chris11xb

Yes... oh goodness, I thought it was me. I have tried to save and/or download a few forms (G-325A, I-864, I-485, I-765, I-131) in prep for our next stage. But.. I keep getting an error message saying the file is corrupted or something to that effect, and the PDFs won't open for me.

I have tried both Explorer and Firefox to no avail. I finally had my fiance do it on his computer and that worked fine.

What I wonder, is perhaps USCIS has used a more updated version of Adobe than I can handle. My computer is Windows 2000 (yikes) and so I can no longer upgrade my Acrobat since the website only has XP, Vista, etc now.

Try another computer and hopefully that works for you. My fiance was successful getting the documents, so it's not the actual PDFs that are a problem.

We're US and Canada, so our border is fairly friendly as it is - but my US fiance visits about three weekends a month without any problem, and he's always been honest about who he's visiting and the process we're in.

Best of luck and happy travels!

Lori (and Chris)

Crossing fingers for you and wishing the best for tomorrow!

Let us know how it goes.

Just in case this may help someone else as well...

I also asked my question earlier on the Serbinski tax forums and was told the same thing about not claiming education on Canadian taxes after my move - as I won't be filing Canadian taxes, as I won't have any residential ties.

However, today it was suggested I look into two things: 1) The IRS Tax Benefits Guide for Higher Education, and 2) whether or not my university is an "Eligible Education Institution" in the eyes of the IRS/FSA.

Interestingly, while it may not always be the case I suppose, my school currently is recognized by the IRS and has the appropriate IRS tax paperwork, FSA (federal student aid) code, etc. My institution said they have other American students requiring this paperwork, so in fact they were well aware of my situation and tax prep needs.

It appears my tuition payments will be considered for US credits, according to the definitions and qualifications met in the IRS Tax Benefits Guide for Higher Education, and with the agreements between my school and the FSA. So, it was definitely worth checking around.

Zyggy, thank you for your input. I am sure my situation is likely a unique one with many schools likely not being recognized by FSA or the IRS. Thankfully, it seems I may be able to claim a few things but I will seek professional assistance, to be sure, when the time comes down the road.

By the way, if anyone needs it, the IRS Tax Benefits Guide for Higher Education is Publication 970 and is available at www.irs.gov.

Lori (and Chris)

Ooops! Sorry, I didn't realize I posted this twice. I must have hit "submit" more than once. Sorry for any confusion.

Hi all, I have a question about education in Canada after becoming a US resident.

First, here's my scenario: I am moving on the K1 visa, but will not only have Canadian student loan interest to claim for taxes for many years into the future, but also I will continue to pay Canadian tuition to my university as a distance studies student (for many years to come).

So, here are my questions for anyone who has this experience:

1) Is it possible to claim Canadian student loan interest on US taxes, or must I continue to file a Canadian tax return for every year I have this credit/deduction?

2) Is it possible to claim my Canadian tuition on US taxes, or must I continue to file a Canadian tax return for every year I continue to pay Canadian tuition?

I've read up on US tuition credits, etc, but want to make sure what any obligations are to filing Canadian taxes, rather than assuming. If I can get through, I might also call CRA to ask this question.

Any experiences with either of these scenarios is appreciated. Thank you.

Lori (and Chris)

Hi all, I have a question about education in Canada after becoming a US resident.

First, here's my scenario: I am moving on the K1 visa, but will not only have Canadian student loan interest to claim for taxes for many years into the future, but also I will continue to pay Canadian tuition to my university as a distance studies student (for many years to come).

So, here are my questions for anyone who has this experience:

1) Is it possible to claim Canadian student loan interest on US taxes, or must I continue to file a Canadian tax return for every year I have this credit/deduction?

2) Is it possible to claim my Canadian tuition on US taxes, or must I continue to file a Canadian tax return for every year I continue to pay Canadian tuition?

I've read up on US tuition credits, etc, but want to make sure what any obligations are to filing Canadian taxes, rather than assuming. If I can get through, I might also call CRA to ask this question.

Any experiences with either of these scenarios is appreciated. Thank you.

Lori (and Chris)

Actually, my only question is for others to share their experiences of working casually in Canada when living in the US, and if there were any quirks they experienced one may not necessarily consider.

In particular, I am mostly interested in hearing about freelance or contract work in Canada, once in the US, as that's what I do. I know there are some bigger things to plan for when you're actually working 40 hours a week, so that's why I am more geared to hear about any casual or freelancers out there, if any.

Taxes are easy, in my opinion, so I am not so concerned about that. Then again, I have been doing my self-employment taxes with US and Canadian taxes forever, so I am used to those ins and outs.

It's more... trying to foresee the unforeseen I guess. Ha. Which is not always so easy.

Generally, I do most of my work from home, so it's not a matter of considering the physical border crossing part of taxation. But, occassionally, I do have a short term contract in Canada, so I was just thinking ahead for that. I imagine I'll not have as much Canadian source income in the future, but I'd like to have an idea of what to plan for if I do take on something. So, all hypotheticals for now, and thus I'm happy to hear about others' expeirences.

Anyways, I appreciate the feedback thus far and I look forward to anything else others can add.

Thanks!

Lori (and Chris)

Thanks Kathryn!

I also PM'd Neiks.

Hi all,

I was just curious if any of you who either moved to a border city, or telecommute to work currently, continued to work in Canada or for a Canadian employer after your move? If so, was there anything special you had to plan for?

I'm basically a border city girl now and will be moving to the other side of the border, and I know I have opportunities to continue some contract work after my move. I just wonder what I need to prepare for, if anything.

I did call Service Canada to ask if my SIN remains active, and of course it does. They said I could continue to work in Canada after becoming a legal permanent resident of the US. But, perhaps some of you have experienced this in reality, and can share something from the viewpoint of the other side of the border?

Also, I am assuming - feel free to clarify - that even though I may be entitled to work in Canada after my move, I likely am not able to earn Canadian wages while waiting for my US EAD, correct? I figure that it's likely best to just not earn any income from anywhere while waiting on that and my adjustment.

I am aware of obvious things like travel and advanced parole, and the taxation side of things. But if anyone has anything to add about a personal experience with working or freelancing in Canada after your move, I'd love to hear your responses.

Thanks!

Lori (and Chris)

In the Interview Letter, there is mention to not bring "backpacks, luggage, or large purses." No problem. Has anyone gone in with a small purse? Was that acceptable? I'm just wondering, between carrying the evidence and printed documents in hand, it'd be nice to have a small purse to stash the wallet, car keys, hotel keys, passports, etc.

Anyone here taken in a small purse and been asked to leave it outside? Or has a small purse been acceptable in your experience? Or did you just waddle in with stuffed pockets and dump it all out for the security scanner?

Thanks!

Lori (and Chris)

Thanks! I got it all taken care of.

Lori

Hi all,

For anyone completing the DS-160 online, what did you choose to do for including a reference person from the US? About half way through the form, there is the question of including a person who resides in the US with his/her contact information and organization. Did you just include your fiance(e) or did you include a different person (perhaps in-law or work related) you know in the US? If you included your fiance(e), for the "organization" line did you include his/her place of work, or just type in "fiance" as a response?

My first reaction was to just type in my fiance, but then I wondered if maybe it's good to include someone else as a reference, since they say "someone who can identify you," and already ask earlier about the fiance, I believe.

Any thoughts? Experiences with this?

Also, the photo that is included in the DS-160 upload, is this the photo that will be used for the actual Visa, or is this just for their department file? Just wondering how permanent this picture is, and if I want to get a better one taken. Ha.

Thanks for any feedback!

Lori (Chris's better half)

Hi Amy,

You can call the DOS again just to verify the date is in fact Feb 25th. When I called yesterday and got our date, the first thing I did when I hung up was call back to verify with another operator. I just wanted to be sure.

Looking at our timelines, we're quite close in similarities. The Consulate received our last package exactly one week after you guys mailed yours. The only thing I notice different is that my medical was done a couple weeks before we sent in our package, and yours was done after you sent your package. I don't know if that makes any difference or why it might, but that's the only thing I can tell that's different between our timelines.

Chris said he guesses it's not necessarily about the order of the pile, but the order an assigned officer picks up off the pile. As in, if all cases are in one stack, and an officer picks up a dozen cases, and another picks up a dozen cases, one may work through dates faster than the other, and thereby have different dates for cases that came in around the same time. That's a possibility.

But, I'd say, if you call the DOS again and know 100% that your interview date is set, then it's set. I would not guess it has anything to do with anything you guys control or submit (as in, don't worry something is wrong!), but is just luck of the draw.

Fingers crossed for you, and for everyone else scheduling and waiting.

Lori (and Chris)

Ontario/Michigan

Congrats Angie!!!!!!

It's so nice to see progress for the K1s again. Hopefully that means everyone in this waiting club will hear some great news this week. Best to all waiting!!!!

Lori (and Chris)

Ontario/Michigan

We have a date!!!!!!

I called the DOS, as per my weekly ritual, and today - they actually had great news! We have a date. My K-1 visa interview is on Jan 13th. Phew. We're so excited. We figured it was going to be a long, long wait still as time kept dragging on with nothing happening. But we have a date!

So, that's... three months ago now that we submitted our Packet 3, the interview date means four months since then, so not bad. We started in March 2008, so not quite a full year. Yippppeeeee. We finally have a date!

Can you tell we're excited?

Lori (and Chris)

Ontario & Michigan

We're still waiting....

I called the DOS yesterday to check on our status and still no appointment set. In another week, it will be three months since they have received our Packet 3; we're about 11 weeks in. At this point we're assuming Feb/March/April, but who knows. I'll keep calling once or twice a week to see if there's anything happening.

Fingers crossed for all the waitees!

Lori (and Chris)

Ontario/Michigan

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting. But, like you, I am frustrated with the waiting game. Chris and I have been waiting, as you can see by the update, for our interview to be scheduled. I have been calling the DOS, twice a week, but no interview has been set yet. I had a bit of hope recently when Amy had success. After all, we submitted only one week apart. But... nothing. Sigh.

Montreal received our packet-3 on Sept 23rd, so... obviously we were hoping to make it before the end of the year. Now we are assuming it will be March, or worse. Ugh. Patience, I hear, is recommended. Ha.

Anyways, now that I figured out how to log in and post, I'll be sure to keep you updated on any changes from our end. Chris and I read the forum posts all the time, so I figured I may as well get in the game and post along with everyone else waiting.

Best of luck, fingers crossed, and to anyone who thought the DOS might be closed today - they're open and taking calls!

Lori & Chris

Ontario/Michigan