ladygothic

So, on A's last visit up here we came across these soybean and chickpea snackfoods and were very much interested in them. I have a peanut allergy so snacky alternatives like this are rare for me. Having said that, I know produce isn't generally allowed over the border either way but since these fall more into snackfood category than raw produce would they be likely to allow it? They're grown locally and packaged like any other snack item. I'm visitng A for Thanksgiving (US Thanksgiving) and was hoping to bring some down.

You will have no problem bringing that. I sent my fiance back to GA from ON, a suitcase full of 10 boxes whole grain pasta! LOL It's very expensive down there ($5 a box) and limited selection, I got here about 75 cents each coupon sale use.

Wow! Great story! Very happy you got approved & have visa in hand. I am getting worried about our "open & shut case" Where is the visa?!?!

Yeah, the first girl was there until 1:30 she said. But was approved & has visa in hand as well.

May you have a very successful POE & beautiful wedding!

Have you Xpress post courier tracked? If so long not recieved email the consulate an about it, if not done already!That sucks not recieved yet I'm praying for you!

Hey we were there on the 24th as well! We were 3rd in line.

Have you received your visa yet? That haven't even issued mine yet. Getting a little freaked out.

I remember you both "open shut case" said on approval Yup My visa and boarder packet sealed envie arrived on Tuesday before I could track it online! I so surprised my fiancee when I went out for a smoke and check the mail, waking before him, when I got back he was in the bathroom I patiently waited and bounced "It's here!"

We sat next row ahead of you waiting. The short gal, the tall big guy. Er I'm sure it's on the way, remember to track it with Canada post, who knows tommorrow it will arrive

I still wonder the gal one of 1st in line whom lost paperwork of us 1st 5, she was still waiting when we left. But happy fast visa vibes to you both and long wonderful life together!

Your interview was on a Saturday?

Opps! I typo'd it was Friday, 24th.

Getting from Airport to downtown MTl was easy and cheap using the 747 express bus. I had no worries not speaking french and not a map in hand, just knowing my stop and a map to hotel.

http://www.stm.info

We stayed at Hotel Jazz, a funky, private small hotel.

http://hoteljazzmontreal.com

Very private, 3 star, I loved it! though it's not for anyone moblity issues and the bathrooms are scarey small en suite, I'm 5'2" 125 lbs and worried I'd disclocate my knee going to P, I have no idea how my beau 6'4" 240 lbs managed

but the hotel rocks and what agreat breakfast included should you be up in time for it!

We arrived at the consulate at 7am being 5th the golden 1st 5 in line. By 7:45 there was a big line up but 9pm hundreds arrived.By 11:30 almost most the room were cleared and us 1st 5 were being processed, 3 went through, one had a paper issue and at last my name was called! I had a short and sweet swear in and easy questions of how we met. when 1st met in person, what work i do,how often have I visted the USA, how soon do we plan to marry and they asked my fiancee about his work. I saw so expecting more questions when I heard the words "based information this interview, congratulations! ETC"

We left the consulate on cloud 9 at about noonish after a less than 5 min interview!

So much for being the golden 1st 5 in line, 1st being processed I was so happy to be called and a quick pass given! I about starved to death, I joked about ordering pizza. and when I was leaving the consulate the guards had ordered pizza delivery, I said I was so jealous! MY beau and I, hit an italian restaurant next to the hotel for pizza, salad and bread and had a celebritory glass of wine at the hotel and mega nap crashed!

Can someone help clarify this for me. I received the package from Montreal indicating that before they can set an interview date they require the following forms:

DS-230 Part 1

DS-160 online

DS-156

DS-156k

Receipt from DS-160

Checklist

I have looked on Visa Journey's and have read conflicting information about only sending the DS-230 and the DS-160 and checklist and that the other forms the DS-156 and DS-156K and receipt from the DS-160 is required at interview but this is conflicting to what the package says. If someone could please help clarify I would really appreciate it.

In my book if they ask for certain forms ahead, I spent the time doing it. This will speed things up on both ends. I feel better extra time delayed doing so than the wait later stress waiting for appointments and still having to do mega paperwork. As much ahead you can do is worthwhile. I submitted photocopies of all stuff and courier sent it. Personally I wanna know all done ahead and ready for interview, open for what did I miss, what other info needed on interview time instead of then back tracking and more delays, cos it'll be 4-6 months til interview date, I'd hate another months delays once that appointment.

Good luck!

Doing K1 visa, already did letters of intent to marry but what to add of "proof of engagement"? for DS-156K?

Doing K1 visa, already did letters of intent to marry but what to add of "proof of engagement"?

What kind of proof do I send? My online love proposed online in Oct 08, in personal on his knee 2 July 09, I have his travel documents, a pic us together, him with my sis and a pic of our hands with the engagement ring. Will this be enough?

6:02 Woke up in a panic and had the world's fastest shower, grabbed coffee to go, my prepacked bag of info and my purse

6:32 Ran out the door to waiting Taxi (so fast there was no time for a sleepy cat to bite my leg)

6:45 Rude cabbie feared I'd stiff him fare when arrived in Toronto and made me pay up front, thus he got no tip! and then he took a pee break sheesh!

6:50 Taxi finally hit the highway

7:30 Arrived at medical office, registered w/ front desk, then with administration giving all my info, passport, passport photos, fees. Only 5 people in waiting room.

7:43 Went for a smoke and eyed Starbucks directly across the street, longing for another coffee but decided not to push my luck on the waiting room time.

8:00 Chest x-ray super short and sweet. Came back to 20 people now in the waiting room

8:30 called for blood work and sent back to waiting room but before i could take a seat I was called in Dr room

height, weight, blood pressure checked (very high)...put on gown and was glad I brought bottled water cos it was hot in there while I waited for the Dr.

9:00 Dr came in checked my medical records, RA swelling noted on both hands noted and blood pressure redone, it dropped but was still high.

Dr left room while female assistant did slight body check. I'm to follow up with my family Dr about the blood pressure and have the late titre test results faxed before my medical is complete.

9:30 front desk receptionist walked me onto the street giving great directions to the intercity transit terminal

9:40 found terminal but got a bit lost in it, had to ask another lady for directions

10:30 got on the bus in Toronto

11:25 got off bus in Brampton

11:25 got on local bus

11:50 arrived home and put on my jammies

12:00 made appointment with family dr, gave the cat a tummy rub and came online

12:30 went to bed

The staff were friendly efficient, and the receptionist was wonderful from the moment I walked in the door. though the blood nurse was rather cold, abrubt and didn't seem to know what she was doing and I did get a rather large bruise from her, that inconvenience did't spoil my over all experience.

6:02 Woke up in a panic and had the world's fastest shower, grabbed coffee to go, my prepacked bag of info and my purse

6:32 Ran out the door to waiting Taxi (so fast there was no time for a sleepy cat to bite my leg)

6:45 Rude cabbie feared I'd stiff him fare when arrived in Toronto and made me pay up front, thus he got no tip! and then he took a pee break sheesh!

6:50 Taxi finally hit the highway

7:30 Arrived at medical office, registered w/ front desk, then with administration giving all my info, passport, passport photos, fees. Only 5 people in waiting room.

7:43 Went for a smoke and eyed Starbucks directly across the street, longing for another coffee but decided not to push my luck on the waiting room time.

8:00 Chest x-ray super short and sweet. Came back to 20 people now in the waiting room

8:30 called for blood work and sent back to waiting room but before i could take a seat I was called in Dr room

height, weight, blood pressure checked (very high)...put on gown and was glad I brought bottled water cos it was hot in there while I waited for the Dr.

9:00 Dr came in checked my medical records, RA swelling noted on both hands noted and blood pressure redone, it dropped but was still high.

Dr left room while female assistant did slight body check. I'm to follow up with my family Dr about the blood pressure and have the late titre test results faxed before my medical is complete.

9:30 front desk receptionist walked me onto the street giving great directions to the intercity transit terminal

9:40 found terminal but got a bit lost in it, had to ask another lady for directions

10:30 got on the bus in Toronto

11:25 got off bus in Brampton

11:25 got on local bus

11:50 arrived home and put on my jammies

12:00 made appointment with family dr, gave the cat a tummy rub and came online

12:30 went to bed

The staff were friendly efficient, and the receptionist was wonderful from the moment I walked in the door.

I didn't bring a Dr letter but brought the prescription history list from my pharmacy, that helped alot.

Hi everyone,

I just returned from my medical at Dr. Seiden and Associates in Toronto. Here are some notes about my experience.

Arrived at 6:50. The doors open at 6:30 so there were a few people waiting in the waiting room. I believe I was the 4th person to get there. The BEST thing you can do regarding the medical is get there early. Ideally, at least 15 minutes before the clinic opens (between 6:30 and 6:45 would be good). When I sat down in the waiting room at 7, there were four people. Ten minutes later, it was full. You'll save yourself lots of time by getting there early.

The receptionist takes your appointment letter from Montreal (or packet 3 letter) and you wait in the waiting room. Then, you see an administrator who takes your photos, money, immunization records, and photo ID. I did the X Ray first, followed by the exam, and then the blood work. The total time spent with the various medical staff was about 20 minutes (5 for the X Ray, 2 for the blood, and about 10-15 for the exam). The exam consisted of medical questions like "what prescription drugs do you take? do you have a history of heart problems?" etc. It was basic questions, nothing out of the ordinary. The only strange question was "have you ever tried to kill yourself?". I was a bit surprised by this one, but I guess they're looking to weed out people with serious mental/emotional health issues. They also took my blood pressure and checked out my ears, throat, and did a quick breast exam. It was straight-forward and simple. The staff were all courteous and friendly.

The majority of the time spent in the clinic is waiting. Since there are three parts to the exam, you end up waiting to complete each one. I can't stress the importance of getting there early enough. I was one of the first people to arrive and was out by 9 a.m.... but there were a LOT of people in the waiting room when I left, so I can only imagine how long it took all of them to complete the three parts of the visit.

Other tips: the closest Tim Hortons is on Front Street, just west of Jarvis. There is also a McDonald's on Front and Jarvis, but I'm not sure when it opens.

Good restaurants in the area for breakfast after your appointment: Petit Dejeuner, moderately priced, delicious brunch food (King, just East of Jarvis), Patrician Grill, basic greasy-spoon (King and Sherbourne), St. Lawrence Market vendors are also great (Peameal bacon sandwiches, especially) and it's right by the office.

Closest hotel: Holiday Inn Express on King Street (it's also quite affordable)

Good luck with your medical, fellow VJers!!

Thanks for the info, now I'm not so nervous about my appointment tomorrow

I was able to mega sleuth my childhood records and only gotten them by the grace of God and one lady in Nfld health dept. It was not her dept, job area but jumped in to help me, thankfully so no one else NFld gov't came through. I visited my GP with the immigration list and old records, he titred me what I was missing.This will save out of pocket funds immigration titre testing. He said a couple not age appropriate. a couple I missed. either way titres done free of change and if needing vaccines. OHIP will cover all but Hepatatis.

I'm glad I local DR advice, this will save me mega $ on the medical.

My fiance and I got engaged on April 24th/09,

We didn't realize that we would have to go through so much paper and just how complicated and time consuming it would be. Is anybody out there from Toronto, that has a fiance in the States, My fiance and I have a lawyer and had the k-1 visa sent out at the end of Nov/09, I am not sure what to expect next, also haven't received a client # yet, does anybody have a clue as to what is going to happen next and how long to some extent this entire process is going to take. Also about visiting the States, I don't want to be turned away and lose my plane fare, just seems all to overwhelming for me and I have been depressed and crying for the most part, I feel like an idiot but I can't stop crying and worrying about everything.

i'm in your suburb of Brampton,going through the visa process without a lawyer and easily though going cross eyed at times. We filed at Vermont got a file number right away, though we had to ###### email follow up after 3 months to paperwork forwarded to Canada and the next week I got info package in the mail, That I'm working on you an still visit amid the visa process, I just got gback froma wonderful 8 days with my love. It's once the finality of visa papers you can't travel without restrictions.

Follow the visa journey info pages, they mega help! Being away is hard and the process is mega hoop jumping but being together forever with our loves are so worth it!

Keep the faith and hang tough!

*hugs*

We are looking at http://www.upack.com

I used ABF's container service with excellent results.

Janet

We are looking at HttP://www. upack.com

You can also try his local school board, the important vaccines are listed with the school board as a vaccine record. That's how I got mine.

Good luck.

local school & provincials records are the best route.

I spent mega on long distance said so called hostipals, school boards record sleuthing,many promise but no one actually act on it or any feedback. I googled and went right to the source nfld gov't of health.

I lucked out a gal, ministy health dept minister, she fast found my old childhood vaccine records, via schools and sent within 24 hrs,public school vaccine records...not her job or area but as a favour! She had access all my info, she snail mailed all info free of charge and I got within a week

On paperwork from embassy. I need police certificcate each mununicpality, since age 16.

I can RCMP finger print check for $25, I think this across canada, check, 120 day wait. local police records checks are $25 each, I'll need 4 of them, of different cities, does the the rcmp fingerprint data base not cover all others?

To the Feb. filers, I just got my NOA2 today yrs wil come in the mail box soon good luck to al. l

Congrads to you and that's heart warming news, as I daily wait a phone call or snail mail. I started to lose faith in the process, this is great news for all

OK, in a nut shell... I must have my employer state on my seperation forms as to why quit, not simple quit check box but quit to relecate with my fiance/spouse.

I have to have quit/moved to the USA and file within 4 weeks.Pending border stamp/papers.

Do I need a Cdn bank account to do this? I know this was discussed 20 pages and a year earlier but I'm on dial up and can't be rats assed to spend 4 hrs to forum search and hope someone can fast help info!?

Should I keep my cdn bank account open, minimual for such reasons?

I just wanted to let others know that I have another expense to add to the ever growing list.

I am preparing for my medical here in Vancouver. On the list from the office there, it states that you need to have a note from your dr regarding any chronic medical issues and the medication that you take for it. I have viral induced asthma (sometimes when I get a cold I start this awful coughing), when necessary I take an enhaled steriod for a few weeks and I am back to normal. So off I went to the doctor yesterday to get this written on a perscription pad. After I explained this to my dr and she read what the immigration drs instructions stated, she wrote it all down for me. Then she said, "I have to charge you for an office visit, as MSP doesn't cover immigration matters. I won't charge you the $20.00 for writing the note - only $65.00 for the visit." I said "I hope you will take a cheque?" she laughed and said "only if you are not leaving the country tomorrow." So just another expense to add.

Maybe my dr is a sticklier for the rules, but she had always been a great dr. I am certainly not cross with her for charging me.

I hope others do not encounter this, but now we can all be prepared.

Janet

I'm learning what medical info was required. Your post and some replies, so helps me. I spoke to my specialist 2 weeks ago and he said my family dr will help me figure out what shots I need, if OHIP will cover any and help me know ahead of time if I need any.

It's a huge vaccination list but the closer I look at it, it's not so bad I've had many of those childhood diseases. Though my childhood medical record is not available. My specialist said not to worry, any simple blood test will show I've either had a shot for it or had it as a child and my body shows natural anti-bodies, if I can't show childhood - 19yrs old medical record history. They can blood test find.

I'd love to show ahead of time the cost and wait!

Your post gave me a reminder heads up to get a routine family DR letter on travelling. I am so doing all my specialist and GP tests here before I go, and for that medical. My Dr fee if a letter is $14 it'll be worth the peace of mind ahead planning.