DamAk

7 hours ago, Canada_F3 said:

Thank you @DamAk how many days after interview you get back your passport with visa stamped 

No problem! It took 6 weeks to get the approval. 

Please review my timeline for additional details regarding the interview. 

7 hours ago, Canada_F3 said:

 @DamAk Please share your experience with Dr Zatzman’s office for your US immigration medical appointment.

Do we need to took photographs? 

 

Do we get medical reports at they directly sent to the Montreal consulate and give us acknowledgment email for medical records and vaccination check list sent to the consulate?

 

Do they gives vaccines, if don’t have any past vaccination records ?

 

How long we get medical reports after medical examination completed at Dr. Zatzman?

 

Do they give us any reports/records?

 

Do they give us any acknowledgement receipt for the medical examination has been done with Dr. Zatzman?

 

The entire experience for my medical took no more than 1.5 to 2 hours I think. This was a couple months ago so I'll try to remember as much as I can. When I got to Dr. Zatzman office, there were 3 ladies at the front desk. The one in the middle checked me in, asked for the email appointment confirmation letter and some other documents, then made photocopies of some things. After making the payment, she then took my pictures at the clinic, you don't need to bring any photographs yourself (for spousal US immigration, please read their website for more details if you're petioning a different US visa). 

Once Dr. Zatzman called me inside, he was very welcoming and maintained a casual atmosphere. We talked casually about my move to the US and other things. He asked for my vaccination history and I provided him my record from middle/highschool, covid vaccines and the flu shot. They do not administer vaccines at the clinic, make sure you have those done before your appointment to prevent delays. He then did a physical exam and told me I'm good to go. I got the requisitions for the CXR and blood work at the front desk, along with confirmation/acknowledgement that my medical has been done and a receipt. The lab and radiology clinic were in the same building as well, downstairs. I went to Dynacare first, which took about 30 minutes and then got my CXR done, took around 15 minutes. Both of those locations also gave me a receipt once I made the payments. Radiology clinic gave me the CXR CD before I left.

Everything gets sent to the consulate directly. You can ask the clinic staff for the vaccine checklist, they won't automatically give you a copy for some reason. At the time, there was a delay in getting the blood work back so my results took 3 weeks and the consulate received them after my interview. Usually it takes just a few days but as mentioned in an earlier post, this depends on the public health load. The doctor will usually have a good idea of how quick public health is working to process the results so you can always ask him. 

Hope this was helpful! 

8 hours ago, darth vader said:

Who gives it and when? I went for my medical and they just did my x-ray and did not give me the CD. Does the panel physician mail it to you or ask you to come pick it up? If so, when? Do I need to have it with me at the interview also?

So I got the CD immediately after having it done at the X-ray clinic. It took the staff just a few minutes to burn the CD so they told me to wait. I think you can email your panel physician requesting to have it mailed if you havent received it. I went to Dr. Zatzman so I'm not exactly sure what the process is for other panel physicians (I assumed it was the same everywhere). Yes, take it with you to the interview just incase. 

5 hours ago, TSmith said:

What do the CBP ask for?

For me, they didn't ask for anything, just confirmed my husband's information and told me my green card could take 6 months (it took 5 minutes at secondary at YYZ when they called me up, waited for 50 minutes). I also wasn't carrying any pets/car, only clothes, cash, an instrument and some other small items. Didn't ask if I'm declaring anything either.

On 3/24/2022 at 10:23 PM, darth vader said:

Are we still getting chest x-ray CDs? I thought the whole process was electronic now and was sent directly to the consulate. Dr. Mascarenhas did not mention anything about x-ray CD to me.

They do still give you the X-Ray CD for personal use. Everything else gets sent to the consulate electronically. 

At the POE, they didn't ask for it, and I haven't read anywhere where the CBP officers ask for it either. Better to be on the safe side though and carry it incase they do.

On 3/23/2022 at 12:22 PM, DS5535 said:

Land border took me an hour. And one guy talked down to me and in the back. I could hear. Del Bonito land crossing.

Ouf some people are just miserable and love to make others miserable unfortunately.

6 hours ago, Hello100 said:

I guess it's the luck of the draw, as it doesn't necessarily depend on the place but the person you have. Perhaps in Windsor they are sophisticated with these types of things, but maybe at the airport it's quicker because you have a plane to catch? I'm surprised that it could take up to 6 months for the Green Card to arrive, though.

I absolutely agree. The officer I had was extremely nice (and seemed laidback) so it made the process go smoothly.

And yea, I was a bit shocked when he said 6 months. Was under the impression it would arrive within a few weeks of entry. 

On 3/18/2022 at 3:57 PM, Hello100 said:

Yes, I'm talking about for activating the Visa. I'm from Windsor, so for me it makes more sense to cross through that famous/busy land crossing. I was assuming that at the land crossing they will have a lot more time to question you while at the airport it's a shorter time. It's not like I have anything to hide, but it's about which is slightly less difficult, if you will.

I believe the airport is going to be faster (but obviously there are people who have had quick experiences at the land border too, not sure about the one from Windsor). My experience at YYZ: I only waited for about 50 minutes but only because there were 2 other people before me. They didn't ask me any questions and only called me up for 5 minutes to confirm my husband's name, address and phone number and explained some things, said the green card could take up to 6 months to arrive. It was honestly a very quick process, I think they were working on my visa for around 20 minutes before they called me up though.

11 hours ago, darth vader said:

I went to Dr. Mascarenhas' office and my vaccination record was accepted and he said everything looks good. The office is easy to find and the x-ray is in the same building. You have to go across the street to lifelabs for bloodwork but it is a very short walk. Highly recommend him, very nice person. Lilly from his office is the one you would email with and she is very kind and helpful.

Did they give you the vaccination checklist? 

I'm going to have to contact Dr. Zatzman's office again to get them to send mine as they refused the first time I asked.

On 3/10/2022 at 2:24 PM, Sunshine022 said:

Hello! 
 

it’s been 110 days since ai entered the US and no physical green card yet. I’ve been calling USCIS but the automated machine won’t let me talk to a customer service representative. Any tips? Or any idea what is happening? Thank you for your help.

I just crossed the border yesterday and the CBP officer said it could take up to 6 months for the green card to arrive

24 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Just be careful with CRA.  CRA Canada versus CRA Non Resident branches do NOT communicate with one another and it can cause a LOT of headaches.  I recently found out that I owed CRA NR money.  I've called like 100 times and was always told my account was clear.  So, now I'm fighting interest on the monies owed because I had no clue and they only sent me a NOA this year for money owed in 2017!!!

Oh what the..!

Do they have a different contact number?

If you don't mind me asking, how did you find out what you owed to CRA NR? Were you living in Canada in 2017? 

Sorry, this just got me concerned and raised a lot of questions.

13 hours ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Oh yes, forgot to mention, if you have investments, RSP and stuff, there might be things to do. I had none of that, so it was simpler to do.

 

I did call CRA and ask. They were very helpful and gave the whole list of things needed to do, but I didn’t take notes of things that didn’t apply to me.

This is so helpful, thank you!!

I did also call CRA just now and since i dont have any TFSA or RRSP contributions, it seems the process is quite simple for me on that end as well (phew lol).

The only thing left to take care of now, before leaving is point 4.

14 hours ago, Hawk Riders said:

5. You may need to submit NR73 to CRA

Also confirmed this with them and there's no need to fill out NR73 as long as I call and update them of my emigration date. Apparently it's only for people who are unsure about their Canadian residence status.

3 hours ago, Sghen said:

Thank you, I appreciate the info! I actually just got the tracking number a few minutes ago! 

That's awesome! Best of luck on your move!!

Speaking of, I'm actually quite confused about what to update and who to inform of the move, with CRA, OHIP and banks. If anyone has an idea of what to do, please direct me to the appropriate threads because I'm reading contradicting information all over VJ (some from 5-10 years ago lol).

If there's a discussion page for making the actual move out of Canada, like this forum, that would be best.

52 minutes ago, Sghen said:

My timeline is so similar to yours (my interview and medical received were the exact same dates!) so I just wanted to ask what the difference was in your ‘Issued AP vs. Issued FP’. Is it just the text in the CEAC box under the Issued Status?

My status was finally updated yesterday (March 7) to issued. 

Congratulations!!

Idk what exactly happens in AP, but i think that's when they do some final checks and stamp your passport with the visa lol.

Issued FP is final processing when they prepare your passport to be sent out and send you the tracking number.

1 hour ago, Frankphoto said:

Our case has finally been updated to issued, final processing, and my wife received tracking # email today as well. Finally we are really hoping to close the book on this almost 3yr process (submitted our petition july of 2019). I am really rooting for the rest of you who are waiting, I know how awful it is... will definitely stick around to help as much as we can. Hang in there, guys. 

Congrats!! Best wishes on your guys' new adventures!

Picked up my passport today! Tracking received Mar 4... I was not expecting canada post to deliver this quick lol.

For anyone wondering (because it took me by surprise), you only get back your passport with the visa now, no additional documents to take to the POE. Everything is electronic at the border.

18 hours ago, darth vader said:

I think my VJ search skills have atrophied, as I struggled to find a recent thread on this topic, so I am hoping someone is kind enough to weigh in on this. I also checked on FAQ document, but it does not seem to have a screenshot of the correct police certificate.

 

Although, my Canadian police certificate is withing two-year period, but since it is beyond one year period, I am looking to renew it. Can someone please confirm the below one (which is the one I submitted to NVC and got accepted), is the correct format to get? I don't mind getting another version as well if there is still any confusion at the consulate and if they are asking for/accepting more than one version?

 

Thank you!

That is the correct one.

If you're getting it renewed, this website has the most up to date information they're looking for: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Canada.html 

10 minutes ago, Frankphoto said:

I live in the same time zone (NYC) so yeah I'm not sure ha. It says issued, but yes the paragraph beneath says "your case is undergoing administrative processing... etc"- does it usually change to final processing pretty quickly or should we expect another week or so of waiting you think? 

We want to take it as good news but at this point after almost 3yrs we will wait to celebrate until she sets foot outside the airport!

Mine changed within 24 hours, and recently a lot of people went from AP to FP pretty quickly too from what I've read over the last few weeks.

Let's hope we see some good news for your wife early next week!

1 hour ago, Frankphoto said:

My wife's status finally changed to issued yesterday after 5PM. I assume they still haven't mailed it out, but hopefully she will receive a tracking number on Monday?

 

That's wonderful news!!

Is it in administrative processing? They send the tracking number after it changes to final processing.

Also, do you live in a different time zone than Montreal by any chance? It's strange they updated it after 5pm otherwise lol.

1 hour ago, UiiiU said:

 

It'll probably be very soon for you since we got the same message from the consulate

2 hours ago, ice-qube said:

Congratulations! Enjoy your new adventures. 

5 hours ago, BatmanFlow said:

Congrats!!! Good luck with your future journey! 

Thank you!

51 minutes ago, BatmanFlow said:

“Ah yes we know they are refreshing CEAC site every 5 mins. Let’s make them more miserable” probably a CO 😭🤣

This is probably a weird thing to bring up here but I genuinely believe in the power of the universe lol (not religious btw). Write down what you want, forget about it and let the universe take the wheel. I stopped checking the updates on CEAC regularly, just once a week and voila! 

Seriously rooting for all of you! Please don't lose hope, you'll be reunited with your loved ones soon!

3 minutes ago, darth vader said:

Thank you for answering. I have a few more questions if you don't mind.

 

1. Can one book medical appointment before receiving IL? Is it advisable?

2. I would most likely want to book my medical in Toronto, are they backed up? How soon are people getting medical appointment after getting IL? Do you have to wait long?

Lol no problem.

I would probably not advise you to have the medical done before receiving the IL simply because the panel physician needs access to your immigration file when you get to the appointment, that's where they upload all the reports. As for booking it, I don't think there's an issue with that, again as long as the actual date is after you receive the IL lol.

And when I got my medical done, there was actually a backlog at Ontario Public Health and alot of people around that time didn't have their medical in time for the interview. After the consulate received our medicals, most were issued within 1-2 weeks. I, on the other hand (idk who else), am still waiting 6 weeks later. Right now idk how quick the blood work is being processed but when you get the IL, try booking the first date you can find with your doctor so there's enough time for it to get to the consulate.

1 hour ago, darth vader said:

Hi folks -  can someone please help me with the below -

1. What is the latest DQ date that have got interview dates so far? Looking at the spreadsheet it appears the latest DQ date to get interview is Jan 04 with interview date of 14 Mar. My DQ date is 19 Jan and I do not have an IL yet, so I am kind of freaked out if I missed it in my inbox somehow????

2. Also confirming that the police certificates are valid for 2 years?

 

Thank you so much!!!!

1. It's possible they sent out the ILs up to the first half of Jan. If you didn't get it now, most likely you'll get the IL next month. If not, then I would think about emailing the consulate and NVC.

2. Yes, 2 years.