sjb17

13 hours ago, Atyree9 said:

Hi everyone, my husband entered on 1/9/21 and still no sign of SSN or Green Card. I know the Green Card takes up to 90 days, so we’re not worried about that yet. From what I’ve read, he should have had his SSN already. Does anyone know who to call about it? 

You can call your local (nearest) SSA office and ask them what the status of your SSN is. I did this last week and was able to find out whether one had been produced. If it hasn't been, you can book an appointment with them directly to reapply for one.

15 minutes ago, legendqueue said:

Oh, also found out that my GC is arriving this Saturday, 16 days after POE!  Apparently the lawyer advice we got, which was to pay the immigration fee only after crossing at POE, was good (at least for me, a small sample size).  He said that if you pay it before stuff can get mixed up for whatever reason and it can take months to get the GC, but if you pay after the various systems align and you get it quickly.  Your mileage may vary of course.  It's nice to have a couple of things in this process finally go smoothly 😛 

Interesting - my green card is arriving today, 17 days after POE but I paid the USCIS processing fee before POE - so that may not be the rhyme or reason behind why some are received quick and others not. Who knows though. Wholeheartedly agree with you about things finally going smoothly in this process. It's been a long time coming!

18 hours ago, OhSoFaizy said:

Hello,

 

After my interview on March 1, I checked my application status on ceac.state.gov which was updated today....it says the visa is ISSUED but then it also says that it is going under admin processing. Is this typical? How long can potentially this AP go on for given that they kept my passport? Some people say it could take months? The officer did however say that i should expect my passport in 2 - 3 weeks. 

Yes, it's normal. Based on experiences shared here lately (and mine), your status should change to "Issued - your visa is in the final stages of processing" once administrative processing is finished. Lately, for some it's taken just a few days and for others a little longer. Just keep checking back for the change in language underneath the "Issued" status.

On 3/1/2021 at 3:56 PM, legendqueue said:

To a mailbox on the road in front of the house. I hope you get yours sorted quickly. Mine didn't arrive by courier or anything like that, it was unceremoniously put into the box along with a septic cleaning service ad and a copy of my wife's W2.

On 3/1/2021 at 4:42 PM, Dania A said:

I'll be moving to WA state and am now wondering what we can do to prevent that, especially if the apartment/mailbox slot will most likely be under my partners name and not mine. I hope you'll be able to get yours without any problems though, please keep us updated! 

On 3/1/2021 at 4:51 PM, SSS24 said:

I'm also moving to WA state and will need to figure this out too. Thanks for the heads up!

 

 

 

Thanks for adding your experience @DGF. Happy to report I got my SSN in the mail on Monday night (2 weeks after POE)! 🙏 I had called the SSA office again and the second person I talked to assured me that if your mailbox just has a number associated with it and no name attached at all (as is the case for me), then the mail person will drop it off without issue. It's only in instances like DGF mentioned, where you're in an apartment and there IS a name attached to the mail slot, that you can possibly run into the issue of not having your mail dropped off if your name isn't included (apparently to prevent risk of fraud). The SSA office similarly recommended taping your name onto the mail slot if you can't get the building to add your name to it in time. Hope this helps for everyone wondering!

9 minutes ago, legendqueue said:

POE Feb 18, received SSN today March 1. They truncated my middle name but according to web search and a quick call they don't care about this, so OK I guess. I didn't expect some chintzy paper thing, I mean my 33 year old Canadian social insurance card is plastic, but not complaining haha.

Congrats! Does your mail come straight to your front door or does it come to a centralized mail slot? JW as we're both in Washington and I received some disheartening news from the local SSA office (posted above).

For anyone who lives in a community where there's a central hub of mailbox slots rather than the mail coming straight to your door: I just spoke to the local SSA office in WA and they told me that if your last name isn't listed on the mail slot (which mine isn't yet, seeing as I just moved in and kept my maiden last name for the legal stuff), the courier will not give you your SSN. They'll instead send the SSN back to the SSA where it will be destroyed and you'll have to request a replacement card (if you don't get it within the 3 week window). 😑 My card was issued on February 20 but there's no telling if it's already attempted to be delivered so i'll have to add my name to the mailbox today and hope I beat them to it! Just wanted to share this in hopes it's helpful to anyone else in saving some serious frustration...

13 hours ago, State and Maine said:

What’s everyone doing with their Canadian bank accounts when they leave? Are you leaving them open and paying fees? Are you closing them? Just trying to plan ahead here...

I've been wondering this as well. A cross-border tax consultant I talked to said there would be no issue with me keeping a chequing account open but that I should close out any investment/TFSA accounts to avoid non-resident tax. I've left the chequing account open for now as I'm keeping my job with my Canadian employer and have other payments in Canada that come out of the account, but I'm going to call my bank directly and confirm whether there will be any tax liabilities with keeping one open as a non-resident. If anyone has additional insight, I'd similarly appreciate it!

Update on POE: As of yesterday (February 25), my green card is being produced! I crossed on February 15 from BC > WA at Peace Arch; this seems super quick compared to what other folks have experienced in the past months. I'll share an update when it arrives and when my SSN (hopefully) does too.

@Balpreet since you're new to the group, you may find this FAQ helpful: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k927pE5wqzTN5n0lPYZ1JQxgbmnzmNWX5hSteyii0BY/

1 hour ago, Balpreet said:

Hello everyone. Hope all are in good health . I want to ask my canada pcc is expiring as well as my indian pcc also. Do i need to provide existing country updated pcc at interview or updated pcc from all the countries i visited. Thanks in advance

I can't speak to the foreign PC for certain but you definitely do need to have a valid Canadian PC for the interview. I've read on other forums that the foreign PC expiration can be a tricky one... i.e. some officers will accept the expired one if you have not been back to the country since the time you obtained your original PC, whereas others will not. In my experience, it's better to have all of the updated/valid documents and not need them, than to not have them in case they are asked for.

8 minutes ago, Anand Chatterjee said:

Good Afternoon,

 

I have been following this forum for over a year now and it has been extremely helpful. Thank you to the creators and individuals that took time to respond to questions.

 

DQ date: May 28th

Interview date in Montreal: February 12th (Approved!)

Immigrant Visa in Final processing: February 16th

Tracking number for Immigrant Visa: February 19th

Immigrant Visa received via Purolator in Toronto: Today!!!!!!!

 

My question to the group is about this $220 USCIS Immigrant Fee. I do not see an 'A number' or 'DOS case number' in the immigrant Visa as was indicated in the Welcome to the United States of America letter. It's driving me insane lol. Any help appreciated. Thank you and good luck to everyone here.

 

CONGRATS! The A number is the registration number listed below the IV case number on your visa. If your A number is less than 9-digits, you'll want to add a "0" after the "A" and before all the other numbers. Read more here: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/uscis-immigrant-fee/immigrant-fee-payment-tips-on-finding-your-a-number-and-dos-case-id#:~:text=You can find your A,(for example%2C XYZ0123456789)

4 hours ago, Cammabear said:

Hopefully I'm worrying for nothing. I don't have my husbands original certificate of live birth, or a certified/notarized copy. Just a photocopy. I have my original documents but not his. My lawyer suggested attempting to bring a notarized copy and we can resubmit if this is not accepted, the NVC website says to bring original or certified copies of the documents. My interview is Wednesday and I leave for Montreal tomorrow. Have any of you had the same issue with submitting regular photocopies of this? Thanks in advance. 

They typically are interested in the original birth certificate of the beneficiary (i.e. the spouse who is seeking the visa), the original police certificate, and original marriage certificate. The petitioner's birth certificate can be a photocopy.

19 hours ago, Stylereveal said:

Are you coming back to Canada? As there are so many restrictions now even for border crossings. I too was able to activate my visa but just turned back before all the changes happened. 

No, I'm not coming back to Canada anytime soon. I was able to fit all of my stuff in the minivan I rented thankfully as I didn't need to bring over any furniture/large items, and I gifted my car to a family member to avoid dealing with the process of importing it since it's not American made. Glad to hear you were able to turn around before all the changes came into effect!

2 hours ago, YYZ&MIA said:

From my understanding, expedite requests get approved within days. If you dont get an approval or an answer within a couple days after sending the request, that means its not approved (correct me if Im wrong). 

Expedite requests can take a while to receive a response - many folks wait longer than a few days. Even if your request for expedite is denied, they will let you know by email. 

3 minutes ago, JACHA said:

My Interview was Feb 10, and I've still yet to receive an email with a tracking number. It's been 1 week. The status updated on Tuesday to the Issued - "Final Processing...."  I chose the courier option as well.

 

Not a happy camper right now...

It took me 2 additional days to get the tracking info after my case status said "Issued - final processing" so it seems you're within the current normal wait time for processing. Almost there!

39 minutes ago, A&RN said:

Congrats! Where abouts are you located? Just wondering if the quick delivery was due to you being in Montreal!

Mine was similarly delivered 7 days following my interview (Feb 1 interview; visa in hand Feb 8 ) and I’m in BC. I also opted to have mine delivered to the post office. 

2 hours ago, AfterMath said:

Anyone know if this is the case? We had ours done around February 2020 and the interview is in a couple of days. 

This was just recently answered. Refer to the post by @Hawk Riders on page 42 of this thread.

6 hours ago, VIR CHAMP said:

Hello all,
There multiple threads for the required documents. I have tried to summarize it. Please let me know if I have exaggerated or missed anything ?

For Medical:

 

 

Interview Letter-Copy-1 Medical Appointment Letter-Copy-1 Passport Photo-Original-5 Prescription Glasses-Original-1 Photo ID-Original-1 Photo ID-Copy-1 Passport-Original-1 Passport-Copy-1 Intended Address in USA-Digital-1 For Interview:   Interview Letter-Copy-1 Passport-Original-1 Passport Photo-Original-2 Poilce Clearnace_Country Other than Canada-Original-1 RCMP Check-Original-1 Applicant Birth Certificate-Original-1 Applicant Birth Certificate-Copy-1 Petitioner Birth Certificate-Original-1 Petitioner Birth Certificate-Copy-1 Marriage Certificate-Original-1 Marriage Certificate-Copy-1 DS-260 Confirmation Page-Copy-1 Canada PR Card-Copy-1 Canada PR Card-Original-1 Wedding Album/Photo-Copy-1

There is a FAQ that exists already, which covers a lot of information related to what you're asking. What you need to bring to your medical appointment, beyond vaccination records, will slightly vary between medical offices (e.g. Dr. Cheema's office in Surrey does not require you to bring photos at all) but the office you schedule with will provide you with instructions for what you need to bring to the appointment when you book a time. Additionally, this NVC page provides a list of what you generally need to bring to the medical appointment and this NVC page provides a pre-interview checklist of all the required documents to bring to the interview.

If you haven't already had a chance to read the FAQ linked above, I highly recommend it as lots of common questions have been answered there.

15 hours ago, OhSoFaizy said:

Does anyone know if the petitioner birth certificate or proof of status for the interview have to the original? 

No, copies are fine for those two. They're looking for the beneficiary's original birth certificate, original police certificate and original marriage certificate.

14 hours ago, AnkitShah20 said:

Can someone please explain how can I get a Canadian police certificate in Montreal? 

Search for RCMP offices or Commissionaires offices in Montreal and call them to see if they currently offer criminal record checks. The new name is "Criminal Record Check for Personal Use", subtype is "other" and you want to make sure they search the National Repository of Criminal Records. The office you call may still refer to the old application name type, which is "Privacy Act" but will produce the same document you're looking for.

2 minutes ago, Cath&Claire said:

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know.  You should be having/had your interview .... 

No prob! Yep, I had my interview on Feb 1 and was approved. 🙏 From the one (and only) time the CEAC Status Tracker has worked for me, the status of my visa said "issued" and in final processing. Best of luck on yours! 

42 minutes ago, Cath&Claire said:

I just finished up -  it will have ‘OTHER’ and he added the repository holding message.    He thinks I’ll have it before I leave - COME ON CANADA POST.   🤞🏻 

I ordered my PC on January 11 and received it in the mail on January 22 (I'm in BC too) so he should be right. Fingers and toes crossed for ya!

9 minutes ago, Cath&Claire said:

I’m going to get it redone in an hour!   Will show them the letter I have, the example with OTHER, the notations under the FAQS, along with the page from the actual government site.  Better to be safe than sorry!  Thanks again.   

That's exactly what I did when I requested a new one last month as my previous one had expired, and the RCMP office had no issue with understanding or ensuring I would receive one with subtype "other". Also, you may find that some offices still use the old name for the overall application type (e.g. Privacy Act vs the new name: Criminal Record Check for Personal Use), but you can be assured that your certificate will state the new application name type when it's delivered to you. Good luck!

1 hour ago, Incrediblestan said:

Quick questiom guys. Which is the more relevent date? The DQ date or the priority date? I'm assuming the DQ date. For us it is OCT 2020.

Yes. DQ date.