Blitz

EmVee,

you make some good points, and being bashed by the ignorant is part of the process.

Me, personally, I love capitalism, and I hate socialism. I love to make money, and I hate when the Government wants to take it away from me. I love freedom and I hate when the Government wants to restrict it.

But these are just phrases, empty in substance if applied maliciously and without appropriate context.

Does a capitalist want to be sick? Does he want to be dumped by his health care corporation once he gets sick? Does he wants to keep all of his earned money at the expense that his children don't get an education? Does he want his freedom go so far that everybody is free to wear guns again in daily live, like in the Wild West?

The problem is, people don't know better. I lived in 7 (or was it 8?) countries (including India for 6 months) and visited 32. I've seen and experienced quite a bit in the 52 years I'm on this Earth now, and I know very little still.

I want as much freedom as possible, and I want to keep as much money as possible, make no mistake about it. But the qualifier "possible" is the key here. I gladly pay a few hundred bucks of my money if I don't have to fear getting sick and wiped out financially because of it. I gladly pay a few hundred bucks a month so that my children can get a quality education without a $100,000 student loan. I gladly pay a hundred bucks a month so that we have a police force. And I gladly pay the 15.7% of my gross income so that I have Medicare when I'm too old to work.

People mix up socialism with social. "Public" is probably even a better term than social.

I'd embrace public (as opposed to private) police, roads, healthcare, and education. And I embrace public programs like Medicare and Medicaid. I feel it's a moral obligation of a country, and a rich one at that, to take care of its citizens' basic needs: health, security, shelter, and nourishment. Does a CEO have to make $40,000,000 a year, if in his city there are 100 veterans homeless and hungry? Or would 4,000,000 a year be enough for him, and the 36,000,000 should be distributed to the country's and citizens' cause?

It's never a all or nothing issue. It's a balance of personal freedom and public necessities that simply make sense to anybody but the dumbest of the dumb.

And. just for kicks to all those "freedom" guys: in Germany, I can drink my beer anywhere, don't have to hide behind a fence. I can take my cute little dog with me into the restaurant. I can have sex with my 16 year-old girlfriend without becoming a felon and sex offender. In Sweden, I can drink and drive, as long as I'm not over the legal limit of 0.08%. And in the Netherlands, I can smoke pot. So much for the unlimited freedom in America.

BRAVO! Bob, that is one of the best posts I have EVER read!!! SOOOOO TRUE!

The healthcare here scares the hell out of me. I'm constantly worrying what will happen if we get sick. I'm used to going to the doctor whenever I want, and not having to pay for anything and not worrying about being declined payment by the insurance agency for a most basic test. One thing I don't like at all is that a lot of Americans think that Canadian healthcare is the worst and they put it down, but the thing is they have no idea what it's like. There are also other aspects of Canada that are being looked down upon and I'm not impressed with that.

Amen!!! The US health care scares the ####### out of me and makes me so angry!!! It's not only super complicated, outrageously expensive, but also extremely discriminating. It's just wrong for companies to make millions at the expense of people's lives - even with the new reform, it's still wrong IMO. And all the fight over the reform is based on so many lies and misleading info - the politics of FEAR are so prominent in the US.

I am sooooooooooooo sick of hearing all the ####### that the right-wingers down here in the US say about Canadian health care!!! It makes me MAD! And I wonder where on earth they get the right to spread LIES on national TV with their stupid commercials!?

Sure, Canada's system is not perfect. Sure, there have been some people who come here to the US for treatments (although in many cases, it is still paid for by the province, or it's an experimental procedure not yet approved/available in Canada). Sure, there are longer wait times in some cases (although my husband waited 6 weeks in the US just to find out that his insurance company would not cover his MRI - and it would cost $1,400 - whereas our friend in Canada paid for an MRI for only $500 and had it the next day). But Canada still spends far less per capita on health care, yet has higher life expectancies, and equal or better survival rates for many diseases. Not to mention, 60% of bankrupcies in the US are due to health care bills, and I assume that number is 0% in Canada.

But what REALLY ticks me off are how grossely they exaggerate ####### about Canada's health care - like ####### Cheney's idiot daughter saying that Canadians can't choose their own doctor, that the gov't tells us who our doctor will be. Like WTH??? If doctors are accepting new patients, they will see you. When we were looking for a doctor accepting new patients in a small Alberta town we found one much easier than my husband did in a much larger US city. And, actually, you can't just go to any doctor in the US anyhow if they don't accept your insurance, etc.

It also drives me NUTS how people in the US throw around the world Socialism.... I guarantee so many of them don't even know what that means. The US is so far from a socialist country, it's a joke that people even say that. And then they talk about not wanting to be socialist like Europe...as if Europe has a horrible quality of life. Like do thees people even own a passport? Have they ever even left the US? Western Europe has a much smaller gap between rich and poor than the US.

You will be hard pressed to find anyone who has LIVED in both countries and experienced the "downfalls" of both systems first-hand who would take the US system over the Canadian system (or prob any other industrialized world's system for that matter).

I don't understand how so many Americans can consider themselves PRO-LIFE when it comes to abortion, but in the next breath, agree with the politicians who say health care is a PRIVLEDGE, not a right for all citizens. Pure hypocracy IMO.

The US has some of the world's best doctors, hospitals, and medical technology, but what does it matter if so many people can't afford it?

I LOVE so many things about the US, but I agree - I would NEVER even consider immigrating here if I hadn't married an American. I might've become a snow-bird to spend my winters in a warm state, but that's it. And my American husband would GLADLY spend the rest of his life in Canada if it was a much warmer climate. My USC husband loves Canada more than I do, in fact.

I love my American family and friends too, but just get sick of the attitude that the US is the only country worth living in in the world. It's a great country, but not necessarily the greatest on earth. And I get so sick of the politics of FEAR down here.

OK, end of rant. But to answer the question, no, I don't think you have to "love" the US to be an immigrant here. You just have to be a good, honourable citizen who contributes positively to the community and country.

CONGRATS!!!

The only thing I absolutely HATE so far about life in the US is the complicated, discriminating, outrageously expensive health care! *Sigh* So I have applied for myself to be covered with immigrant insurance through Seven Corners; however, since our children are dual citizens, they can not receive that insurance. Yet, my husband's insurance (Blue Cross), will not insure them unless they have been residing in the US for at least 3 months. I guess it's the same as someone moving to Canada and not being eligible for provincial health care for 3 months (if that's true), but does anyone know of any companies that will offer a dual citizen insurance immediately? Thank you.

BCAA told me I'd have 30 days. I'm not there yet but it's always a concern. You can also try Allstate and Geico as they seem to be good with covering Canadian cars during the transition.

I'm wanting to sign up with USAA but when we spoke with them to get a bit more information, the agent wasn't able to tell us much and needed more time, something we didn't have when we called. So we'll call them again as we get closer. The big issue is the bridge timeframe. In other words do you have to have your new state DL and SSN before an American insurance company can insure your vehicle/s. It can take a month to get the SSN and DL once you cross.

Yeah, good point. I'm going tomorrow to hopefully get my California DL, but I don't expect my SSN for awhile. Hopefully since it is in my husband's name that he can at least get insurance on it and register it.

We decided just to pay off the rest of the car loan so there is no lean on it, but does anyone know where we get the certificate of Title or whatever it is called? The dealer said we wouldn't have one if it was a lease because the bank is essentially on the title too, then the bank said to ask the local registry. Gosh, as if I'm not easily confused as it is!

I can't answer all of this, however I can answer some.

Your Canadian insurance WILL NOT cover you if you have moved your residency to another country. You are only permitted 14 days to move your insurance to a company that is licensed to write in the US. If you have lived in the US for longer than 14 days, and you get into an accidend you will not be covered.

Insurance will cover you if you are travelling in the US, but not if your territory of residence has changed. So if you went for a 2 month road trip touring the country you would be fine, but not living/immigrating there.

I work for a National Canadian Insurer in claims, and although this isn't an everyday occurance there are many claims denied for exactly this reason.

Hope this helps!

The insurer will know as they are obligated by law to complete a leinholder search on every vehicle they insure, as leinholders are considered joint policyholders.

Thank you very much, that's helpful and good to know. So is it a standard the 14-day thing? I mean, there wouldn't be some companies who allow less than 14 days for a grace period? Do I have to call my insurance company to tell them or just wait until I get the insurance transferred and then, obviously, they will know our policy with them is being cancelled? Thanks again. I prefer if we don't have to pay it off before we get a US insurer, but at least there are only about 3 months left owing on it, so that's not a big deal.

Hoping some of you can help me understand the way this works... I have officially made my move to California (on IR-1) and my husband and I share a 2007 KIA vehicle that we had brought down here several months ago (when I was just visiting - so it wasn't "imported" and nothing was done at the border). The vehicle has 3 more payments (til July) and then it's paid off completely. Title is in both of our names, as is our current Canadian insurance. I feel like a fool for not thinking of this earlier, but I hope/pray that our current insurance will continue to cover us even though we are both US residents right now. But we want to get it insured and registered here ASAP.

My husband is taking it to get the smog check, etc. But stupid question, can we get it insured and registered here in California eve if it's not paid off (quite yet) and the loan is with a Canadian company? And how can it be registered and insured in both of our names if I don't have my SSN yet so I therefore can't get a US drivers liscense yet? I'm sooooo confused, but what's new!?! I know I should've thought of all this earlier!

Thank you, as always!

Oh my goodness, I feel terrible - here I was on this forum almost daily up until my interview and then when I get approved, I haven't been on at all. I sincerely apologize, I should've posted my review MUCH sooner. First and foremost, THANK YOU to everyone who has helped along this "journey" - Trailmix, Wyatt's Torch, and everyone else - so many of you were great at answering questions, I can't possibly list all of you! I think it's so honourable how many of you still come on here to help others even long after you have been approved and moved to the US.

Here's my review that I started in the airport on the way home, but never finished. I'd use packing and having a newborn (sleepless nights) as my excuse, but I know we're all busy. I'm just so glad it's finally my turn to write one, not just read them! And I might give Wyatt a run for his money because I tend to ramble!

5:30 a.m. alarm went off (couldn't fall asleep until about 3:30 a.m. though). Took the Metro from my hotel (near Barri-UQAM) to Station Place Des-Arts and had about a 5 min walk from there. I stayed at a cute little botique-like hotel (found on hotwire.com for $49/night) and although it wasn't walking distance from the consulate, it was close to everything else and absolutely perfect for what I needed for 4 nights (relatively clean, nice duvet, good pillows - I always bring my own pillowcase - flat screen TV, modern decor, the guy who worked there most of the time was very nice and helpful). I would definitely recommend it. IMO, the metro in Montreal is super easy, so it was no biggie that I had to take it to the consualte.

6:15 approx - arrived at the consulate. I didn't get a chance to scope it out first, and it was still relatively dark when I first got there, so I actually walked right past it a couple times. I was surprised about it's location - seems hidden in a back alley. I noticed the yellow posts though, and lined up on that side. I was shocked that I was the first one there (I'm not usually ways on time for things, let alone the first to arrive!), so I went to get a coffee and breakfast sandwich at the shop on the corner. Came back a few minutes later, and still nobody there. Prob about 6:30 or so, a girl walks up and gets in line behind me. She's from Montreal, there to get her K-1 visa so she could join her fiance in Nashville. She was super cool, so we chatted a bit and the time passed quickly. Then another guy came about 5 min after her. And not long after that Pauly and his wife showed up.

Pauly might be able to say when the doors opened - I didn't have a watch and wasn't really paying attention to the time.

The security guards opened the door and asked for my letter and passport. Went though security. I was pleasantly surprised that they did have a place to leave any belongings that weren't allowed inside - but I'm not sure if there are exceptions to what you can and can't leave. I only had a drink.

I went downstairs first and was soon joined by a few more (Montreal girl, Pauly, etc) and waited with the security guy called us to go up the elevator (A-E, I think) to go up the elevator. Totally stoked I had letter A!

Soon after arriving upstairs - you guys weren't kidding - what a beautiful view of the city! Too bad I was too nervous and focused on the interview to really care to enjoy it!

I was called to a window and the nice, blonde lady asked for my passport, Xpress Envelope, and then asked me to sign the DS-230. I told her there had been some changes to the DS-230 since I submitted it so we went through it and she circled the places I needed to change/add something (i.e. adding the birth of my son on Feb 1, and changing the answer to "yes" where it asks if you have ever been denied at the border because I was denied AFTER I had sent in that form to NVC). That was all no problem.

She took my finger prints and then told me to go sit down and wait to be called again. I thought she was supposed to take my medical too, so I asked her about that and she said something like "oh yeah, I would've had to call you back for that". She gave me back the DVD that Dr. Seiban's office put my chest x-ray on, and told me that I might want to have it to give to a doctor in the States.

Then it was sitting and waiting some more. I would say about 8:30 a.m. I was called to one of the rooms. Oh man, was I nervous!!! I have a heart arrythmia and was certain it would start racing like crazy, but I kept telling myself - this is not life or death, worst case scenario is that I'm denied and my husband will have to move back to Canada! And we both love Canada.

When I walked in the little room, I immediately thought the officer looked like Connan O'brian (s?). Anyone else have him? He was very nice - asked me to put my stuff on the chair, hang up my coat, etc. I was releived that he was so nice, but I still felt intimidated by him...for obvious reasons, but also because he had this look that he would be nice, but would't hesitate to pounce if he smelled something fishy.

I did feel like he grilled me more than I expected. It's kinda a blurr now, but I believe these are most of the questions he asked as he flipped through my stuff:

1. When did you meet?

2. Where did you meet?

3. What year did you get married? Then he looked at my marriage certificate and goes "Hmmm, that's interesting, I've never seen one like this before". The certificate he had (as submitted and approved by NVC) was THE original one I received from the marriage commissioner - with her original signature, so I didn't think it could get any better than that. But luckily, I had ordered another one from Vital Statistics. Ironically, after I ordered it, I was sorta kicking myself - thinking it was a waste of money, but it turned out to be a good thing to have. So I told him I had another one, he looked it over and was satisfied.

4. Where is your husband now? I told him he was back in Alberta with "my kids" and he goes "oh, they're not his kids?" and I corrected myself and said "I meant our kids"...he kinda smiled. No biggie.

5. How old are your kids? When I said 2 and 7 weeks, I was hoping he understood the sacrafice of leaving my newborn (mostly breastfed) son at home for 5 days! That was not easy, let me tell ya (but taking him would've been even more hard).

6. What do you do?

7. What does your husband do? He asked to see his school transcripts form last year (to prove domicile, I assume) and then something to prove that he had a job offer recently (just printed an email from a potenital employer who offered him a job). Wheh! We had lots of assets and a co-sponsor, but since we are both unemployed at the moment, I was most worried about that question! He was cool with it.

8. Have you ever been denied at the border? Yes. He was cool with that too.

Then he took my finger print again, slid a peice of paper under the window and said "I would like to welcome you to the United States of America". I said "thank you" and instantly got tears in my eyes. It's funny, he might've thought they were tears of pure joy to be moving to the United States, but I would've been just as happy living in Canada - they were tears of RELIEF that this long, tiring, stressful process is OVER (for now) and my little family - hubby and kids - can finally live together legally for the first time in almost 16 months. You all understand, I know!

He then explained that my passport would be sent back to me, etc. He told me that it would be activated the next time I went to the US, so he said to "make it count?" Anyone else have that??? What does he mean by that - "make it count????" My husband and daughter have already left for the US, and my newborn son and I will be flying down there on Tuesday (Alberta to California), then my parents will be driving our stuff across the border a few days later, so I hope that's "making it count". There is just no way I wanted to make the 26+ hour drive with a newborn and little kid. So I hope my parents have no problems with our stuff (we signed a letter designating them our "agent" temporarily).

So I think that's about it. I will add more if I think of it. Sorry for being so stupid, but how do I add it to my timeline? I couldn't see to find where to do that. Thanks again everyone for all your help!!! I hope I can come back on to offer help to others who are in the middle of the process too.

Now....I'm just paranoid about health insurance!!! I was so excited about the US passing the health care reform bill the weekend after my approval - it honestly felt like the perfect "Welcome To America Gift" because I have a pre-existing condition and we were worried about how much my insurance would be. I'm still going to miss our stress-free, hassle-free Canadian Health Care though!!! It's been nothing but amazing for me and my family.

Thanks again. Good luck to all of you!!!

Approved this morning!!!! Review to follow after I have a quick nap (couldn't sleep last night - got 2 hours tops - so fortunate to have a late check-out).

So great to meet the fabulous Pauly and his adorable wife (they were a couple people behind me), and the other ladies in line with us (met a super cool girl from Montreal applying for her K-1 to move to be with her fiance in Nashville - girl, if you read this, send me a private message because I'd love to stay in touch!)!!!

I was so stressed/nervous, and I did get asked a ton of questions and had to show more documents than I expected, but my review will come today or tomorrow for sure!

Can't wait to get home to my babies!!!!

I don't know if I'm the only one, but this process definitely tests even the best of marriages. As you know, it's long, tiring, and stressful with uncertainty and lots of time seperated from loved ones. There are certainly a LOT worse things that a couple can go through, but I would never want to go through this again.

Does anyone have any legitimate suggestions on home-based job opportunities? I don't want to have to invest any money (there are a lot of scams out there that require an initial investment), but I'm also not looking to make tons of money (about $500 - $800 extra per month). Thanks!

I already sent a PM to someone about this, but I'm getting more worried by the second. My interview is on Thursday. After we submitted the final forms to NVC and received our interview notice, I had a baby (Feb 1). Before I came to Montreal, I printed off a new DS-230 but the reason I did that was to indicate that I had been denied entry to the US a the border (which also happened after we submitted the final forms to NVC). I did add my new son's name to that document as well; however, I did NOT print off a new/updated I-864 form for the interview!!!

And I'm now freaking out that I will be asked for it b/c obviously my husband's house-hold size has changed (plus one)! We have a co-sponsor (because my husband was a student at the time of application and is still looking for work), so I know that my new baby does not affect my co-sponsor's house-hold size. But it does affect the I-864 that my husband filled out.

I don't know what to do - I can prob fill out a new one, print it off at the hotel, fax it to my husband, get him to sign it, and fax it back, but that's just about the best I can do. I can't do the same for my co-sponsor as she's not available right now.

Oh man, I hope this isn't going to be an issue. I hope I can just get by on the forms I submitted to NVC (that include all the supporting documents, which I also don't have). I feel so nervous and unprepared. Ugh. Thanks in advance for the help/advice!

Thank you! I got to Montreal today - staying at a super cute hotel. Medical tomorrow! Interview Thursday! Man, I'm nervous...I keep thinking of things they could deny me on, but I can't imagine what requirements I don't satisfy. Hubby is still searching for work, but he's had verbal offers and I have a good co-sponsor anyhow. But I do worry that they will ask me what he does, and when I say he graduated in Dec and has yet to find a job, they might not like that. Sigh. Hubby has been clearly living in the US for over a year now, with lease agreements, etc. to prove his domicile. Our kids have been approved for their US citizenship and their passports should be in the mail. I was denied at POE back in October, but I don't think that matters. Ugh. I'm just a worry wart!!!! I have no desire to even explore Montreal because I just want to get this over with!

I know, I know, I should be thinking POSITIVE!!!!

Good luck to everyone else! Pauly, I will hopefully see you there!

This list is helpful for me too. Thanks Bern! I'm heading to Montreal tomorrow - medical on Mon, interview on Thurs! SOOOO nervous!!!

I have a couple questions - is it OK to have US style passports for your medical? I just assumed that's what they would want, so I have 5 2x2 photos...3 for the medical (Dr. Seiban) and 2 for the interview. I hope that's OK - too late for me to change them!

And....is it a good idea to dress up for the interview? Like wear business casual or anything? I don't really have anything like that right now, so I'm hoping my lululemon clothes and a hoodie is OK (and running shoes!) or is that not a good idea? Obviously they wouldn't deny someone based on their clothes, I wouldn't think, but just checking! I think Wyatt's Torch said he was very well dressed.

YAAAY!!! Congrats to you guys!!! Is your review up yet? Looking forward to it!

Thanks guys! I will book it for 5:30 p.m. or later.

Quick question - how long does the interview typically take? If mine is at 8 a.m., would I likely be out of there by noon at the latest? I was just trying to figure out if it's reasonable for me to catch a 2:30 p.m. flight home on the day of my interview.

If you guys are married the paternity test isnt necessary. Me and Amanda waited to get married for the fiance visa so they required proof that he was mine. If your married you will need to bring your marriage license. As far as your situation with domicile i would just show what you have in the states. I also didnt think financial support would be an issue but i had 7 years worth of w2's, I have only been out of college for 5 years, and the officer actually questioned and gave me a hard time because 6 years ago my gross income was only 15k for the year. I was completely shocked about that but they did want evidence of support. Keep in mind this was our experience, from reading threads on this site, it doesnt seem that there are too many set things to bring, it all depends on the officer you get. thats why you have to bring EVERYTHING. Good luck with everything and congrats on your new baby boy.

Thank you. We'll be totally screwed if they ask for proof of support because my husband has been a student the past year, and as a result we needed a co-sponsor for my immigrant VISA (which was approved at the NVC stage, at least). Ugh. I can't believe how complicated everything has to be....and the rules seem to change on a whim!

Oh! One other question, but did you provide your Canadian Immigration Record, which shows your original date of entry into Canada? I see that's #9 on the list of what they require, and I hope a copy of my husband's work permit will be sufficient.

i wouldnt worry too much, it only took us 2 weeks to get our sons CRBA, now getting the appt. is another thing, but we booked our appt. about 2 weeks before just for traveling arrangements. we didnt have to have anything for his SSN, matter of fact we didnt apply for that until about 4 months after we got the CRBA. It all went very smoothly for us, only problem we had was waiting cuz we got there two hours b4 they opened. Only things we needed to bring was myself, my birth cert., paternity tests, passport, proof of domicile and last 5 years worth of w2's for evidence of support, 150 US dollars, and of course all the requested documents for our son.

.... I just checked Torontos consulate and they have appt. openings on the 26th of this month so you shouldnt have to wait too long for an appt date ( not sure what consulate you are using tho )

ChrisNmanda - you needed to have paternity tests? Oh goodness, we certainly don't have that, but isn't his name on the birth cert/reg of live birth enough?

And what if my husband has lived in Canada for 10 years up until last year? We can provide his high school and college transcripts, to show that he was indeed domicile, but we don't have W2s.

Also, you have to provide proof of evidence of financial support for the CRBA? I didn't think that was necessary.

Yikes.

I think the OP is in Calgary, not sure how busy that consulate is, but I just PM'd her everything she is going to need, and sent a link to the site that she can book appt's on. There is time for her to do it.

And yes trailmix, I thought holding my visa hostage is a bit too much as well, but ultimately I suppose its my fault. I should have done it a long time ago, Amelia is 2 and a half years old after all...

Hope all goes well though!! I have the evidence they asked for and MOUNDS more gonna let them sort though it all.

Have a good night all!

Thank you so much! I will go read your message now.

I'm freaking out! I haven't been on here in awhile b/c I had my 2nd baby 3 weeks ago (a boy!) and my husband is currently in the US with our daughter. My interview in Montreal is March 18. We don't have the kids' consular report of birth abroad (CRBA) certificates yet, and we were planning to get those after my interview. I had read on here that I didn't need to have my children's CRBA to show in order to get my immigrant VISA, but now I read a thread that made it sound like I do!??!??! But I don't know if it's even possible to get it done before March 18! Help!

You are both adults and knew the possibility of her becoming pregnant and should have thought this over prior to canceling health insurance. Now you want all of us tax payers to provide you with free medical coverage. You never considered birth control??

It is like this "If you want to play....You have to pay"!

It amazes me how some Americans like yourself have no problem with tax payers helping to set a guilty man free ("if you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you"), but you have such a problem with tax payers helping provide medical coverage for a person in need.

That's the only thing I dread about moving to the US - the "every man/woman/child for him/herself" attitude so many people exhibit. And the misguided belief that it's better to have the greedy profit-driven insurance companies dictate what health care you can receive, rather than a privately delivered /publicly funded system that Canada and most industrialized nations have (in which health care decisions are between the patient and the doctor, not the patient, the doctor, and the insurance company...or the patient, the doctor and the gov't like so many Americans mistakingly believe it is in Canada). I will greatly miss our Canadian values in that sense (that we consider quality health care a "right" for every person not a "privilege" for those who can afford it), but thankfully there are still many Americans who share those values.

Oh! Question #3.

It totally sucks for us Prairie People to have to travel for the medical and interview.... So if I go to Montreal early to get my medical done there, how much time should I allow (how many days before interview)? Do they give you the results back (and sealed envelope) the next day?

I have all my vaccinations, so I don't forsee any problems, and I don't want to be there any longer than I have to (esp with a new born baby at home). Just trying to figure out if it is quicker and cheaper to go to Vancouver for the medical and then Montreal for the interview or Montreal for both.

So if I flew to Montreal on March 15, had my Medical booked for March 16, then get the results on March 17, and my interview is March 18.....is that cutting it too close or is it realistic?

And is there any point in staying in Montreal for a day or so after the interview? From my understanding, if you are approved at the interview, they either issue the VISA on the spot, or ask you to come back in a day or two, or mail it to you....

Thank the Lord for this website!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, that's strange about the police certificate. You and I both did Electronic Processing which means that, in theory, we're supposed to bring the originals of EVERYthing to the interview. Yet on my letter too, it seems to indicate that it's not necessary.

Oh well. I'm bringing one anyhow. In fact, I think I'll bring both copies I received...because why not?

I didn't do EP, and my letter says mine was accepted too, but then it sounds like they want you to bring ALL originals anyhow. So basically, I have to go request a police certificate again since I already sent in my original, I guess, hey?

Great idea for this thread! I have a couple questions so far:

#1. For the I-864 affadavit of support....do they usually ask to see another copy of that? I have a copy of my husband's returns, etc. but I totally forgot to make photocopies of all the stuff our co-sponsor gave us to send in (which was accepted by NVC)...and I really don't want to bug her to get me all the same info AGAIN if it's unlikely they will ask for any of it.

#2. My husband was a student when we applied and he might be enrolling again in school or else he will be offered a job. It's totally up in the air, but that's why we got a co-sponsor. So if he enrolls again, then I just need to show that and prove his domicile. And if he gets a job offer, then I just have to show a letter of the intent to hire him. I obviously won't have any pay-stubs, etc. but that should be OK if - like I said - we applied based on needing a co-sponsor anyhow.

Sorry....my questions are always confusing!

Does anyone know if showing that you have children together (their birth certificates) is adequate proof of a real marriage too? I'll bring pics too, but just tought that would be a good sign that our marriage is legit.

Oh! And is there a checklist somewhere here on VJ that shows all the things to take to the interview (mandatory and recommended) in addition to what is listed on the gov't website?

Congrats Blitz!!

Thank you again for all your help, Trailmix (and the other VJers of course).

Haha.

I'm hoping my wife can make it up for mine. She has a fairly significant position in the Opera though, and their season starts in March, which makes it nearly impossible for her to get the time off... But she's going to try anyhow. Having her there would be wonderful...though she'd be kinda like your hubby, given that she doesn't know much about all the things I filed etc. I swear, ALL the relationships on VJ (okay, maybe not ScooterMac / Spoom and Peachey / Varba) had ONE person doing most of the filing stuff and the other just giving moral support.

Same here. My husband has very little clue about this process.....used to really tick me off, but I am a bit of a control freak anyhow, so maybe it's best he just let me take the lead.

MEEEEEEE TOOOO!!!!!

March 18th!!!!