legendqueue

Yeah, sadly I don't even have my passport in hand yet but I'm also waiting until summer to move because I have a lot of medical and financial things I need to settle here first. I originally planned on activating at the border in the summer and then coming back here to wrap up a few more things and not actually move until the fall, but with all these crazy rules in place, it might just be more hassle than it's worth. As it is, my husband will have to go through the process of tests, etc and quarantine for two weeks just to be able to help me move. 
 
Again, I get why measures are in place, but it's just really adding to the stress of juggling all the logistics of moving countries. 

Friendly reminder time:
It is helpful to read through the thread before presenting questions, which may have already been answered.
It is also helpful to consult the FAQ, where even more common inquiries have been addressed.

I'm happy I was able to spark this Purolator bashing subtopic because it's making me feel way better!
 
I hope you guys have no problems with them.  I like to think that the ridiculous delays and obstacles that I've run into through this whole process have meant that, statistically, a ton of other people have had smooth and easy visa processes!  Happy to help!     Yes I know statistics don't work that way haha

Yesssss we're so close you guys

interview letter: Jan. 18
medical: Jan. 26
interview: Feb. 12
visa status changed to issued (in ap): Feb. 12
visa status changed to issued (final processing): Feb. 16
 
Just waiting for tracking number. Says I should receive in 5 business days. excited!

Strange thing is, when we got to US customs they buzzed us in and we went to a long counter where everyone is behind glass from the counter to the ceiling, and we were the only two in there then we left.  Not once did we come anywhere near a person and no risk whatsoever. So yes I agree, we have closer encounters picking up food for take out than this.
Hope everything works out well for you..Soo much stress during this process..

There are essential exemptions (truck drivers, health care workers, people who need to commute daily to work etc.). It has been this way since they "closed" the border. The border is only restricted to non essential travel and the resulting quarantine's/testing is directed at the non essential people. I have always felt family reunification should be considered essential but that is not in my control. The quarantine exemptions are fairly rare and there aren't many that are not profession based but the custody arrangement is one of them. That exemption is only allowed if you are just doing a round trip to grab your child. The reason I brought that up is some people here (myself included) may be looking at the situation thinking they can't see their kids without spending thousands of dollars and taking weeks off work but there is a legal exemption to being able to ferry your kids across the border without having to quarantine.

I'm happy I was able to spark this Purolator bashing subtopic because it's making me feel way better!
 
I hope you guys have no problems with them.  I like to think that the ridiculous delays and obstacles that I've run into through this whole process have meant that, statistically, a ton of other people have had smooth and easy visa processes!  Happy to help!     Yes I know statistics don't work that way haha

I'm happy I was able to spark this Purolator bashing subtopic because it's making me feel way better!
 
I hope you guys have no problems with them.  I like to think that the ridiculous delays and obstacles that I've run into through this whole process have meant that, statistically, a ton of other people have had smooth and easy visa processes!  Happy to help!     Yes I know statistics don't work that way haha

APPROVED
 
I got back to my room and collapsed to my knees and just sobbed for 5 minutes, like I'm a big emotional dude but didn't realize how much tension needed to come out haha.  Messaged my wife with the "Welcome to the United States of America" letter and she called and we talked and laughed and cried for 20 minutes.
 
Usual process that everyone here mentions: clock's broken, room is super quiet and dull, staff are totally nice.  Passport taken, wait 45+ minutes, documents taken, wait maybe 15 minutes, then interview.  I was asked about how we met which ended up being a rambling tale as it usually is, and about what wife does for work.  Fingerprints taken, handed over most recent pay stub and tax return from my wife, and then she said congratulations there's no problems here and that was it.  I'm having problems believing it was only really two questions but I guess we talked about stuff based on the questions so I probably answered stuff indirectly.
 
I was able to change my flight just to leaving at 16:00 today so quickest cross-country trip ever.
 
YAY SO HAPPY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
HR I love you, I'll update my timeline shortly.  Wife and I figured out yesterday that today is DAY NINE HUNDRED of our process.  900 days since we mailed the original petition.  And it's done, my God it's finally done, I'm going to cry again, thanks VJ, you guys have been great and I'll be sticking around for some time for support and stuff.  Sorry to the one person I randomly got cross at that one time, that's not me normally and I still feel bad for that.  Thank you all for direct support and for your stories and data and everything else.
 

APPROVED
 
I got back to my room and collapsed to my knees and just sobbed for 5 minutes, like I'm a big emotional dude but didn't realize how much tension needed to come out haha.  Messaged my wife with the "Welcome to the United States of America" letter and she called and we talked and laughed and cried for 20 minutes.
 
Usual process that everyone here mentions: clock's broken, room is super quiet and dull, staff are totally nice.  Passport taken, wait 45+ minutes, documents taken, wait maybe 15 minutes, then interview.  I was asked about how we met which ended up being a rambling tale as it usually is, and about what wife does for work.  Fingerprints taken, handed over most recent pay stub and tax return from my wife, and then she said congratulations there's no problems here and that was it.  I'm having problems believing it was only really two questions but I guess we talked about stuff based on the questions so I probably answered stuff indirectly.
 
I was able to change my flight just to leaving at 16:00 today so quickest cross-country trip ever.
 
YAY SO HAPPY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
HR I love you, I'll update my timeline shortly.  Wife and I figured out yesterday that today is DAY NINE HUNDRED of our process.  900 days since we mailed the original petition.  And it's done, my God it's finally done, I'm going to cry again, thanks VJ, you guys have been great and I'll be sticking around for some time for support and stuff.  Sorry to the one person I randomly got cross at that one time, that's not me normally and I still feel bad for that.  Thank you all for direct support and for your stories and data and everything else.
 

Listen, my "Welcome to the USA" letter clearly states that the x-ray is an *important record of your physical condition at the time of the medical examination* and suggests that I should keep it forever and ever perhaps wrapped in red velvet.
 
Actually funnily enough I read that paragraph carefully for the first time just now and it clearly says that you don't need to bring the x-ray to the POE.  I skimmed over it like "yeah yeah everyone knows you need to bring the x-ray CD" and yet it says right here that you just want to have the x-ray for your own medical record going forward, and "you do not need to hand-carry the x-ray image for presentation at the port of entry".  Or my included vaccination records, presumably.  Or the assurance that I don't have any sexy diseases.

Listen, my "Welcome to the USA" letter clearly states that the x-ray is an *important record of your physical condition at the time of the medical examination* and suggests that I should keep it forever and ever perhaps wrapped in red velvet.
 
Actually funnily enough I read that paragraph carefully for the first time just now and it clearly says that you don't need to bring the x-ray to the POE.  I skimmed over it like "yeah yeah everyone knows you need to bring the x-ray CD" and yet it says right here that you just want to have the x-ray for your own medical record going forward, and "you do not need to hand-carry the x-ray image for presentation at the port of entry".  Or my included vaccination records, presumably.  Or the assurance that I don't have any sexy diseases.

I had my medical today with Dr Cheema in Surrey. Things went smooth, nice safe office, and the doctor was really good. I have a medical history 😛 so it took a little while extra, but not too long.
 
Important note about the blood test at LifeLabs: there are signs at the lab saying that they're appointment-only now. If you're booking a medical with Dr Cheema you'll definitely want to go to LifeLabs' site and schedule an appointment for 1.5-2 hours after your exam. I had already scheduled mine for 2 hours after my exam so I was totally OK.
 
X-Ray place isn't really obvious from the street so rely on a map app. You have to park behind the building -- it says it's pay parking, but the machine gives you an option for "1 HOUR - FREE". X-ray place was fun fast and easy. Well, fast and easy.
 
Now it's hoping my results make it to Montreal by next Wednesday. I would have booked the medical earlier but I was in the US when I got my IL, then stayed 2 more days for my stepson's birthday, then quarantine until yesterday.
 

So when I cross at a POE with my visa, I really don't need any sort of form with all my possessions on it?  I know what the FAQ says, I just want to know what the border folks have said about other people when they move.  The FAQ also says that the border people will be friendly when you're in secondary, and I can't fathom it because I've always found land crossings to be very intimidating and I've done dozens of them 😛

FYI, My wife’s visa was approved this morning. 

In our experience just last week we had zero issues.  Our flight arrived at 10PM in Montreal.  It was no problem getting an Uber and the topic of curfew didn't even come up.  We also had to leave our air bnb by 4:30AM to get the airport to head home and once again, no issues.  Other than that we just did all our walking during the day and made sure to order supper before 8PM.

Had my interview today, APPROVED!!!! Yay! This group has been amazing and so helpful. I can thank you enough. Especially @Hawk Riders for maintaining the oh so helpful spreadsheets and FAQ. I’ll update my timeline as well but my review is much like everyone else’s.
 
arrived a bit early and they said come back at exactly the appointment time (it was freezing out)
 
Checked in, they took passport and waited to be called. I had uploaded all of my documents to CEAC the night before because I was panicking. They asked a few questions about my spouse and our wedding. Very simple. Then gentleman told me he was going to approve it and I should have my passport back in 3-4 weeks. I waiting in the office for about 1hr 45min. 
 
women had purses but a man was not allowed in with his small bag (camera bag size) He had to go find a random coffee shop to leave it at. Luckily someone took it but a few places said no. So be safe, don’t bring anything but yo he papers. 
 
overall, good and easy experience. Good luck to everyone waiting 

Approved! See below for review on my time in Montreal
 
I booked a room at hotel Le St-Martin. They were offering a deal and the room prices were comparable to holiday inn etc. They informed me a day before I checked in that they had renovations and I was being transferred to their other property Hotel Birks. I highly recommend this hotel but even with the current discounts in prices the rooms go for over 200 a night and was about a 10 minute walk from consulate. I highly recommend ta pies. Excellent New Zealand style meat pies.
 
My interview was at 7:45 this morning. Same process as many here have described to start the day. I don't feel the need to go over that but here is the list of the documents I was asked for.
 
- birth certificates (I was surprisingly asked for my short form certificate as well as my long form, she even wanted a copy of the short but as I didn't bring one she made it herself)
- divorce certificate
- marriage certificate
- criminal record check
- 2019 1040
 
I uploaded my wife's 2020 W-2 before I came and she said because she could see it she didn't need it.
 
Waited for my interview for probably only 10 minutes. I was asked the following question.
 
- When and where did you meet
- Are either of you divorced
- Do you have any kids
- What does your wife do for a living
- Where do you plan to stay when you move
 
Some of these questions had follow up questions based on my answer. Overall it was a smooth process and barring any unforeseen issues I am expected to have my visa in two weeks. I want to thank everyone here on the forums. Deona and I were able to go through this entire process ourselves without hiring a lawyer or a visa approval company. Not only that we had zero RFE's or issues up until this point and that was only possible due to the work of people like @Hawk Riders and @DGF for example (the creator of the tracking spreadsheet and the manager of the FAQ/guide). Many others were helpful as well but I definitely wanted to give those two specifically a shout out and thanks. If anyone has questions for me don't hesitate to dm me. I know I did to a few people when they posted reviews and I had questions.

Alright Folks, here it goes....
 
APPROVED!!!!!
 
Interview: Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 @ 7:45am 
 
All I could think of while walking to the consulate and waiting in the room was how accurate everyone's experience was and was trying to make mental notes so that I could come back here and share my experience! haha
 
So here's my experience (If you don't want to read it, in summary, it was like everyone else's experience) 
- Stayed at the Sheraton Hotel. Literally a 2 minute straight walk down the road.
- Got to the line about 5-10 minutes before my interview time. There we 2 people ahead of me. 
- Security Guard asked to see my passport, interview confirmation letter and asked me 3 Covid screening questions
- Allowed me inside to where I had to go through a metal detector and put my stuff through a scanner (Same as TSA at the Airport)
- A small locker thats perfect just to fit your phone was available. Put it in, take the key, and return it on your way out.
- Went upstairs and was asked to go to Window 7 to drop my passport off. Side note - in my head I pictured this waiting room as some old dimly lit type office, however it was very new, clean and fairly big- very similar to a new medical office.
 
The interview
- Called up and the associate asked for the required documents - Birth Certificate (Long-Form), Marriage Certificate, Police Record, 1 Passport Photo
- He verified my address and my spouses address. Her's did change and he manually recorded it. I also had uploaded an updated I-864EZ with the new address. He also had me take my finger prints (4 left, 4 right, 2 thumbs). FYI - They don't wipe these down.
- Then he gave me the domestic violence pamphlet and told me to sit back down. 
- I got called up one more time to me with a different individual. This is where I had to take the Oath.
- Here's a summary of questions he asked - Verify your name and date of birth. Who is your Petitioner? When did you meet and When did you get married? Where did you get married? Who was at your wedding? Who were the witnesses? What does your spouse do? What do you do? Are you planning on applying for jobs when you move to the states? Where are you going to live? Who else lives there? Do the other people who live there work? Did you get this pamphlet (Domestic Violence)? Did you read it? In one or two lines can you explain to me what it talks about? 
- Then the associate gave me back my documents from before (Marriage certificate, Birth Certificate, etc.) and handed me the "Welcome to USA" Letter. And advised me that my passport should be mailed back within 3-4 weeks. (Even though I paid for courier service). I think this is a generic timeline they give. 
- I did ask him when he thinks I could expect my physical green card and Social Security Number but he said he's not sure, it's a different department that handles that. 
- Then made my way out, down the elevator and go my phone from the locker. 
- I finished and was out by 8:49am . So total time was about an hour. I expect this to be a little longer if your interview if it's in the afternoon. I was in the first batch of interviews so by the time i was getting out the room became way more full.
 
Here is the BIGGEST PRO TIP (and I think it should be added to the FAQ)  - UPLOAD ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS TO CEAC BEFORE YOUR INTERVIEW!
- A friend of mine who did his interview 2 weeks ago told me he had uploaded all his docs prior to coming and the lady behind the desk said "Thank you so much, not a lot of people upload there documents, this helps alot".
- Most the time they spend is scanning all our docs if its not in the system already. So you can speed up the process if you upload and label everything correctly. 
- Some things I uploaded that helped  were
      - IRS Tax Transcript 
      - IRS Wages and Earnings
      - W2's
      - 1040's
      - My Passport photo
      - Wifes Passport and Birth Certificate 
     - My Passport
     - Revised I864EZ
     - DS260 Confirmation Page
 
^ All this is on top of what you had already submitted initially. And don't worry about the documents being "Accepted" . It's okay to have them in the "Submitted" state. The goal is we're trying to save them from doing more work of scanning documents. If you save them time, they'll save you time!
 
All in all, I owe VisaJourney and people like @Hawk Riders a lot for this thread as well as the Google Sheets Tracker and FAQ. Honestly, unless your case is complex, you do not need a lawyer. This thread had everything you need to get approved and was my guiding light the last 6-8 months when we didn't know what was going on during the pandemic. I encourage everyone to keep this thread going and the tracker going forward for those after us - Pay it forward!
 
Now I look forward to getting my passport back, getting my physical green card and my SSN. I hope they automatically send me the SSN and I don't need to set-up an appointment with the SSN office.
 
Open to answer any questions you may have. Remember the Pro Tip above! 

APPROVED
 
I got back to my room and collapsed to my knees and just sobbed for 5 minutes, like I'm a big emotional dude but didn't realize how much tension needed to come out haha.  Messaged my wife with the "Welcome to the United States of America" letter and she called and we talked and laughed and cried for 20 minutes.
 
Usual process that everyone here mentions: clock's broken, room is super quiet and dull, staff are totally nice.  Passport taken, wait 45+ minutes, documents taken, wait maybe 15 minutes, then interview.  I was asked about how we met which ended up being a rambling tale as it usually is, and about what wife does for work.  Fingerprints taken, handed over most recent pay stub and tax return from my wife, and then she said congratulations there's no problems here and that was it.  I'm having problems believing it was only really two questions but I guess we talked about stuff based on the questions so I probably answered stuff indirectly.
 
I was able to change my flight just to leaving at 16:00 today so quickest cross-country trip ever.
 
YAY SO HAPPY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
HR I love you, I'll update my timeline shortly.  Wife and I figured out yesterday that today is DAY NINE HUNDRED of our process.  900 days since we mailed the original petition.  And it's done, my God it's finally done, I'm going to cry again, thanks VJ, you guys have been great and I'll be sticking around for some time for support and stuff.  Sorry to the one person I randomly got cross at that one time, that's not me normally and I still feel bad for that.  Thank you all for direct support and for your stories and data and everything else.
 

APPROVED
 
I got back to my room and collapsed to my knees and just sobbed for 5 minutes, like I'm a big emotional dude but didn't realize how much tension needed to come out haha.  Messaged my wife with the "Welcome to the United States of America" letter and she called and we talked and laughed and cried for 20 minutes.
 
Usual process that everyone here mentions: clock's broken, room is super quiet and dull, staff are totally nice.  Passport taken, wait 45+ minutes, documents taken, wait maybe 15 minutes, then interview.  I was asked about how we met which ended up being a rambling tale as it usually is, and about what wife does for work.  Fingerprints taken, handed over most recent pay stub and tax return from my wife, and then she said congratulations there's no problems here and that was it.  I'm having problems believing it was only really two questions but I guess we talked about stuff based on the questions so I probably answered stuff indirectly.
 
I was able to change my flight just to leaving at 16:00 today so quickest cross-country trip ever.
 
YAY SO HAPPY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
HR I love you, I'll update my timeline shortly.  Wife and I figured out yesterday that today is DAY NINE HUNDRED of our process.  900 days since we mailed the original petition.  And it's done, my God it's finally done, I'm going to cry again, thanks VJ, you guys have been great and I'll be sticking around for some time for support and stuff.  Sorry to the one person I randomly got cross at that one time, that's not me normally and I still feel bad for that.  Thank you all for direct support and for your stories and data and everything else.
 

APPROVED
 
I got back to my room and collapsed to my knees and just sobbed for 5 minutes, like I'm a big emotional dude but didn't realize how much tension needed to come out haha.  Messaged my wife with the "Welcome to the United States of America" letter and she called and we talked and laughed and cried for 20 minutes.
 
Usual process that everyone here mentions: clock's broken, room is super quiet and dull, staff are totally nice.  Passport taken, wait 45+ minutes, documents taken, wait maybe 15 minutes, then interview.  I was asked about how we met which ended up being a rambling tale as it usually is, and about what wife does for work.  Fingerprints taken, handed over most recent pay stub and tax return from my wife, and then she said congratulations there's no problems here and that was it.  I'm having problems believing it was only really two questions but I guess we talked about stuff based on the questions so I probably answered stuff indirectly.
 
I was able to change my flight just to leaving at 16:00 today so quickest cross-country trip ever.
 
YAY SO HAPPY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
HR I love you, I'll update my timeline shortly.  Wife and I figured out yesterday that today is DAY NINE HUNDRED of our process.  900 days since we mailed the original petition.  And it's done, my God it's finally done, I'm going to cry again, thanks VJ, you guys have been great and I'll be sticking around for some time for support and stuff.  Sorry to the one person I randomly got cross at that one time, that's not me normally and I still feel bad for that.  Thank you all for direct support and for your stories and data and everything else.
 

APPROVED
 
I got back to my room and collapsed to my knees and just sobbed for 5 minutes, like I'm a big emotional dude but didn't realize how much tension needed to come out haha.  Messaged my wife with the "Welcome to the United States of America" letter and she called and we talked and laughed and cried for 20 minutes.
 
Usual process that everyone here mentions: clock's broken, room is super quiet and dull, staff are totally nice.  Passport taken, wait 45+ minutes, documents taken, wait maybe 15 minutes, then interview.  I was asked about how we met which ended up being a rambling tale as it usually is, and about what wife does for work.  Fingerprints taken, handed over most recent pay stub and tax return from my wife, and then she said congratulations there's no problems here and that was it.  I'm having problems believing it was only really two questions but I guess we talked about stuff based on the questions so I probably answered stuff indirectly.
 
I was able to change my flight just to leaving at 16:00 today so quickest cross-country trip ever.
 
YAY SO HAPPY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
HR I love you, I'll update my timeline shortly.  Wife and I figured out yesterday that today is DAY NINE HUNDRED of our process.  900 days since we mailed the original petition.  And it's done, my God it's finally done, I'm going to cry again, thanks VJ, you guys have been great and I'll be sticking around for some time for support and stuff.  Sorry to the one person I randomly got cross at that one time, that's not me normally and I still feel bad for that.  Thank you all for direct support and for your stories and data and everything else.
 

APPROVED
 
I got back to my room and collapsed to my knees and just sobbed for 5 minutes, like I'm a big emotional dude but didn't realize how much tension needed to come out haha.  Messaged my wife with the "Welcome to the United States of America" letter and she called and we talked and laughed and cried for 20 minutes.
 
Usual process that everyone here mentions: clock's broken, room is super quiet and dull, staff are totally nice.  Passport taken, wait 45+ minutes, documents taken, wait maybe 15 minutes, then interview.  I was asked about how we met which ended up being a rambling tale as it usually is, and about what wife does for work.  Fingerprints taken, handed over most recent pay stub and tax return from my wife, and then she said congratulations there's no problems here and that was it.  I'm having problems believing it was only really two questions but I guess we talked about stuff based on the questions so I probably answered stuff indirectly.
 
I was able to change my flight just to leaving at 16:00 today so quickest cross-country trip ever.
 
YAY SO HAPPY EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
HR I love you, I'll update my timeline shortly.  Wife and I figured out yesterday that today is DAY NINE HUNDRED of our process.  900 days since we mailed the original petition.  And it's done, my God it's finally done, I'm going to cry again, thanks VJ, you guys have been great and I'll be sticking around for some time for support and stuff.  Sorry to the one person I randomly got cross at that one time, that's not me normally and I still feel bad for that.  Thank you all for direct support and for your stories and data and everything else.