qap3

Ok thanks

We will be travelling from BC for interviews in Montreal, how long after the interview is the visa generally ready? Do they expect you to wait in Montreal to pick it up?

My family got scheduled for Feb 18!!!

I sent another email this evening. I dont think it should take 2 weeks to respond to a simple email.... right?

Good luck as I have sent emails with no response.

I used the auto read reciept in outlook and every other consulate I sent they did read my emails and responded only Montreal IV does not read it. On one of the emails I copied NIV and they did read it, but they did not respond.

Well... read receipts only work if the person doing the reading agrees to send them. The emails could be being read without the receipt being sent.

I sent another email this evening. I dont think it should take 2 weeks to respond to a simple email.... right?

Are you getting any kind of automated response?

It really depends. I've e-mailed them and had a reply within an hour, and I've also waited over 5 days for a reply.

Did you e-mail them? When you did, did you get an auto response sent to your inbox shortly after? If not then It didn't go through. If so then it did, but if your question can be answered with their FAQ's they may not bother to respond. Did you put your MTL case number on the subject line? Your chances of getting a reply are greatly improved if you did. If you e-mailed this weekend they didn't get a reply its because the consulate is officially closed Saturday's and Sunday's. There is also a possibility that your e-mail got lost in their busy inbox if you didn't send it during regular business hours.

Never thought sending an e-mail could be so complicated eh?

My lawyer sent the email in theory over a week ago, and I was suprised that they said they still had not got a response back.

For anyone who has contacted them in the past... How long does it generally take them to respond?

I can't believe I'm having my interview next week! Time really just flew by, and I can't help but thank all you VJ'ers for ALL your help & for this place just in general. I hope you all keep me in your thoughts when I go!

I just wanted to make sure I have everything. I'll be bringing my papers (which will be put into a nice portfolio to carry into the consulate) are everything that it said on the Packet 3 checklist:

- letter of my interview with the consulate

- passport

- medical exam results (after I get it back when I have my medical done on Wednesday)

- birth certificate

- police certificate

- I-134 + evidence of support

- deposit slip stamped from Scotiabank of $131

- Form 156

- Form 156K

- Letter of intent

- photos of my fiance and I, boarding passes, tickets, cards, e-mails, phone records, a copy of "our" scrapbook.

Am I missing anything? Let me know!

You can interview in Vancouver? Is this only for K visas?

Getting your baby a Canadian passport and traveling as a visitor with your wife (who has her green card by then hopefully) is the best advice I have for you. What alternatives do you have? Have your wife wait in Canada until the baby's I-130 is processed? Try and get your VERY pregnant wife into the US to deliver (unlikely). Leave your baby with relatives so your wife can stay with you on her Cr-1?

None of the alternatives seem very pleasant to me.

You're in a very unfortunate situation and I am sorry for that, you received bad advice from someone you trusted

Good luck

Oh I have no problem with doing as you say. If the baby could come in on a visitor's visa it would be great! I was just assuming they would not be able to - since my wife had to get the green card.

On a side note, the only plausible alternative I have come up with is working remotely in Canada while waiting. Because as you say, the rest of the possibilites suck.

For you to be able to pass citizenship on to your children you have to have lived for 5 years in the U.S., 2 of which are before you are 14 (or something like that).

Informative

This is what I found.. bewarned I am googling without the benefit of coffee : )

For children born abroad since 14 November 1986 to a married couple consisting of one US citizen and one non-citizen, the American parent must have been "physically present" in the US for a total of at least five years prior to the birth of the child. Further, at least two years out of this five-year period must have been after the parent reached age 14 (e.g., no good if you lived in the US from birth till age five, then left the country never to return). From 24 December 1952 to 14 November 1986, the minimum requirement was ten years (five years of which had to have been after the parent's 14th birthday).

This appears to say at least 2 years AFTER the age of 14. Not sure if you have been in the US the 5 years, but I hope this helps.

Good luck to you,

Gayla and Antonio

Thanks for the clarification Unfortunately I am still not even close... I have lived in the U.S. for a total of 8 months in my life.

There are residency requirements for the USC that they must meet, like gap3 stated, in order for the child to receive citizenship as well

gap3 - file the I-130 as soon as possible for your child.

Once your wife receives her visa, she can travel to the US to be with you. She'll apply for a Canadian passport for your child in order to be able to take the child with her to the US (as a visitor). Then you guys don't have to be apart for such a long time while the I-130 for your child is being processed.

Good luck.

Would it be possible for them to come in as a visitor? I had figured it would be the same hassle as it was for my wife (the whole family of a U.S. citizen entering the country is intending to immigrate bit).

For you to be able to pass citizenship on to your children you have to have lived for 5 years in the U.S., 2 of which are before you are 14 (or something like that).

I don't know much about expediting the application but I do believe one VJ member tried this recently - eklondon, you might want to ask him for details. If I remember correctly he stated that it expedites the I-130 process and the interview date - but not the NVC portion.

As to your Son's citizenship - yes, he will have to have the I-130 filed (your lawyer certainly did drop the ball on that one - derivative citizenship is a bit complicated but is he actually an immigration lawyer?)

The upside is that once he has been admitted as a permanent resident he will automatically become a U.S. citizen.

Good luck!

Yes, in theory they are an immigration lawyer.

can't you just report a birth abroad? obviously you're american and it is your child you could just report it and not have to go through a visa

right? i think i read this type of post in other forums

can someone clarify

I am an American, but your child only qualifies for citizenship if you lived in the U.S. for 5 years (which I did not).

Uh. I'm assuming she won't be allowed to fly 8 months pregnant and that close to the delivery date otherwise she could try and have the baby on US soil.You will have to file for a I-130 for the baby if he/she will not claim immediate USCitizenship.

And this will have to wait until the baby is born since clearly you can't file for an unborn child.

Is there a way to add the child to the mother's passport? Some countries allow this. But I don't know how it'd work for the visa. As far as I understand the CR1 doesn't have derivative benefits.

I don't know how I would get her in the Country at this point. I live driving distance away if it was possible (ignoring the fact we don't have a doctor or anything lined up here).

It seems like our laywer has dropped the ball. My wife is due to give birth at the end of November, and they just told me a week ago that the baby will need a visa (previously had stated that she would be able to come down on her Mom's). They are trying to get an expidited I-130 processed at Montreal to be ready for my wife and son's interviews. What are the chances this is going to happen?

Despite me asking months ago and being assured that our baby would be able to come down on my wifes visa. Our lawyer informed me a couple days ago that this is not true. Is there anything I can do? My wife and son just had their visas transfered to the Montreal consulate on October 26 and she is due November 23. The baby does not qualify for automatic citizenship since I grew up in Canada.

What can I do? I don't think my family can take waiting for this whole process again.

What should be the expected time from NVC received to sending the full visa package to NVC. I just found out my lawyer received NVC notification on August 19th (I had thought we were still waiting)... They had all our documents (signed DS230, photos, police check, etc.) August 27. The package was sent to NVC today. Is this time gap between Aug 27 and now expected?

For all of you not getting updates online... I filed March 30 for my Wife and Son, they were approved August 5, and I got the papers August 11. I checked online at that time, and it had not even been updated saying that they had been approved. So don't fret about the online status.

My wife and son both had their I-130's approved Aug 5. For those still waiting and checking online... it still shows as nothing happening since NOA1 for me, so don't loose hope.

Here is the site for Canadians and what vaccines they are required to have. Since she is 27 the Gardasil vaccine for HPV and cervical cancer is not medically appropriate for her.

Good luck

http://www.panelphysicians.com/Pages/Age6.htm

Thank you

What vaccines/boosters are required for immigrants and those applying for adjustment of status in the United States?

As part of the medical examination for immigration, all immigrants are required to have an assessment for the following vaccine-preventable diseases: mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, meningitis and invasive disease, hepatitis B, varicella, and pneumococcal pneumonia. Persons already in the United States applying for adjustment of status for permanent residency, including refugees, are also required to be assessed for these vaccine-preventable diseases.

Each set of Technical Instructions for medical examination of aliens has an addendum regarding the vaccination requirements for immigrants.

HPV is required for women between 11 to 26 I believe.

My wife is 27; does that means she does not need to get it now? I was unsure reading the CDC stuff if the age brackets were "Should have got it here, outside this age does not need it", or "Should have got it here, but if you don't have it, get it now".

What is the full list of vaccinations required for someone (female) to pass their medical? I was listening to something on the radio that said the HPV vaccine was required, is it?

What you and your wife could do, is once you recieve notice that your case is at the Montreal Consulate, send them an e-mail stating that your wife is X weeks pregnant and due to health concerns and risks for herself and the baby travelling so late in the pregnancy, is it possible to have the interview moved forward. Also mention that this can be confirmed by her physician. The other option is to still inform the consulate of her due date and risks of travelling near her due date so that your not scheduled at that time for an interview and have to go through the hassel of having to cancel and re-schedule. The time lines are close for the two of you, but keep your fingers crossed, you never know.

I know that USCIS will not expedite cases based on pregnancy etc.., but once the individual consulates have the case, it is up to them if they will expedite or schedule interviews around a request if someone's health could be at risk. It is a possibility they will try and accomodate the request.

Good Luck and congrats on the 2nd edition

Thanks . I hadn't thought of the issue with having to re-schedule, that would be a real pain. Currently looking at the possiblilty of her moving to Vancouver in the mean time as well (I am in Seattle).

Montreal can give an interview 4-6 months after they get your case is what their papers told me when i got them.

not sure where you are going tho

I think Montreal is the only office doing them in Canada now. This makes matters worse as even if she were to get approved quite close to due date and somehow managed to get an interview faster, she still would not be able to fly since airlines won't let you fly that late in the pregnancy (coming from Calgary).