ScooterMac

Really no reason for a Cdn POE dude to know what a K1 visa is, and he was right, the USA spouse doesn't have to be at the interview

I'm aware of that, but every other Canadian border official I've spoken with has either recognized the term "K-1", "fiance visa" or at least understood what I meant once I explained it. He didn't. I said several times that my fiance was immigrating from Canada to the States.

Also, he told me I didn't need to be at his interview since I was moving to Canada - I have NO idea where he got the idea I was moving there from, and it took a few minutes of explaining before he seemed to (kinda) understand that I was a USC and not moving.

I thought maybe I'd been unclear when I first started to explain, and I asked my passenger if I'd been clear enough. She also thought the guy was bonkers. Maybe he was just having a off night.

I brought coffee and chocolate back from Guatemala for Spoom this past year with no real issues - guy wanted to discuss why I keep going back to Guatemala though! (in case anyone else was wondering, we're working on constructing a new hospital in a remote village called Santiago Atitlan).

I always declare my pocket knife (it's always in my car or on me). The guard usually asks to see it, and then cracks up when I pull it out of my pocket. It's bright pink and purple, and about 5" long with no flip mechanism or spring load. Not a threat to anyone really, but more than enough to make (almost) every border guy I've talked to crack up when they see it They usually just wave me on at that point.

We had some really unusual border guys this weekend when we went to interview - the Canadian side guy (going to the interview) told me that it was unneccessary for me to be at Spoom's interview in Montreal, and that he'd never heard of a K-1 visa before. I don't know what his issue was, but he was either messing with me or dumb. My friend was coming with me as well (her boyfriend lives in Montreal) and the border guy asked us if we'd joined a support group for americans with canadian boyfriends.

After the interview, coming back (US side), we watched 4 cars in our lane and the one next to ours get sent to secondary. The border guy asked us what cities we'd been in (Montreal and Toronto), whose car we were driving (mine), and then asked for additional IDs from both of us. We both gave him our drivers liscenses, and he stared at his computer screen for about 5 minutes before reluctantly letting us go.

Even our toll collectors were weird - the guy shoved his hand into my car and yelled "GIVE IT TO ME, GIVE IT TO ME" until I handed him the money, and then shoved the change back in my face yelling "TAKE IT, TAKE IT, GO GO GO!"

I think I've been lucky not to get questioned further about all the ####### in my car - it's usually a rolling junkpile.

I really can't tell the difference between American and Canadian ketchup. I'm not saying there necessarily isn't one, but I certainly can't taste it. Maybe I don't eat a lot of ketchup?

I eat quite a bit of ketchup and I can't taste the difference. Maybe it's just because we're Americans?

I'm American, and I can definitely taste a difference. Then again, I probably use wayyyy too much ketchup.

Wow, I leave for Montreal tomorrow.

I'm not even done photocopying.

I leave tomorrow too. I just need to double check tonight and make sure I have everything. Oh and get rid of this stupid cold that seems to have appeared overnight.

Good luck to both of you!!! Take a deep breath and try not to panic

And Peachey, I hope you feel better!!

That's pretty much what we had: I-134, W-2s, bank statements, and the 1040.

We didn't need a co-sponsor as we were above the limit.

We had the I-134, W2s, A signed statement by an officer of the bank (in duplicate), letters from both my employers with how much I've made year-to-date and how much I make salary/hourly, several months of paystubs, and a paper with all my investments listed. I kinda went overboard They only asked for the I-134, the job papers and the letter from the bank though.

Hey everyone,

can someone just tell me what the Xpress post envelop looks like?

I only fill in my address right?

The Xpress post envelope looks like a large rectangular envelope - 15" x 12". I think it's the largest one.

Spoom was approved, in case anyone missed it in the other thread

lgg, the "stung" wording was mine, not theirs...and that observation was mostly based on the fact that the lady even mentioned it while we were talking. I'm not trying to downplay the wait times or the frustration, just sayin the employees are humans too.

I think some of the things that got them weren't people's frustration with weight times, but rather the anger from people who don't follow directions or come prepared for the interview process and lash out at them because the documentation wasn't correct. I'm sure there have been some not-so-nice confrontations on-site, and I've read some nasty reviews on here blaming consulate workers for things that weren't necessarily their fault.

Sorry if I offended you.

Oh, as a side note....the people at Montreal seem to really have been stung by our criticism. The lady who did our paperwork mentioned some not-so-nice things that were said on here, and that their feelings were hurt. So, if you mention you're from here, be SUPER nice to them

Approved!

The lady said we were one of the most organized she'd seen.

Whole process was about an hour start to finish, excluding the time we waited from 6 AM (which was totally unnecessary as the next couple only got there at like 7:30). We felt a bit sorry for them as they said they were using a lawyer for their K-1 and were all organized and such, but he / she had apparently failed to mention that they needed to get their police certificates.

We didn't see Liz25 there, but she might have arrived later. Good luck to her if she has the interview today

It kinda seemed like everyone who wasn't us who was near us in line didn't really know what the heck they were doing. I felt really bad for the couple w/o police reports (they were at the computer retyping some forms when we got called for the interview), since they had seemed so confident before we went in. Another guy in line was trying to apply for a visa without his passport - - - I'm not even sure how that would be possible. The interview itself took maaaaybe 5 minutes, and that's because Spoom asked some questions after the visa was granted.

Montreal consulate REALLY needs one of those warming lamps outside, like the clubs have. Would've been nice on this chilly morning!

Thanks to everyone on here who helped us and answered questions - we were totally ready

We've been in Montreal all weekend, and we've had a blast! Tomorrow morning bright and early, we'll be freezing outside the consulte!

<---excited!!

OMG we're in Montreal!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hanging with my buddies for the weekend, then interview on Monday! So excited (and nervous!)

We spent about an hour tonight going over all the paperwork, making sure everything was okay and generally reassuring ourselves we weren't going to embarrass ourselves when we get there Monday morning

Wow YAY!!! Enjoy the weekend, and good luck with your interview!! Get there early and bundle up

You'll do great

We plan on being there *EARLY* (probably 6-6:30)....My buddy's gonna drop us off (I think) and then we'll catch a cab back to his place after. I have hoodies and jackets and all kinds of warm stuff, and spoom is more or less a human space heater

We brought our gift card for The Keg to use for our (hopefully!) celebration dinner.

OMG we're in Montreal!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hanging with my buddies for the weekend, then interview on Monday! So excited (and nervous!)

We spent about an hour tonight going over all the paperwork, making sure everything was okay and generally reassuring ourselves we weren't going to embarrass ourselves when we get there Monday morning

Hopefully, we won't get the blizard of the century on 1/23/10 *crosses fingers*

Yeah, hopefully theres no blizzard (esp in Canada) that flights will be cancelled. BUT wouldnt it be gorgeous for pictures to have a white wedding??? AWWW I can just imagine it now!!!

I live in Erie, PA - right smack in the middle of the "snow belt". We actually get more snow here than Spoom does in London, ON thanks to fantastic lake-effect snow from Lake Erie.

My mom says she's envisioning a sunny day with blue skies and a pretty layer of fresh snow on everything. Dad says he's envisioning the worst ice storm our town has ever seen. (I'm hoping Mom's right!)

Haha, so many January weddings. So close together too.

I'm not really excited about my wedding. I think it's just a formality we need to get passed.

I'm doing it for my family anyway, I could honestly care less about a ceremony.

My family is doing the all-out Wedding thing, and I'm kinda excited about being able to get everyone we care about in the same place at the same time...Considering out guest list hits people in about 3/4 of the states in the US, several provinces in Canada as well as friends and family in a couple other countries, it's probably the only time we'll ever get them all together! Our Pastor (who's been at my church since I was 12) is doing the ceremony at the church I was raised in, and our church choir is singing during the ceremony.

My Church

I've had my dress for a couple months now - walked in, tried it on and ordered it within 45 minutes...I just knew what I was looking for, and the dress is BEAUTIFUL (note: I hate dresses). Spoom hasn't seen it yet, so I can't post pics online, but I definately will once we get out pictures back from the wedding.

And our January wedding is actually something we decided on before we even got too far into the K-1 process (actually, we have a paper from my pastor with our intended wedding date that we sent with the I-129 paperwork)...the 23d is the closest we could get to our 3 year anniversary, which will be 1/19/09 (and it's 5 days after Spoom's birthday, which *should* help him remember our wedding anniversary!).

Hopefully, we won't get the blizard of the century on 1/23/10 *crosses fingers*

lol my mom freaked when I told her I want to wear flip flips. No one is going to see my feet so I dont know why it matters and I want to get ones that have a thick foamy bottom so I will be comfortable all night long.

That's what I keep saying!

No one's going to see my feet, so why bother get new shoes?

I'm wearing white ballet flats for the ceremony and white crocs for the reception I was just going to wear crocs, but my mom went slightly off the hinges...so we compromised.

We're leaving tomorrow. Our interview is Monday. I'm freaking out!!

OK, here's my vent: TWILIGHT. God I really dont' see how people, get into this #######. The books were mindless drivel, and the movie was just awful. Could they pick any actors less talented? There are women in their 30's here at work obsessing about it, I had to kick them out of a conference room yesterday. Good god this infuriates me more than Dan Brown. How do hack writters get so far in this world nowadays?

Preach it!

I run a youth center and the kids are OBSESSED with Twilight. The books, the actors, the movies, the youtube "leaked" promos of upcoming movies, etc. I finally broke down and ran Twilight on one of our movie nights just before school ended last June.....managed to hide near the front desk and listen to music to drown out the shrieks of 13 year old girls. I guess it just never really dawned on me that there would be enough 30 year old women interested in Twilight to *fill* a conference room!

If I have to watch vampires....make mine True Blood, kthx

I don't have enough vent in me this morning to properly vent about this guy.

He campaigned, successfully, against a plan to bring subsidized housing for seniors into town by declaring, "I don't want to live next to poor people. I don't want poor people in my town."

*facepalm*

Wow that attorney in that article is a real douchebag.

Indeed. And that's not a word I use often. Unfortunately, in this circumstance, I think it might be the only word possible to describe someone who says something like:

"I wanted that kid to lose sleep that night."

I don't have enough vent in me this morning to properly vent about this guy.

He campaigned, successfully, against a plan to bring subsidized housing for seniors into town by declaring, "I don't want to live next to poor people. I don't want poor people in my town."

*facepalm*

AHHH, I'm leaving for Montreal tomorrow!!

So, out of curiousity....With the I-134, I have letters from both my employers and my bank, my last paystubs from both jobs, my last statement with all the information on my stocks, and my W2s and 1040s for the last two years. I keep seeing mention of "tax transcripts" and "tax receipts".....do I need those? If so, I didn't see it anywhere on the form, and since we're leaving for Montreal tomorrow, I'm kinda panicking. Anyone know?

No you don't need them. We didn't include any of his tax information with our I-134.

Good Luck!!

Thank you!! I'm just worried I'll get up there and they'll ask me for something random that I don't have!

AHHH, I'm leaving for Montreal tomorrow!!

So, out of curiousity....With the I-134, I have letters from both my employers and my bank, my last paystubs from both jobs, my last statement with all the information on my stocks, and my W2s and 1040s for the last two years. I keep seeing mention of "tax transcripts" and "tax receipts".....do I need those? If so, I didn't see it anywhere on the form, and since we're leaving for Montreal tomorrow, I'm kinda panicking. Anyone know?

OMG... tomorrow is the big day! I'm starting to feel a little anxious!!!

Good luck!!

Thanks for the advice, Carla. I have been thinking about doing it for awhile and would like to help out my community.

Would doing a criminal background check on me be hard? Would they have to contact Canada?

I run a youth center in PA, and we only run state criminal background checks and the Childline (Child abuse) clearances. Not sure what the BB/BS guidelines are, but I don't think it would be all that much different. If they don't have any young girls needing Big Sisters right now, you might look into local drop-in centers. Many of them have girl-specific "clubs" or discussion sessions...and from experience, ALL of them would welcome more volunteers!

Congrats! Safe travels!!!

I HATE TWILIGHT!

It's terrible! The acting is absolutely horrendous. Like really? Are people really eating this ####### up??

It just goes to show that much of the youth of today lack substance.

QFT.

Second vent -

My brother, who is well aware that I'm an insane worrier with a panic disorder, sends me a text this morning telling me "Unfortunately, we need to talk ASAP" and then doesn't answer the phone for the next 4 hours. ARRRGH! I suppose if I didn't only get those kinda texts from him when something REALLY bad happens, I wouldn't be so worried, but the last time I got one from him it was because a mutual friend of ours died.

I'm sure it's nothing, but in the meantime...just GRRRRRR. Stupid brother.

Just bumping the list again:

June 9, 2009 - SapphireDreams (Civil/Legal wedding)

July 7, 2009 - PopRocks (Beach/Legal wedding)

July 17, 2009 - July09Bride (Church/Legal wedding)

July 17, 2009 - Kristin & TorontoGuy (Civil/Legal wedding)

July 24, 2009- Hapycloud (Civil/Legal wedding)

July 28, 2009- Chadlaure (Civil/Legal wedding)

August 6, 2009 - HuggleBuggles (Ceremonial/Legal wedding)

September 5, 2009 - Chadlaure (Ceremonial wedding)

September 19 2009 - TimandJoyce (Ceremonial/Religious/Legal wedding)

October 10, 2009 - Minnew (Church/Legal wedding)

November 14, 2009 - Hapycloud (Church/Ceremonial wedding)

January 23rd, 2010 - Spoom/ScooterMac (Legal/Ceremonial Wedding)

January 27th, 2010 - Rhiann (Legal/Ceremonial Wedding)

May 1, 2010 - Peachy (Ceremonial Wedding)

June 6, 2010 - Kristin & TorontoGuy (Ceremonial wedding)

June 22, 2010- Jennarationnext (Ceremonial wedding)

August 21, 2010 - Krikit's daughter (Church/Legal wedding)

September 4, 2010 - JillA (Celebration wedding)

September 25, 2010 - SapphireDreams (Church wedding)

(This was the most recent one I could find, please add yourselves if you're not in there)

Added!!!