MGW

Thanks for you thoughts.

I can see from my posts that I SHOULD HAVE ASKED:

1. What is a re-entry permit?

2. How easy/costly is it to apply for?

3. How long will it take to get?

thanks adain

Can't help you with your tax questions but as for delaying the application and re-entry:

It sounds like you will be out of the US for less than a year so you would not require a re-entry permit. The only implication for being out of the US for any length of time that I am aware of is that it may impact your timeline for any plans you have for naturalization. Here's the FAQ for re-entry from CBP Find Answers: Link

As for delaying issuance of the visa. I did this by delaying response to Package 3 items. I then discussed it at the interview with the Consulate Officer, and he told me they would hold the visa until I was ready to use it. I simply had to mail in my passport when I was ready. I did not ask how long they would hold issuance for so I cannot help you on that point.

Thanks for the info.

We have already delayed the process by holding back paperwork for 7 months. Are lawyer is "suggesting" that we are chancing them canceling our petition by continuing to hold back paperwork (we would of course have our lawyer stay in contact with them as after a year without contact your application is cancelled) for another 10-12 months.

If we file now chances are good, according to visa journey timelines, that I could activate the visa b/w April and july 2009 but would want to return to finish the school year and then for work sept 2009 to july 2010.

How much does it cost to apply for EAD?

Is it just paperwork I can do myself once in the US?

How long does it take to process?

Can I return to Canada within 6 months of activating my visa and WITHOUT a EAD permit?

thanks. I will check out the link.

For financial reasons it makes way more sense (pun intended ) for me to stay in Canada where I have a great job then to move to the US where there are few jobs in my area and I will likely have to work for $12 instead of 40 something a year. My husband is in university and living off of financial aid. He has another 2 years to go to complete his masters. We are one document away from being sent to the embassy. We would like for me to make the move July 2010 as I will be debt free (in Canada) by then.

Here is the info our lawyer gave us BUT she also told us that the CR-1 process would take us "6 months, maybe less" so I am seeking other opinions and knowledge.

"As for how long we can keep your petition alive, before having to pay the I-130 fee again ($355) and the visa fee again ($400), the plain language of the regulation says if you fail to apply within one year, the petition is canceled. The regulation does not say what “fail to apply” means, or at what point we have “failed to apply.”

We don’t think that we can keep the petition alive year after year by sending in one document and then another, and then another. At some point they will tell us they are closing the file. And we don’t know how often they purge their files. Sometimes they go on an efficiency binge and clear everything out that is getting too old.

We recommend filing the police certificate now, and attending the immigrant visa interview. You can enter the U.S. within the six-month validity period of the visa issued at the interview. Then you can apply for a reentry permit while you are in the U.S. A reentry permit will extend your ability to be gone from the U.S. without abandoning your permanent residence."

1. How easy and expensive is it to get a RE-ENTRY PERMIT? What kind of time frame are we talking?

I would want to return to Canada to work full time from Sept 2009 to June 2010.

2. Clearly that would mean I would have to file taxes in both countries but what are the implications? Would I be able to get GST rebate etc? Would we qualify to receive the stimulous $ since we would be filing married/jointly in the US (I would have a SSN)?

Thanks for your input.

Hey all,

Just wondering if there are many CDN teachers who have made the move to the US.

Where were you certified?

Where in the US are/will you be going?

What has the certification process been like in your state?

How easy was it for you to find a job?

I was certified in MB and will be going to WA. Just curious as what others have experienced.

Thanks,

Michele

Hey all...

I just got word via email that my lawyer received the colombian police certificate TODAY but that the certificate was dated April 2008. Obviously it sat around at the consulate for over a month despite my emails! OH WELL... at least I am done with them!

Should anyone else have to deal with Colombia from Canada, feel free to PM me and maybe I can help you avoid my frustration.

Thanks,

Michele

OK... I am super frustrated and feel like my hands are tied!! I NEED INFO!

PLEASE share your experience and advice especially if you have had to deal with the COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT from CANADA.

Because I lived/taught in Colombia for 6 years I must get a police certificate from Colombia as part of our CR-1/PR-1 so I FLEW TO TORONTO (from winnipeg) to apply in person at the consulate in TORONTO.

My appointment was JANUARY 29 and I was told it would take 3 months for the (toronto) consulate to receive my paperwork from DAS in Bogota. THEY (TORONTO) would then send it to my lawyer via the pre-paid express post envelope I left. WELL, it is now TWO MONTHS OVERDUE and the consulate will not answer my emails and are very difficult to get a hold of by phone. I am asking a "YES-NO question" and they can't even give me the time for an answer!! I am not worried that they have lost everything and just don't want to tell me!! This is the last piece of paper NVC needs!!!

Does anyone have a name and number for DAS so I can call them directly. My passable Spanish is long gone!

THANKS,

MICHELE

I have a ticket for July 2 to visit my husband for 2 weeks less a day.

I am currently collecting my "evidence of ties to Canada" and am wondering if anyone has eny experiences to share regarding US customs in WINNIPEG AIRPORT?

thanks,

Michele

I last saw my husband on Monday, Jan 21/08 so I guess it has been almost 5 months. That is the longest we've gone since we met and it has been hard even though we have both been busy with work/school (thank GOD)!!

Michelle (in the UK) you have my sympathies...

We have always met in Canada (he is in Spokane and I am in small town MB) but we have had a house for over a year now which I have not yet seen (in person) and I just can't take it anymore so I bought a ticket to visit July 2 for 2 weeks. I was super excited for about 45 seconds... now I am just super anxious about getting across the border!! Please send me your positive energy for early, early morning July 2.

Michele

Hi all.

I, too, am going the CR1/IR1 route and have a ticket to visit my husband. I am near Winnipeg, MB and he is in Spokane, WA. I realize that the burden of proof (that I will return to canada) is on me. I just got a teaching job for Sept and work part time at a grocery store so I will take letters from both employers. What specifics should those letters include? I am living at my parents' so I have no rent/bills as such. What other documentation should I take? Bank statements? Car insurance? Evidence of our immigration process?

Also, this is my first attempt to visit my husband since before we were married and started this whole visa journey AND it has been over a year and a half since I last attempted to enter the US. Last time I tried (Dec 2006) we were driving my car and I was denied entry, photographed, fingerprinted and we were made to feel like criminals (Peace Gardens POE MB-ND) largely because a couple who had been living together ILLEGALLY in the US for the last 5 years had tried to cross a couple hours before we showed up and they were caught in several lies!! The customs officers were understandably ticked but they took it out on us! So my question is: will my having been denied in 2006 and the fingerprinting etc show up as a red flag when I try to cross to visit now? I do have a different passport in my married name (just added his to mine).

I have a return ticket (July 2-15) and will be flying through WPG which means that I will go through US customs in wpg airport. Anyone have any experiences with Wpg airport customs when visiting a spouse?

Just want to be prepared. We haven't seen each other since January and we have a house in Spokane that I have yet to see in person so I am DYING to visit!! So far we have only met in canada to visit.

Please share your thoughts, advice and experiences!

Thanks,

MGW

I would like to update my timeline on the list but a question for everyone first....

Pck 3 left NVC 2007-11-21 and was completed and returned 2007-11-26 (so have things left NVC?)

but then on Jan 11 our lawyer called to tell me that our paperwork was on hold until they (not sure if this refers to NVC or the consulate) received a "pasada judicial" (police cert) from Colombia. (I lived there for 6 yrs.)

I had to fly to toronto to deal with this (jan 28) and the colombian consolate said it would take 3 months for them to send the paperwork to bogota and then recieve it back... (apparently there is nothing I can do to track it during these 3 months, just wait...)

I am just looking at the timelines and trying to guesstimate a time frame for the interview. I am guessing September. Am I in the ballpark? Any thoughts?

(No, our lawyer has not been particularly helpful and has little empathy or patience so I actually don't like talking to her plus i am sure she is going chg me for every second of her time and we can't afford that!!)

thanks

michele

HOWEVER, for CR-1/IR-1 visa you get medical done at the place that the consulate specifies, usually within a few weeks before visa interview.

You can get tested for immunity to what is being vaccinated for, the test is called a titer test.

I am waiting for the CR-1 (in small town MB, Canada).

So I can go ahead and get whatever vaccinations I might need now but if I understand you correctly, there is no point in doing anything about the medical until I get packet 4?

Am I correct in assuming that I could get the medical done in Winnipeg (I know there are 2 doctoers there) even though I know I have to go to Montreal for the interview (all Canadains applying for the CR-1/IR-1 are interviewed in Montreal.)

thanks,

Michele

Hi all.

I am just wondering how long the medical results are considered valid? I have read 6 months and I have read 1 year. Anyone know for certain? Where does it say? I am just wondering if there is much point in getting that out of the way sooner rather than later. Any idea what the cost is for vaccinations? I am sure I will have to get a few of them as my vaccination records prior to 1999 have been destroyed.

Also curious if there is anyone who has or will be doing the medical in Winnipeg? How was your experience? Any comments on either of the 2 doctors there?

Thanks,

Michele

Hi everyone,

I LOVE the letter writing campaign idea! I don't frequent this website regularly as I find what I learn often makes me more frustrated with the whole process. I did not realize until I skimmed through THIS thread that there was such a discrepancy in processing times b/w the CR1s and K1 & K3s. The fact that K3s have the option to transfer from montreal to vancouver was painful to learn, but this info... it REALLY stings!! Had I any idea I would have gone the K3 route but our lawyer suggested that the time frames (of K-3 and CR-1) were within a month of each other so for economical reasons we chose ONLY CR1!!! (The cost of seeing each other - he lives in WA and I am in MB - is really adding up; hardly "economical" at this rate!)

As for the reply to a well written email request for information... "we do not discuss administrative business" ... how appalling!

I am quite willing to write a letter. Is the proposal that we write basically the same letter or each our own version? I am open to either. Any thoughts?

Also, please add my info to the list. Our I-130 was approved May 18, NVC # assigned Sept 24, bills (DS-3032 and I-864) received Oct 2. Do you need more info?

I have to learn to navigate this site better! (Hope I post this right!?)

Keep up the great job everyone, and HANG IN THERE! I shall try to visit more regularly.

Thanks.

Hi. Anybody know about civil surgeons in manitoba?

Also, our I-130 was just approved for the IR1/CR1 visa... do they also process those in Vancouver or do I HAVE to go to Montreal? Aside from being faster (everything I have read suggests that) than montreal, I know it well because I used to live there so finding cheap accomodation and getting around would be MUCH easier.

Thanks,

Michele

Hi all... I am new to this forum and VJ.

I am Canadian and I, too, need a certificado judicial from DAS as I lived in Manizales 99-03 and Barranquilla 03-05. Please post whatever info you can on how to go about getting this document from Colombia. I am at a loss of WHO to contact or HOW as I know from experience that DAS (and banking) in Colombia can be incredibly frustrating and time consuming, even on a good day. I have visited the DAS webpage but given my very rusty Spanish have not been able to find any "leads." I am considering calling the US or Canadian embassy in Colombia to ask for help. Any body tried that?

PLEASE HELP!!

Thanks,

Michele