jstriders

Remember, regardless of your POE you're going to secondary when you activate your IV

I know many people who are crossing daily for essential work (mind you, it's the other way around, they live in Canada and work in the US, but it should be the same). Many of them are engineers who can work from home, but are still allowed to cross no problem when they go in. If you want to double-check so you don't have problems, just give the border a call to make sure you meet all the requirements.

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).
  

Hi VJ family! I'm back to (finally) share some positive news. After many emails explaining why the Consulate made an incorrect decision on refusing my husband his immigrant visa, they finally fixed their mistake and ISSUED the visa. We just received the tracking number today. It's been such an emotional roller coaster for us these past 3 years and even more so in the past 3 months alone since our interview in December. I'm proud of us for staying strong and fighting our case to the Consulate and never giving up! We're so grateful that the end is now here. @Hawk Riders - time to change our place in the tracker to be highlighted in GREEN (approved). I hated seeing that highlighted in RED these past couple of months. 
 
 Thank you all for your support and guidance throughout our journey. WE DID IT! ❤️ 
 
 

No one knows.  Don't get too upset - everyone is trying to get to their loved ones.  Montreal has been an abomination for a LONG time now, so everyone ends up in limbo, waiting.  
 
I think they have been sending the K1's and then doing the CR/IR's IIRC.  Just give it a few days before making any judgements. 

I'm wondering if people are going to receive IL this week 😃 we won't receive one for sure since we were DQed in October 2020, but that's exciting to know we're getting closer 🤞

I had my interview this morning at 8:00. Questions and process were much the same as what’s been described previously.  

Was asked a few questions about kids, what my wife does, and what I’ll do for work in the US.  Was also asked how/where we met. 
 
I was in and out of the consulate in under an hour.   
 
Good luck to everyone this month who has interviews.  

POE Update: My spouse and I crossed today at Peace Arch. Due to Covid and border restrictions, it was dead empty and we were the only car going through customs. It was awkward but convenient since we did not have to wait in line. The CBP officers seem bored and they were happy to see us. That was a first
 
The primary inspection just asked for our passports (my spouse is the US citizen) and I informed him that I wanted to activate my visa and import the vehicle at same time. He asked me the type of visa (it is IR-1), he said welcome to the US and congratulations, then put a sticker on the windshield and asked us to drive to the secondary inspection. 
 
We drove through a massive X-ray machine and a couple of agents re-directed us to park in secondary and wait for an officer.
The CBP officer showed up after 15 minutes. He asked for my passport and the CD with the X-ray from my medical (good thing I had kept the sealed envelop from Dr Cheema with me). He asked a few questions such as when and where we met, where we are heading to, what my job is and what we are transporting in the vehicle. We informed him that our household will be shipped in a few days and he requested the contract from the movers and declaration for customs. He then asked for all the docs related to the car (EPA form 3520, DOT HS-7, bill of sale, Canadian registration, letter of release from the manufacturer and letter of compliance from the manufacturer). All the forms were filled out and the officer said it seems ok. He checked the VIN number from the label/sticker under the hood and went back inside to complete the import and activation. We stayed in the car approx. 30 minutes. He came back and confirmed all was cleared and the car is duty free since it was manufactured in the US. He gave me back the forms and handed over the CBP 7501 form with a seal (I had to sign it) that will be required to register the car. He also gave me my visa with the stamp and confirmed it was valid for 1 year which should be sufficient since the GC should be delivered within 2 months. He also asked us to confirm the address we were moving to and re-entered in their system since the mailing address will be used to ship both SSN and GC. He wished us good luck and directed us to the exit. 
 
I understand some members from these forums had different experiences but I can say that all the CBP agents were extremely friendly and welcoming, and the experience was pleasant and easy overall. The whole process took about 1 hour (mainly to wait inside the car). During that time, we only saw 2 other cars going through customs!
Activating the visa is quick but if you intend to import your vehicle, the administrative and registration process can be time consuming. I suggest you fill out the necessary docs correctly as it will save you some precious time and prevent you to re-do them in person. 
 
I'll share an update when the SSN & GC are delivered.

We finally got our tracking number about 30 min ago.  Thanks!

Thanks @Hawk Riders   Approved this morning!!
 

FYI 
interview 2/22
Tracking # received this morning, 2/26 

We finally got case update and got the visa!! Our visa was delayed due to PCC. I was also worried about extended background check as my husband is non Canadian.
 
Interview Date: 1/27/2021
Status after interview: Refused
PCC delivered to Consulate: 2/4/2021
Status Changed to Issue with admin processing - 2/19/2021
Issued final processing - 2/25/2021
Green Card fees paid!!!!!
Now waiting for passport to arrive.
 
Thank you everyone for your help. You guys made alot easier this past year. 
 
Thanks bunch!!!!
 

Approved for me! 💃

Approved for me!!

I had my interview yesterday and was approved! 
Questions are like everyone's been posting, I was surprised that my husbands financial documents were not looked at, or his birth certificate. 
One thing to note is that the fingerprint machines are not wiped between uses and there are no bottles of sanitizer at each window,. There is one large bottle on the security guards desk. I carry hand sanitizer on my purse and was thankful for that.
Good luck to all the future applicants going through this very long process! I'm not crossing over to the US until I have received my vaccines here in Ontario (I'm in phase 2 so hopefully will have them started in May) and am still not sure how I'm getting to Iowa to be with my husband. Ideally we want to drive my stuff down, but the 15 day stay here does not work for him. I may end up having to fly there myself and ship my belongings.
Thank you to this informative and helpful group!

Just an update on my husband's progress..
 
Interview/approval - Jan.29
Visa rec'd via courier- Feb.8
Activated Visa - Feb. 12 ( returned to Canada same day)
Paid GC immigration fee - Feb. 12
SSN processed - Feb 16 (just called to check on it today)
GC processed and tracking number rec'd today. Will arrive by Sat. Feb. 27
 
Finally something going the way it should!
 

Congratulations to all that have been recently approved and entered the US.
 
I just wanted to update everyone on my husband’s POE.
 
First, our timeline:
 
Jan 29:  interview (approved)
Jan 30:  refused
Feb 9:  updated to issued
Feb 11:  passport mailed
Feb 15:  passport received
 
My husband entered the US via the Peace Bridge into Buffalo on February 22.  He used a 15 foot UHaul truck and trailer to transport his car.  Cost altogether was approximately US$130.  
 
After initially being yelled at by the CBP officer for using the wrong lane (which he wasn’t, by the way), the officer told him to write down the license plate numbers for the truck, trailer and his car.  
 
He was then directed to secondary.  The officers were not terribly accommodating or understanding regarding his inability to maneuver a large truck and trailer easily.  
 
Fortunately, his experience at secondary was brief and uneventful.  He was literally there for less than 10 minutes while the officer processed his visa.  The officer said that the government is backed up and processing his Green Card could take some time.  I hope that as evidenced by the other posters here that will not be the case.  He had a 3395 Customs Declaration form completed and was not asked for it and the officer did not look at the contents of his truck.  Also, there was no mention of any sort of quarantine.
 
I am grateful to finally have him with me and glad this phase is over.  From the time we filed our initial petition until he received his visa in hand was 790 days.  It is an incredibly long road, but I want to give hope to all others that it will be over eventually and to be patient.  You will get there!

Hey all,
 
Just wanted to update.
 
Interview : Feb 12 - approved
Issued: Feb 16 - in final processing
Notice from Purolator — Feb 19
Passport in hand (rural southern Alberta) - Feb 23 
 
good luck to you all!!

CR1 - Approved! The process and questions were pretty much similar to what everybody mentioned so don't want to be repetitive but please feel free to ask me any questions that you might have!   I have a Canadian PR with another nationality and have lived in UAE as well. They did ask about the UAE PCC but Reciprocity page said I was exempt. I had printed out the page and showed it at the window they collect documents as well as interview window. A question he asked me that I don't think has come up is "where have you travelled in the last 5 years".   As people have previously  mentioned - it is better to upload the updated financial documents on CEAC. The lady at the window was happy that I had already uploaded it so didn't ask me for those documents.   Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions! I will keep you posted on the timeline for receiving my passport back.

I'm home.
 
Arrived at Peace Arch around 5:45pm on Thursday Feb 18.  Day was sort of an avalanche of delays and minor things going wrong but nothing really major, so showing up at the crossing was a few hours behind schedule.  I rolled up in a 10 foot uhaul towing my car.  Said I was activating my visa, was asked if I was moving which was a fun question given that I was *driving a moving truck*, and got sent over into secondary.  After a while I got asked the usual declaration questions, answered them, and presented my list o' stuff and what boxes they were in.  The list was treated like it was on fire so I guess nobody wants to have to actually review the list and they may figure that if someone actually went to the trouble of preparing such a list that they're not playing fast and loose with the rules, which was true for me.  Chilled in the truck for about 30-40 minutes, tried to distract myself from randomly crying or whatever about being on the very last step of this 908 day journey, messaged my wife who relayed a message from our 6-year-old that he thought it would be a good idea if they came to the border to help, since I was taking "for ages", etc.  Eventually another officer came to check the visa and told me to come inside.  I recommend the restroom inside the Peace Arch CBP building for its exciting 30-second-long flush, incidentally.  Anyway I sat on the bench in a very empty building (5 or so officers and me) and admired the Chihuly glass-blowing stuff.  Got called up and answered a few questions and had a photo taken, which I didn't see but is quite possibly the worst photo ever taken of me as I was exhausted, my hair was a wreck from loading the truck and hooking up the tow dolly in the rain, and I'd been randomly tearing up for the last hour or so.  The officer stamped my passport and said congratulations and I sputtered some sort of thank you and said "I'm just gonna go cry in the truck a bit" which I did while messaging "I'm coming home" to my wife before driving the last 15 minutes to get to her and my step-son.
 
She'd made spaghetti and meatballs.  It was the most delicious meal of my life.
 

Hello All,
I just had my interview this morning and I was APPROVED!
Interview details which may help anyone:
Arrived and went through security. The security guard told me to go to window 6 on the first floor. Got there but there was no-one, I had to wait for almost 10mins before a man came and collected my passport. After waiting for about 45mins, my name was called to go to another window where a lady collected my Birth Certificate, Police Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Tax documents (I gave 1040, W2 2019 and 2020 because I didn't have 2019 transcripts). Something to note, I got another Canada PCC with 'other details'  because the one I had before had sub-type 'Non-Certified Criminal Information'. The lady said they were same and the only difference was the dates on the certificates! lol! So, I guess they accept both! Also, she could find/view some of the documents I had scanned into CEAC, so she said they were going to rescan them.
Thereafter, I waited for maybe 20mins and then was called up for main interview. Questions asked includes:
1. Name of spouse
2. Confirm Address
3. If I got the domestic violence pamphlet and if I had any questions about it
4. How and where we met
5. Where we got married and who was at the wedding
6. Do either of us have children. Ages of the children and how many are below 21yrs
7. What my spouse does for work
8.State where spouse lives
9. If I have ever been arrested or had any problems with the law
 
At the end, he said he had just approved my visa and gave me the welcome to America paper and information on how to track my passport. He said it may take 2weeks to get my passport but when I checked CEAC back to the hotel, it already shows 'Issued'.
 
Thanks to everyone on the group for all your postings. They were really helpful in this journey. I hope someone finds my interview details helpful too. Please do ask any questions or clarification as needed. Goodluck to everyone!
 
 
 
 

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

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.

You've made me cry. Huge CONGRATULATIONS to you and your wife!! All the best!