ThePirateStar

As long as he brings strong ties to Canada he should be ok. Bringing your NOAs is a plus.

Though they said none of the information we showed them was proof enough of his ties to Canada (house mortgage, payments, bills, tax forms, school forms, medical bills etc...), they let us in anyway given our plane tickets and a return flight.

Seems to me that they brought adequate amount of proof. Why did they say none of that was proof enough?

It's this sort of thing that drives me mad about POE. Why can't all the officers agree on a specific policy and not leave it so open to interpretation? It shouldn't have to be a gamble whether you should go or not. If you have the proof, then it shouldn't be a problem. The fact that it depends on someone's mood is just silly. If I decided that my bad mood was going to be directed at the people I deal with at work, I'd be out of a job.

/rant off.

Okay, just another question about the cheques.. on your bank account does it tell you if Homeland Security made the EFT, or is that the info you find out by viewing the check? I'm just curious because he says the bank told him it was just an EFT, and didn't say by who.

Thanks

As you can tell, there's a few problems with this whole thing.

He told me that he could not view the cheque online when I asked. He uses Bank of America, so I don't know if that makes a difference or not. When I keep prodding him about numbers on the cheque, he told me that the check was never endorsed and it was a straight EFT for the amount written on the cheque. He had an inquiry put on who made the EFT, but other than that, there isn't anything we can do. I am going to try and convince him to call the bank again and see if there's anything at all. As I said before, I am not even sure how an EFT works, and the fact that USCIS says they use EFTs but no one here can really agree if they do or not, the whole thing is utterly confusing.

As for the mail.. he has two addresses; his legal address isn't the same one he comes home to everyday. He checks his legal address once a week or so, and I told him that we should have gotten one. However, this isn't the first time the government has done this to him.. we had the same wait problem with his passport, where they said it was sent and it never showed up, and he had to get another one re-issued.

The other thing I wanted to ask.. if the bank says that it was Homeland Security that EFT'd the cheque..but they don't have a copy of that cheque for whatever reason, even though I am sure they must have something, how would we proceed to find out about our case if we don't even have a number to track by? Arrg. I am just hoping the Bank can tell us something but this whole thing has turned into a nightmare.

[quote name='pdcvcm' date='Aug 12 2009, 11:51 AM' post='3206454'

Has his bank provided any information yet? Does his bank have a copy of the check? Meaning even if the funds ended up being transferred electronically, the check still returned to his bank stamped. This is very scary. I am sorry.

I have a post on this in the main K1 forum, but I can sum it up here as well. He told me that his bank account had info on the check on June 30th, saying that the money had been cashed. When he called yesterday to see if he could get a number off the cheque, Bank of America told him that the amount had been drawn from the account via EFT but I don't think he asked him to see if the check was returned to the bank or stamped. His exact words to me about talking to the bank were " It stated that the check has been pulled via EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) from my account. No check number was used (IE: my check never cleared, it was eft'd)."

He's at work so I can't talk to him about it, but I want him to see if there was a copy of the cheque and if they could get the number or at least fax it to him.

My fiance said the bank said it was an Electronic Fund Transfer on the account. Do I believe this is from Homeland Security..or something else? He's at work right now so I can't really ask him about the entire conversation. This is what he told me last night: " It stated that the check has been pulled via EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) from my account. No check number was used (IE: my check never cleared, it was eft'd)."

Either way..there's an inquiry on it..not sure if that will harm us or help us.

My fiancé hired a visa attorney in Dallas, TX to do the paperwork for him. The petition was filed about end of June or early of July. Since 3rd week of July, my fiancé called many times and even came to attorney office to check for update info at the attorney. Yet until now Aug/10, we haven't got any news though that attorney. We haven't got NOA1 and application receipt number after more than 1 month that the I-129F was filed. Anyone of you faced this situation ? What we should do now ?

Our petition was sent around the last week of June as well. The cheque was cleared in early July according to my fiance's bank account. We still have not recieved a NOA1 to this day. And when we called USCIS, they said they had no record of our application. Now my fiance is in a panic, and thought the funds were stolen, and has had an inquiry go out on the Electronic Funds Transfer made on his account and froze his account. I can only hope now that the money was cashed by Homeland Security, and has already been taken by them before the bank was frozen so we don't get a RFE.

So to answer your question, you aren't the only one who hasn't heard anything and has sent in June. My fiance pulled a dumb move and sent it regular mail, so we didn't even have a tracking number to show it actually got there. All we have is the evidence that someone cashed the cheque. It also doesn't help that he has two addresses, and is using his legal address, which is not the address he goes home everyday to -. -

I'm pretty sure that the EFT had to be from Homeland Security.. but my fiance panicked, especially when he was told it wasn't there.

My only concern is .. We mailed the package around June 20th (A friday, and through regular mail -. - , guuh). The cheque was cleared around June 30th, according to my fiance when he checked his bank account. To this point, we haven't receieved a NOA1, and thus that is why I got worried and had him check his bank account again to see if it had been cleared, and to see if the bank could get him a copy for the EAC number, so we could have some sort of tracking number for this process. The fact that its been over a month, and not a few weeks is why I wasn't sure in the first place.

When he called, that's when they said it wasn;t there, and not knowing that Homeland security uses EFT, his 2+2 = someone stole the money and the application never made it. He's having an investigation on the cheque, so hopefully it just turns up that it was them that have the funds and we'll just keep waiting for the useless NOA1.. I just hope him freezing his bank account yesterday would give us a RFE and the money has already been paid.

It's all good

I'll start there, hopefully the bank will be able to figure that out..you'd think they would know who's taking your money but who knows, haha. Since my fiance put in an inquiry and froze his bank..maybe they'll already working on seeing who did it. Hopefully we get this figured out..if not..guess I'll have to resend. It's not like I didn't know this process was full of long waits and frustrating turns of events when I signed up!

Who told him that they had not received the package? Was it the 1-800 line? When he calls that line he is not speaking to immigration - he is speaking to a call center and they are renowned for their misinformation. I think what he might want to do is make an infopass appointment with the local USCIS - go in and explain the situation to them and see if they can find out more information for him. USCIS may indeed have received the package and he was given wrong information from the 'Misinformation line". He can make an infopass appointment at http://www.uscis.gov . In the right hand column select 'Schedule an Appointment" and follow the instructions.

EFT seem to be something that is very new for USCIS. I had not heard of them doing that before and they weren't doing it when I sent my cheque for my citizenship application in a few months ago.

Good luck.

The only problem with that is he works Monday to Saturday, so I don;t think he could get an appointment ><

I think its odd that no one else has seen the EFT .. but its there on the instructions for the application.. and these instructions have the dates 07/30/07 on them. I am so confused now! Ahhh.

Should I just have him try and find out from the bank who did the EFT (that is, if they can).

Also, I'm pretty sure he would have called the 1-800 number.

EFT = Electronic Funds Transfer

When a cheque is cashed it's not an EFT. The USCIS does not use EFT.

When you give your employer your banking information and they deposit straight into your account thats an EFT. If you give your car insurance provider your banking information so they can withdraw your insurance payment monthly that is an EFT.

Your fiance definatly did the right thing freezing his account if he feels someone is wrongly making EFT's on his account.

Did you ship your I-129f with a tracking number?

Really? I'm really confused now, because on the instructions for the I-129f, it says

"Notice to Those Making Payment by Check. If you send us a check, it will be converted into an electronic funds transfer (EFT). This means we will copy your check and use the account information on it to electronically debit your account for the amount of the check. The debit from your account will usually take 24 hours, and will be shown on your regular account statement. You will not receive your original check back. We will destroy your original check, but we will keep a copy of it. If the EFT cannot be processed for technical reasons, you authorize us to process the copy in place of your original check. If the EFT cannot be completed because of insufficient funds, we may try to make the transfer up to two times."

He's blaming himself because I told him to send it through UPS or some other mail carrier with a tracking number, and he sent it regular mail :|

Haha.. well.. I should mentioned that he called the bank up right after USCIS said there was nor ecord of the application being there and told them to freeze the account, and now there's an inquiry on the security. I don't know the WHOLE story, because he gushed this all in an email, exclaiming how pissed off he was and he needs to go calm down.

I just wanted to get some ideas on how to proceed. Part of me doesn't think the funds are stolen. I'll try and see if he'll call the bank again tomorrow, but he was pretty upset about it taking up most of his work time today (calling the bank twice and USCIS) that he might not even have enough time to do it.

It's just frustrating, especially because I wanted him to just see if he could get the EAC number from the cheque and I would call USCIS. But alas.. he went ahead and assumed the funds were stolen instead of trying to see if there was a number on the cheque instead of the cheque number..something I explained last night. Siiiigh, c'est la vie.

We sent the application in at the end of June, and on my boyfriend's bank account, the money was withdrawn. After not receiving a NOA1, I urged him to see if he could call up the bank and see if they had a copy of the cheque to get the case number, so he could call USCIS and find out if everything is okay.

When he called the bank, they told him that the cheque was pulled via EFT, as I know USCIS does. However, when he called USCIS, they said they had not received the petition.

Now he's upset and feels that someone has stolen the funds, and wants to resend the application. I'm just..not sure about it though. I guess its because I honestly don't understand EFT and it doesnt make sense to me that anybody off the street can make an EFT. Can anyone make an EFT? I dunno, anyways.

So my question is: do I try and get him to call his bank and see if they actually see a number on it (he was confused and thought he was looking for a cleared cheque and the cheque number, not a case number even though I did explain it to him)? Or do we just resend the whole thing because whoever he talked to at homeland security said they actually hadn't receieved the application?

Luckily he made copies and scans of everything, including the passport photos.. but I just have a couple of questions. Because the biography information is a scan, will they accept that as an original or do I need to resend them? He says he can print out my passport picture in photo quality - will they accept that as long as it meets the size?

Edit: I just wanted to add, when he called, he wouldn't have had the case number, so I wonder how they could even track if the application was ther eor not.. Does anyone know if they can track by names/addresses too if there's no number? Thanks.

Ahh okay.

I don't actually use cheques, so I wasn't sure exactly if you could view them on your online bank account. I assumed that an online bank statement would just saw 'cheque cleared'.

Thanks!

I'm slightly confused. You say 'back of the cheque' but uh..where is the image of the cheque if they haven't sent you anything?

We've sent in our petition at the end of June, and we still have not recieved our NOA1. I understand that this is completly normal and not worrysome, but I had a question about the cashed cheque. My boyfriend told me when he checked his bank account, the cheque had been cashed.

However, I have read from this site that case number is 'on the back of the cheque'. If he is looking at his bank information online, is the cheque number the actual case number, or is there somewhere else we have to look to find the number, just so we can confirm that the application is all good?

I decided to make the big leap and quit FFXI Online and started playing WoW with the boyfriend. I am extremely impressed how flexible the game is - I am not used to being able to do anything on an online game without needed 3-6 people, and spending 2+ hours getting one thing accomplished.

Anyways! Character info!

Camaruge - 61 Tauren Druid

Zephayra - 25 Blood Elf Paladin

Zwierze - 11 Troll Hunter

And some Blood Elf Warlock at level 3 that I'm kind of debating on levelling.. I've started 4 characters in the last month and I can only take so much mountlessness at a time @_@ (Coooome on new mount level patch)

~All on The Scryers

Ok, another twist in the story -

When I got laid off, I applied for EI but I didn't have my Record of Employment yet. I am currently not collecting EI because I didn't have the information. I got a new job (temporarily) and they let me have the weekend off because I booked the trip way before I was laid off. Today I just receieved my EI access code to enter in my report.

I called to cancel the claim but since its Canada Day, I can't. I haven't actually recieved any money from the government, and I have a letter to go back to work. If I haven't filled out the information to make any claims, and I'm not getting paid EI, will the border know I actually applied but haven't recieved anything, and do I have to tell them up front that I had applied for EI but haven't made any claims because I got a temporary job during the waiting period between when I filed and when I was prompted to make a report?

So you're moving to Philly? That's where I am Whereabouts does your BF live?

For some reason, I couldn't edit my post, but anyways..! To answer your question, my boyfriend was born in Philly but he lives in Maryland now. We met up in Philly for a 'date' because I told him I always wanted to see the Mutter Museum, and he said he wanted to take me, and that he had family there so he knew the city.

I guess I am really confused about what to say. I've read that you get red flagged when you say fiance, and I've read that you should always be honest but don't give up too much information.

So if you're asked "Pupose?" and you say "Visiting for the holiday" and they ask "Who?" "My fiance" ..wouldn't that be with holding information compared to you just said "I am visiting my fiance for the holiday weekend" - yet saying that is giving up too information.

This is why I am worried about misrepresentation. I have no doubt in my mind I want to marry him, but I also don't want to be flagged for using the word fiance. Some people say they don't blink an eye, others say the guards get really defensive when they hear the word. Ugggh.

Okay..I give in. After two days of researching on VJ about visiting, I am still unsure about some things, and I need clarification (and maybe reassurance) from other Canadians who have taken the dive and crossed the border during the K-1 process.

I understand you can visit, I understand you can be denied, I understand you need to prove your ties, that you need to be honest but not give up too much information..and its those last two I really get stuck.

Let me give you some background information to help.

I never used to be paranoid about crossing the border, however, I always seem to get a lot of questions. I never get "Pleasure or Business?", and its likely because I always have to cross the border to get to the airport, so I have to tell them "I am going to the airport to fly to soandso" That is when I get grilled for answers. It's funny because the very first time I met my now boyfriend, I just told the officer I was going to Philadelphia to see the Mutter Museum ( Great spot by the way). I was asked where it was, why I wanted to go to it, what was there, what got me interested in that museum, and then after the guard googled it, he said "I guess it looks interesting enough..you can go".

The second time I visited my boyfriend, we hadn't decided on the visa yet, so I just said I was visiting friends, to which I got asked, who are your friends, what are their names, and where did you meet them - which I answered thruthfully. Third time...not so much..who are you visiting? Friends. Where did you meet them? What is your job? Where do you work? Where do you live? Do you own a house or lease an apartment? When are you returning? Can I see you itinerary? I truthfully answered and went along my way.

So here is where I need clarification: I am going on the assumption that I am going to get questioned more than the standards (Where are you going? Purpose of your visit? When are you returning?). We just sent in the K-1 visa application two weeks ago. Boyfriend says they cashed the cheque, but he hasn't receieved the NOA1 yet. At this point, I don't consider him my fiance. Yes, we want to get married, but he hasn't proposed and I don't have a ring. I know it'll happen but I don't feel comfortable saying fiance. If I say I am visiting, and they ask who, and I say boyfriend, but they see I have a K-1 application on their screen, is that misrepresentation? That's another thing I am paranoid about.

I bought the plane ticket when I was living in a town close to the Detroit border. The ticket is for this weekend (Hotel Thursday, catch plane Friday, Return Monday). When I bought the ticket, I still had an apartment lease and a job contract until August. The beginning of June I was let go, and had to move my apartment out by July (hard asses, I know). Since then, I had to move back to my parents, and I've landed a temporary fulltime job as a receptionist for a home inspection company for a friend of the family.

Now that I don't have a lease agreement, or utilities to pay..I have no idea what else I can bring as documentation for strong ties to Canada, if I need them. All I have right now is a return ticket for Monday evening, a letter stating I am employed and I will be back to work on Tuesday, and I had my bank print out a bank statement showing all my accounts (I just put $5000 in a tax-free account turned GIC with a waiting period of 2 years). Will that be enough?

As for the K-1 paperwork.. I sent it all to my boyfriend. I do believe I have a copy of the petition somewhere in my email, but I don't have the biography information anymore, and he has all the copies of my boarding passes/photos. Since the petition was just sent, neither my boyfriend or I have a copy of the NOA1.

To sum up:

- Do I have to call him fiance if I am probed on who I am visiting if I don't feel comfortable calling him that?

- Is a leter of employment, return ticket and bank statement enough? I have no idea what else I could get

- I only have a copy of the petition but not all the paperwork that goes with it, and no NOA1.. is that copy good enough to prove I am going about it the legal way?

Sorry to flood the boards with more of these inane questions. I know there is no magic answer, and every experience is the different. I just don't know what clarifies as a good enough strong ties to Canada document (as most people just say "bring ties to Canada"), and I hardly have any proof of the K-1 because it was just sent in. And yes, I've read the FAQ thoroughly, and I searched the boards frequently, reading other people's experiences.

It's sad because everyone that I've talked to in person thinks I'll be fine... I'm the only one who is scared of misrepresentation or not having enough with me @_@.

I live in Canada..They don't actually stamp your passport :/

I should have the boarding pass for the last time (it was just last week), and I have photos from each visit of us together.

I'm in the middle of applying for a K-1. I've read the FAQs on this site and everywher else, but I had a quick concern.

For Documented Evidence of meeting within the last 2 years, I have my receipts for my airline tickets and confirmed booked flights, but I do not have all my boarding passes. I have the one for the last time. Will those count as evidence, or do they only look at boarding passes? I may have them laying around (which I will begin looking for) but the only one I know for sure I have (unless it got left at my fiance's lol), is the one for my most current visit.

I don't play WoW, but I play its counter version, FFXI Online. Does that count @_@ lol.

no

lol oh well, I tried!

It's easy, just start playing wow and join the cult group!

Well, my boyfriend used to play it. I've always thought about it, but I have a pretty crappy PC and laptop, so I just stuck with FFXI because I can play it on PS2. I'm lazy with technology like that lol. Maybe one day!

I don't play WoW, but I play its counter version, FFXI Online. Does that count @_@ lol.

no

lol oh well, I tried!

I don't play WoW, but I play its counter version, FFXI Online. Does that count @_@ lol.