acidrain

Thought I would share my experience with the Nevada DMV. I applied for a drivers license and was told USCIS entered my first name and middle name together. So I have no middle name according to USCIS. I shrugged and thought it wasn't a big deal. But the DMV said they have to enter my license with the exact same information USCIS has.

There is some sort of immigration central database and they told me the name on the DL has to match up with it. Not sure if that's correct but that's what they told me.

The DMV told me if I don't like it to change my name with USCIS which would then update the database. But until then I have my first and middle name together. Which is a pain because if I use my driver's license for proper identification it's not correct.

7 hours ago, BRENTWOOD said:

Oh boy... not sure if any of you will read this, but anyways I went this weekend to visit Arizona and I brought my husband. I absolutely loved it! After he was there though he all of a sudden starting bringing Chicago back up and says that's where he really wants to be. I felt so upset by this I really thought Arizona was the perfect place for us and a way to get out of California. For some reason Chicago just seems a bit overwhelming to me and I don't know what to do about this.😐

 

Do you not get a say in where you move to?

On 8/10/2018 at 9:44 AM, Axle314 said:

But Arizona is so blatantly hot... Uncomfortable.

I'm spending my first full summer in Las Vegas. From what people have told me Arizona is even hotter.

The three months of crazy heat is similar to how Canadians attribute winter. You don't spend much time outside but the good news is everything is air conditioned. You move from one building to your car to another building. The weather is by no means like California but 8-9 months is solid.

On 8/10/2018 at 6:37 AM, NigeriaorBust said:

 Being an open carry state there is less crime,  It takes a bit getting used to see granny packing while walking Fido.  If you want to go to a real beach you are committed to a days drive.  At the time I was in Tucson I will still riding and although beautiful the landscape is hostile.  Cactus needles and trees with thorns.  

Being Canadian seeing someone pack a gun to the Tropical Smoothie takes getting used to. With the influx of Californians to Vegas the politics is fairly even (50% Democrat, 50% Republican). I'm not sure if political ideology is important to the OP but the Bay Area is one of the most progressive cities. There isn't a huge difference in the way of life from most of Canada. I've seen way more homophobia, sexism, racism in Vegas then I have my entire life in Canada. I love living in Vegas but be prepared to be around cowboys. Arizona is even more conservative.

My spouse applied at the higher end companies in his field. He landed a couple of interviews and was short listed. I'm not sure if this applies in your case but I know his gap in his resume was likely why he lost a few jobs. He had relocated and had an explanation. I think some hiring managers wondered if his gap had something to do with not being a desirable candidate. Sort of like when a house sits on the market for a long time people assume there is something wrong with it. The reason I say this is the job he initially wanted called him back for an interview as soon as he got something else.

I know it can be very discouraging as my spouse's self esteem took a blow when he kept applying. However, I pushed him into applying for a job on Craiglist (it looked hokey). Having worked 10 years in his field he felt discouraged. He applied for it as we needed to get something going. It's been by far the best job he's ever had. Ads can be very deceiving so don't rule out other opportunities. My spouse started out with a modest wage but within 4 months he got a big raise after he proved himself. The irony in the whole situation is the companies he thought he'd be the most happy with passed him over. But he wound up getting a job with more long term opportunity and growth. This company is constantly sending him out of town for training. He couldn't be more happier.

There might be a few people who pull their face over the Canadian part. But I think most people like Canadians.

One thing I did in the past is completely redo my resume and have someone else look it over. If you have a lot of experience and with the current economy you should eventually find something.

My son's IR-2 was sent out the very next day after the interview and received 2 days later. We lived in BC which I thought would be impossible.

Me on the other hand my IR-1 was sent out about 1.5 weeks later. It took another week to receive it via Canada Post. I was put into Administrative Processing and I have no idea why. I should add my interviewer said I'd receive my visa within a week but it didn't happen.

As others have mentioned it's the luck of the draw. I planned on it taking up to a few weeks and I am glad I did. There have been some cases where it's taken longer. Especially if you are asked to submit additional documentation.

I have moved all over Canada and now have moved to Vegas. I will say the first move I made from my hometown was by far the hardest. Even more so than moving to Vegas. It sounds like your family might be laying a guilt trip over the fact you are no longer close. This makes it extremely difficult to make your new place your home. My first year away from my hometown I was really home sick. People were placing bets as to when I'd move back not believing what I was doing was real. It's a huge shock. Everything you are used to is gone. It felt like I was fighting a lot of battles.

For anyone who has moved around a lot they will tell you the first year is always the hardest. You go through periods of transition. You might be fine one month and not so fine the next. It's totally normal. Every time I've moved I tell myself to just get through the first year. Then after that I found it gets a lot easier. In your case you are adjusting to not only a new city but a new relationship. It's important your spouse understands where you are coming from. As someone else pointed out men are not mind readers and it's important he knows it is not his fault as to why you feel that way.

The experience can vary from where you lived in Canada to where you moved in the US. I've lived in 3 different provinces with very different political ideologies in Canada. Since I lived in Alberta the shift to Vegas didn't feel that radical. However, if I only had my experience in Vancouver, BC and suddenly found myself in Alabama that would be a huge culture shock. There is an assumption Canada is an extension to the States which in many respects it is. But there are differences in values such as maternity leave, gun rights, universal healthcare, etc. It may not seem like a big deal but I have found myself missing aspects of Canadian life and how people cared about one another. The US at least from my experience has been a lot more Darwinian. People don't stop to chat like they do in Canada and people can be extremely aggressive especially on the road.

I think as others have suggested it might be wise to find your own place. Part of what might be challenging is you are trying to fit into your spouse's life instead of the both of you creating your own. That's great you are volunteering and made some friends. From my experience it will take time before you have deep connections with people. It can and will happen if you just give your new relationships time. It can be frustrating because it feels like nobody really knows you. But think of it as a good thing as your past will not define you. You can carve out a complete new identity.

I know it's tough but I try hard not to look at my past life and think about how I can make my present one better. Every place has it's pros and cons. I'm sure there were aspects of your past life you weren't happy about. I did find a Canadian friend who I meet up for coffee. She's been a god sent because it's nice to be able to share my frustrations about living here without it feeling like I am bashing the place. I'm not sure where you live but if you can find other Canadians it might be worthwhile to meet up with them.

There is no doubt the immigration process is extremely stressful. Thank goodness for websites such as VJ to allow us to vent. Believe me when I say you will get through this. I can fall into a black hole of negativity sometimes and I try to focus on what is better about my life now. What are some things you like better that you didn't have in Canada? I love the food down here and how there is always stuff to do on top of the fantastic weather. I'm sure your family loves you but be careful to not let them effect your outcome. I'm sure they miss you tremendously which speaks to how much they love you. But relationships evolve including our families. I still feel close to members of my family who are far away. We just had to learn how to manage our relationships differently.

I totally get the appeal of the Bay Area having lived in Vancouver, BC most of my life. San Fran would easily be my number 1 city to live in. But the cost of living is out of this world. My spouse is a dual citizen but grew up in Southern California. We waited too long to relocate and if it wasn't so expensive we'd be living in Cali. The politics is about as similar as you will get in contrast to Canada. I love the lifestyle, climate and the people. But how anyone with a middle income can make it in the Bay area is beyond me.

We decided on Las Vegas because it's one of the last major cities with homes under 300K. Our house is a beauty and only a couple years old. No state tax and there is always a ton of stuff to do. It can feel transient with so many people coming and going. However, people I have found to be very warm. I've managed to make friends since moving here in March. The politics has been something to get used to having moved down from Canada. Fortunately in the Vegas area though it's pretty split. Whereas in Arizona you will find it more red. There is an overall do what you want approach in Vegas. Marijuana just became legal and you meet "professional dancers". Vegas is a very diverse city with mormons, military, entertainers and average working professionals.

We just came back from a vacation from So Cal. From here to LA is under 4 hours driving (if you need an ocean fix). The awesome part of living in Vegas is flights are cheap everywhere. It's a short drive to Cali if you want to get away for a long weekend. My spouse having grown up in Cali loves the close proximity. A lot of Californians are cashing out and coming this way just because of what you get with your money. The overall cost of living is very reasonable. The freeways can get a bit of congestion but after returning from SoCal we don't have much to complain about.

My spouse's head office is in Arizona and from his chats the way of life is a bit different. Values can be different. It might be worth vacationing and getting a feel of what you are getting into. We went on several vacations to Vegas before we took the plunge and we were glad we did. Reality is always different but we were able to talk to the locals and see what things were like. I love Vegas for the fact you always have visitors coming. It's not lonely. There is always stuff to do. There are also lots of palm trees :). It's hot June, July and August but the rest of the year is great. Just thought I'd throw it out as an option.

On 7/30/2018 at 7:41 AM, BananaButton5 said:

So he does receive GST. So you're saying he will have to pay back the entire prior year of GST payments?? I'm so confused and he doesn't seem to totally understand it either. If he just waits to move here until January would he be fine?

A person from Canada (resident/citizen) is entitled to receive government benefits as long as they are a resident of Canada. As to what constitutes residency can be somewhat subjective.

I got my green card and crossed the border in March 2018. I sent a letter along with my previous years income tax to Canada Revenue Agency informing them I no longer live in Canada.

A few weeks ago I received letters from GST and Child Tax Benefit (this is for people who have children) that all the payments I received after March needed to be paid back.

Whether a person receives GST depends on whether Revenue Canada determines the person is a "resident". If a person gets benefits after they moved they may be asked to pay it back.

On 7/27/2018 at 2:31 PM, Ontarkie said:

That is what they did to me. I called to continue my interest relief and they told me it is only for Canadian residents. They follow the same rules for other resident only benefit. Like child tax credit and GST. They day you cross the border to endorse the visa is the day they go by. 

Yep. Just went through this with Canada Revenue Agency last week. I had to pay back all GST and Child Tax Credit payments to when I entered the US. I think they gave me the month I moved as a gravy payment but that was it.

With all the border sharing it's pretty easy to get caught if you aren't upfront. It might be worth calling and finding out for sure.

If you miss the cut off date like I did you wait the following month. So don't panic if you don't get an interview date right away.

I'm looking at the letter that the Montreal consulate gave me and interesting choice of words when it reads:

This law effective on February 27, 2001, facilitates the acquisition of United States citizenship for the foreign-born children of United States citizen parents when those children do not acquire United States citizenship at birth.

Although US citizenship is conferred automatically with respect to those who qualify, you nonetheless may want to obtain documentary proof of your child's status as a US citizen. This will make his or her acquisition of US citizenship a matter of record.

If I take it at face value it sounds like you become a US citizen but cannot prove it until you apply for a passport or certificate of citizenship. In other words the IR-2 stamp is rendered useless because it does not actually prove your a citizen even though you are supposed to be. Go figure.

I wanted to share our experience in case anyone was interested. My spouse was born an American citizen but never spent the 2 years over the age of 14 in order for my son to qualify for Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA).

We went through the IR-2 process without any hassle. In fact in contrast to my own IR-1 application it was a breeze. We were given a letter by the Montreal Consulate to apply for a US passport to prove citizenship.

I made an appointment with the local post office as they process passport applications. The woman was not familiar with IR-2's and warned me I may be required to send more information. I sent my son's original birth certificate along with notarized copies of what was required. This included my spouse's birth certificate, spouse's US passport, my Canadian birth certificate, my US green card and son's IR-2 entry stamp.

I got a letter back from the Department of State asking for certified copies or originals including our marriage certificate. I sent more certified copies as my Canadian passport was lost for over a week after the Montreal consulate sent it back. I waited over 2 months for a response. I continued to get the same letter and then wrote a letter back asking what the status was. You only have a certain amount of time to get a US passport application completed.

A nice fellow from the Department of State called to clarify what happened. He said he wanted ALL documentation to be original. That means I have to send my son's Canadian passport with the IR-2 stamp and original marriage certificate. I had a certified copy from LA county for my spouse's birth certificate. However, the official said this would not be good enough (despite this being good enough for the green card process). So I had to order another official copy of my spouse's birth certificate. He told me they are apprehensive of any type of identity fraud and want to know for an absolute fact the birth certificate is legit.

I asked whether my son IS a US citizen upon the IR-2 stamp. The US Department of State official said this was a common misconception. My son is NOT a US citizen with a IR-2 stamp, he is only a Permanent Resident. He stated only someone from the Department of State or if we had applied for a Certificate of Citizenship, those who process those can make that determination. There is a process in which they review information and make sure the person is eligible. I wanted to clarify this as it is repeated on VJ that a child under the citizenship Act of 2000 is a citizen once they enter on a IR-2. Apparently that is totally false. You have to finalize the process by either applying for a passport or certificate of citizenship.

I have to wait for this certified birth certificate to come and courier all originals back to the Department of State. He gave us a 90 day extension to sort all of it out. Upon inspection of the documents it is then determined whether my son becomes a US citizen. The official said once the process is complete you don't have to go through the process again.

On 7/20/2018 at 2:02 AM, Charlz1 said:

I had dual citizenship.In which passport they have to stamp the visa ?Canadian?

My visa along with my son's was put into our Canadian passport.

One thing that always stuck with me was when I was given my appointment date by NVC. They stated not to make any plans until you have the actual Visa in hand. While this advice seems obvious it could not be any more true.

All sorts of things can happen after the interview. People who were denied might be able to submit information and get approved. People who are approved might get denied. In my case my passport was lost by Canada Post for several days. Honestly anything can happen. I can understand your anxiety as you can see the finish line but are not sure whether you have actually crossed it.

I was worried about this as my spouse had never worked in the US until the year he moved. He did not have a W2 for the prior year as he was working in Canada. I got his employer to print off a letter on their letterhead explaining he had a full time job, when he started and wages. The Consulate was satisfied and I also included his most recent pay stubs.

They are looking for evidence your income will continue from the same source and that it is real.

I'll admit I was a bit nervous so I brought copies of all our assets in case this was an issue. It wound up being completely unnecessary but felt we had a back up in case they were not satisfied.

18 minutes ago, Isabella3 said:

I honestly do not know, I've searched everywhere for an answer. all say that the only one who can approve or deny the visa is the consular officer. and whatever decision he makes, he makes you known in the interview ... that day everything was great. We have reviewed the CEAC as nonimmigrant and says no status and immigrant visa says refused and ready .

There is always a chance the refusal is a mistake but am asking in case there is a reason for a denial. Difference in age? Something not declared? Not enough relationship evidence? I realize they said you were approved but if the visa was denied something must have come up after. Did the applicant have any other K-1 applications with other spouses? Border denials?

1 hour ago, Isabella3 said:

I know about the time... for us took exactly one year all the process. But what make me worried is the status 

Do you have any theories as to what the problem may be?

1 minute ago, ITMFA said:

Oh yeah I've been questioned about it every time too since then. I've been traveling with a thick file of "ties to canada" evidence, and it's been ok. Looking forward to moving forward with this process and finally living in the US on something more than a student visa-  I was F-1 status for almost 9 years and have filed a US tax return every year since 2008! Thanks for taking the time to reply

My pleasure! Oh that sucks you've had to go through the same dog and pony show. I'm sure you got lots of good stories like I do waiting in secondary. It takes forever as the customs agent goes through your dossier. The good news is once you have a track record they usually let you through no problem. I was nervous about having to get into our set of circumstances at the interview. But it honestly was no problem and uneventful. It's a big relief once you can move to the US and not have to deal with the back and forth and stress at the border. Good luck!

Things can come up during administrative processing (AP) which can change a decision. You can't always count on what the consulate officer says. I was told I would get my passport in 3 days. Instead it took 3 weeks.

You can try to go through a congressional inquiry to see if they are willing to release their decision to them.

59 minutes ago, ITMFA said:

Thanks for your help! I also have had one mess at the border (involving flying on a one-way ticket with only a few months left of my student visa), but it was a voluntary withdrawal, not a "denial." I've successfully visited the US 3 times since then, so I'm feeling ok about it now, although I expect they'll ask me about it at the interview. 

My border denial was technically a "withdrawal of admission". However, something triggered a flag so every time I crossed I would get taken aside and questioned. It sounds like this isn't the case for you.

During my interview I was asked if I ever had any problems at the border. You just have to share your experience and it should not affect the outcome.

3 hours ago, PhilCanUSRN said:

Hi I’m a newbie here, just wanna ask if how long is the average waiting time for an interview to be scheduled in montreal embassy? I’m case complete since April 30th. Thank you.

It may depend on which visa category you went through. From the posts here it sounds like the EB-2 takes longer to get an interview than spousal visas.

In February it took on average 52 days from case completed at NVC to the interview date. Most of these cases though were spousal or child visas. I missed the cut off for the interview so I had to wait until the following month until mine was booked. But the dates all wind up being mostly the same. Montreal generally only books appointments once a month. They open up slots to NVC and NVC then books people in. I called NVC relentlessly but they all said the same thing that it all depends on when they are given slots.

This is one of the few topics I can speak from personal experience. I would strongly advise against moving any items across the border before your wife gets her visa. You can get in all sorts of hot water.

My spouse, son and I tried crossing with a U-haul worth of goods. Long story short is I got denied and that denial could follow me around to this very day. It's not a pleasant experience. Your wife has immigrant intent as there is a pending petition. Anytime a person shows up to the border with their household belongings it sets off red flags. If your wife accompanies the shipment she could be looking at a hard denial. It made visiting my spouse very difficult and every time I reported to secondary I had no idea if they would allow my visit.

My spouse moved to the US ahead of me and I contacted Bekins moving and storage to see if I could send our stuff down without me (my spouse is a dual). The woman had been doing moves across the border for over 20 years. She said don't do it. Often the border will seize the shipment until the spouse gets their visa. You wind up paying for the initial shipment and then the border puts your stuff into storage and charges you while you wait out the process.

I know it sucks and it was very costly for us running two households. I get that. I moved a bunch of stuff into storage and we rented a U-haul and drove everything down after I got our green cards.

It depends on which city you are trying to get it done. I lived in Kelowna, BC which is a mid sized city. But they were able to do it in 3 hours and I picked it up the same day. But I've seen other people try to get a check done from other cities and it can take several weeks. What you describe is very normal.

The important thing is that your name is run through the federal database. Mine was embossed or had some sort of seal so it could not be replicated.

11 minutes ago, Ontarkie said:

Canadian's with d/s are not seen often on these forums and when we do the results are not what is expected. Please come back with an update after her interview. 

Just curious Ontarkie with d/s cases has accrued presence been overlooked in the past by Montreal?

I studied various Canadian threads for how much time one could spend in the US during the process. Generally Canadians who accrued more than 6 months had issues. There was a Canadian who got an extension (past 6 months) but wound up having all sorts of problems at the interview. I can't for the life of me find the thread. When reading the consulate reviews people who spent a lot of time in the US are asked whether it was more than 6 months. There has to be a reason they ask the question.

12 hours ago, K1visaHopeful said:

What do you all think...

My evidence of relationship is all printed out and ready to go for the interview in MTL.

I have itineraries, boarding passes and passport entry stamps from my two visits to see my USC since we filed in November (Dec 2017 for 10 days and May 2018 for 7 days), pages of phone call logs from November until current and over 50 photos of us together showing both of us with each other's families plus engagement photos. I spent less than six months (but consecutively) in the US in 2016 so we could see if our lifestyles were compatible. I have a copy of my engagement ring and wedding dress receipts plus all of our evidence of trips from before we applied including emails between me and his family.

Do you really think I need to provide any more evidence that our relationship is bonafide? I have all of our chat logs from years and years of conversations but I really dont feel like going through it all anymore and printing excerpts.

What do you think....

Canada is a low fraud country so they won't be looking that closely on evidence.

It sounds like the two of you have been going out for a while and spent a reasonable amount of time together.

I had spent 13 years with my spouse and I brought evidence more to appease myself in case they asked. They are a busy consulate so unless there are any flags I can't see them asking much.