RachaelMcCorm

Well that was speedy. Issued and in final processing. Somehow the link they give to the tracking number is dead  (404)

So I had my interview this morning, and my Son’s CRBA appointment yesterday! It was a breeze, the hardest part was trying to keep my 1 year old son entertained while we waited for his appointment. 
officers asked me:
when and where we met
when/where we got married
if we have children, when was our son born
my longest stay in the US- mine was from Nov 1-Jan 15 this year.
my husband address, my address, 
my husbands job, my profession. 
 
Very straightforward, took 1 hour 15 mins from the moment I walked in to the moment I left. Interview itself was 5 mins, and 5 mins while handing in documents. 
I was asked for my birth certificate my passport, police certificate, marriage certificate, and my husbands W2s from 2020 as his return just got filed yesterday. 
Every one was very nice, I had forgotten my sons sweater and hat at his interview and they had it waiting for me to grab when I came back in the next day. 
Overall a great experience. Stayed at the Hotel Europa Best Western. And it was a 3 min walk to the embassy. 
They said my Visa will be approved and back to me in 2-3 weeks

So I had my interview this morning, and my Son’s CRBA appointment yesterday! It was a breeze, the hardest part was trying to keep my 1 year old son entertained while we waited for his appointment. 
officers asked me:
when and where we met
when/where we got married
if we have children, when was our son born
my longest stay in the US- mine was from Nov 1-Jan 15 this year.
my husband address, my address, 
my husbands job, my profession. 
 
Very straightforward, took 1 hour 15 mins from the moment I walked in to the moment I left. Interview itself was 5 mins, and 5 mins while handing in documents. 
I was asked for my birth certificate my passport, police certificate, marriage certificate, and my husbands W2s from 2020 as his return just got filed yesterday. 
Every one was very nice, I had forgotten my sons sweater and hat at his interview and they had it waiting for me to grab when I came back in the next day. 
Overall a great experience. Stayed at the Hotel Europa Best Western. And it was a 3 min walk to the embassy. 
They said my Visa will be approved and back to me in 2-3 weeks

So I had my interview this morning, and my Son’s CRBA appointment yesterday! It was a breeze, the hardest part was trying to keep my 1 year old son entertained while we waited for his appointment. 
officers asked me:
when and where we met
when/where we got married
if we have children, when was our son born
my longest stay in the US- mine was from Nov 1-Jan 15 this year.
my husband address, my address, 
my husbands job, my profession. 
 
Very straightforward, took 1 hour 15 mins from the moment I walked in to the moment I left. Interview itself was 5 mins, and 5 mins while handing in documents. 
I was asked for my birth certificate my passport, police certificate, marriage certificate, and my husbands W2s from 2020 as his return just got filed yesterday. 
Every one was very nice, I had forgotten my sons sweater and hat at his interview and they had it waiting for me to grab when I came back in the next day. 
Overall a great experience. Stayed at the Hotel Europa Best Western. And it was a 3 min walk to the embassy. 
They said my Visa will be approved and back to me in 2-3 weeks

So I had my interview this morning, and my Son’s CRBA appointment yesterday! It was a breeze, the hardest part was trying to keep my 1 year old son entertained while we waited for his appointment. 
officers asked me:
when and where we met
when/where we got married
if we have children, when was our son born
my longest stay in the US- mine was from Nov 1-Jan 15 this year.
my husband address, my address, 
my husbands job, my profession. 
 
Very straightforward, took 1 hour 15 mins from the moment I walked in to the moment I left. Interview itself was 5 mins, and 5 mins while handing in documents. 
I was asked for my birth certificate my passport, police certificate, marriage certificate, and my husbands W2s from 2020 as his return just got filed yesterday. 
Every one was very nice, I had forgotten my sons sweater and hat at his interview and they had it waiting for me to grab when I came back in the next day. 
Overall a great experience. Stayed at the Hotel Europa Best Western. And it was a 3 min walk to the embassy. 
They said my Visa will be approved and back to me in 2-3 weeks

My interview is on Wednesday as well9:45! I have a folder with all the copies in it and a folder with all my originals. I figured it was just the passport they took and mailed back. On my way to Montreal right now! My son has a CRBA interview tomorrow morning as well.
 

We did a CRBA interview at the Vancouver consulate in February for our two daughters - I am the US citizen, but my husband was required to be there with his passport and they did ask to see him with his mask off to compare his identity. As the US citizen parent, I had to sign a lot of paperwork. Not sure if this will help you, but hopefully. Maybe try calling or emailing? I got responses via email. 

I went to see Dr. Zatzman yesterday. His office takes your pictures, so there is no need to bring any with you. Passport, IL and record of vaccinations were required. 
Everything went fairly fast and smooth. I didn't have to wait too long in lines to get my X-Ray. Lab waiting time was about 50 minutes, but it worked perfectly for me as I stepped outside to have some fresh air after challenging morning drive from Windsor to Toronto. Dr. Zatzman charged $260 for initial appointment with him, X-Ray was $70 and labs $30 with change. 

The only issue I had is with my new updated information. I updated my passport to married name after DQ. Back in August last year I uploaded it to CEAC and notified NVC. They updated my information, IL arrived in my married name. However, medical paperwork at Dr. Zatzman was in my former name (passport number surprisingly is correct new updated one!)
So, now I have initial appointment in my former name, but X-Ray and Labs are in my married name! I was warned to contact NVC and embassy right away in attempt to correct the issue. Medical office told me that I possibly will have a confusion at the border and will have troubles proving that I am the same person. They also told me that I may have to return once again to do my medical. Currently awaiting for replies from NVC and/or embassy to see what can be done to resolve the issue painlessly. Will update everyone once I hear back.

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Interview Letter received today at 10:15
DQ: Aug 11 2020
Date: April 14, 2021
I was so excited I started crying!

Overnight was what I thought too. Thanks! Hopefully I can stop checking my email every 10 seconds😂

So for those of you who got an interview in the last few months, does anyone know if they send all the letters at a specific time of day? I’ve become addicted to checking my email every single time I touch my phone... and thinking if I just knew what time of day they were sent out last month maybe I could feel less preoccupied with it.

I just got out of my two week quarantine in Canada, (into Ontario) but nothing had changed yet. I’m curious to hear of anyone coming home this past week. 

Hi everyone! 
 
For all the spouses that are separated due to COVID-19, I actually travelled to the States while waiting for my interview. I also applied for the I-539 (extension to stay) while I was there. Here's how the process went: 
 
DQ: May 29, 2020 
Aug 5, 2020: My husband (US citizen) flew to YYZ to visit me for 3-4 weeks. He didn't have much of a problem, the officer just asked him the following:
Why are you travelling (A: To visit my wife, she is a Canadian citizen. In July, they've allowed immediate families to visit so I wanted to take this opportunity since I haven't seen her in over 10 months) Do you have documentation for the marriage: (A: Yes - he showed our marriage licence (copy), my passport (copy), drivers licence  (copy)and citizenship card (copy))  How long are you visiting: (A: 3 weeks returning date is Aug 23, 2020 and he showed him the return ticket) Address where you are quarantining and they gave him info on the quarantine act. Upon getting to YYZ, they asked the same questions and it was a quick process.  Aug 23, 2020: My husband (US Citizen) and myself (Canadian citizen applied for IR1) were travelling to LAX from YYZ. Travelling to America was the hardest thing ever, they stopped us and we got to the gate 1 min before closing.This all happened at YYZ and keep in mind it is my fault for not having enough information while flying - so take your chances. They could have said no but the officer said I'll let you stay for your birthday but you have to leave by Dec 1, 2020. 
I got pulled aside because I was travelling with 3 suitcases (My goal was to stay there for 4 months) Why are you travelling? (A: I am going to live with my husband for 4 months, here's the marriage certificate) Do you know you aren't supposed to travel? (A: Yes but I thought I can visit my husband? I'm exempt from the travel ban) Are you planning to live there or stay for a short time? (A: I am only staying there for 4 months, I am returning Jan 2021)  At this point, they pulled us into that Custom & Border room to visit an officer. Another officer called us up and asked us a bunch of questions and proofs. Have you applied for an immigrant visa? (A: Yes, IR-1 I am currently DQ and waiting for my interview. I have to return to Canada to complete my interview. But regardless of that, I work for a Canadian company that knows I am going to America for 4 months and will return.  What's your I-130 number. I don't see you applied for any visa on my end? (A: PANIC MODE - I had to show him my NVC account, DS-260, i-130. For some odd reason when he scanned my passport it did not pop up that i filled an application online. It was a horrible stressful experience of trying to log into my account to try to find my digital i-130 that was mailed to our house in California. Thankfully my mother in law had the I-130 that showed ACCEPTED.) What's the NVC number? USCIS number?  Where are you living? What is the proof you are returning (A: I have a job at a Canadian company but didn't have an official letter from my company that I needed to return. I don't have a mortgage under my name so I had no proof I was returning.) What do you do? What does your husband do? (A: XYZ told him this and I think he asked us how much we make to ensure it wasn't a part-time job and had some type of potential to return back. Even then he said no you can't travel) After much begging and back and forth he said I will give you a travel visa until Dec 1, 2020 - you better come back to Canada before this date.  We ran to our gate which was about to leave in 1 minute.  Oct 2020: I applied for the i-539 (extension of a visa stay), I applied for an extension until May 2021 because I thought my interview would have been in April 2021. I completed the bio-metrics in Nov, 2020. When I called the embassy the lady said that, if the custom border officers show up at my house to tell me I am overstaying, I can show them the i-539 receipt and biometrics date and just let them know I am waiting for an approval which can take up to 6 months. At that time, it is their decision to either 1. let me stay and wait for the final decision or 2. Notify me I must leave. I never got to that stage since I knew my IL would come some time in January so I flew to YYZ on Jan 7, 2021. 
 
Jan 7, 2021: I flew from LAX to YYZ. They never asked me about my visa or extension. They just told me I had to quarantine and call a number every day. 
 
Jan 18: Received IL for Feb 17, 2021
 
**please do not take the risk of travelling unless you have proof of returning. I got lucky but it was not worth the stress of knowing they could say no at any time** 

In June 2019 @KartineeKartoons started a group message for Canadian spousal applicant VJers who were stuck in the Montreal interview scheduling backlog. They invited members at the same stage in the IV process and the message group has remained active more than a year later, currently with 199 VJ members. Not all members are active in the conversation, and a few weeks ago someone suggested it was time to disband the message group.
 
I am inviting all the active members to hold our discussion here, publicly in the forum, moving forward. Having our collective experiences and knowledge siloed behind closed doors is a disservice to the the whole of the VJ community. Let's strengthen the community as a whole by making a shift.
Invitations: @DGF @shammykay @Tofu @sjb17 @rainbow-skies @Mzamour @Cath&Claire @sh114 @S.H.11 @Leah123 @DoubleE @Hadarah @MWhite @legendqueue @SeriaRisa11 @PawlD @i5love @Jay&Sid @mizzem @Kingsrish @Abhikochar @Je9ala @Madison99 @ArgiE0601 @Lovepeace0303 @leo18 @A&RN @marahm18 @acmanu @Sanmcall @Dkw @SASAS @Romans13 @Rose__ @InspectorGrover @canadavisa22 @chefcurry88 @lngtimecoming @Lovenature @mam521 @Noam D @Pat1976 @dee&vee @AMSAL @ReadIcculus @Jacqueline H @Couchpotato560 @Dbrennan @eketros @MrsDex @wordsfromdani @kburbasaur @Jenn&Matt @Waitin-Game @mika__ @Specter @ameena1423 @chanel167 @TOtoVA @Michelle_VM @BunyanP @HRubin @Irregularblob @US-EH @C&L2018 @rafale1973 @Lois K @2Ps @Rush11 @jackanddeona @Kaleigh11 @vjcl @SJS8581 @Ptitchou @fxch3 @starboogie @tmac99 @Flowergirl 737 @Prairiegirl3 @Skaur0609 @Cammabear @Emilini @jacketconfident @eagle212 @betzzymathew @Sarjb77 @Akaur @JACHA @Rotorhead @BeeSee @CGs_Mother @SAsal @Todd@Alya @Hamlet @AfterTheSnow @JandTK @Mel and Deb @Abe&Noha @anto3knee @PennyLaneB @JenTex @Aminac13 @Canadiangirl38 @Jaret&Rachael @llednew.rm
Group members not specifically listed above haven't signed into and/or read VJ messages for a while but are more than welcome to participate.
 
Let's all help keep information accessible to all and transparent, and alleviate the anxiety other visa applicants experience navigating this convoluted process.

@RachaelMcCorm come join this thread and click follow...