Zhyn

Just received my green card.
Arrived May 20, received green card July 29. 70 days/10 weeks.
 
Seems I will have to call on my SSN though, should have done that within 3-4 weeks.

Arrived May 20th, no SSN or Greencard yet.

Green Card came today! Thanks so much for the support and encouragement everyone! I couldn't be more excited  Good luck to those still awaiting interviews and visa confirmations and everything inbetween! 

No problems, but things to keep in mind as per the FAQ:
 
"Can I cross to activate my visa and then return to Canada and do a full move later?
Yes. But note that the moment you cross the border you are a resident of the US and not of Canada. You will not be covered by your Canadian healthcare and will need travel insurance (Canadian healthcare can be quite expensive if you are not a resident). This is because you have to be moving permanently when you activate your visa. Crossing to activate your visa and then going home isn't technically allowed even though we do see it happen. Moving permanently but then visiting to tie up loose ends is allowed, but is not enough to satisfy the requirements to keep healthcare.
 
There are also tax implications if you are still working in Canada during this time and it is best to involve an accountant. The date you activated your visa will be your departure date for the CRA and not the date that you do your final move."
 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k927pE5wqzTN5n0lPYZ1JQxgbmnzmNWX5hSteyii0BY

No problems, but things to keep in mind as per the FAQ:
 
"Can I cross to activate my visa and then return to Canada and do a full move later?
Yes. But note that the moment you cross the border you are a resident of the US and not of Canada. You will not be covered by your Canadian healthcare and will need travel insurance (Canadian healthcare can be quite expensive if you are not a resident). This is because you have to be moving permanently when you activate your visa. Crossing to activate your visa and then going home isn't technically allowed even though we do see it happen. Moving permanently but then visiting to tie up loose ends is allowed, but is not enough to satisfy the requirements to keep healthcare.
 
There are also tax implications if you are still working in Canada during this time and it is best to involve an accountant. The date you activated your visa will be your departure date for the CRA and not the date that you do your final move."
 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k927pE5wqzTN5n0lPYZ1JQxgbmnzmNWX5hSteyii0BY

Sorry, picked up passport/visa on March 22/Monday.
 
Been selling allll my things on facebook marketplace and man it's a full time job -_-.
Decided I'm going to try and cross via air with all my belongings, I don't have enough stuff to use a shipping company (upack quote was $2846), and dont really want to deal with ups/fedex shipping a few boxes and the paperwork that goes with it, as well as not trusting them to ship everything in one piece.

Pretty sure you will have to quarantine. Even if you just go to activate your visa and return you will have to quarantine.
I haven't really looked into this as I don't plan on returning, maybe others can chime in.

Sorry, picked up passport/visa on March 22/Monday.
 
Been selling allll my things on facebook marketplace and man it's a full time job -_-.
Decided I'm going to try and cross via air with all my belongings, I don't have enough stuff to use a shipping company (upack quote was $2846), and dont really want to deal with ups/fedex shipping a few boxes and the paperwork that goes with it, as well as not trusting them to ship everything in one piece.

Interview 8:45 today, approved. Nothing much to add to the interview process. Clock is fixed.
Just going to hide in my hotel room now.
 
Here is a good outline I referenced frequently: 
 
 

Interview 8:45 today, approved. Nothing much to add to the interview process. Clock is fixed.
Just going to hide in my hotel room now.
 
Here is a good outline I referenced frequently: 
 
 

Interview 8:45 today, approved. Nothing much to add to the interview process. Clock is fixed.
Just going to hide in my hotel room now.
 
Here is a good outline I referenced frequently: 
 
 

Interview 8:45 today, approved. Nothing much to add to the interview process. Clock is fixed.
Just going to hide in my hotel room now.
 
Here is a good outline I referenced frequently: 
 
 

Interview 8:45 today, approved. Nothing much to add to the interview process. Clock is fixed.
Just going to hide in my hotel room now.
 
Here is a good outline I referenced frequently: 
 
 

Interview 8:45 today, approved. Nothing much to add to the interview process. Clock is fixed.
Just going to hide in my hotel room now.
 
Here is a good outline I referenced frequently: 
 
 

Alright Folks, here it goes....
 
APPROVED!!!!!
 
Interview: Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021 @ 7:45am 
 
All I could think of while walking to the consulate and waiting in the room was how accurate everyone's experience was and was trying to make mental notes so that I could come back here and share my experience! haha
 
So here's my experience (If you don't want to read it, in summary, it was like everyone else's experience) 
- Stayed at the Sheraton Hotel. Literally a 2 minute straight walk down the road.
- Got to the line about 5-10 minutes before my interview time. There we 2 people ahead of me. 
- Security Guard asked to see my passport, interview confirmation letter and asked me 3 Covid screening questions
- Allowed me inside to where I had to go through a metal detector and put my stuff through a scanner (Same as TSA at the Airport)
- A small locker thats perfect just to fit your phone was available. Put it in, take the key, and return it on your way out.
- Went upstairs and was asked to go to Window 7 to drop my passport off. Side note - in my head I pictured this waiting room as some old dimly lit type office, however it was very new, clean and fairly big- very similar to a new medical office.
 
The interview
- Called up and the associate asked for the required documents - Birth Certificate (Long-Form), Marriage Certificate, Police Record, 1 Passport Photo
- He verified my address and my spouses address. Her's did change and he manually recorded it. I also had uploaded an updated I-864EZ with the new address. He also had me take my finger prints (4 left, 4 right, 2 thumbs). FYI - They don't wipe these down.
- Then he gave me the domestic violence pamphlet and told me to sit back down. 
- I got called up one more time to me with a different individual. This is where I had to take the Oath.
- Here's a summary of questions he asked - Verify your name and date of birth. Who is your Petitioner? When did you meet and When did you get married? Where did you get married? Who was at your wedding? Who were the witnesses? What does your spouse do? What do you do? Are you planning on applying for jobs when you move to the states? Where are you going to live? Who else lives there? Do the other people who live there work? Did you get this pamphlet (Domestic Violence)? Did you read it? In one or two lines can you explain to me what it talks about? 
- Then the associate gave me back my documents from before (Marriage certificate, Birth Certificate, etc.) and handed me the "Welcome to USA" Letter. And advised me that my passport should be mailed back within 3-4 weeks. (Even though I paid for courier service). I think this is a generic timeline they give. 
- I did ask him when he thinks I could expect my physical green card and Social Security Number but he said he's not sure, it's a different department that handles that. 
- Then made my way out, down the elevator and go my phone from the locker. 
- I finished and was out by 8:49am . So total time was about an hour. I expect this to be a little longer if your interview if it's in the afternoon. I was in the first batch of interviews so by the time i was getting out the room became way more full.
 
Here is the BIGGEST PRO TIP (and I think it should be added to the FAQ)  - UPLOAD ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS TO CEAC BEFORE YOUR INTERVIEW!
- A friend of mine who did his interview 2 weeks ago told me he had uploaded all his docs prior to coming and the lady behind the desk said "Thank you so much, not a lot of people upload there documents, this helps alot".
- Most the time they spend is scanning all our docs if its not in the system already. So you can speed up the process if you upload and label everything correctly. 
- Some things I uploaded that helped  were
      - IRS Tax Transcript 
      - IRS Wages and Earnings
      - W2's
      - 1040's
      - My Passport photo
      - Wifes Passport and Birth Certificate 
     - My Passport
     - Revised I864EZ
     - DS260 Confirmation Page
 
^ All this is on top of what you had already submitted initially. And don't worry about the documents being "Accepted" . It's okay to have them in the "Submitted" state. The goal is we're trying to save them from doing more work of scanning documents. If you save them time, they'll save you time!
 
All in all, I owe VisaJourney and people like @Hawk Riders a lot for this thread as well as the Google Sheets Tracker and FAQ. Honestly, unless your case is complex, you do not need a lawyer. This thread had everything you need to get approved and was my guiding light the last 6-8 months when we didn't know what was going on during the pandemic. I encourage everyone to keep this thread going and the tracker going forward for those after us - Pay it forward!
 
Now I look forward to getting my passport back, getting my physical green card and my SSN. I hope they automatically send me the SSN and I don't need to set-up an appointment with the SSN office.
 
Open to answer any questions you may have. Remember the Pro Tip above! 

Sorry folks - I've been so busy packing and getting organized. After a very brief interview, I was approved. 
 
A few things to be mindful of: 
1. Dont lean on the planters outside. They look like a reasonable spot to sort of sit with a coffee while you wait casually outside the consulate for your precise entry time (8:45 am... not 8:44 am or 8:39 am... 8:45 am exactly). You will be asked not to sit on them. 
2. The interview questions I answered have been shared in this thread already, so I dont have anything to add here. My total face time between both getting my number, the first round of paperwork and fingerprint scans, and the actual interview took less than 15 minutes in total but my appointment took almost 90 minutes. 
3. The waiting room was absolutely quiet. No background music. No side chatter between people really. Everyone just sat quietly and waited. The chairs are not all setup with easy viewing of the monitor that calls numbers, and you dont obviously see window 6 when you get off the elevator. It feels like the DMV more than anything else. 
 
I cried when I heard the words, "I'll be approving your visa today...". 
 
I also asked if they knew anything about the delay/complication people reported about their electronic packages not making it to USCIS. The person I spoke with knew nothing about that and couldnt offer any insight. I figured it was worth a shot while I was there. 
 
If there's anything else I can help answer about my experience - PM me. 

I'm also interested in hearing more about this. I wonder if maybe a separate thread topic on US/Can finances would be a good idea? 
I'm also still paying off a line of credit with my bank in Canada and will be keeping my job (but under contract instead of full time with deductions) so they'll be paying me in my Canadian account too. 

I was just going through the same list, and I don't think we need an original, or a copy of the petitioners birth certificate.
The pre-interview checklist says "Your original birth certificate and that of your petitioner if applicable, English translation, and a photocopy." I think you only need it if it was requested specifically.
 
There is this old thread as well: 
 
 
But I would also feel better hearing from others as well.

After discussing with my wife, I went ahead with Dr Cheema in Surrey. I sent an email that night, and got a reply the next day, the Feb 5th. They were booking appointments from March 1st at this point. So I booked March 2nd, and will be flying from Calgary to Vancouver on Mar 1, and returning Mar 3.
Will be staying at "Best Western King George Inn & Suites", I think most people stay here.
Flight and hotel total, for those curious was $398.46 + $350 for the medical exam.

After discussing with my wife, I went ahead with Dr Cheema in Surrey. I sent an email that night, and got a reply the next day, the Feb 5th. They were booking appointments from March 1st at this point. So I booked March 2nd, and will be flying from Calgary to Vancouver on Mar 1, and returning Mar 3.
Will be staying at "Best Western King George Inn & Suites", I think most people stay here.
Flight and hotel total, for those curious was $398.46 + $350 for the medical exam.

I booked my medical for surrey today and they were booking February 16 or later.  

It's on the Montreal Consulate page: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/MTL-Montreal.html

O_O Just got my interview email as well, for March 12. (DQ  June 18). Ahhh.

O_O Just got my interview email as well, for March 12. (DQ  June 18). Ahhh.

O_O Just got my interview email as well, for March 12. (DQ  June 18). Ahhh.