SASAS

My wife just had her interview at 8:30am and we were approved!!!!

Update! 
I activated my green card (IR1) on January 18th, I flew from Toronto Pearson to LGA. 
January 25th - Green Card status changed to "Card is being produced" (Fee was paid on January 8th)
January 26th - SSN received by mail 

Just an update:
 
I crossed at POE to activate my IR-1 Visa on January 10th.
 
I got my SSN on January 19th and my Green Card on January 22nd.

You only need a new PCC if you’ve returned to the country, so you’re good.
 
Canadian pcc has a year validity.

Hey guys. Sounding like a broken record at this point, but we’re still waiting on my husband to be issued his visa. I don’t really understand why it’s taken us this long. The Consulate hasn’t asked him for any additional documents since his interview on Dec 14. They haven’t even touched his case for 30 days now on CEAC. They still have his passport. Should I be worried? I keep thinking it’ll be okay and to just wait this out, but the anxiety has really started to kick in again. I totally want to just give up now.

Hey everybody! I’m writing from my new home in California with my husband beside me, and let me tell you it is so worth the stress of this process to get to this point! I feel for all of you and hope 2021 brings great things for you!

I had my interview on Monday January 11. I was given a month’s notice so I booked my medical right away for December 15, and can confirm that the consulate received it in time for my interview.

A big stressor for me was that I changed my last name towards the end of the process. We originally thought it would be easier to change it after the process was complete, but were advised by our lawyers to make the name change before the interview. Luckily it all worked out but what I would suggest is to change it as soon as you can after you get married as it will save you a lot of headaches!

My medical with Dr. Zatzman went smoothly. The only thing was that they could not update my last name on the eMedical website because he refuses to make any changes himself, saying they can only change things at the interview. They were able to change my last name in their own system so I asked them to put my name as First Name Married Name (Maiden Name in brackets). I’m not sure if that was necessary as they made no comments about the medical at my interview.

My interview went very smoothly, and since others have given comprehensive reviews I will highlight the things that maybe have not been mentioned as much. After you go through security, you go up in the elevator to the first floor and go to window 6. This part can be confusing because there is not always someone sitting behind the window there, and there are no signs telling you what to do. Don’t be afraid to wait there until you are helped, or sit down and approach the window when you see someone nearby. That is the first step where they check you in and put you in the cue for the next steps basically.

When I was called up the second time, I gave them my police check (I got a new one in my married name just in case), marriage certificate, birth certificate and one passport photo. It really helps to keep your old passport if you did a name change to show them proof.

My interviewer was very kind. She asked me how I met my husband and not too much about our relationship after that, probably because our entire relationship occurred in Canada as my husband claimed his US Citizenship after we got married in order to get a better job in the US. Luckily his mother was born in the US so he was able to become a US citizen. They asked if I had ever been turned away at the border, and how long I had stayed in the US. This was a major point of anxiety for me because I stayed for 6 months one visit, and even though that is allowed, I was nervous that they would be nit-picky about the number of days per visit. However she only asked me if it was 6 months exactly, I said yes and she didn’t have any further questions about that.

To make it easier for us, I uploaded any updated documents I had to CEAC before the interview, including financials and a current I864. You can’t change any documents already uploaded but you can add additional documents. She saw the information online and did not ask to see hard copies, but definitely bring them just in case. I emailed them in advance about my new passport and my husband’s new address but that made no difference as they didn’t update these items until the interview. **Be sure to specifically tell them of any information that needs to be updated as they won’t always ask you about whether the info is current.**

She said it could take 3-4 weeks after approval but it seems that this part is the one area where they can be quicker than expected! My status changed to READY the morning of the interview, ISSUED after I left the interview, and then two days after my interview it changed to ISSUED (final processing). The tracking page was very helpful, as I had it delivered to my home and it came exactly one week after I had my interview (January 18).

One thing to note is that even though I updated my name/passport number and my husband’s American address at the interview, none of the changes were done online. On the AIS website, I was nervous because it still stated my old name but my passport was delivered and my VISA was printed correctly with my married name.

I entered the US on Thursday through Toronto Pearson Airport. That part also went smoothly, but I had to update our American address with the officer again since apparently nobody really updates these things online even if you correct them at the interview.

Thanks so much to everyone for keeping me sane and sharing their experiences about this process! It still feels surreal that I’m allowed to stay with my husband now. Good luck!


 

Green card arrived today, 11 weeks after POE, to our address and not to our lawyer as requested 

Hi All - my name is Jess (American), my husband (Canadian) is Rob. He’s currently still in Canada. I had my Canadian permanent residency so we were living up there for the last few years (2017-2019) with our five year old son. I honestly don’t remember most of the dates but I took a stab at the time. Even though our priority date was October 2019, we took forever to get our stuff together (due to lots of stuff, Covid related and not). Documentaries qualified December 3, 2020. Not especially optimistic for a fast interview time but I am excited to find a forum for people in similar positions. 
 
(I came across @Hawk Riders on Reddit)

I got DQ today!! We shouldve called earlier to inquire about our case anyhow we are glad to receive this email and look forward to an interview date. 

Yesterday was my appointment I arrived about 5 mins early only to find out that I couldn’t bring my laptop bag with me which had all my documents, for some reason I guess I missed that part where you couldn’t bring extra bags. So I literally ran back to my hotel dropped off the bags and ran back luckily my hotel was five minutes away walking distance. so when I arrived I was sweating and panting and the security guy was like, didn’t I tell you you didn’t have to rush we’re here all day take your time 😒. In my head I’m like seriously LOL 😂. 
So they scan your items like if you’re going through airport security they take your phone and give you a key and then you’re told to go upstairs to window 6. I was asked for my passport and then he said “will call you when we’re ready”
Mind you my appointment was for 9:45am and I didn’t leave there until 11:55am.
So basically it didn’t go quickly.
 
Its so quiet you could hear a pin drop nobody was talking, you just either had to look at your documents or look at the wall. 
I would suggest bring something enjoyable to read. 
 
They called me up after some time I went back to window 6, and he asked for my :
-original birth certificate
-original marriage certificate
-original police certificate
 -One passport photo (he did not want any copies) 
I think he scanned the passport photo and then he gave it back to me.

(Side note: everything is out in the open and you can hear other people’s interviews, so no privacy.)
 
He asked if the support affidavit had changed I said “no” he confirmed my address and phone number in Canada and my husbands address and phone number in the US. I was also asked to take fingerprints, then I was given the domestic violence pamphlet and then told to have a seat and wait again.
 
Soon after I was called to another window with a very nice lady with a colourful embroidery mask. Mind you no one asked to take the mask off. 
 
-She asked who the petitioner was who sponsored me?
-How we met?
-Did I meet him before we got married?
-Were either of us married before?
-Do either of us have children?
-What does the petitioner do for a living?
 
She then asked if the affidavit of support had changed I said “no” and I then asked if she wanted a copy she said “no she can look it up on the computer”. So 1040 and W-2s were not given. 
 
For some reason her computer froze and she had to leave her desk and look at the financials on another computer but when she came back she said your Approved!! And handed me two papers discussing how to Track the process of getting my passport back. She advised it may be 2 to 3 weeks but if something delays it because of Covid it may take longer. 
The second paper talked about US$220 I needed to be paid in order to get the physical green card, which can be done after, once you move. 
 
She also advised when you cross the border for the first time you will have to go  through a secondary screening at the US border which is normal, she said everyone Has to go through it. I also asked her what is the process when you have to go back to Canada before you actually make the move to the US she didn’t really know and said to follow up with the US border. 
 
All in all, I’m glad the hard part it over. 
Thanks everyone in this group for your support, and guidance. I hope everyone has a smooth and successful experience to Approved. 
 
 

Interview process
I’ll skip the first part since it’s the same and has been covered by many people.
 
Documents I was asked to provide:
Original marriage certificate
Original and translated copy of birth certificate
(The above documents were returned to me when I did my interview)
One photo (which she returned to me after scanning)
Petitioner’s latest taxes (I had the tax transcript and a photocopy of W2)
Original police certificates
She confirmed my address in Canada and US. 
 
I received a pamphlet about domestic violence. 
 
My interviewer was really nice and friendly. The questions she asked were:
What is the name of your petitioner?
Is it your first marriage?
Is it his first marriage?
Do you have any kids?
Where did you get married?
How did you meet?
What year did you meet?
What year did you get married?
Does he still live in X city?
What is he doing in Y state? 
What were you doing in the UK?
Where else have you lived in?
What year did your family move to Canada?
What was the longest amount of time you’ve stayed in the US?
Have you ever been arrested?
Did you read the pamphlet? What is it about?
Do you have any questions?
 
She said my visa was approved and said it would take about 2-3 weeks to receive my visa/passport. 
The whole thing took about 2 hours. 
 
Medical: December 29, 2020 (Dr. Cheema)
DQ: April 27, 2020
IL: December 11, 2020
Interview: January 20, 2021
 
I wish you all the best!

So the officer told me that the required document uploaded by my lawyer had been uploaded to the wrong section and therefore delayed my case. If I hadn't inquired about it, I wouldve kept waiting, thinking that my lawyer will done everything for us. 

Hi everyone, I finally got DQ'd! Could I be added to the spreadsheet @Hawk Riders?

CR1- interview: Just had my interview this morning 9:00am. I arrived at 8:54 I waited approx 3 mins lol. Went through security no problem. Took elevator to 1st floor where I was directed to window #6 gave my passport. Sat down and waited. I was called to another window where she took my fingerprints. I was asked for 1 passport photo (she scanned and returned it to me) original birth certificate, original marriage certificate, original police clearance and husband's 2019 tax transcripts. She asked who was my petitioner, what is his address in the U.S. and what is my address in Canada. She gave me a pamphlet on domestic violence and told me to have a seat I will be called for the interview soon. I was called to a 3rd window where he had me swear to a oath, took fingerprints again (as my electronic signature) he asked me how and when my husband and I met, when we got married, what does he do for a living, do we have any children together. He then said everything looked good (my medical results had made it in time, I gave LOTS of time lol) I was approved. My passport will be sent back to me within 7-10 days. He let me know i have 6 months from time of my medical to cross into the U.S. He returned my original documents to me and said good luck with everything. I was in there for about 1hr 40mins. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful, I truly feel as though I was nervous and edgy for nothing this final part of the process was probably the easiest part but it is complete and I am so excited and relieved. Please let me know if I can help give any info according to my experience. Best of luck to everyone! 😊🥳

I had my interview at 10:15am today and finished around 12:10pm. My visa was approved! I will post a longer review of the process later. Thanks for all your help and support!

I had my interview this morning at 8:00. It was approved 😭❤️
Arrived at 7:50 and waited outside. One person was let in at a time. The first officer asks some covid screening questions then directed me to security. 
I did not bring a phone or smart watch. Just my paperwork and my wallet. Went through metal detector and was directed up the elevator to 1st floor and to take my passport to window 6. 
No one was being helped at the window when I got there so I was able to give my passport and then directed to have a seat. The wall clock batteries are still dead so I'm not sure how long I waited before being called to window 4, maybe 10-15 minutes. The lady at window 4 was friendly. She asked if this was mine/my husbands first marriage. I stated that it was. She asked for the address and I explained that he had moved recently and indicated it on a new i-864 form (I uploaded it to NVC as well). She asked for the new i-864 to see the address and verified that it was signed and matched the one I uploaded. She also asked for:
-1 passport photo
-original marriage certificate
-original birth certificate
-original police clearances (I had 2, one from Canada and one from Cayman Islands) 

She verified the forms and then noted that I had uploaded my husbands 2019 tax transcripts to NVC. She praised me for being organized and having it uploaded. She did not ask me for the copy of the tax transcript. She asked me if I had the W2s and I gave her that as well as the 1040 form (she didn't ask for the 1040 but when I said I have it she said she would take it too). Both the 1040 and W2 were photocopies and this was fine.

She gave me my documents back and my passport photo and handed me the domestic violence pamphlet and asked me to sit to wait for the interview. 

I sat for maybe 3-5 minutes and read 1.5 pages of the pamphlet before being called to window 11. The lady was friendly. She asked me: 
-Is this my/my husbands first marriage
-do either of us have kids
-what year did we meet
-where/how did we meet
-what does my husband do for work
-have I ever been denied crossing at the border
-have I ever over stayed a visa
-she asked me if I read the pamphlet and I said part of it but i hadnt had a chance to read the whole thing. She said that was fine and just said to read it when i have time. 

Then she said congratulations and explained that my passport would be mailed back to me in 2-3 weeks. 

I honestly feel so relieved and a little bit in shock. We've been waiting for this day for so long. Our petition was submitted Jan 2019, approved Jan 2020 and interview finally completed Jan 2021. 

Good luck to everyone ❤️ 
 

Hi VJ fam. SO happy to see the new interview letters come out!
 
Update on our case: It's now been 5 weeks post husband's interview and still no sign of any updates on his visa. I'm not really sure what's still causing the hold up. I've been emailing them, but continue receiving the same automated response of "case in admin process". The Consulate hasn't requested ANY documents from us since his interview (they only needed the medical). I'm now thinking this hold up is due to my husband being a Canadian PR and of Indian nationality as this might warrant further checks. I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience/delay being a Canadian PR? Any advice you may have would be greatly appreciated. We're still staying strong and hanging in there. Hoping things turn around for us soon! ❤️

Got mine, Feb 12.
 
yay! I can't say enough how helpful this page has been, especially the spread sheet. Thanks for maintaining it for everyone.
 
 

Yes I got my IL today, interview date is Feb.8 @Hawk Riders!

More great new for the thread today!
 
My husband just picked up his passport from the courier location and will finally get to come home for good! Thanks everyone for all the support. I will update more when he gets his GC and SSN. This has been a long time coming- it's crazy to think our I-130 packet was submitted back in September of 2018. Glad this journey is coming to a close!
 
DQ: April 14, 2020
Interview: January 13, 2021- Approved
Passport Returned: January 18, 2021
 

IL Feb 8th, 9:30am. Thank you visa journey for being my support group for almost 2 years 🙏. You guys are amazing 😁.....

Congrats!

I got my IL today as well!!!
 
DQ - May 22
Interview Scheduled For - February 10 @ 7:45am
 
 

Thanks to Almighty!!!!😃
DQ: 19th May
Interview Date: 1st Feb

February 1 at 8:45AM!!! DQ May 19, 2020. 😭 🙏🙏