KnJ

I'm trying to find where I read that you should have your visa within 5 business days after the interview. anybody know where this is? I'd like to have something in writing to back up our request to pick up the visa the next day.

I did an informal look-see through timelines before my interview, and was seeing the average was 7 days.

Mine took 6, and that included a holiday when Canada Post didn't deliver, so actually it was 5.

his name is Paul Mayer, Deputy Consul General.

http://www.rwallenberg-int.org/Events/Mayer.htm

i dunno what this article is but it has his picture.

he's the nicest guy ever. you're lucky if you have him as your CO and i'm not just saying that cause Dale and i got him and because he reads these posts but he really is THAT nice.

Here's an article he wrote recently: http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entries/stories_fse/

The Wallenberg article also bears out my experience of him being concerned with the human beings before him, which is what made the interview such a positive experience. He looked deeper than the papers in front of him.

ETA and actually now he is Consular Section Chief (see state.gov blog description of him), the Wallenberg site is a bit older.

When I had called the POE (Peace Bridge) in advance, I was told I need all of those forms, and that I need to cross during business hours so an inspector was there, and that I have to fax the documentation (compliance letter, etc) 72 hours in advance.

I just got the compliance letter in the mail today. That's a frickin' eyeful to interpret. But from reading other people's posts here I think it's all good, just things saying I don't have the stickers, but it does say 'eligible for import' or something. Meh, I've been here a week, looks like next week is gonna be fuuuun.

Thanks for the tip Steve re getting some kind of verification that Ontario doesn't use title docs. Hmm. Will have to think that one out.

meep

congrats!!!!

This is all so happy

Good luck with the visa arrivals and POE!

My fiancé's 40-something-misogynistic-loser-step-brother was telling everybody in the family to watch out because I was just using Matt to get a GC. It really p!ssed me off at first but then I realised everyone was getting quite a chuckle out it.

Heh. I have joked that J is just using me to eventually get into Canada. Of course not.. coming from someone other than us? Tricky. But cool that they were finding amusement and not serious about it.

With all respect to people who've found real love through IMBRA, I too have caught whiffs of some sentiment that meeting online and having a long distance relationship, never mind the Canadian factor, someone with a foreign fiance somehow "couldn't get a local and must be defective". What??

I mean, first of all, so what if we are defective

Maybe Boston is judgmental.

But any whiff of some perception that our marriages are not legitimate.. makes me ... argh. I'm Canadian. Have a beer (over the head), eh.

My Car Import Journey.. so far.

I did not import the car at my POE. I did this mainly because I didn't have the compliance letter from American Honda in time. Peace Bridge let me through without it, they didn't ask. The way CBP puts it, though, I "failed" to register my car, and should have when I crossed.

Drawback: there's a chance I won't be able to import at the Boston POE, and would have to travel back to a land border. Yikes.

Anyway, process so far, as researched by me:

1. Obtain Recall Clearance Letter (with seal) from Canadian manufacturer

2. Obtain Compliance Letter from American manufacturer (in some cases I'm reading that people got from Cdn manuf.)

3. Vehicle bill of sale/receipt, provincial registration

4. Forms for POE (find a POE)

Code M -

miscellaneous exemption

, either 1) Canadian vehicle as described above (proof required) and the importer is either permanently emigrating to the U.S. or will reside in the U.S. for greater than one year under a worker or student visa, or 2) Canadian vehicle received by U.S. resident through inheritance, or 3) EPA hardship letter based on unforseen and extraordinary circumstances is attached to this form.

Registering in State

Some of this may be specific to Massachusetts (MA) or certain other states. See CBP for more general registration with DMV info

• Obtain Social Security Number
• Obtain insurance
• fill out/have insurance agent fill out RMV-1 (registration form) http://www.mass.gov/rmv/forms/RMV1_fillable.pdf (from dmv/rmv)

  not sure if I need to obtain a *title* as well as registration.. in Ontario there is only registration not title.

• sales tax exemption form for motor vehicle registration http://www.mass.gov/Ador/docs/dor/Forms/MVU/PDFs/mvu_29.pdf (from dept of revenue)

I guess there's more. I haven't included obtaining a US license as part of this list.

I'll add to this topic if there's more stuff I come across.

Oh, and if you find pieces of my brain anywhere, please return to me asap.

I honestly got mine very fast.

I live in Ontario and got it about 3 days after I applied for it.

I dont see it taking more than 2 weeks for you.

That's good. One never knows how to take guarantees. Sometimes they mean "this is how long it takes," and sometimes it means "this is the absolute worst case scenario." Your experience makes me think this is in the second category.

That's a relief!

I believe it's worst case scenario.

It also depends how much info you gave them, I believe they can find it much faster if you fill in just about everything.

I got mine super quick too. Same with my marriage cert, both from Ont Govt. And I agree, if you provide more info, the better. I got my birth weight wrong they still sent it to me.

Well its official -- my package is MIA.

Someone in Mississagua read my postal code as M1 inistead of M2. The supervisor said on the phone that I could have mistakenly written M2, and I said no, I know what I wrote and I checked it three times and had my fiance check it too. And how can the person assume its M1 when its written TORONTO. Of course, she didnt say anything.

I am just hoping that the delivery message "attempting to redeliver" happens tomorrow. I mean seriously, from Scarborough to TO, I hope it wont take long. Apparently I also cant just pick it up from their Scarborough depot as "intercepting mail is a crime". #######.

Note to everyone whos interviewing tomorrow, write everything in FRIGGING #### BLOCK LETTERS. Or print out your address with those label stickers from the computer.

Im happy for everyone who got their visas of course though right now I am f*cking #### bitter.

Wow that is Bad.

I guess some people still put Toronto even when they live in places that are sort of not Toronto. Like, as far as I know the entire Mxx postal block is Toronto now. North York, Etobicoke, East York, etc. So evidently CP goes by postal codes only. Which.. is kind of dumb. I'm so sorry this happened. Keep us posted on how this gets resolved. Hang in there. You are understandably bitter. I would be too

==

And I concur with whoever said really they should require totally real time tracking and a class of high priority mail that DEMANDS a signature. It's horrible how much I've read that CP just shoves these incredibly important documents in mailboxes.

My package was scanned in Montreal and then the only other event logged was "Delivered" -- an hour or more after it was actually delivered. Which is better than being logged before actually being delivered.

well you can add british columbia to the incompetent post office list.....my wife struck out yesterday, no 314 x 394 OR 390 x 295. Guess we'll be picking one up in montreal. Anyone got a montreal post office thread going yet??

Is it going MTL to BC? If so, make sure it's the National and not the Regional mailer. Sorry if that's obvious. : )

And yes, you can definitely fold the envelope.

sigh. i miss crappy tire already.

the ex and i did have a tree a couple years, it was a foot tall fakie, and we got a package of tiny wooden toy ornaments, and a small string of lights. it satisfied my curiosity and it looked simple and neat.

What does DOS stand for?

It stands for Department of State

pulled from other topic:

this is their phone number below:

dos visa informations 202-663-1225

DOS# 202-663-1225

press 1 then 0

You press 1 and then 0 to speak with someone. Tell them you want the status of the case, and give the MTL case number

I didn't have a tree growing up. Didn't celebrate Christmas at all, because of religion. I have matured and am fine with that now. And J grew up with it but doesn't really want to do anything about it. Not sure, but I have a hunch that Christmas in the US is more... in your face or something. But I don't really have any data to back that up.

I would really like to decorate a cactus

And just to add, sorry if this adds stress, but my fiance's name was spelled wrong on my visa. I decided to just go ahead and NOT email about it or anything. I crossed over just fine. Birth date is correct, passport number is correct (ignore the bottom numbers which appears to be a combination of the passport number and some MTL number.

It's kinda neat to have an alien number.

nanoo nanoo.

I think I received mine around 1pm (dad signed for it - I had him come over while i went to an appointment so that someone would be home at all times).

Interviewed Friday. Visa issued that Friday. Package was logged in montreal post office Tuesday. Wednesday was a holiday, and I received the visa on Thursday 1pm.

Of course depending on the day of the interview it'll be slightly different. Good luck to all waiting on their visas!

I crossed at the Peace Bridge and did not import my car. I called the POE directly because I knew I wasn't going to get my letter in time. I asked if I can import my car at a later date, and the answer was YES. So American Honda is sending my compliance letter to my US address, and I'll have to figure out how I'm importing my car down here. Boston is a POE, but I think maybe it can be done through the motor vehicle registry.

Peace Bridge, anyway, wouldn't deny you entry if you didn't import your car. Therefore, you should be able to try the faxed copy, and if it's not accepted, say you'll import it at a later date when you have the paperwork. Might be worth calling the POE before about if this would work, but the answer should be the same. If you want to be safe, to avoid being denied entry because of an aborted import attempt, just import it later.

wishing you good luck and smooth journeys and all that

K

yay guys!!

Peachey, too funny - J forgot his passport too! I stayed (4th) in line while he ran back to the hotel to get it. I gave him a copy of p4 and he was able to get in not accompanying me, and long before he had to pay (he had the cash in his wallet) it worked out, it's just funny that basically the same happened to you!

DC let us know what happens with POE! Good luck getting visa for wedding!

I'll write about POE (done the day after I received my visa) in another place.

This is so exciting!!! More of us gettin' through

Visa in hand! It just arrived!!! It's all colourful and has my fiance's name on it too! Fun times! I love the other part that has "DO NOT OPEN" all over it. I wonder what's in there! I'll guard it with my life. hehe.

Just got mine this afternoon too!! Leaving tomorrow. Still packing. Whew

I tracked mine yesterday and it said it was shipped... I think a minute after yours KnJ! I think we'll get it tomorrow. I got so excited about waking up today to get my mail, but then realized it was a holiday. I still checked my mail box... just in case!!!

I lost the paper with the tracking number in the last 24 hours so I'm just gonna hope it gets here tomorrow. lol.

These days, the visa isn't stressing me out... it' my DL... I am hopefully going to get in touch with FL DMV tomorrow to confirm what they'll need to give me a license. My Ontario G2 expires in July. Brian and I want to get married in April. I think we need a SSN and the EAD to get my DL, but that may cut it close with the timing of everything! I'd try to get my G before I leave - BUT, the Drive Test people have been on strike since August and no one knows when they'll be back to work. I went to talk to the peeps at the License Bureau about extending my G2 for a few months, but they can't do anything. Blah. Blah. Blah. There is always something to worry about - this stuff never ends! Poor Brian answered the phone this morning not realizing that his crazy Canadian fiancee needed quite the vent session!

aw yes, I'm getting possibly delayed by american honda for my compliance letter, so now I'm trying to find out if I can cross POE and import my car later on.

I really want to leave friday. might not happen.

There are a lot of little details. gonna try to destress

good luck with the license.. why would you need EAD to get a DL?? (don't really understand what that is).. what is involved in getting FL to test and license you? is that like starting over with graduated licensing? I don't even know how that works, I'm old

Do I *have* to import my car at POE or can I do it later?

Compliance letter won't get here in time for when I plan to leave. I would rather go than wait for the letter.

I'm phoning the POE tomorrow morning, but wanted to ask if anyone else knows/has done importation later.

Ok how can Canada Post say that mailer is "Next Business Day"??????

GRRR. It got to the postoffice 10am Tuesday. I hope it freakin arrives tomorrow morning before noon, or in the next 30 min. That would be better.

Cause today isn't a business day.

Oh ya, I guess the post office has off today.

I have veteran ancestors but #$%&* on that. FRAK.

Oh well. My car won't make it across without stupid american honda anyway.

I feel sick.

The Consular Section Chief interviewed some of us. Yes, they read VJ, it was verbally told to more than one of us. In my review as well. See timeline.

Ok how can Canada Post say that mailer is "Next Business Day"??????

GRRR. It got to the postoffice 10am Tuesday. I hope it freakin arrives tomorrow morning before noon, or in the next 30 min. That would be better.