, it would benefit you to file and pay taxes in one country prior to filing in the other.

When my husband (USC) was living in Canada (Canadian permanent resident), he had revenue one year from selling stocks. Taxes were not deducted automatically, so we knew we'd owe. However, we filed our Canadian and U.S. taxes at the same time... and BOTH countries claimed we owed them the taxes on the stock sales! It took us months to sort it out.

I was told later that we wouldn't have had the issue if we had filed and paid that taxes in the U.S. (where the income was earned), and then filed the Canadian taxes with the U.S. taxes already paid.

I had a few swollen lymph nodes for YEARS, and we could never figure out why they were swollen... no other symptoms, scans came back clean, etc. For the record, I also had my medical exam for IR-1 while they were swollen, and the doctor never mentioned the swelling -- that's not to say yours wouldn't, though.

When I got a doctor in the U.S., she insisted I have a full physical done. I had never had a physical, as they are not done where I come from in Canada. During the physical, my doctor found a chronic inner ear infection. The lymph nodes have gone down since treating it. (And it turns out I DID have another symptom, motion sickness, which has also cleared up). Anyways, it may be beneficial to go get a physical in case you are missing a hidden infection.

I used Atlas Van Lines in September 2017. The movers were awful and significantly damaged our furniture. The company has been terrible, fighting us over reimbursements that are rightly owed to us.

That said, shipping the items was very convenient. If I had to move internationally again (heaven forbid), I would probably opt to ship my items again -- just with a different company. Shipping companies will review your completed customs forms before loading your belongings for the move, which gives you some peace of mind to know that they are filled out correctly. There were no issues with getting our items over the border or anything like that.

Shipping was very expensive -- about $3,600 USD. I estimated that shipping was about $1,000 more than if we had rented a Uhaul and moved ourselves.

We opted to ship because 1) my husband has a high-demand job and it is hard for him to take more than a few days off at a time; and 2) we also had to bring our dog in to the U.S., and didn't want to get held up at POE (if they searched our belongings) and have the dog freaking out. So for us, it was worth paying for shipping for the convenience aspect.

Sorry, this is less about immigration and more a silly question regarding living in the U.S.

My parents recently sent me a care package of some Canadian goodies, and I would like to reciprocate with some items from the U.S. I live in a suburb of NYC and attend school in Manhattan, so can also send NYC-specific items. In the interest of paying a reasonable amount for shipping, I'd like to send only non-perishable items.

Has anyone sent this kind of package before? Do you have any suggestions for items to include? So far I just have t-shirts from my school.

As a somewhat side note, does anyone know if I can mail coffee from the U.S. to Canada?

Thanks in advance!

They should send a personalized document list to whatever email address you have been using throughout the immigration process. Typically, you will receive the list 1-2 weeks prior to your interview. You may want to check your Spam folder if you haven't received it yet.

When you go to the U.S. Post Office, you will fill out a customs declaration form for any parcel sent internationally. You can state on the form that the parcel contains gifts, but you will have to provide a detailed list of the items contained in the parcel -- including the value of each item.

In mailing vitamins/supplements internationally, there are two primary concerns:

1. Whether import taxes/tariffs apply to your shipment.

2. Whether the items you are shipping can be legally imported to the recipient's country (Morocco, in your case).

I'd advise contacting a Moroccan embassy or consulate in the U.S. to make sure you are not breaking any laws pertaining to the importation of controlled substances -- you don't want your parents to get wrapped up in such a thing. Remember that items that are legal in one country may be a controlled substance in another. Furthermore, some countries only allow a certain amount of vitamins/supplements to be imported at a time (speaks to personal use vs. commercial use). It is best to double-check before sending such items internationally.

If you are legally able to ship the items, you may want to include a copy of the receipt for the vitamins/supplements in the parcel. This can confirm the value of the items for customs officials and help determine what, if any, taxes/tariffs apply.

Regardless of what you fill out on the customs declaration, customs officials have the right to search your parcel. You should always be honest about its contents and value.

8 hours ago, Seyis said:

Can a friend give his childhood friend an invite to come USA for a vacation

Yes. You will need to apply for a tourist visa to visit a friend in the U.S.

I have an IR-1 visa (not a student visa), but am currently completing my Master's degree at a U.S. university. If you are serious about attending school in the U.S., I would suggest 1) researching schools and programs that interest you, 2) narrowing the list down to your top 3-5 choices, 3) confirming that your prospective schools sponsor student visas, 4) ensuring you meet admission requirements for your prospective schools, and 5) applying to the schools. Only once you are accepted to a school can you enroll and subsequently apply for a visa.

As others have stated, acquiring a student visa requires you to show that you have the financial means to support living and attending school in the U.S. -- and school is VERY expensive here (my grad school tuition is approximately $30,000 per year + living expenses, commuting expenses, textbooks, equipment, etc.). Countries such as Canada and the UK also have excellent graduate programs that are often much cheaper.

You can try https://forum.thegradcafe.com for help with grad school related things.

Thanks for the review!

I was surprised by how much your experience differed from mine even though I had my exam done at the same place less than six months ago. For instance, no one supervised my urine test and it sounds like I had more privacy for my TB test. I wonder if it's new procedures or if the process differs depending on who is working that day.

6 hours ago, NikLR said:

Unless she lives in a state for a year her tuition will be sky high.  She should make sure shes looking at out of state tutition costs when applying to schools unless she is planning on grants. 

This. I have an IR-1 visa and am attending a private postgraduate school in the U.S. My tuition is over $30,000 per year + commuting costs, textbooks, etc.

Now that I'm done venting...

I agree with previous advice to consider a CR-1 visa. While the K-1 might suit some people's needs, if your girlfriend will be attending school, I would imagine that it would beneficial for you to be able to work immediately upon immigrating. To do this, you'd need a CR-1 visa, not K-1.

As others have said, the requirements are very strict for proving U.S. domicile when immigrating from Canada. Given how close most Canadians live to the U.S. border, it would be relatively easy for a green card holder to "secretly" stay living in Canada. My hometown has a U.S. post office only 15 minutes from it, and many of my Canadian friends and family members maintain U.S. post office boxes so they can get free shipping from Amazon, etc. So it would be feasible for a Canadian to have a U.S. mailing address, cell phone, etc., but not actually live in the U.S. Because of this, your sponsor needs to show proof of some actual ties to the country: a lease, job, proof of enrollment at a school, that sort of thing. Basically, you need firm, undeniable proof that you and your partner will be physically residing in the U.S.

I can't speak to the individual doctor you will see.

I have a neck injury that will require fairly major spinal surgery one day. While I lead a fairly normal life right now, the injury or surgery could affect my ability to work, drive, etc., in the future. I was worried about this going in to the medical for my IR-1 visa. I asked the doctor doing my exam about it, and he said I had nothing to worry about. According to the doctor, U.S. immigration is only worried about threats to public health and safety, hence the focus on vaccinations, STD testing, TB testing, possible violence related to individual cases of mental illness, etc.

I passed the medical exam and was issued my IR-1 visa without issue -- the neck injury was not a problem. If I were you, I would continue trying to resolve the issue for some added peace of mind... but I think you will be totally fine.

I don't have any first-hand knowledge, but I have heard heard stories of fraud (and worse) from "employment agencies" who claim to place workers in overseas jobs, including jobs in the U.S. I would be very weary of a route involving this, as it is a documented recruiting technique for sex slavery, among other things. (A Few Examples/Sources: http://www.businessinsider.com/a-portrait-of-human-sex-trafficking-in-america-2014-8, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3651545/)

I don't recall seeing where in the U.S. you reside. You may have to consider traveling to a nearby country, such as the U.S. or Mexico, to meet your partner.

As for your partner's visa... I would recommend a CR-1 visa, if you are prepared to marry. The K-1 visa precludes your partner from working upon immediate arrival in the U.S. A CR-1 visa would require you to marry before filing, but would at least allow your partner to work upon arrival in the U.S. Either way, you are looking at 10+ months before your partner can immigrate; and you would require a co-sponsor to meet the financial requirements to sponsor your partner's immigration.

If your partner is serious about business, etc., perhaps he should consider pursuing further education in the U.S., if it is financially feasible. Of course, like a tourist visa and other non-immigrant visa, your partner must use the visa to actually attend school -- it can't be a fraudulent means of gaining access to the country. But it would give you the opportunity to spend time together; and would, theoretically, make him more qualified for jobs if the goal is for him to eventually reside permanently in the U.S.

I agree with others -- I think you are safe.

Keep any correspondence you have with the woman who is threatening you. If something happens verbally, consider following up with an email afterwards that says something like, "Jane, I was upset after speaking to you you at Gold's Gym yesterday, when you said that you intend to make sure my spouse and I will not be together." I don't think you'll need such evidence, but it could give you some peace of mind to know you have proof of her malicious intent.

We have all dealt with somewhat unstable and mean-spirited people before, and they tend to show their true colors very quickly. I think USCIS would be able to see this woman for what she is, if it ever gets that far (which I doubt it will).

If not for yourself, then I really hope you heed everyone's advice and pursue legal immigration for the sake of your son. It would be a shame to end up with a long-term or permanent ban and end up unable to visit or immigrate to the U.S. for the duration of your son's childhood.

Like others, I question your lawyer's advice regarding CR-1 vs. IR-1 visas. ROC sounds like a headache, but surely not more of a headache than raising a child while living in a separate country from your spouse. I assume this is a bona fide relationship and you intend to be together long-term; as such, having a CR-1 visa for a few years shouldn't be that big of a deal.

1-2 weeks before your interview, they will email you a list of documents that you need to bring to your interview. For mine, it spelled out the specific tax/financial documents I had uploaded to NVC: "Original I-864EZ Form, 2016 W2 Form and 2016 Tax Return Transcript or 2016 1040 Form from your Petitioner."

I wouldn't expect that they'd ask you to bring something you hadn't uploaded. If they do, I would recommend replying directly to the email they send you. The email they sent me listing the documents had a significant typo. I replied to the email immediately asking for clarification, and they replied the same day.

Like I said, I'd be surprised if you were asked to bring a W2 if you have never provided one. Just read the email carefully when you get it and go from there.

1 hour ago, kris&me said:

if you are being claimed on 2017 taxes (married filing jointly) then yes, if the foreign school qualifies for American student aide (ITIN would have helped ) but now you are here and do  not need that

need to read the guidelines publicaiton 519 may have the answers for you

 

Thanks for this! I actually did have an ITIN, as my husband and I had been filing our U.S. taxes jointly even when I was a non-resident alien. I confirmed that I am able to claim my tuition for my Canadian institution. Thanks again!

Hi everyone,

I completed my undergraduate degree at a Canadian institution in May 2017. My husband supported me through the completion of my degree, using income from his U.S. job. I had no Canadian income during 2017, so claiming the tuition expense on my Canadian taxes would be pointless.

I immigrated to the U.S. in September 2017. My husband and I are filing our taxes jointly, and I'd like to include my 2017 Canadian tuition payments, if possible, since they were an expense incurred under my husband's U.S. income. However, I can't seem to include the foreign tuition payments without a 1098-T... which a Canadian institution obviously does not issue.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Like some others in the thread, I had my medical exam with a male doctor and no female present (I am female). The exam itself is very quick and non-invasive. If your fiancée is not comfortable with a male doctor, she should disclose this when she makes the appointment. The office likely has standard protocols for such things, as many women feel uncomfortable with a male doctor due to emotional, ethical, or other reasons.

I actually spoke to the doctor at my exam about what medical information immigration officers look for, as I have a neck injury that will require fairly major surgery in the future... I was worried that this would raise flags that I may end up on extended disability benefits, or something similar. The doctor told me it was nothing to worry about, and that they look primarily for threats to public health and safety: communicable diseases and potential violence. If you look at the tests they do, this seems pretty accurate (x-ray for TB, tests for STDs/STIs, vaccination records, etc.) I can't guarantee that the doctor's counseling was correct, but I did not have a single issue with my neck injury -- it never even came up at my interview. Based on what the doctor told me, I would recommend having your fiancée's doctor include a statement regarding her mental health and whether she has shown any signs of violence, aggression, etc.

I can only speak to OHIP, not sure about other provinces. The only way you can remain eligible for OHIP is if you can document that your extended stay out of the country is intended to be temporary... for example, if you are pursuing postsecondary education or contract employment abroad. In these cases, you can be granted an extension of your OHIP benefits. Immigration to another country (ex. the U.S.) makes you ineligible for OHIP.

The best thing you can do is travel with strong proof of a confirmed return date to your country. That means a return flight, letter from employer stating you are expected to return to work on a certain date, etc. If the reason for your issues is that you may overstay again, then you need to try to show that you will not. Of course, there will still be no guarantees.

You don't say whether you are looking to travel to the U.S. for a specific reason. If it were me, I would consider traveling to Canada and then crossing in to the U.S. from there. If you are denied entry to the U.S., you can still have a holiday in Canada, and most U.S. friends and family would be able to travel to Canada to visit you. Many Canadian airports, such as Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Edmonton, offer pre-clearance where you actually cross the U.S. border while still in Canada -- that way, you won't have to travel to the U.S., only to be turned around if you're denied entry.

On 1/22/2018 at 3:09 PM, Going through said:

I've wondered about this as well---especially how OHIP, etc. would know when one has fulfilled the residency requirement to get coverage.   Although I would expect utility bills, lease, pay stubs etc. covering the wait period would suffice since that is what the Service Canada website says is required to apply, if I remember correctly.  OP said she was due to begin work almost immediately after arriving in Canada so she'd have employer-based paperwork.

 

Unless border officials are going to issue the declarer some sort of written and stamped official proof that they made some sort of verbal declaration to them, which I don't foresee happening...since the OP becomes a resident the day they arrive back with or without any formal declaration.

 

A simple quick way, I suppose, if she really wanted it "recorded" somehow, she could press POE to stamp her Canadian passport upon reentry...hey that's a good idea, I might end up doing that myself!

 

EDIT TO ADD:  Then again, the passport stamp wouldn't carry much weight since Canadians rarely get their passports stamped anyhow so it could be suggested she left afterwards without a stamp...I'm thinking way too much about this now...

We dealt with this some of these issues when my husband immigrated to Canada in 2013. You can request a paper copy of your entry records from Canadian Customs. They are quite prompt to get them to you, and it will show when you entered the country. If I recall correctly, we used these records and a few pieces of mail to prove the residency requirements for his OHIP.

Once he has his green card, your husband can leave the U.S. for several months at a time -- he just has to keep his trips under 12 consecutive months. It is important that he maintain verifiable permanent residence in the U.S. to prevent accusations of abandoning his residency. I'd recommend making sure his name is on your U.S. lease/mortgage and utility bills.

The first thing to do is remove yourself from the abusive situation. You can seek safety and assistance from local police and/or women's centers. Centers for abused women are sometimes called "interval houses", or something similar. If you are still enrolled in school, a counsellor can help you find such resources.

Once in a safe place, you can take whatever further steps you think are appropriate, such as filing for a divorce, a restraining order, and/or criminal charges. If you do not want to continue with your U.S. immigration, you have every right to stop the process.

You should be able to stay in Canada if you still meet the eligibility requirements of your visa (I assume it's a student visa). Given the nature of threats against you if you return to your own country, I would suggest seeking legal advice on filing for asylum. Asylum cases are currently delayed in Canada, so it would probably be best to start the process as soon as possible. You may be eligible for legal aid to help you through this process: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fund-fina/gov-gouv/aid-aide.html

Good luck.

Sorry to hear about your separation.

When you "change" your name for marriage, you are assuming your partner's name -- not actually changing your name -- so it can be switched back without too much hassle. Most provinces have an option called an "election to change surname", or something similar.
 

I have driven between Canada and the U.S. many times with my dog. I leave him loose in the backseat, and roll the window down from him when we get to the border. We've never had any issue crossing with him. I carry his vaccination records (which you are required to do), but have never been asked for them. Sometimes the border guard pets him, but usually he is not acknowledged at all. Still, you should keep your pets' vaccination records and a statement of health from your vet with you any time you cross the border. My dog also gets carsick, so I agree with previous recommendations to limit food and water.

14 minutes ago, anastomosis said:

Thank you so much for the detailed response. So from your reply, it looks like we should just go ahead with the interview instead of delaying it. I also talked to USCIS, and they said this should not be an issue and just say it as it is during the interview. Couple more questions if you do not mind.

 

1) does the time of three years start when she receives the passport back, or when she crosses to the US. She plans on visiting me in early May, and the longer we delay the start time of 3 yrs, the better

2) Where did you get these answers from (i.e. 18 months in 3 yrs, can't stay out of country more than 1 yr). Is there a website or place to clearly delineate this, or this is from experience? 

3) Does she need to apply for the i-485. USCIS i believe was mentioning this, but nowhere in the instructions mentions this form.

 

Thanks so much for your time. 

1. To be clear, she doesn't HAVE to apply for her U.S. citizenship after three years -- but that is when she will be eligible to apply. However, she will not be eligible for citizenship if she spends more than half of her time outside the U.S. Upon getting her passport back from the consulate, she will have six months to cross in to the U.S. with her immigrant visa, at which point her permanent residency will begin.

2. I will link to a naturalization eligibility worksheet below. But, again, your wife does not HAVE to apply for citizenship after three years. Personally, I am aiming to apply for citizenship ASAP, which is why I am keenly aware of eligibility requirements. However, whether or not your wife plans to apply for U.S. citizenship, she can not spent more than one consecutive year outside of the U.S. without special permission, as such a long trip may cancel her residency.

3. I believe your wife will need to apply to remove conditions. I immigrated on an IR-1 visa, not a CR-1, so can't speak to that process or if there are special eligibility requirements for it. Perhaps another poster can help you with that.

You have been given good advice by others in this thread -- it is important that your wife be able to prove that she intends to be a full-time permanent resident in the U.S. She may intend to visit Canada while you're in training, etc. etc., but she may run in to problems at her interview if she states that she is planning to live part-time, reside in Canada after immigrating, or anything of the sort.

Naturalization eligibility worksheet: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Citizenship & Naturalization Based Resources/A Guide to Naturalization/PDFs/M-480.pdf

Hi @anastomosis!

1. If your wife is approved at her interview, she should receive her passport back within 1-2 weeks. The passport will have an immigrant visa pasted in to it, which she will use to cross in to the U.S. There may be delays getting the passport and visa back if there are complications with her case/interview. Your wife should listen carefully to instructions at her interview -- some people must send confirmed travel plans to the consulate before their passport will be shipped back to them. She will receive her physical green card in the mail at her U.S. address 1-3 weeks after entering the country using her immigrant visa.

2. She can cross back to Canada after immigrating to the U.S., but can not stay out of the country for more than a year without special approval. It is important that she be able to prove that she is domiciled in the U.S. when returning after extended stays out of the country -- this will prevent any claims that she has abandoned residency. Furthermore, to be eligible for citizenship in three years, she must spend 18 or more combined months in the U.S. over the course of the three years.