Melytha Christine

Glad it all went relatively well. The blood work was the worst part for me as well.

That arm is fine now, but now my other arm where she gave me the Tetanus shot hurts although it didn't hurt at first

How long did it take you to get your results? Did you have to pick them up or did they mail them?

He went to Maine and stopped and bought HIMSELF a Tim Horton's coffee and didn't bring me one.

LOL when I opened this thread it looked like it said "My Husband, Tim Hortons"

Hahaha. I'm sure that's not his name. ;-)

From whaat I recall, you'll need duplicate copies of everything(I-134, birth certs, everything they ask for in packet 3). The sealed envelope is your medical info. Even thouhg they probably won't need them, bring your chest x-ray. We had a situation where we forgot our letter(we had one faxed) but we stopped at the consulate the morning of and they said it was fine. Double check yourself. I think there's also so many passport-style photos, other evidence(photos, etc). I'm sure there's more. Basically check and recheck packet three.

Oh yeah...$100 US Cash and passport.

Wait a second, what exactly do we have to bring from Packet 3? I didn't photocopy anything I sent in... I was going to but didn't want to put off sending anything... I did take pictures of the signed forms, etc, though. Not sure if that would help though!!! Of course, my fiance has the i-134 and hasn't completed it yet because I think we're going to wait until it's a bit closer to when I might have my interview so it will be more up-to-date etc. so I can make sure he gets photocopies of it...

AND I keep reading about interviews being scheduled before Packet 4 arrives in the mail. If we're supposed to have something for Packet 4 for the interview but it doesn't come in time, what happens then?

my husband and i finally got fed up with waiting and called them (we read on here about others who called and found out they DID already have an interview scheduled, they just didn't get back to them). many of us at that time heard really late and had to make reservations and medical appointments within a couple days. i say give them a call, won't hurt to try we didn't actually get our interview letter until a couple weeks after they set it up. i assume they don't like to pay extra for fast delivery? haha. also, we were told interviews are scheduled around mid-month for the following month, so mid-to-end of month is a good time to call good luck

Ha, I don't think so. My Packet 3 arrived almost 2 whole weeks after they said they sent them!

See, it wasn't so bad, eh? One less thing to worry about now.

And I'm so happy about that (it being out of the way! ;-))

I think someone should try wearing a foam red clown nose one time and see if they notice.

Any takers?

LOL

Montreal could use a few laughs.

Just wanted to post that my medical with Dr. Stuart yesterday went pretty well. I was there for 2.5 hours but most of the time spent was just waiting time. The actual procedures were really quite simple and painless, yes, including the genital exam, which per ErikaB's word really did only take 2 seconds. The worst part of the exam was probably having blood drawn, as I was feeling a tiny bit faint afterwards and my arm hurt, but other than that everything went fine and I'm happy it's over with!

FWIW, Montreal doesn't care if you transfer to Vancouver. Only Vancouver cares.

Really? I thought they were the ones that wanted the "good reason" because they didn't want people to transfer just for quicker interviews... maybe I misunderstood??? Would Montreal really not care if I said we wanted to transfer for a quicker interview in Vancouver? Cause if THAT's the case... ;-)

Does anyone know if I can obtain my police check without being at the police station in person? Is there any way I can get a family member or friend to get it on my behalf?

I was able to get a police check while I was in the U.S. from Canada. I sent a letter to my father giving him authorization to inquire for and obtain a copy of my police check. Along with a letter I had to send a notarized copy of 2 pieces of i.d.

Call the nearest police division to confirm the process. They will be able to give youfull details. Hope this helped!

Thanks for the info! I'm back home in Canada now though so I just got it here.

I just looked at your timeline, and you are still early in the waiting process, I'd recommend looking into a transfer. Know anyone in the West Coast area that you trust to receive your USCIS documents and mail them to you? Also, are you able to make the trip to Vancouver if needed?

We originally were at Montreal, transferred to Vancouver using my husband's uncle's address and were in and out in by the time some people with similar timelines had gotten their Packet 3 from Montreal.

When we transferred in November, they didn't even really require a reason, just an address.

Cass (bebop the great)

Well it's good to hear they have a more accurate response for waiting time. Guess we're looking at late September to late November then! :S We were thinking September/October after reading many of the posts on here so we're kind of expecting it anyway... and I still think there is the slight possibility that Montreal just might catch up on the backlog and speed up a tiny bit. Not that we're counting on it or anything though!

Yeah, we so wish we could do that!! We were actually going to try... I even found a job in Vancouver so I could live in Vancouver for a few months. It's so nice it worked out for you and your husband not to even hardly have a reason back then (I'm happy for you guys too! - I think you're the first Canadian/American couple I've come across when I first started very seriously looking up info on this process and realized maybe I could find other people who were doing the same thing, since it's seemed so confusing at first) but I guess too many people are trying to transfer now or something. We ended up changing our minds about trying to transfer because we weren't sure it would be honest - the reason I would have given was that I was going to be living/working there (per advice from this forum since Montreal wouldn't consider wanting a quicker interview a 'good reason') but that only would have been part of the truth. The reason we would have transferred - the reason for my looking for a job there in the first place - would have been for the quicker interview, and we didn't think being completely honest about that with Montreal would go over too well with them, plus we just want to be completely honest to begin with, so the idea of saying something like that bothered us...

Anyway, before we changed our minds about trying to transfer, I did email the Vancover Consulate, and THEY said that they could accept our case transfer once I was LIVING in Vancouver. :/ (I'm not going to Vancouver for the job after all but that's another story! In a way I don't mind, but in a way it's a little disappointing because I've wanted to go to Vancouver for ages anyway as I have tons of relatives there and I know it's a beautiful place!)

I got a phone call from my attorney today. He let me know he received my interview date in Montreal. The date happens to be tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. Obviously i am not going to make it. i am currently visiting my husband in GA.

Does anyone know about rescheduling an interview? Is this frowned upon? Will I have to start the process all over. How do I contact them?

Any info on this is very much appreciated. I'm a total mess right now! This process has taken 3+ years and now this!

Please help.

SANDRA

WOW. From what I've read on here, rescheduling can take a long time and you DON'T want to reschedule if you don't absolutely have to. You don't have to start the process all over from what I understand ... but you do risk waiting another 6+ months. Tough decision but if I had the money I'd be on a flight to Montreal. Unfortunately I don't think I'd have the money for a last minute flight :S :S so I hope this kinda thing doesn't happen to me.

How did you not find out about the interview date until the day before? If the lawyer knew all this time and didn't tell me til the last minute, I'd be pretty upset with him! I mean it's not like most of us LIVE in Vancouver or Montreal. We have to travel all the way to either place so it's necessary to know in advance! I'm sorry this has happened to you and your husband but I hope it can work out that you can get your interview and approved and maybe some kind of at least partial refund from your lawyer if he KNEW the date all this time!

hi all!

today we filed the I-129F!! SO exciting! But i was wondering how they feel about people being together not that long. I mean me and thomas met september last year and till december when he left london, we spend every day together, lived together, travelled together. Since then we talk everyday, email, write. Ive been in march to see him and am going in june, he is coming in july. we are deeply in love and surely they cant deny me a visa because the duration of the relationship isnt long enough? will it take longer? also by the time we get married we have been together for over a year..

just wondering if anyone has experience in this!

ta! and good luck to all!

xx

They don't care if you haven't known each other long as long as you've met in person in the past two years and can provide proof and evidence of a genuine relationship.

I sent off our AOS packet this morning. Somehow, I'm not nearly as nervous as I was this time last summer when I was mailing off the I-129f packet. I feel like we are old immigration pros. Hopefully that lax attitude didn't allow us to make any mistakes.

Anyways, yay! Waiting time...again. But this time, we get to wait together. SO much better.

Cass (bebop the great)

Sounds good! I can't wait until we're at that stage!!

Wow, the shoes thing got me thinking. I never really noticed that, but often people I've visited in the States DO leave their shoes on. Whereas here in Canada, often, it goes without saying that you take your shoes off. Not so in my house - we go with or without shoes unless the shoes/boots are muddy or wet, etc. And also, I was surprised upon visiting one family to see no shoes at the entrance way...I wasn't sure what to do, so I asked if we should take our shoes off. She said "No, we gave up on that a long time ago." Now that was partly because it was a family with a lot of children...and it's hard to get that many children to keep their shoes off. But they were Americans, so even though they didn't do it, it sounded like they tried!

You can add me to the waiting list for an interview with Montreal now. ;-)

[melytha / MelythaChristine]

K1 Visa

NOA2 - March 21, 2007

Packet 3 received - April 23, 2007

Packet 3 returned - April 27, 2007 (Montreal should receive it on April 30, 2007)

Hoping for September/October. (Well, earlier would be nice, but that doesn't seem likely!)

Hey Mel - Do you remember how long it took to get packet 3 from Montreal once NVC sent it to them? I am anxiously waiting for packet 3 right now :>

I think it took about three and a half weeks. If you can find the signature in my other sn (melytha) it shows the dates. I'm using two computers and both are signed in automatically... had some issues with a password a few days ago and haven't fixed it yet so I can post from the same name from both computers!!! I was kind of anxious about receiving Packet 3 too... they said they sent Packet 3 on April 12 but I didn't get it in the mail until April 23rd. Also, NVC said they sent to Montreal in early April so it took a few weeks for Montreal to get the packet together I guess.

You can email the Montreal consulate and ask if they sent you your packet yet; that's what I did!

My thought when I read this was --- why move to Vancouver just to get an earlier interview date? It only makes a month or two difference (and if I am wrong on the timeframe, please tell me ). Anyways, if you're filing the Cr-1, Montreal is your only option, no matter what.

For me, the few extra months apart (4-5 months I think) would have been torturous, so I transferred. I think if I didn't transfer I would probably not have gotten an interview until July or August. Ugh.

But for the OP, everyone is correct... the CR-1 is ONLY through Montreal.

We were going to try to transfer after I read much of the information on this site and saw that it was possible. I was going to get a job in Vancouver specifically for that purpose - and would have got it (though I have wanted to go there for years anyway as I have many relatives there and have tried finding a job there for ages.)

But we ended up thinking that it wouldn't be completely honest, so we decided against it. Even though it was true that I was planning on living in Vancouver for awhile (! and based on posts on here I know that that is one of the only reasons they would have accepted) the real reason for transferring would NOT have been because I would be living there but rather because we wanted a quicker interview, and of course, we didn't think that would go over well with Montreal.

So we ended up sticking with Montreal. I understand wanting a quicker interview though and especially if you are already married!! Ugh!! It's going to take awhile longer for us maybe but the end result will be worth it!

You can add me to the waiting list for an interview with Montreal now. ;-)

[melytha / MelythaChristine]

K1 Visa

NOA2 - March 21, 2007

Packet 3 received - April 23, 2007

Packet 3 returned - April 27, 2007 (Montreal should receive it on April 30, 2007)

Hoping for September/October. (Well, earlier would be nice, but that doesn't seem likely!)

It is said that Montreal is too slow in processing K3 visa, taking several months after NOA2 of I-129. Is it okay I write Vancouver in I-130 although I live in Toronto now? I am thinking to move to Vancouver, but not decided yet and I don't have Vancouver address for now.

I am not sure how USCIS people make decision where to forward files to consulate, depends on what we write of the consulate or the region we live?

Thanks..... from a new member in Canada

Personally, I wouldn't do it because I'd feel like I was being dishonest. If you live in Ontario your Consulate is not Vancouver. We put Ottawa, and they sent to Montreal.

Really? It cost me $285, and that was only three weeks ago.

That's what the secretary (??) I spoke with said. WEIRD! I hope it was a mistake and it really is only $285! But even the Montreal Consulate information page says $310... :S

I got looked at and checked out from Dr. Doane.. Better to be prepared that a check would be done I think.. I was under the impression it was "no biggie" .. and I ended up really uncomfortable when i was told to strip down... Not fun..

Yeah, I expected it ahead of time since it's listed on the medical info in my packet 3, but it's definitely still uncomfortable, especially since it'd be the first and only time encountering this doctor, heh. It's the main reason why I went to Dr. Stewart, since she's female.

So ... I booked an appointment with her, and for the same reason. But it costs $310. Ugh! Anyway thanks for the information! I'll let you know if I have any other questions!

Just wondering what that is for DS-156 Q#14... I don't know if I even have one but am curious what it is?

Congratulations Melytha, I'm glad you have finally got it, I won't be waiting for your call now that your well on your way to the finish line.

Ron

Thanks Ron!! I was going to come but I was so busy last week (just getting home from a trip, starting a new job soon, catching up on some college course work, etc.) So I figured that if I didn't get it by this week I would find time to come... thanks again!

I belive Cutinebergy recommends putting in "smiley faces" in the boxes!!

LOL! Cute! Funny, I didn't even get a chance to read the responses before I decided what to do... checks in the checklist and x's in the forms!

And I just want to be careful since I read on here that some forms get RFE's (though I guess that's just the service center level ) for having things such as N/A instead of NONE!

I have another couple of questions but I need to remember what they are, hehe

In the checkboxes on the checklist and the forms, are we supposed to put check marks or X's? Or does it matter???

My humble opinion (since when am I humble??? since I began this process)

Send everything via Express Post - this way you have a way of tracking and say "it DID arrive". Regular mail is a pain in the neck, and faxing well.. who can tell how many things get lost in the fax's machine memory, lack of paper, energy blast from hellll...... I would go Express Post. Express Post is your friend!!!

Hehe, thanks. Yeah, I was wondering how papers that are faxed don't get lost or mixed up. :S Especially if there are so many of them. I have to do a bunch of extra attachments for the 230 form because I visited the U.S. several times, attended several schools (even included summer school!) and worked at several jobs...

So I think that's the route I will go - Express Post!!!