D and T

18 minutes ago, purplepink said:

You're amazing!

Thank you!

 

I can book my medical right after the NVC number and I don't have to wait for the packet right?

Well, no. At least, at the Toronto clinic for visa medicals that I used, you MUST have your interview with the embassy booked before they will book you for the medical. Therefore, that meant, for me, having to wait for Packet 3, and then Packet 4. 

Because, it's Packet 4 from the embassy which carries the link to their Visa booking site, which is a completely different site from the embassy. Once you have that link, you set up an account for yourself and pay for your Visa if you want to pay for it online by CC. (I believe there's an option to pay by cash at the embassy on the day of interview, but I used my credit card to pay on the site) and then book your interview appointment. Only then was I able to book my medical.

Double-check the website of whatever Visa doctor you're planning on using to see if they will allow you to book your medical before you have your interview appointment. I think Packet 3 comes with a warning not to book too far ahead because your medical has a limited validity period.

Here's a copy of Packet 3 so you can see what it says. This link is straight from the email that I got from the embassy:

https://ca.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/07/Packet3Instructions-K1.pdf

(Edit to add: I read it again just to be sure, and yes it seems quite clear that you have to wait until you have your interview booked but...)

Double and triple-check with your chosen Visa doctor's website anyway....heck, double-and-triple check errythang!

You're very welcome and let us know how it goes

25 minutes ago, purplepink said:

Good luck @John & Rose and @jabberwocky1969 !!

 

We are still waiting for our NVC number. On hold with them as I type.

 

Just wanted to confirm my next steps after i get the NVC number:

 

1. I book my medical

2. I book my interview date

 

Do I need to wait for the packet to be able to book the interview?

 

 

Any other tips, advice after we get our NVC? 

Yep sweetie you need to wait for Packet 3 to book your interview.   Everyone who's tried booking it before getting Packet 3 from the embassy gets the polite "don't call us, we'll call you" email LOL!!

If you like, you can start filling out your DS160 and save it until you're ready to finish it.

After you get your NVC number, you can start checking your status on the case tracker https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?eQs=WwjqOlbeRYzCYubaSQI+RA==

Once it says "Ready", you can anticipate receiving the embassy's Packet 3 letter which tells you to gather your documents using the checklist. 

Now you can submit your DS160 and receive your link to the DS160 confirmation page. Save that link in a safe place.

Once you have your documents, tick off the items on the checklist. Next, scan that checklist and email it to embassy, along with a link to your DS160 and a colour scan of the bio data page of your passport.

After a day or so, you should receive Packet 4 from the embassy. This is a letter that has the link to the Visa booking site where you will first, pay for your Visa, and then you can go ahead and book your interview. Once your interview is booked, you can make the appointment for the medical.

Follow all instructions carefully

Next: Show up at medical! Then show up at your interview and knock 'em dead!   Then, wait for approval and finally be united with your loved one....yaassssss!

LOL!   Congrats on getting this far and I can't wait for you to get your approval and POE!!

6 minutes ago, BananaButton5 said:

This makes me feel good! We just filed last week, so we are a ways away from the interview process, but I'm trying to be as prepared as possible! Three weeks from receiving case doesn't seem bad at all!  How was your experience with the medical? Do you get the medical done between them receiving case and the interview, correct? How much did the medical exam cost? He's in Ottawa so I figured I'll just help him find one of the approved Doctors, just hoping getting in for an appointment won't drag out the process any longer than it already is. 

 

I used to have a link to my medical review in my signature, but I must have somehow removed it without noticing when I was messing around with font sizes the other day.  I just put it back  in my signature so you can click to check it out below.  

And, now that you mention it,  I forgot to include the cost in that review.  I paid $405, comprising $350 for the exam, plus $50 for their courier service, plus the $5 surcharge for paying by credit card,

Three weeks is pretty good, yep. Mind you, it seems like a lifetime when you've already been waiting for eight or nine months  but no it's not so bad.  

Again though... I just want to remind you that this can change without warning or notice.  When we mailed our petition off on May 30th last year,  we expected to be married by August or September LATEST.  Instead we were delayed by at least six months, nothing went to plan and it's been near-ruinous. So, I can never be too "Pollyanna" about it anymore. Anything can happen, and it can turn into a gruelling test. I'm sorry! I wish it was different but I can't in good conscience pretend otherwise.  Delays aren't even all that unusual in this process, it's happened many times before.

So again, my best advice is to have hope but be prepared.

Best of luck in your journey! 

9 minutes ago, reblem14 said:

Hi all,

 

Does anyone have any idea about current wait times for the K1 interview at the Montreal Consulate?  Once you're allowed to book, how far out are the first available appointments? 

 

I know there have been a few older posts about this but I know things are changing all the time with this stuff.  Any insights on recent experiences would be helpful!

 

Thanks

My interview is in two days and I booked it three weeks out from the date they received my case. That seems to be about the timeline everyone else is experiencing but of course there can always be variations. As always with this process, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

I see you've already been waiting for five months. On the up side, once you get your NOA2, things are going faster at the NVC now than they were only a month or so ago.

Best wishes to you! 

5 minutes ago, John & Rose said:

Bless you!  That was so very well stated. I pray that all of our journeys end soon so we can all get on with our lives again!

Amen!

17 minutes ago, JayHouser said:

I don't understand how some September people are getting approved while some June are still waiting. That doesn't seem fair to June filers.

There are still two VJ May filers on site here waiting as well.  They've heard absolutely nothing.

 @George & Roth  @JRLee   Congrats to you both! 

1 hour ago, John & Rose said:

...or we need to rethink what we think of when we think about the perfect American home.  Maybe it has more to do with who is inside it than what it is.  We are all blessed...

Definitely it's about WHO and not what!  Definitely, one hundred percent!!

I'd live in a hovel with my fiance and work by his side to improve it, if necessary.  A house is four walls but HE makes it *home*.

6 minutes ago, Dekd22 said:

Tried both Firefox and Safari, neither work unfortunately. May try Internet explorer next but if that doesn’t work then we are out of luck 

All right but don't forget Chrome too, if you can.  

Sometimes there are connectivity issues and it takes numerous attempts.

Failing that, could you beg/borrow another computer somewhere...library, internet cafe, school or university or something?

15 minutes ago, Dekd22 said:

DS-160 website is absolutely infuriating. Keeps timing out every time we try to advance a page, then deletes all our information we already entered. How does anyone complete this?

Try using a different browser. Some have reported having better luck with Firefox than Safari, for example. Or better luck with Chrome than Explorer or Edge.

I ended up using Firefox on a Windows 10 computer.

1 minute ago, RoboSquirrel said:

Thanks! So just chill, lol

I know how hard it is now that it's so close but...yes, chill if you can.

Took about a week for us to get that long-awaited P3 email. I was antsy as hell the whole time LOL

Coincidentally, I received all my fiance's documents by post the same day, so I was able to send my P3 response right back to them.

Of course, he didn't have his 2017 W2 or income tax return at that point, so now I'm laying awake worrying about whether they'll accept a scan of his 2017 W2.   He's worked at the same place for 20 years and I'm bringing 3 years worth of tax documents and his employment letter and all that, so it should be okay.  But...always some darn last-minute thing to worry about, it seems.

SO nerve-wracking...T-minus one week to my interview....yoikes!  

7 minutes ago, msscarlette said:

Thank you for this @D and T! I’m Filipina by the way. 

You're welcome...it's only the truth.   

Hey congrats on your approval, I hope you get your VOH and can travel quickly. Best of luck to you in your new life

1 hour ago, RoboSquirrel said:

Which status checker should i be using? non-immigrant or immigrant? Immigrant says no status....Non says ready to schedule interview.

Even if the CEAC status says "ready", it seems like it's better to wait for the Montreal embassy to invite you to send your Packet 3 documents to them. Some folks here have tried sending the P3 docs in, only to receive a polite "don't call us, we'll call you"- type email in response.  Once they ask for your P3 docs, send them over ASAP and it only takes a couple days after that for the embassy to send you Packet 4, which carries the instructions for paying your fee, and then you can book your interview and your medical.

Getting close now, so exciting! Good luck 

9 minutes ago, John & Rose said:

When they realize this is home and they don't fully fit in and understand all the cultural differences.  Once past that point they will probably feel like part of the country but that transition will be tough.  

 

This is true but your sensitivity to this will help them immensely. Also, I grew up with some Filipina ex-pat friends and am fortunate to have welcomed some Filipinos into my own extended family as well. I've found them to be decent, hard-working, very loving and profoundly intelligent folks who contribute so much more than they ask for.  No one is perfect, no one is without flaws but for the most part I think Filipinos are just good people...just like Americans.

But yeah, there'll be adjustments required of everyone. Any relationship has challenges and getting used to having people under the same roof 24/7 is huge for anyone.  My fiance has lived alone for a long time himself and we've discussed how we'll cope. Only time will tell of course but I'm positive that as long as everyone manages their expectations reasonably, has respect, sensitivity and caring towards the well-being of the other(s), then we should all be okay.

In any case I intend to give the very best of what I am to my new life and I'm pretty sure everyone here feels the same. 

2 hours ago, Jeto said:

Another Junie (that'd be me) just finished my interview with an approval

1 hour ago, Paige & Stephen said:

My fiancé interviewed and was approved in Sydney today!

So we had an Aussie Junebug Two-Fer today? Awesome!  Congrats to all four of you!  

@John & Rose

 Yeah that sounds like a little of the old grease for the squeaky wheel for sure.    Thank God it's something easy at least! 

Start getting your documents together guys because your NOA2 is coming and the NVC stage is a lot quicker these days. It's almost over, Rose and the kids will be with you soon! YASSSSSS!!!! 

Interview question:

My fiance sent me his tax returns, W2s, pay stubs for 2014, 2015 an 2016. He didn't have his W2 for 2017 at the time we began gathering his info and due to those lovely, on-going delays and uncertainty, we thought we'd have the interview booked before the date we ended up getting.

He's worked at the same place for 20 years, nothing has changed. But hearing others report being asked for 2017 W2s is making me nervous now.

Do you think I should ask him to send me a scan of his W2 for 2017 just to have that at least? 

5 minutes ago, John & Rose said:

As upset as I would be I really hope it is something stupid that I can send back to them right away.  

We're all hoping the same! Fingers crossed for you, Rose and the kids.

8 minutes ago, John & Rose said:

Its those darn postal people.  They never deliver much before 3:00 central.  I still have 2 hours!  I was thinking about stalking them.

Stalk them! Stalk them! 

Do you have a body cam or a GoPro or something? You could narrate it Mission Impossible-style, put the footage online behind a paywall and make some money towards expenses.

I'd pay to see it!

1 minute ago, KandW said:

It’s best to get the ssn 2 weeks after entering apparently, and then changing the name after marriage. 

Actually...yeah. All kidding aside, when you give it due consideration, that's what I would think simply because it allows for the proper recording of an individual's name changes i.e. their very identity. Which is pretty darn important for record-keeping, heh.

 I'll take another, more serious look at it with my fiance when I get down there. We'll figure it out and report back our results. In the meantime, l'mma just worry about getting my interview next week over with first.  One thing at a time

Meanwhile I just wanna know what @John & Rose's RFE says.

John, can't you leave work early,  go home, read that RFE and report back? The suspense is KILLING US ALL over here!

9 minutes ago, JSCGPV said:

From what I have researched about SSN is once you are here In the U.S. wait two weeks then go apply for SSN. Then wait a couple more weeks to get married. After you get your SSN card go back in and do your SSN name change. If you apply for SSN after you get married then it's a longer process. There is a guide somewhere around this forum about how to do it and I think if you google it you can find some guides.

Yes that's what I thought too but read that thread I just linked in my prior post there. There's conflicting info about it.  Some people are reporting having no trouble getting their SSN after the wedding, some say there's no trouble doing it the way you just described.

Well, like Scooby Doo says: Rotsa Ruck, I guess.  We're gonna need it   

29 minutes ago, KandW said:

Lmaoo.

When I initially looked into the process it AOS was 4 months. But reading the comments there are also delays that side too.

youll see from the comments the difficulties people have had with trying to change their ssn after marriage. Sigh. 

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/663509-apply-for-aos-or-change-name-on-social-security-card-first/

DANG!!! Yep, according to people in this thread, there is confusion among government workers about how to do things. Not a big shock but I mean, LAWDY LAWDY what a mess!

So maybe it's better to wait until after the wedding to apply for an SSN then, yeah!  I don't think you need an SSN to get married in the US since many people go there for destination weddings, right? Although It might differ by state so we'd all best double-check with our home states first.

What a pain!! Just when I thought things we're starting to look up, heh. 

GOOD LORD 'MURCA!!!  What ever happened to "GIVE US YOUR POOR AND YOUR HUDDLED MASSES?" 

All us poor masses are huddled up here in VJ trynna do errythang all legal-like and now LOOKIT!!!  

LMAO

Yeah we all gotta be just a leetle bit crazy to be doing this