Dante

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Years.

My journey has had it's ups and downs. A wonderful Christmas gift of my visa approval. Yesterday I received my visa in the mail. And now I'm traveling down to my Love as a wonderful birthday gift. (Well, around my birthday anyways. ) So January 16th I fly down to Texas!

It's a whirlwind between now and then, closing out accounts, sorting out the rest of my apartment, saying fond farewells, and still working up until next Wednesday. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! So, for everyone still in the process, don't be discouraged. Your day will come!

And of course, thank you to everyone here for their knowledge and support.

Jaime

Now, the biggest debate is whether to ship my possessions down now, or store them for a trip later.

Congratulations! To help with your debate..... lol...... your possessions must accompany you or follow you later. They can't precede you. (If that wasn't what you meant then please ignore this message. lol)

Sorry. I did indeed mean accompany me. Not precede.

One strange incident though. I was never asked for my x-rays. I even pointed it out to the woman handling my paperwork. I was promptly told "I never asked for it, so I don't need it." Did I never need these in the first place? Anyone else have a similar experience?

Congrats!

I felt despair for a short bit. I managed to get there early enough that I was third in line. The woman who processed my paperwork was NOT happy with me. She asked for everything on the list on her window. What I had neglected to do was bring along photocopies of all of my documents. When it came to the divorce decree for my fiancee (around 20 pages), she was ready to send me out of the building to find a photocopier. Luckily I had a copy of the papers submitted by my fiancee in the first place, including a copy of her divorce decree. I had also forgotten to fill out the DS-156K. I was sent away to fill it out and wait for my fingerprints.

Fingerprinting didn't go so well either. (No explanation other than place my fingers on the pad. Small hint. Don't spread your fingers, and make sure you press them down.)

During the interview the very friendly woman questioning me noticed I didn't have a copy of my fiancee's tax returns. O_o She went off to check to see if I could get by without it. That was the LONGEST two minutes of my life. She came back and apologized, explaining she handles many different types of visas. Apparently mine does not require the tax forms, only my word that my fiancee is working and a description of her job. The interviewer even sympathized, knowing how stressful it must be waiting to find out if I didn't have the correct paperwork.

Other than that, things went smoothly. Rather than anti-climactic, I found the interview to be the least stressful, most calming event of the entire process. It was nice to finally feel in control at some point during this thing.

Oh, and a five hour wait for my return train ride (which took 5 hours 20 minutes to get to Toronto).

Now, the biggest debate is whether to ship my possessions down now, or store them for a trip later.

January 16th is coming up fast. But not fast enough. (My trip down.)

EDIT: Not only did the woman processing my paperwork not know what a DS-160 was, but was irritated I didn't have a full printout, only the confirmation with my photo, limited information, and the barcode. However, upon completion of the DS-160, it does specifically state to only submit the confirmation, NOT the full document. Keep that in mind anyone dealing with the new form. Perhaps I'm wrong? I could've sworn it told me not to submit the full document.

A special thanks to everyone here for their help. While things didn't go perfectly smoothly (my own fault, I believe), I have been approved for my visa. I now have permission to move to the US and marry my fiancee!

I'll post a more thorough review of the whole thing later. For now I'm going to head out and relax/celebrate.

YAY!

Got my letter from the Consulate yesterday. I guess all that time I took filling out the 156 to send back to them was useless because now they need the 1-160 brought to the interview, as they are no longer using the i-156 forms They seem to change things often.

I have a question though, Bo sent me up a letter of intent, but it's dated Nov 20. Should I get him to send a new one up dates closer to my interview date?

HOw do they want you to bring the DS160? It's online... do they want it printed out? I don't get it. Unless there is a different version I can't think of...

I think your letter of intent is fine. Our original one was dated April 30th and we filed June 9th or something, so it was a couple months off.

I'm actually in the middle of trying to do the DS-160 as well. The instructions state that upon completion there will be a confirmation to print out with limited information on it.

Thanks for the clarification Trailmix. Sounds like I better find time to go to the bank today and get the $131 USD just in case. Much better than $400 anyways.

And I think I'm going to fill out the DS-160 (as I mentioned, it does say it's now used by Montreal and Vancouver). So, I can bring the confirmation for that with me, and have the filled out DS-156, just in case. Cover all of my bases, so to speak.

Well, it's going to come down to the wire, but I think I'll have everything prepared and ready to go.

Just to be sure, I checked the Consulate page and it still says the fee is $131.00. Where did you see that it had gone up to $400.00? I think you have to deposit the visa fee at the Scotia bank and bring your receipt to the interview, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong. I was interviewed in Vancouver, and things are a bit different there.

Another thing it says is that as of October 22, 2008, you have to electronically fill out the DS-160 which you submit electronically, and take a confirmation page to the interview. Unless you've done that already...

I also wouldn't worry about the passport pictures, unless you do have the time to go back to Black's. If all else fails, I'm sure there is a booth where you can take them at or near the Consulate.

Best of luck again!

I should have time to run to Black's at lunch. I just want everything to run smoothly.

$400 USD is what was listed in the documentation attached to my appointment letter. It does state if you haven't paid it already you can pay at the interview, and they do accept major credit cards. And I didn't see anything in the package about the DS-160. My head is filled with too many numbers and letters. I think I'll bring some of it to work with me and just double check it all again on my break. I do remember the DS-156 came with my previous package. Oh boy. I almost forgot about that one. And a quick check of the US Department of State site shows it's currently in use for Montreal and Vancouver.

I have to run to work now. I guess I need to look into it there some more.

Thanks for the catch.

Thanks JillA. The fee is actually at $400 USD now. I'll be bringing two credit cards...just in case.

Thanks for the reminder.

Again, thanks everyone for the kindness and support. I think I feel much better now after reading Laura's review of her own interview. =)

Today was another rough day at work. I work at an architecture firm. Our project leader is a friendly guy and was understanding when I told him no more overtime or weekends. But he still has a habit as I'm walking out the door of "oh, one more thing!" And it keeps repeating. I was a little out of sorts when he kept doing it tonight and finally simply left with a coworker, telling him I was confident he could sort it out himself. I do feel bad about leaving the team with a deadline for tomorrow morning. Then I remember all the overtime I've done recently and remind myself this is a year and a half that's culminating in my entire future with the woman I love. Work comes second.

I hope you all don't mind, but I'm just going to do a quick review to make sure I have everything. I think I'll be ready once I confirm I have absolutely everything. And a good night's sleep is exactly what I'm going to get tonight.

My appointment letter. (I was so happy to get this!)

My passport (good until March 2010).

Police certificate (August 2008).

Long form birth certificate.

Certified copy of her divorce certificate (I don't think there will be any problem that it only shows her married name, I hope).

Notarized I-134 with a letter from her work and bank (in duplicate).

The results of my medical exam from April 2008 (are the vaccination records only required for the change of status?).

Two passport photos in the US standard. (I think these are the most worrisome. I went and had two more done tonight since my previous ones were from March 2008 and wasn't sure if they needed to be of more recent vintage. However, upon getting home I found out that the new photos show a funny glow all around me. I think I might need to run back to Black's and complain during my lunch break tomorrow.)

Everything but the medical results are sitting in the prepaid Xpresspost envelope at the moment.

Tonight I'll be digging up all previously submitted paperwork (kept copies of all of mine AND my fiancee's). I plan on bringing this along just in case. I'm also going to bring some printed out emails between the time of our original application and now, as well as a few more phone bills. Just in case. (Everyone tells me, whether it's work or anything else, that I tend to be overcautious. But hey, this is my future wife we're talking about. If she's not worth a few more grey hairs to ensure everything is perfect, then who is?) I'm also going to get her to send a new letter of intent. Just in case anyone at the consulate has the crazy idea she's changed her mind. I'll tell them to their face if they question me.

But before I start digging, I'm going to call my love and relax for a bit.

You know, I came back here looking up some information and posted on a whim; hoping to ease some of my anxieties. I never expected to find so many wonderful people. Thank you all for the kind words, encouragement, condolences, and even pieces of your own stories.

It's always been pop to me. My fiancee in Texas calls it "soda" or "not drinking it anymore since I'm on a diet".

On an interesting side note, she also refers to it as a "restroom" while I use "bathroom" or "washroom". She also uses "chunk" while I say "chuck". (As in to throw something away.) A "toque" is a "toboggan" to her. (I'm still freaked over that one.) And "KD" is incorrectly "macaroni and cheese" there. And for some reason they call it a "side dish", not a meal. Go figure.

Thank you for the replies everyone. I read the responses after arriving at work early today. Several delays and I managed to get everything finished for my work deadline. A long relaxing shower this evening and I felt good enough to tackle a review of my paperwork... and promptly panic. (If you ask my fiancee, I always worry myself sick over things and should take a few deep breaths. I think I need to stop looking at my papers and get some sleep. =P ) I should be alright on the paperwork. A few odds and ends and I believe I have everything I need for Friday.

And a special thank you for the condolences here. It helped to know complete strangers show sympathy for others. And all credit for the photo at our wedding goes to my one and only. She suggested it perhaps a little too early. I wasn't prepared for the idea at the time. But it's the right thing to do and I fully appreciate it now.

I'll be sure to let everyone know how things go on Friday.

Hello all,

I haven't visited in a while (and don't think I've ever actually made a post). It's a late night and I'm a bit stressed, so I thought I would share my story with you all. =)

My fiancee and I met through online gaming. Eventually love blossomed on the war-torn battlefields (always wanted to describe meeting in Medal of Honor that way, lol). It was definitely a slow thing. We cautiously started out as friends. And as we shared more we became closer. Until one day love blossomed.

There have been quite a few hardships along the way. My medical records were destroyed by my family doctor (that will teach me to avoid checkups for so long) and of course my vaccination records along with them. (Two vaccinations of three shots and I'm supposedly fine now.) And though we were trying our hardest to get things done as quickly as possible, my mother passed away while we waited for the inner workings of the visa process to move along. She had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and though the treatments were helping, eventually it spread too far and quickly. I keep telling myself that it's alright. She had always wanted nothing but for me to be happy, and knew that my wife-to-be was accomplishing that.

Unfortunately, the fire that kept us moving towards our visa goal (to have my mother attend my wedding) was replaced with grief from the both of us. (Though they had only met twice, my fiancee and mother got along together, thick as thieves at times.) And so it took a while to get everything together to send a checklist to Montreal.

And while the old adage of "Love conquers all" isn't true, it does seem to patch things up. And so, no longer broken, but merely hurting, I renewed my quest for the documents and sent that checklist off. A bare four weeks later I received my interview date. And so I head to Montreal this Thursday for a Friday 8:30 interview.

And now, with a feeling of dread, I try to prepare myself. So much has gone wrong. And the last week or so has been so hectic at work. Crazy deadlines that I needed to stay late just to get the work finished. I'm actually so tired and worn out I couldn't remember my own fiancee's birthday. (Luckily tonight she helped me with a couple of personal quips to remind me.)

So why post? To share my story. Hopefully to dump some of my stress and worry on the page.

Wish me luck everyone. I have no idea what to expect from the interview, and I'm sure I'll panic at least a dozen times between now and then. But if all goes well, there will be a wedding in my near future with the most wonderful woman I've ever met. And sitting in the seat meant for her will be a photo of my mother. There in spirit.

Thanks for listening.

~J