Hoffmaya

1 hour ago, A&RN said:

Congrats! Where do you live or which Service Center did you get your green card from? It seems like some west coast folks have received their green card really fast... so wondering if it has to do with their service center or chance. 

I moved from Vancouver, BC to Los Angeles. The service center was Nebraska.

17 minutes ago, Meghan.brooke said:

Congrats!! It must feel amazing to be finally done. If you dont mind me asking, where in Canada did you live that you recieved your passport so fast? 

I lived in Vancouver.

GC Update:

• DQ: Apr-14, 2020
• Interview @ Consulate: Jan-13, 2021 (approved IR-1)
• Tracking number received: Jan-15, 2021
• Passport/Visa received: Jan-18, 2021
• USCIS Immigrant fee: Jan-18, 2021 (USD $220 for GC; details here)
• POE @ Peace Arch: Feb-26, 2021 (visa activated + car imported + US mailing address updated)
• Green Card produced: Mar-6, 2021 (notification received on myUSCIS & email notification) - it can also be tracked here
• Green Card shipped: Mar-10, 2021 (notification received on myUSCIS & email notification with tracking number from USPS)
• Green Card received: Delivery scheduled Saturday Mar-13, 2021

SSN: Still nothing. I'll contact the local Security Social office and schedule in-person appointment following 3 weeks from POE. 

Update:

• DQ: Apr-14, 2020
• Interview @ Consulate: Jan-13, 2021 (approved IR-1)
• Tracking number received: Jan-15, 2021
• Passport/Visa received: Jan-18, 2021
• USCIS Immigrant fee: Jan-18, 2021 ($220 paid post-interview)
• POE @ Peace Arch: Feb-26, 2021
• Green Card produced: Mar-6, 2021
• Green Card shipped: TBC
• Green Card received: TBC

No update on SSN. I will schedule an appointment at local Social Security Office if SSN is not available within 3 weeks following POE.

2 minutes ago, jstriders said:

 

1. Is a COVID test required for those who cross to the USA by land with IR1 visa?

 

No. I crossed the border by land on Feb-26 with my spouse to activate IR-1 without any issues. US citizen & Permanent Residents are allowed to cross from Canada to USA. No Covid test and no quarantine were required (however the latter is recommended but not mandated in the State of California).

4 minutes ago, Cath&Claire said:

Thank you! Can’t wait for it to be complete.  :-)) I agree with you about the TPMS issue not being straight forward. I did a lot of reading on here a few days ago about people who got after market and had no issues getting through, yet others, rightfully so,  saying after market isn’t allowed.   I’m really not sure what to do at this point. It’s not a huge expense to get the aftermarket.  Maybe I’ll give that a whirl and see...worse case scenario Its not accepted and I have a year to sort it out.  

If I may, I suggest you call directly CBP at your POE. I called them several times before deciding to import the car and they've always been friendly and responsive. Explain your situation and ask them what would be required (incl. TPMS) to import your vehicle to the States. Since you'll be crossing through their POE, they should be able to confirm. The discrepancy and inconsistency often come from the POE that is involved with the import which results in different scenarios as you've read online. 

1 minute ago, Cath&Claire said:

Ah ok! I have the kms/miles but not the TPMS. I plan on crossing in April via a BC border - Interview is tomorrow.  So sorting out what to do with my car.  At least I can use it for 1 year.  

Good luck for tomorrow's interview. If you intend to import your car, TPMS appears to be a must have and it has been discussed in other threads. It looks like it depends on your car model, manufacturer, etc. If you wish to install after market's TPMS, it doesn't seem to be as straight forward and easy but there are ways around it based on what I've read. I suggest you search for it on VJ forums. You could use your car for 1 year indeed but you'd need to register it after that if you intend to keep it, and it is where TPMS becomes a requirement.   

17 minutes ago, Cath&Claire said:

Can you please advise if your car had the tire pressure thingy and If not, what you did and how it turned out? Thanks! 

Our car is a 2020 model which is automatically equipped with tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Also, the speedometer can switch from km/h to mph. These are compliant with US requirements. 

I'm looking for some guidance (my apologies if my questions were already answered in the past) and hopefully those who imported their car to the US can provide some useful tips/recommendations. 

I received my IR-1 visa few weeks ago and I'm preparing my big move to the US. My wife is US citizen and I live in Canada, and I will cross the border  by car. I will import the car for personal use only and have the following questions:

- The car is new (2020 model) and meets US federal emission and safety standards. I have the letter of compliance and letter of release from the manufacturer. The vehicle is equipped with TPMS and displays mileage on the speedometer. I'm good on that front. 

- Do you only need to provide the following forms to CBP: Form-7501, form HS7, Form 3520? Am I missing anything?

- Do you suggest hiring a custom broker? Or is it straightforward/easy to do it yourself?

- We contacted a broker and they informed us that we cannot process our vehicle without SSN. As you know, I won't have SSN until I cross the border and activate my visa so I am confused. Were you able to import your car with SSN? Their brokerage fee is $350. They also said that we must pay a single entry bond (based on vehicle value since it is over $2500). Finally, they said we need to apply for a SCAC code with NMFTA. Does it sound right? I've never heard of this before. 

- Do I need to contact and check with CBP at the port of entry to make sure I can import my car (do you need to inform them ahead of time?)?

I've seen many individuals on this thread who imported their car themselves so any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance! 

2 minutes ago, Specter said:

Is anyone else getting error booking their appointment at the US embassy website? Mine says the following: The Immigrant Visa case number provided is not ready to schedule an appointment. If you have not received an appointment letter/email from the National Visa Center (NVC), you can check the status of your IV case at http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/nvc.html.

 

This is normal. Allow 24/48H before you can confirm the appointment. 

I received the tracking number for my visa today.

Please note that the tracking is displayed on the AIS site and I also received an email notification. 

• Interview: Jan-13 (IR-1 visa approved)
• Tracking number: Jan-15
• Visa delivery scheduled on Jan-18 (home delivery via premium service)

2 hours ago, mizzem said:

Thank you for your reply. I don't know what we would do without everyone on VisaJourney, this group has helped us so much with questions along the way.. For years we have always stayed at my brothers house whenever in the US and we do have a notarized letter from him stating this and that we will be living there while looking for a home, hopefully this will help. We submitted it as well to NVC. Of course we wanted to wait for GC approval before actually purchasing one so hopefully they will be ok with that..Thanks again and good luck to you!

Thanks! And you should be ok. We also had a letter from our friend that was submitted to NVC and it was totally acceptable. If it worked for us, I don't think it'll be different with your case. On top of it, you can be hosted by your brothers/relatives while ours was just a friend. You don't have anything to worry about. 

10 minutes ago, HRubin said:

Our status just changed too!!!! No tracking number yet but just says final processing DO you know where we will get the tracking number? Will it come as an email or update on the AIS website?

The latter. When you login to https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca/iv, your "Applicant Summary" page will display the tracking number once the visa is shipped.

No tracking information will be available while your visa is still being processed by the Consular section.   

2 hours ago, Abhikochar said:

Thank you so much for providing the details here. I have the same situation as well. I am the u.s. citizen and been living here in Toronto for the last 10 years. Did you have a joint sponsor in your case? We had to go the joint sponsor route to get approved at the NVC level since we didn't have income in the u.s. to show and we were told I864 needs to be signed by someone who is domiciled in the u.s. I might reach out to you once we get my husband's IL for some help. 

All the best to you. 

We did not have any joint sponsor. We didn't have income in the US either since we live together and work in Canada. We just had sufficient funds/savings/assets to meet the requirements, therefore no joint sponsor was required. Happy to answer any questions you may have. 

4 hours ago, mizzem said:

Great review..thanks. I have also lived in Canada for many years with my husband (I am petitioner) and would like to know if you have a residence waiting for you in the US and what you told them when they asked where you intend to move and live in the US. We are waiting for the green card approval then we will be purchasing a house there but have been actively working with a realtor in the US for quite a while. Thanks..

You're welcome. My spouse (the petitioner) lives with me in Canada and we don't have our own residence waiting for us in the US. However, a friend offered to host us when we'll move there, and this is what we informed NVC and the officer during the interview. We just confirmed the address where we will be staying. If you don't have a family member or a friend who can help you, you can always rent a temporary location and provide the address. They just want to know if you have somewhere to stay (it could be a hotel) the day you decide to move permanently to the US. They also understand you cannot purchase or rent something permanent until you have the GC/residency. 

6 hours ago, Stylereveal said:

When I submitted the 1040 with my I-864 electronically they weren’t signed and it was accepted. So do they want the signed copy?

The forms we submitted to NVC were signed so what was given during the interview were the same forms. The officer did not ask specifically for signed copies, I just gave them what we had submitted at that time. 

3 hours ago, Adaab said:

Hi everyone, 

I have a bunch of questions

Does anyone got their IL for next month. I am waiting eagerly for mine. 

Secondly, which doctor in Ontario is the quickest to send report to the embassy on time. 

How is Montreal doing with all curfew and stuff? Is the commute easy?  

Best of luck to everyone

 

I can answer the last question. I'm currently in Montreal for my interview scheduled tomorrow Jan-13. 

I flew in last night and arrived to the hotel at 10pm. The curfew (8pm-5am) is in full effect and the streets are dead empty. 

You are allowed to travel from the airport to your hotel during curfew as long as you keep your flight ticket as a proof.

Taxies and Uber are operational during the curfew. If you intend to use bus or metro services, you can refer to the following measures here. 

All shops are closed during the day with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential services. 

You can only place orders for food pickup or delivery at your hotel.  

2 hours ago, Dsuthar said:

Hi all, Montreal Embassy just tweeted this message "Due to additional Quebec COVID-19 provincial restrictions currently in place through February 8, the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal is only able to schedule a limited number of new Immigrant Visa appointments. We will continue to interview scheduled applicants at this time and will update applicants as the situation develops." 

 

The way I understand, they will still send out interview letters this month but less than in recent months? 

Also, for the individuals with interviews scheduled in the coming days/weeks during Quebec's restrictions (lockdown + curfew), the US Consulate gives you the option to maintain your appointment or reschedule it if you cannot travel or attend your interview in Montreal; see communication below.