ziggyboo

Thank you! The people at the local office seemed very confused and unsure what to make of it when I showed them the passport sticker and explained that I was still waiting on the physical card. And then they told me I wasn't a permanent resident! This has been ridiculously frustrating and I hope the third time I go there, whoever I get at the window will actually know what they're doing! Sometimes I wonder how some of the people around here ever got their jobs in the first place.

So I'm unclear on whether or not I can use my IR1 Visa sticker in my passport (plus the welcome notice) to get my social security card so I can work. Or do I have to wait until the actual greencard itself shows up? I have a letter that was given to me with the packet I turned in at the POE about my ss card that says if it doesn't show within 3 weeks of entry, to go to the office... it'll be 3 weeks this Friday. Help? I just want to be able to get a job, I haven't worked in ages and I feel like a bum! D:

Hi ziggyboo

So how long did it take for you to get the visa by mail...?

Thanks for info

Wingsforever

About three business days.

Bumping just to say the interview went fine, and my visa just arrived in the mail today!

Just wondering if anyone who's had their interview in Montreal can tell me how long it took after the interview before they received their Visa? My husband is wondering if he should just stay with me and wait for it (if it won't take long) or if he should return to the States and just come back to pick me up when it arrives. Thanks!

Mine is on the 13th and I'm nervous as heck. XP Good luck with yours! I'm sure you'll do great.

Okay, my husband and I have sent in everything now, and I think all we're waiting on is the letter to tell me when the interview date in Montreal will be (and, of course, I'll have to go to one of the designated doctors here to get checked out). However, I wasn't sure whether or not I was allowed to enter the states for visits while immigration proceedings were going on or not. And I can't seem to find an answer on whether or not it would be all right to go to the U.S. for a few weeks while I'm still waiting on that letter. I feel incredibly stupid asking this now (especially since it's been a year already), but is it okay to visit?

(thought maybe I should crosspost to this section, since this is the visa type we filed for me)

Okay, my husband and I have sent in everything now, and I think all we're waiting on is the letter to tell me when the interview date in Montreal will be (and, of course, I'll have to go to one of the designated doctors here to get checked out). However, I wasn't sure whether or not I was allowed to enter the states for visits while immigration proceedings were going on or not. And I can't seem to find an answer on whether or not it would be all right to go to the U.S. for a few weeks while I'm still waiting on that letter. I feel incredibly stupid asking this now (especially since it's been a year already), but is it okay to visit?

Thanks everybody! As usual, you've been very helpful.

As far as bills go, since my husband and I won't be able to live together until I get my Visa, we won't have any joint bills. But by the time we get an interview, I'm sure we'll have evidence like letters/cards/emails and such.

All right--I was wondering if anyone would be able to post examples of cover letters for the I-130. I know there's one for the 1-129 in the examples section, but none for the I-130. So yeah, examples would be really appreciated!

Also, for supporting evidence, so far all my husband and I have is a copy of our marriage certificate and a paper from the bank saying on on his checking and his savings account. Is this enough to send with the package, or should we try to find something else? The only other option for us would be a couple pictures of us together, and possibly 2-4 signed affidavits.

Thanks, all!

I did read the guides, but the mention of it in the instructions threw me off. Thanks.

Wow, CR-1/IR-1 is much cheaper than K3.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Okay, in the I-130 instructions, it mentions something about the I-485. But when I looked at the CR1 package guide, it only mentions I-130 and G-325a forms... I'm confused. Do I also include the I-485 with my I-130 package or not?

Thanks!

Okay, I'm back in Canada now and I could still use some specific answers for these two questions:

I-129f Q20: You are supposed to fill in the city and country where the US consulate, at which you will apply for your K3 visa, is located.

I-130 Q22: You are supposed to fill in the city and state where the USCIS office that will handle your adjustment of status is located. Or, if he will apply for an immigrant visa, the city and country where the US consulate, at which you will apply for your visa, is located.

So for the first one, does that mean the place I'll be having my interview? Montreal? Otherwise, I don't know what I'm supposed to put here. A straight answer would be really helpful, please. =\

And for the second--which is it? =\ We're filing for K-3. but if we had the opportunity to abandon it and go for the IR1/CR1 instead, I'm pretty sure that's a better option for getting my greencard faster, yes? So I'm still not sure what to put here. Once again, a specific answer would help me out loads.

Thank you for the rest of the help--we're almost ready to send everything off now.

1. You're in Halifax, NS so you'll put down Montreal, Canada.

2. I left mine blank since I was not in the U.S. or filing for AOS. You can put down Montreal, Canada since that's where you'll interview for a CR-1/IR-1 if you're going that route. Note that if you're filing for a K3, what seems to be happening is that USCIS will not forward your approved I-130 to the NVC. Instead they retain it because your intentions when filing the I-129F is for you to arrive on a K3 and then adjust status while in the U.S.

Thank you so much! We're going the K-3 route, since we're more concerned with getting back together sooner than getting my green card sooner (and supposedly, it's faster for that). So are you saying that I wouldn't be able to switch to IR1/CR1 even if my I-130 was approved first, then...?

Oh man, thanks for all the info guys! And I was basically just asking so I'd know who I could go to for the exam when the time comes.

Hey, maybe some of you would be able to help me out with two more little questions I was having trouble with. Posted here, but two of the questions remained unanswered. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=65755 Any help from fellow canucks would be appreciated!

And flames, I would totally send you a tims coffee if I could. That's one nice thing about being back in Canada, anyways... haven't had tims for a year while I was in the US!

ETA: Meadowview, VA is where I'm headed. Although we'll probably end up living in Abingdon or Bristol once everything's settled.

Awesome! Thank you very, very much.

Also, we haven't started yet, so that's why I haven't filled anything in on my timeline. ^^; We're just getting everything together now.

ETA: Where did you get the information from, out of curiosity? I wasn't sure where to look...

Hey guys! I'm in Halifax, NS, planning to immigrate to VA to be with my husband. I'm wondering where I can go to find a list of doctors around this area (Halifax)? The USCIS is confusing as hell sometimes, and last I checked, their search function was messed up. =\ Anyway, yeah, where can I find a list of approved doctors who do the medical exam? Also, is there anyone in this area who's been to a doctor here that can give me their opinion on the doctor and let me know exactly what the exam entails? God, I hate going to the doctor. Not looking forward to this part at all.

Thanks!

Okay, I'm back in Canada now and I could still use some specific answers for these two questions:

I-129f Q20: You are supposed to fill in the city and country where the US consulate, at which you will apply for your K3 visa, is located.

I-130 Q22: You are supposed to fill in the city and state where the USCIS office that will handle your adjustment of status is located. Or, if he will apply for an immigrant visa, the city and country where the US consulate, at which you will apply for your visa, is located.

So for the first one, does that mean the place I'll be having my interview? Montreal? Otherwise, I don't know what I'm supposed to put here. A straight answer would be really helpful, please. =\

And for the second--which is it? =\ We're filing for K-3. but if we had the opportunity to abandon it and go for the IR1/CR1 instead, I'm pretty sure that's a better option for getting my greencard faster, yes? So I'm still not sure what to put here. Once again, a specific answer would help me out loads.

Thank you for the rest of the help--we're almost ready to send everything off now.

G-325A: Unless you have had applications in to USCIS in the past, you probably do not have a file number (more commonly known as an A#). But, how did you manage to live with your husband in the USA for a year without having dealt with USCIS? (Think carefully about ramifications before you answer.)

I came in to the country legally, if that's what you mean. I have an I-94A that allowed me a year here. Which is also why I'm leaving soon--I am only legally allowed to stay until May 7th of this year. I don't see any need to contact a lawyer.

And yes, I should have made that clear--my husband is the petitioner and I am the benificiary.

Okay, I have a lot of questions here as my husband and I are hurrying to finish filling out the forms before I head back to Canada next week, so I thought it would be best just to put them all in one post. Here goes, I hope you all can help me!

G-325A

-File Number

Okay, at the top of the form, there's something that looks like this: http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d13/stab...FileNumberA.png

What exactly am I supposed to fill in there?

I-129F

-For question 18 (Has your fiance met and seen you within the two-year period immediately receding the filing of this petition?) The answer is "yes" for us, as we lived together for a year in Canada (2005-2006), and then together here for a year (2006-1007), and before we got married, we'd visited each other several times. I'm just not sure exactly what I'm supposed to put for describing the circumstances under which we met. Does it mean how we first met each other, or...?

-Question 20... I will be in Canada when we file (my husband will be here in Virginia), and I'm not sure what I should put for this question.

I-130

-Question 22, as we're applying while I am at home in Canada, does this question apply to us at all? I have no idea what I'm supposed to put here, either.

I-864

-All right, for this, my husband alone doesn't meet the requirements as far as income goes, so his parents have agreed to add their income to ours so we'll qualify. Do they each fill out an I-864 as well as my husband, or is there a different form they fill out? Also, does each parent have to fill out a form, or can they fill out one jointly? Also, does my husband fill one out and check box a, and then his parents fill out one and check box d?

-Also, how do I send this in (as in, what package, or am I just supposed to bring it with me to the interview, or what)? In the guide, it doesn't mention if the I-864 goes in a specific package.

DS-230

-on http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=k3forms it mentions this form, but the guide does not. Do I fill it out? If so, what package do I send it with?

Whew, that was a lot of questions. I appreciate any help, but please don't answer if you're not completely sure your answer is correct. I'm absolutely terrified of filling these out wrong, so I don't want to mess up. I'm sure you all understand. Thanks guys!

Thanks! That was very helpful! And I'd better make sure I have the newest version of the I-130, then... the one I have may not be the most up to date one.

All right, we're working on getting our I-130 package put together before I have to go back home in May, and I just had a few little questions I hope you guys can help me with.

The first one is in regards to needing a copy of our marriage certificate. Does that mean we would just need a plain photocopy of it?

And regarding question 22 on the I-130 form itself... since my husband will be filing this for me while I am home in Canada, do I just put N/A there?

Also, is there anything we should include in the package that's not on the checklist here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=k3guide I just want to make absolutely sure we have everything we need in there before we send it off.

Thanks a lot, guys!

ETA: Oh yes! Another question... does the I-130 need a cover letter? If so, can someone show me an example of what we should write for a cover letter? Thanks!

I'm not entirely sure what in here pertains to me. You linked me to the last page of what appears to be a huge argument... is there a specific post you're trying to point out? Clarification would help a lot here.

ETA: Nevermind! I posted before I saw your second post. I have not overstayed anything. My I-94 says I can stay until May 7th, 2007.

I intend to go on Monday.

Also, why am I in danger of a three year bar? I haven't sent any papers yet, and I was let in by a customs officer. If staying here and sending the papers would make me likely for denial, shouldn't I go back to Canada and have the papers filed then? I'm a little confused. Either way, I don't intend to make a decision on that until I've spoken to a lawyer, I'd just like to hear your explanation.

Thank you all for the replies--you've really helped me out and put my mind way more at ease. Thankfully, I have received mail here, and we do have some pictures as well.

As for the civil surgeons, I forgot to mention that I was specifically looking for one who is a woman. I'm very uncomfortable with doctors, so I've decided to see a female one if at all possible. Some of the names on the list I couldn't exactly tell what gender the doctor was, so I checked a few with obviously female names, and I know several of them were further away than the others.

Hopefully it will just be that simple! We'll call around and set up an appointment with a lawyer and try to get that sorted out.

Another question--what kind of things should I get together to prove that our marriage is legitimate? I mean, we've been living together for the past two years, but we don't have any shared bank accounts, and we're living with his parents right now, since I can't work. We tried to open a joint bank account, but the bank didn't want to let me on because I wasn't an American citizen. =\ It didn't make much sense to me!

To answer your question, not much out of the ordinary happened at the border. We crossed in a car with his parents, and they asked us what we were coming in for. They asked me if I was planning to immigrate, and I said eventually, yes. At the time I was intending to enter as a visitor, since we hadn't sorted out our plans for that yet. Anyway, the customs officer explained that they weren't supposed to let people into the country that were planning to just come there and immigrate, but he told me that he would let me in this time anyway, and told to file for immigration as soon as possible. He gave me the I-94 then, which says I entered as a vistor, and allows me to stay here for one year.

I hope that makes sense!