jedinite

To expand on the above...

You must meet 3 tests to use the 2555. 1) You must be a bona fide tax resident of another country 2) You must the a citizen of a country that the US has a tax treaty with and 3) you must not meet the definition of a US Tax resident by the SUbstantial presence test. Remember for the substantial presence test, a full day has to be a full day. Your travel days do not count. For instance if you entered the US on Friday and left on Sunday, only Saturday would count.

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/intern...=129390,00.html

So as a Greencard holder even if we have been a permanent resident for less than 31 days we must still file for taxes correct?

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/intern...=129391,00.html

Never mind. This link above clarifies everything.

Residency Starting Date Under the Green Card Test

If you meet the green card test at any time during a calendar year, but do not meet the substantial presence test for that year, your residency starting date is the first day in the calendar year on which you are present in the United States as a lawful permanent resident (the date on which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially approved your petition to become an Immigrant). If you receive your green card abroad, then the residency starting date is your first day of physical presence in the United States after you receive your green card. Section 7701(B)(1)(A)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code allows you to be treated as a resident alien for the entire calendar year if you were a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States at any time during the calendar year if you have been present in the United States for at least one day during the calendar year.

To expand on the above...

You must meet 3 tests to use the 2555. 1) You must be a bona fide tax resident of another country 2) You must the a citizen of a country that the US has a tax treaty with and 3) you must not meet the definition of a US Tax resident by the SUbstantial presence test. Remember for the substantial presence test, a full day has to be a full day. Your travel days do not count. For instance if you entered the US on Friday and left on Sunday, only Saturday would count.

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/intern...=129390,00.html

So as a Greencard holder even if we have been a permanent resident for less than 31 days we must still file for taxes correct?

zyggy

I want to know do I have to file for taxes for the 2008 tax year in the US.

1) I only lived and earned income in Canada for 2008

2) I received my CR-1 Visa at the beginning of Dec 2008 and activated it mid-Dec

3) Previous to 2008 I was filing tax in the US as I was working there with TN-1 Visa (Filed for taxes for the years 2001-2007)

I heard that I may have to fill out form 8055 for Foreign Input Tax Credit

Finally, my last question if I have to file taxes, how does IRS handle dividend payments for Small Business owners?

4) Worked 4 months in 2008 as a temporary employee - assuming this is handled regularly with input tax credit

5) Had to register my own corp for IT consulting, therefore paid myself dividends as a business owner. In Canada you are not charge for taxes under $30K approximately, you pay what your business owes right? So how will this be reflected in my filing 2008 tax return to the IRS.

Thanks for the help.

1) Per the Green Card Test, since you became a permanent resident of the US in 2008, you must report all of your worldwide income to the IRS in 2008.

I'm going to have to do some research on the other points... Is your business a Canadian business, or a US one. Were your business operations perfromed in the US or Canada in 2008? Worked as a temp employee for whom? Was it in US or Canada?

I'm not as familiar with Cross Border Business Taxes as I am with Individual Taxes, so you'll have to bear with me on this one...

My temporary employment was in Canada at the beginning of 2008 for a Canadian company, work performed in Canada.

My corporation is registered as a Canadian company that does business solely in Canada. The client that I work for is in Canada. I pay GST and will be filing my business tax soon. I'm only paying myself dividends from my own company and not a salary.

Thanks again for checking into this for me. You're awesome, if you have any computer related questions feel free to fire them off to me

zyggy

I want to know do I have to file for taxes for the 2008 tax year in the US.

1) I only lived and earned income in Canada for 2008

2) I received my CR-1 Visa at the beginning of Dec 2008 and activated it mid-Dec

3) Previous to 2008 I was filing tax in the US as I was working there with TN-1 Visa (Filed for taxes for the years 2001-2007)

I heard that I may have to fill out form 8055 for Foreign Input Tax Credit

Finally, my last question if I have to file taxes, how does IRS handle dividend payments for Small Business owners?

4) Worked 4 months in 2008 as a temporary employee - assuming this is handled regularly with input tax credit

5) Had to register my own corp for IT consulting, therefore paid myself dividends as a business owner. In Canada you are not charge for taxes under $30K approximately, you pay what your business owes right? So how will this be reflected in my filing 2008 tax return to the IRS.

Thanks for the help.

I grew up in Calgary and I am currently still here working on my transition back to the US. Anyways, I'm not a huge fan of the area. It's in the SE and beside Forrest Lawn (Calgary natives consider that the "ghetto") and Foothills industrial park is near by and it's sort of unsightly. Being close to Deerfoot is ok, but unlike other major cities there's not an extensive freeway system and being close to Deerfoot isn't really a positive thing. The NE/SE area that it's located in is in a higher crime area. For the area and the price it's a bit high. You can get a home in newer and more affluent areas for less, I saw a listing today for Country Hills area for the same price. Country Hills is in the far North part of town, it's a newer area and is a great starter area. You really have to consider what you want from the home and community when buying. Proximity to transit, schools, shopping centers, etc. Calgary doesn't have the best transit system so being relatively near an LRT stop is convenient if you and/or your husband work downtown. The express buses are good for most parts of the city if you commute during rush-hour as well so LRT proximity can be weighed less.

As for everyone talking about the high price of the house, Calgary market is about that much for a home of that size, if not more. The difference between Calgary and many other cities in Canada, is that it's a big job market. Budgets are a bit tight this year because of the price of oil, but out of all the cities in Canada I'd say Calgary would be the city to stave off most of the hardships of a recession because of the industry. As long as energy is relatively profitable Calgary will thrive, and thus there will be many more jobs to be filled and people move here because of that. It's basic economics really, supply and demand and Calgary is still demanding workers.

Erinwoods, is more of a blue collar area, people with lower incomes and the schools around there tend to produce less academic students. It might be okay for Elementary School, but getting into Jr High and High School the students in the NE and central SE areas of Calgary tend to have lower averages and don't really pursuit higher or post-secondary schooling. That's just my take on it but while attending the University of Calgary I meet very, very few people from schools in the NE and SE parts of the city.

Wells Fargo! Been with them for 8 years now. They have always been good to me. I really like their online banking setup, better than my Bank of America one.

Plus Wells Fargo isn't broke, if I were to compare Wells Fargo to a Canadian Bank it would be CIBC. Solid service, no high risk business ventures on the side, middle of the road in terms of service charges. I've enjoyed their customer service throughout and they even mentioned that I can now withdraw from one of 12000 more ATMs across the country since they acquired Wachovia there's no fees for me to access my account from Wachovia branch or ATM either.

I didn't drive, my friend lives downtown and he dropped me off then when back home to get ready for work. The office is open at 5am so street parking shouldn't be an issue if you arrive early. Otherwise, if you are staying downtown, I'd recommend just getting a cab, streetcar or walking.

1) DO NOT MENTION THAT YOU ARE MARRIED!!!!

I was on a TN-1 Visa and I was questioned during my TN renewal and I made the mistake of telling them that I was married. And it is an instant denial. There is not gray area about it, POE Officers are trained to not allow anyone in that is married and that has not filed the proper immigration forms. They will tell you that you have to make a decision with your spouse, whether that be to immigrate to Canada or the US, you must decide. You will be denied entry at the border and will have to prove that you have strong ties to Canada before you will be admitted back to the country until you file for immigration.

2) Since your TN visa is expiring soon you may be able to get it renew regardless. Just don't mention that you are married. Don't even mention that you're in a relationship if you think they might inquire about your marital status. The reason I was questioned during my TN Visa renewal was because my employer let my status slip past the expiry date and they would not give me a letter of renew for a few months. Your case is different since you know when your status is changing and you can prepare for it early. And there is a way of renewing your TN visa without leaving the country, you have to file through the Nebraska Office, I don't know what the form is but you may want to call and ask them about this. I know it costs more than the $50 for the TN, but not by much. I think it's $180 which is still less than a flight to Canada and back plus the TN fee. But you have to file for this soon as it does take about 90 days to process. You pretty much have to do it right away.

3) Once you have your TN renewed, file for your immigration papers and adjustment of status. I don't know how long adjustment of status takes but it might actually take as much time as it does to renew your TN visa. It will certainly be quicker than you leaving the country and filing your immigration papers. So if you want to be with your spouse I would recommend not planning any trips outside the US for the next 3-6 months. When you do adjustment of status you are expedited as compared to couples that file while their spouses are in different countries.

4) You don't need a lawyer to file for your immigration. I paid $100 for a consulting fee just to get information and after speaking with the lawyer I found this site and really, this site has all you require to file for immigration for 99% of the people out there. I spoke to my wife's best friend who immigrated a few years ago and they paid $5000 for legal fees on top of the approximate $1500 fees for immigration, and all the lawyer did was double check they filled out the forms correctly, he didn't even fill out any of the forms or provide any guidance.

Good luck with everything and make sure you get your TN extension or adjustment of status in soon, you're cutting it close now.

Turns out my husband asked for and received all of our originals back at the interview. And yes, no need for AP for CR1/IR1s. That's one of the reasons to choose that route over a K-3 in fact.

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner MsZ, I didn't have the form number with me. Actually, I have the form number written on a piece of paper in on of the luggages that the airline lost on the way back to Calgary. Grrrr! United Airlines really sucks!

Well I'm fully activated US PR now. I had to do the activation when I traveled from Canada to the US over X-mas, and it does take about 30 mins for them to get it done. If you have a connecting flight that is less than 2 hours I'd look at rescheduling the connection or flying in earlier.

I had 50 mins to get from my plane arriving from YYC to YUL and there's barely enough time to do this even if you don't have to go through customs.

Once you land in Montreal from another Canadian destination you must run to the US connections area, you'll have to wait there at the baggage area for any bags you checked as you'll have to drop them off again after you pass US customs. After you pick up your connecting bags (took about 20mins for them to deliver my bags to the baggage carousel) you'll pass thru customs. There they will ask you to hand over your packet and take you to the side room, it took about 30mins for me as I was the second person in line and they only had a few officers working. They went over the paper work, asked me if the photo was a picture of my wife, and then they get you to sign and fingerprint on a document. Once that is done the officer stamped my passport and welcomed me to the US.

As a side note, if you sent in any original documents instead of certified copies you'll have to fill out a form at the Immigration Office in the US to get them back. The Officer told me that all the documents in the packet belonged to her and that the interview official was mistaken in telling me that I could request for my originals back there.

Ok after the paper work is done you have to drop off your checked luggage on another carousel to be placed on your plane and then go through another security check. I don't know why Montreal airport has it laid out like this but it's annoying having to go through 2 security checks. I guess I haven't flown directly from Montreal to the US but I assumed that if you're connecting you're good with your baggage.

Anyways, there was definitely not enough time to get from gate to gate, grab your checked luggage, go through customs then line up again for another security check. Fortunately, my flight from YUL to the US was delayed by 6.5 hours leaving me with about 5 hours to kill after it was all said and done. Not the most fun way to spend a flight right before Christmas but at least I got to my destination and got to spend the holidays with my wifey.

Are you looking for a high-end hotel or something more economical?

Also for flying within Canada you are only required to have a valid government issued photo ID, so a driver's license will do. As for the kids, if they are under 14 I don't think they are required to show proof of ID if traveling with parents. To be safe I'd call the airline.

Having a really hard time finding hotels close to the consulate that arent expensive, less than 100 a night is the goal, any sugestions?

There are no Holiday Inns or inexpensive hotels downtown near the consulate that I can think of. If you can book a night at the W Hotel. It's absolutely amazing, and it's only a 10min walk to the consulate tops, you could probably get there in 5 mins.

Check this thread for hotel reviews: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...hotels+montreal

You can also read my review of the whole experience here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=165343

Apparently, a storm in moving in and could hit either tomorrow or the weekend. Maybe I'm just not meant to spend Christmas with him this year. I'm so stressed out, I'm hoping for the best and trying to stay optimistic. It's in gods hands now.

I hope you and I are able to make it out before the storm hits this weekend. Crossing fingers that the weather will remain nice until Saturday morning at least. Good luck

You should have no problems as you are just dating. If you are questioned about the reason for your visit just say holidays, visiting friends. If say you were engaged or married this would be more of an issue. Also, if at all possible, just try and avoid the old gray lady POE, she has a serious attitude problem and is a nightmare to deal with. She will try her best to send as many people to the office as possible. She may look like Mrs. Claus but she's more like a Dominatrix Madame than a Santa's wife.

If anything the POE Officer may give you a I-91 stamp (entry stamp) based on the duration of your trip. It will probably expire when your return flight is due if you're staying longer than a few weeks. Just make sure to hand the piece of paper to the airline when you enter back into Canada if you do get a I-91, or remember to remove it from your passport before doing any return visits to the US.

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/pr...r_locations.xml

yeppers!! One will probably need more than 50 minutes!!!

Thanks for all the replies, I just got off the phone with Air Canada and I have the minimum amount of time required for connecting flights, in the middle of winter no less. Wonderful

I have to collect my baggage from the connecting flight's carousel, then run through customs then drop my bag off again to connecting flight's carousel and board. I don't think I'll have time to activate my visa this trip.

Anyone know what sort of paperwork they do anyways to activate the visa? I will be returning to Canada for a few weeks then heading back down to LA (our home) so must I activate the first time I cross into the US or can it be done during my LA trip?

I'm heading to the Eastern US this weekend but I'm flying through Montreal on the way there, and I have no idea if Montreal has a Pre-Clearance area for connecting flights or if I will even have enough time to activate my visa when I go to visit my in-laws with my wife.

I know if I flew directly out of Calgary to the US, that Calgary has a pre-clearance area that I could go to activate my visa. Does anyone know if Montreal has one or if I will have to do my POE Clearance at my destination? If it helps my destination is IAD Washington DC Dulles International Airport.

My flight is from Calgary to Montreal then Montreal to DC. But I only have about 50mins after arriving in Montreal to get onto my connecting flight to DC.

Thanks for the input.

What I was told with my CR-1 is that I will have to tell the POE Officer that I am activating my visa but I still have some unfinished business in Canada to tie up. It is normal for Canadians immigrating to the US to tie up loose ends like selling their homes, moving, finishing work obligations etc.

I would recommend that the next time you cross and wish to activate your K3, you tell the officer that you are intending on living in the US and there are a few things that you still need to settle in Canada. You are declaring US residency but you may be traveling to and from US to Canada in order to tie up your affairs. They shouldn't have a problem with that.

If you word it in a way that sounds like you're intending on staying in Canada they wouldn't allow you to activate your visa or they may take your visa away from you if they believe that you don't really intend on immigrating. It's all on how you say it. Good luck

1) Why not? The POE will stamp passport with I-551 stamp, this makes passport act as Green-card, allowing re-entries from future trips.

2) You can return any time, the I-551 stamp allows this, as well as green-card when you get it. Just dont stay away from USA for longer than 6 months (Affects future citizenship application) or 1 year with out a re-entry permit.

3) Entering Canada to take care of business, (Canada customs), Returning form taking care of business (US Customs)

Thanks YuAndDan.

One last question, I am not planning on staying away from the US for longer than 6 months, but do you know if this is a cumulative time period like visiting the US or is it a periodic time (ex. don't stay out of the US for more than 6 months total within a year, or don't stay out of the US for more than 6 months at a time).

I want to know if anyone is in the same boat as me or if anyone has a similar experience which they can help answer some questions I have about my new CR-1 Visa.

I received my packet last week but I have not yet crossed at a POE.

1) Am I required to activate my visa the first time I cross the POE after receiving my CR-1 Visa?

2) After activating my visa, what grace period am I allowed to continue to return to Canada to wrap up any unfinished business? Ex. Complete job contract, sell a home, etc.

3) I fully intend on stating myself as a US resident but if I must return to Canada in order to finish on a contract that I'm obligated to, what do I state when I am crossing the border? Do I say I'm returning from a visit or returning from business in Canada when re-entering the US? What do I say to Canadian customs when I enter?

I know there are a few people that live in "border" cities and have traveled back and forth on a daily basis, but I am unable to travel back and forth that often. At most it will be every few weeks, so if someone is in the same boat as me or something similar to share that would be great.

I am only trying to avoid having my visa revoked at a POE for being outside of the US for too long a period or for whatever reason that my circumstance might cause me to be turned back. Finally, I'm not intending on working in Canada permanently, just until I complete my contract and find a job State-side. Which I hope is sooner rather than later with this economy.

Update: I just got back home from my trip out east and I received my visa last week Thursday. It was sent to my home and my family received the XpressPost for me at home.

Heading to the States in a few weeks for X-mas. I'll let you know any details from handing my papers to the POE.

Congratulations on your approval

Excellent review. BTW when you mentioned you had to give the guard "your papers" what exactly do you hand over prior to being interviwed?

Good luck in all your future travels

Papers I am refering to is anything you're required to bring to the interview. This includes the following:

1) Letter from the NVC regarding your appointment

2) Sealed Medical documentation

3) X-ray from the medical exam

4) Passport

5) Extra Passport Photos.

6) Any supporting documents, like letters from your spouse/fiancee, pictures of the both of you etc.

The first thing you must present to the guard is your appointment letter along with your passport. You will be required to keep this on top of all your documents you bring when you go to the elavator room as you will be required to show the letter they give you.

And yes CR-1 is what we applied for as we are married and it allows me to be a Conditional Resident immediately, unlike the K1/K3 which you are required to file more papers and wait an additional 90 days approximately until your status changes.

Oh yeah, I did forgot to mention that the elevator opens on the opposite side that you enter it from. It was actually mildly entertaining to see people coming up the elevator and facing the other door for as long as 30 secs before realizing that the back door was opened. At least 3 groups of elevator passengers did not listen to the guard's instructions when they were sent up alone.

Thanks for all the well wishes. I hope things go as smoothly for you as it did for me.

Finally, stay at the W Hotel, it's amazingly beautiful and well worth it. They have an Acura Experience in which the hotel Concierge will get a valet staff to drop you off anywhere in downtown Montreal between the hours of 9am and 6pm I believe. Great way to get to a destination then walk back, rather than having to ask for a cab for one leg of the trip. Anyways, I should really post this in my hotel experience.

Hey good news everyone, I was approved for my CR-1 yesterday!

Well here goes my experience. I stayed at the W Hotel in Montreal and it's only about 4 blocks away from the Embassy. If you've never been to Montreal before the Embassy is located on the side of a building which looks like an alley compared to most cities I've been in. Rue St Alexandre is a busy road. If you are coming from Blvd. Rene-Levesque you'll see a coffee house on the front of the building. I nearly passed the entrance because the doors on the side are tinted and you can't see the US Embassy sign unless you're looking up.

Ok, so I got the hotel to give me a wake up call at 5:50 and 6:00am so I would not sleep in. I got up and ready and I walked there which only took 5 mins. There's Rue St Alexandre is a slight hill so if you're not up for a bit of exercise you could get a taxi but I wouldn't since it's so close and Taxi would potentially take longer since downtown Montreal is a bunch of one way streets.

Anyways, I got to the Embassy by 6:55am and there was no one there, I waited for 15 mins and still no one was in line but me. The sign actually says that they are not open until 8:30am. So I walked 2 blocks West on Blvd Rene-Levesque to grab a coffee at Tim's. I would have liked a Starbucks but it's about 4 blocks away on Rue St Catherines. Anyways, even after getting a coffee and returning there was no one else in line but me. People started showing up at about 7:45 and there were maybe about a dozen of us.

When the guards open the doors it's serious business. You will be instructed to empty your pockets of everything, absolutely everything, tissues, candy, gum, change, keys, EVERYTHING they tell you. You are also NOT allowed to bring any electronics of any kind. I left my cell phone at the hotel. I had a energy bar in my jacket which after I empted it from my pockets and showed them they asked me if I was diabetic but I'm slightly hypoglycimic so I told them that and they allowed me to bring it up. When you pass security they will hand you a number or letter and they will tell you not to hide it in your papers. Keep it on top.

They swab down all your stuff including your paperwork and run it through a detection machine, I only assume it's looking for traces of nitrogen, a major component in explosives. So keep your paperwork away from fertilizer if you want to avoid setting off the sensors

So after I passed the initial security part there's a door on the left that you are asked to enter and follow the stairs down. I don't know if they have another method of getting downstairs for the handicapped but it even walking up to the security entrance there was no ramp. Just food for thought for anyone with a disability. Once you enter the door the stairs are to your left and they are pretty steep. You are instructed to have a seat in the room at the bottom of the stairs in front of the elevator and when a guard comes down the elevator you are to hold your letter up to show him.

When he takes you up the elevator you're directed to sit in the order in which you received your letter in a seating area. Immigrant visas are handled in the rooms on the left side of the room, other visas like visitor and work visas are handled on the right side of the room.

The guard will then take your papers after you are seated and give it to the immigration officers in the back rooms. When your turn comes up you will be called over the intercom to head to a window. I was called twice. First time I had to hand over my medical report and my passport. I had a passport renewal since I submitted my I-130 and then so I brought along a photocopy of my new passport information as well. The lady at the window was very nice and appreciated my organization and having a photocopy. I was also asked to give her 2 passport photos but I only had 1 on me which she said was fine. At that point I asked her about the 4 photos that we send in as a part of the visa process and she said they use those for other things, so when you get your medical photos done (3 photos for medical) try and get an additional 2 for the actual interview. I was also asked for a pre-paid XPressPost envelope which I had brought, they only need you to fill out your name and address on it so do that prior if you want to save time. You'll need the 15"x12" sized XPressPost Envelope. After I handed her all the paperwork I was asked to sit back down and I didn't need to give her my x-ray since my medical was clear.

The second time I was called up I was asked to sign my passport because I forgot to do that before. Then she took fingerprints from me. It's taken by this little scanning machine that is beside the window. It was pretty simple no issues there. I was also asked how long I had been married for. I was asked to return to the waiting room again and wait after getting my prints done.

The third time they called my name, I was called into a small room and asked to close the door behind me. The room is small and has a window on which the visa officer was on the other side. The guy that interviewed me was very nice and friendly. I actually thought he'd make a good TV personality. First he asked me to raise my hand and swear that everything I was telling him was the truth. Afterwards he asked me how long we had been married for. He asked me about my wife's occupation and what she did. He asked me about what I did. Also asked me if I was a hardware or software guy since I work in IT. He also asked me about how we met. I think "online" would have sufficed but I went into a bit of detail and he joked about part of my story. Overall, I think they are pretty ok with Canadians since we are such close neighbors.

So after all the questions he said that I was approved and that I was going to receive my paperwork in the XPressPost envelope. I'd receive 3 things in it. First, is my passport back. Second is an instructional letter and finally a packet of my paperwork which is not to be opened by anyone except the customs officers at the point of entry.

I asked him what the procedure is if I still have a contract to complete in Canada for work and that I'd be flying back and forth for potentially several months. He said it's normal and expected, especially since we're neighboring countries and people have affairs to attend to. He said that after I cross and hand over my paperwork I should mention this to the border officer and it shouldn't be an issue. It takes a few months to get the physical greencard anyways so I'll be travelling back and forth on the visa that's stamped in my passport. So a definitive answer is that if you have a home to sell or work to complete or work in Canada while you're looking for jobs in the US it's okay to live outside the US for the first bit.

Oh he also asked me about ever not being let into the country and I told him my situation about having to withdraw my entry this one time I was trying to get my TN renewed. So he confirmed it and said it was fine. He also went on the computer and made sure to clear the note or flag that appeared on my record so I wouldn't be stopped when crossing again.

Finally, I didn't write down the XPresspost tracking number so I had asked if it were okay to copy it down from him. He actually wrote it down for me on a piece of paper and gave me a website for changing my conditional visa (CR-1) in 21 months. He told me that they would be in the instructions in the packet when I receive it but he briefly went over what form I need to fill out and when I need to do it. He said that since my wife and I were married for less than 2 years I was getting a conditional visa and that if you're married over 2 years you don't need to worry about it.

So that was it. After passing security it took less than an hour to get everything done. I believe I was sitting in the waiting room at 8:05 and out of there by 8:50am.

A few tips to note, there are vending machines in the waiting room. One serves snacks, chips, chocolate bars and cookies, another serves coffee, and the last serves pop and bottled water. You will need change though as there's no change machine up there. Loonies and toonies. There are also restrooms and a water fountain if you need those.

Thanks to everyone on the forums for support. I hope this thread helps others, don't worry I'll still be around. This is a great forum and I love helping others out. Good luck to you all.

^^ What time did you finish?

I'm trying to figure out if i should take a full day off, or if I can take a half day.

Good luck on your interview

Thanks! I'll do a post review of my interview on Wednesday.

Well, I was in at a little after 7 and I was out by 11. The people that were there at 6am were out by around 9:30 I believe. I overheard one girl say that she got there at 5:55am and she sat there for a while. She said that the doctors don't actually get in until 7am so you'd have to wait at least an hour for that. But I'm pretty sure she got her blood pressure and x-rays done before I got there.

You'll be fine just taking the morning off and going back to work in the afternoon. Make sure you call for an appointment though, they only do exams twice a week and are very busy. Good luck.

I just completed my medical this morning and I wanted to share the experience with y'all.

The office in Toronto opened at 6am but I didn't there until a little after 7am. I waited in a pretty full waiting room for about an hour and a half before I got called into an office where I proceeded to pay for the medical exam, hand over my 3 photos and proof of ID. I forgot my passport but they just wanted to see gov't picture ID so driver's license was fine. After that I was asked to sit down around the corner in a hallway beside the X-Ray room, after about 5 mins I was called in and they did a chest x-ray. You are asked to stand in front of a panel on the wall and are asked to take a breath and hold it while they take the x-ray, simple, painless.

I was then sent to a seating area beside the office I was first called into, I sat there for another 15mins then I was asked to sit back in the waiting room again. I waited another 1 hour then was called into get my blood drawn. The nurse was quick, but as she was drawing my blood she was talking to the office person that was calling people's names and moving the needle in my arm slightly, the feeling wasn't painful, but it wasn't pleasant. I am sure it would have been more pleasant had she not been moving the needle while talking to her co-worker. Anyway, I was asked to sit back down in the waiting room after getting my blood drawn. I then waiting another hour before getting called into the examination room.

In the examination room a nurse took my pulse and blood pressure then you are given a paper gown and asked to strip down all the way, no underwear or socks. After waiting a minute a lady and a doctor came in. First I was asked to sign another form authorizing an HIV/AIDS for my blood. The woman then asked me a series of questions about my medical history, she writes down anything related to serious illness, injury or hospitization. We talked about how the US Gov't changed the rules for a bunch of doctor's offices and how they weren't able to do the visa exams anymore, and we joked about the numerous bones I had fractured in the past. She was very friendly and easy to talk to. She asked a few more series of questions on my general medical history, including mental state, history of any drug or alcohol abuse, STDs, asthma, diabetes, etc.

Then I was asked to sit on the examining table. I was a but worried I'd get the prostate exam because I wasn't expecting or prepared for it and I was fully naked minus the gown, but luckily that's not part of the medical. The doctor checked my eyes, ears, listened to my chest (heart and lungs), felt my abdomen, listened to my back, checked the pulse in my feet, and checked my knees. And that was it. The doctor and the woman conducting the interview and paperwork then left and I was asked to change and bring the little note to the front desk on the way out.

Since my interview is in 2 days, I get to pick up my medical results tomorrow, a 30 hour wait time since I pick it up tomorrow afternoon.

The overall experience was good, only thing you really have to deal with is a lot of waiting. They didn't have a problem with people bringing in anything so you could if you wanted to bring in a laptop and sign up for some Toronto downtown wi-fi access. A SO of one of the people doing her exam was sitting in the waiting room with his laptop doing whatever. It came off as a bit pretentious but that's just my opinion. They have a bunch of magazines to read, you could bring a book or you can do like many people and nap while you're waiting. It's certainly not as strict as going to the embassy. Good luck to the rest of you.

What, you have Canadian and Ontarion?

Only an Ontarion would say that. BTW Toronto is not the center of the universe