joe_robin66

To bad you're not in Chicago. We're desperate for a computer literate smart person that catches on fast. I'm tired of crying everyday from having to much to do.

Message me. I live in the suburbs of Chicago and an IT person...computer literate. Thanks.

Quebec's cheese rock !! I am still in Montreal and I already know that I will miss all the "ethnic" grocery store we do have here ! Oh and poutine too !!

I had a taste for poutine the other day and I'm not even the Canadian!! LOL

Congratulations!! So happy for you both, enjoy your new life together!!!

Congratulations!!! What a great feeling it must be to kiss USCIS goodbye!!!

Vancouver is the best! Very laid back and nice. The interview was more like a conversation than anything. My husband's interview was last April, but I'm sure they are still the same. Woking medical was just as nice. Both places were fast and easy. Be extra prepared just in case, always better to be over prepared than under prepared. Just relax and remember to breathe!!

Robin

hehe ya i have a thread in the "moving here ..." forum about my issues with the neighbours and management. Not to mention i've had the extirminator here multiple times since january to get rid of ants etc to no avail. figured its time to move and get our own place since houses are hella cheaper then paying rent here in Chicago. its just the damn county taxes which bloody suck the life out of ya almost..

i'm amazed at how a house can be so darn cheap but have 3-4k taxes..apparently the land here is what its all about. And i dont want the hubby to have a super long drive to work especially with the price of gas being 4$ now..UGH lol.

Good luck on your house hunting! The hubby and I are hoping to buy something next year, I know they say this is the year to do it, but its just not in the cards for us now

We still look around though and keep an eye out for what we really want. I dream about granite counter tops, a big kitchen, and no wall sharing!!! The taxes in cook county and kane county aren't as bad as you think, du page is actually the worst of the three. Not sure exactly where cook is now, but kane is at 2.5%. And I believe lake co is even worse, not totally sure on that one though.

Good luck!

Robin

You sound like a very smart girl with a good head on your shoulders. You both can get through this with ease. Getting on VJ is the best thing you could have done. You will get the best advice possible here and its FREE! Whether you need to see sample forms, to see timelines, or just to vent about being far apart from your fiance, this is the place to be!

It will definitely be a bonding experience for the two of you, and it'll help you appreciate your lives together even more than you do now. It can be very hard to be apart for so long, as I'm sure you are already aware, but once you get through immigration, you can face anything, and you can face it together.

Good luck to you and your fiance, I hope you have a smooth immigration journey together, and an even better life together!!

Robin

My husband didn't have to fill out the DS160, we went through the process before they had instated it, but I know on other forms that he filled out that it said in the instructions that only drug/alcohol related traffic incidents or traffic incidents that resulted in arrest needed documentation. I'm assuming that it would be the same for the DS160. As far as I know, minor traffic violations aren't necessary to report. Hope someone else will chime in and verify for you.

Good Luck!

Robin

We had the same problem. It took forever for the status of my husband's applications to come up, but one day they finally did. The funny thing is, he received his AP docs in Oct of last year, and USCIS website still says that its pending, lol. Just keep checking back with it and it'll hopefully update soon for you. Good luck!

Robin

The same thing happened to my husband, no big deal, just a glitch. He received his card about 5 days or so later.

Congrats!!!

Since you're going through the Vancouver consulate, you definitely have more flexibility. Don't rush send back packet 3, that will give you extra time. When it comes time to schedule your interview, the consulate allows you to put down a week that you prefer and they are usually pretty good at picking a date in that week for you. From what I understand too, Vancouver is pretty good about rescheduling if needed. And don't forget too, after your visa is approved you have six months to activate it so you will be able to plan the move around your graduation. You may not be able to travel back and forth after approval/before moving, but you will have a little more flexibility for planning than with Montreal. Be very happy to be with Vancouver! Very laid back and very nice people at the consulate!!

Good luck to you!

Robin

Again for some people who havent seen it, thanks for all the advice.

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!!!!

We talked about it, after she woke up. She was just really down and couldnt see the end of the tunnel yesterday after she talked to her parents. We've been planning a wedding with the thought of her parents willing to help us out, like they said. She found out that her parents don't have the financial ability to support her right now, neither can my family because they are all planning to come to the wedding (family of 5). Her thinking was lets just wait another year so we both can save up some money for the plans we had already made. BUT its just a change of plans now. Basically she said in a email that she just wanted some support from me and that the wedding is still a go! We have aa budget and we're going to make the best of it. She's already planning about powerpoint presentations with our pictures on it haha!

Thanks everyone for your advice and help truw this stressfull day for me. August 6th 2011, is my weddingday!! Yeaaa!

That's great, congratulations!! I'm sure it'll be beautiful no matter how big or small it is!!

I understand how your fiance is feeling, I wanted the same thing as her. But my husband and I ended up doing a small ceremony with just immediate family and dinner after. It was just as special because it was very close and intimate. We hired a reverend, I found a summer dress, made a bouquet, and family took great pictures for us. I'd still like to do a big wedding in the future, maybe for a vow renewal.

Point out to your fiance that planning a wedding can be very exciting but also very stressful, especially because of the money. And on top of it, there will be more stress with you moving here and getting through your POE, not to mention the money you'll need to spend on your AOS once you do get married. Big weddings are very special and it should be a joyous thing that you can take your time with and really cherish. I am very glad with how we did things, in the long run its about the marriage, not the wedding. I hope you both can come to a solution that you are happy with. Good luck with your process!

Robin

Congrats!!

Congrats!!!

Thanks for saying what was on you mind, Tero!! We all need to stick together and support each other, we are all here for the same reason!

Robin

I didn't read the web page fully...we got it! I was too stunned when I saw it had been touched.

I've done that before, and then you'll read it again and again just to make sure you aren't going crazy! Congrats!!

Congrats!!

I am very happy and so thankful for this site because it speeds up everything from the very start we process my papers for K1 .

We mailed my AOS last Sept.7,2010 and got the first notice after 3 days they received it. To this date November 12 (EAD, AP, and GC) I have them on hand now...never thought that it will be this fast...thanks God for this and to all people here in VJ who is always there to help

Lawyers...who needs 'em...lol

I had no idea I was even eligible for EI once I get to the States. I'm leaving my job Nov 30th, moving Dec 3rd, and we're getting married a week or so after that. No idea how soon I should file, but from what I've read I should probably do so during the month of December.

Thanks for the info everyone! I guess this is something I'll have to read up on.

I had no idea I was even eligible for EI once I get to the States. I'm leaving my job Nov 30th, moving Dec 3rd, and we're getting married a week or so after that. No idea how soon I should file, but from what I've read I should probably do so during the month of December.

Thanks for the info everyone! I guess this is something I'll have to read up on.

You have 4 weeks to file your EI Claim from the last day of work, which in your case is NOV 30 and you need to ask your company to put on the reason for leaving is "moving to the USA to marry". This will get the claim started but you will not be able to get any benefits until your Authorized to Work from Dept of Homeland Security.

Once you are authorized, received the EAD, then you need to fax EI your EAD card and Social Security number or Drivers License...there is a list of what documents they request. Once they receive documents, then they will start paying your benefits after the 2 week waiting period which is the 2 weeks after your EAD effective date.

Keep in mind, once the claim is started, you will loose benefits from the Day the claim was started up until your effective EAD date.

It's definitely not the only way. You'll find a few threads in this forum and the Moving to America forum where Canadians have been quite resourceful about building their credit in the US. In my case, when purchasing a new vehicle, the car dealership called their Canadian affiliate and had them pull my credit report. You can also open an account with some department and clothing stores if you're a cross-border shopper. Cities like Buffalo, who are well used to Canadian shoppers, have no problem with this because they do it all the time.

@Krikit - Well done! Excellent information.

It's not possible. Abotu 2 years ago, the EI office was approving claims without asking for the EAD - they did not know that under the K1 visa Canadians weren't eligible to work. It's not possible to get EI before the EAD anymore now that they are wiser about the process.

AWe yes...the good 'ol Government...how difficult and complex they like to make everything but whatever I guess...we are able to get EI so all good. What sucks though is that if you have an active claim, and are waiting for EAD, you loose weeks from EI Active date until you get that EAD - its effective date.

it's not missinformation,I'm collecting EI,and one of the things I had to fax them was my SSN Along with my EAD..now thats not to say you NEED your SSN,but It's one of the things that you can send them..ALONG with your EAD...

I concur.