Veronik

Hi there!
I’m doing OK! It’s been challenging at times, but overall pretty smooth. Honestly, getting used to the cost of things and sales taxes has been the hardest, lol! Jokes aside, it’s good to be home! 🇨🇦

Thanks for sharing! I’ll see if there’s a TD Bank close by! 👍

Just wanted to let you all know that USCIS emailed me confirmation that they received my form and green card. The emailed had an attachment which was my form signed by an officer. So that’s all taken care of!
 
As for the Tim Hortons conversation, 😄, I agree that there’s nothing like the real deal. Their products are good, but just don’t compare.

Hi there!
I’m doing OK! It’s been challenging at times, but overall pretty smooth. Honestly, getting used to the cost of things and sales taxes has been the hardest, lol! Jokes aside, it’s good to be home! 🇨🇦

I wanted to post an update for anyone that may be going through the same now or at some point. I made it back home to Canada last Sunday after two long driving days. I`m happy to be back here, though would rather not be doing so from scratch. Oh well!
I ended up not bringing my dog, but did come with my three cats. Here are some things I learned along the way of this journey, in case it comes in handy for anyone:
- I tried to get rid of any financial accounts or debts with my name on it. Note that for the checking accounts I had with my ex-husband in the US, only one of the joint owners was required to close the account at the bank.
- La Quinta Inn & Suites is one of the only hotel chains that allows cats. They also do not charge anything for pets. Lots of hotels allowed dogs, but I found almost none that allowed cats.
- Border crossing with the three cats was easy for me. The agent did not look at the animals or the papers I had brought for them (paws-port, etc). I asked for him to stamp my passport in case I need proof of entry for anything.
- I contacted Services Canada to enquired about my SIN and it was not dormant and good to go for work
- For Quebec residents, I contacted the SAAQ and got an ppointment to transfer my license over (6 weeks away), and called to get my health insurance card process on the way (will be elligible in May). Side note; my driver`s license will be under my married name until divorce, but health card will remain under my maiden`s name. Don`t waste your time going to a CLSC to get a health card; you have to call to get the process under way.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice and I hope this comes in handy for anyone.

I wanted to post an update for anyone that may be going through the same now or at some point. I made it back home to Canada last Sunday after two long driving days. I`m happy to be back here, though would rather not be doing so from scratch. Oh well!
I ended up not bringing my dog, but did come with my three cats. Here are some things I learned along the way of this journey, in case it comes in handy for anyone:
- I tried to get rid of any financial accounts or debts with my name on it. Note that for the checking accounts I had with my ex-husband in the US, only one of the joint owners was required to close the account at the bank.
- La Quinta Inn & Suites is one of the only hotel chains that allows cats. They also do not charge anything for pets. Lots of hotels allowed dogs, but I found almost none that allowed cats.
- Border crossing with the three cats was easy for me. The agent did not look at the animals or the papers I had brought for them (paws-port, etc). I asked for him to stamp my passport in case I need proof of entry for anything.
- I contacted Services Canada to enquired about my SIN and it was not dormant and good to go for work
- For Quebec residents, I contacted the SAAQ and got an ppointment to transfer my license over (6 weeks away), and called to get my health insurance card process on the way (will be elligible in May). Side note; my driver`s license will be under my married name until divorce, but health card will remain under my maiden`s name. Don`t waste your time going to a CLSC to get a health card; you have to call to get the process under way.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice and I hope this comes in handy for anyone.

I wanted to post an update for anyone that may be going through the same now or at some point. I made it back home to Canada last Sunday after two long driving days. I`m happy to be back here, though would rather not be doing so from scratch. Oh well!
I ended up not bringing my dog, but did come with my three cats. Here are some things I learned along the way of this journey, in case it comes in handy for anyone:
- I tried to get rid of any financial accounts or debts with my name on it. Note that for the checking accounts I had with my ex-husband in the US, only one of the joint owners was required to close the account at the bank.
- La Quinta Inn & Suites is one of the only hotel chains that allows cats. They also do not charge anything for pets. Lots of hotels allowed dogs, but I found almost none that allowed cats.
- Border crossing with the three cats was easy for me. The agent did not look at the animals or the papers I had brought for them (paws-port, etc). I asked for him to stamp my passport in case I need proof of entry for anything.
- I contacted Services Canada to enquired about my SIN and it was not dormant and good to go for work
- For Quebec residents, I contacted the SAAQ and got an ppointment to transfer my license over (6 weeks away), and called to get my health insurance card process on the way (will be elligible in May). Side note; my driver`s license will be under my married name until divorce, but health card will remain under my maiden`s name. Don`t waste your time going to a CLSC to get a health card; you have to call to get the process under way.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice and I hope this comes in handy for anyone.

Hi everyone,
I just thought I'd post a review of our recent interview in Norflok, Va. for those of you who might have to go through this office for your green card!
From reading reviews of the office, you can notice that several people did not hear the magic "you are approved" but were told instead that they would hear from USCIS soon. I guess some office or IO are different in regards to how they deal with petitioners! Anyways, here's how it went.
We arrived an hour before our appointment. The office was busier than I thought it would be. We first went through a small security check point, had to leave all electronics in the car. Then we went and sat down to wait. We were called at around 9:15 (our appointment was at 9:00). The blond lady that interviewed us was not overly friendly, but very nice. We were told to stand, she swore us in, and then she asked me the questions on the forms (terrorists, prostitute, etc...) This was the only time in the whole interview that her gaze was definitely fixed on me and you could tell she was being the professional that she is! She then confirmed some information with me and Chris (birthday, place of birth, work, adress). She asked to see our evidence next, she looked at it very briefly (bank statements from our joint account, tax transcript from 2010 showing we had file jointly, a letter from the 401K stating me as the beneficiary, a letter from the vet showing we both owned our dog, cards we received with both our names on it, our reception invitation). I gave her a scrapbook of pictures from the time we started dating up to now, maybe 25 photos total. She could not have looked at them quicker! She asked us how we met while looking at the picture, she laughed with us at some comments we made. And then she explained that in two years minus 90 days I would have to apply to remove the conditions of the green card. After that I thought I would hear the "you are approved", but she said that she had seen everything she needed to see and that we would hear from her if she needed further information or anything. We were out by 9:30am.
When we got home soon before noon, I checked my e-mails, and there it was! An e-mail from USCIS that the card production had been ordered. Overall it went very well, I was very nervous but I am happy with the results (obviously). I thought I this interview was a little more stressful than the K-1, maybe because we did not get a definite answer when we were done.
Hope this helps! I'm very glad it's all over for the next two years for us! And good luck to anyone going through the Norfolk office!

Card production ordered 06-21! Woohoo!

Wow, congrats everyone! I can't believe how many approvals we're getting so far this month, this is such great news and gives hope to all of us still waiting!!!

Thanks guys! Well we are putting it together and will hopefully have it sent out by the end of the week. Can't wait for this to be done.

Usually takes a week or two, but for some people it's taking a little longer depending where there service area will be for biometrics. Some of the service centers are overly booked so they might just be waiting to book more appointments. I noticed that the Philadelphia area is taking longer then most. If it doesn't arrive within 2-3 weeks I would call USCIS and ask why you haven't gotten a appointment date yet, they will probably put in a service request for you to get a appointment date.

One of me and my husband's (who is the Kiwi) favorite trips we flew from Auckland to Christchurch and relocated an RV from Christchurch to Auckland in 5 days.
I concur with the South Island tip. Its amazing. Queenstown is a MUST. Fly down to Christchurch, drive to Queenstown with a stop at the magnificent Lake Tekapo. Over to Dunedin and back up seeing the Blue Penguins and stone buildings in Oamaru.
If you could push it past 10 days, it would be ideal. My mother came over for two weeks and it just felt like we were rushed in everything!
If you want some budgeting ideas, we used transfercar.co.nz a LOT. Also grabaseat.co.nz for flight deals.

When my husband and I are planning a trip to a new country, we start by researching exactly what experiences we want to have, and then organizing the logistics to get to these experiences. Maybe start there? Start by figure what you think would be the most amazing things to do and then narrow down your options.
New Zealand is absolutely stunning, so if you go with an open mind and a sense of adventure, you won't be disappointed.
Good luck and have fun!

With all due respect, it really depends on what you want to see and do! Unlike the above poster, I would go for the South Island if you were to pick one or the other, but as a native kiwi I would say you could do both islands in one trip if you chose what you wanted to see and use your time wisely! (NZ is beautiful to do by road, but you could see everything you would want to see in one trip if you do some air travel)
Mountains and natural beauty landscapes? South Island.
Cities? hot springs? North Island.
Cities, hot springs, mountains, beaches? Both! (And you can fly from Auckland to Christchurch in 1 hour 20 minutes - NZ is not a difficult place to get around and a flight on the best carrier is usually around $69 from AU > CHC).
March would be a better choice than October in my opinion, October can still be very winterish whereas March is the tail end of summer and generally more reliable weather.
Some ideas:
Day 1 - Fly into Auckland, get on the road and head to the Coromandel, stay for a day around there for the beautiful beaches and scenery. You could kayak here!
Day 3 - Back to Auckland, fly to Wellington (~$49 each) Spend a day exploring the eclectic city, have a yummy soy chai at a cafe, check out Te Papa for the national museum!
Day 5- Take the ferry from Wellington to Picton. Hire a car. Drive to Nelson. Spend a day exploring the beaches and town around the top of the South Island.
Day 7- Drive down to Christchurch stopping through the alps towns or the vineyards.
Day 8 - Explore Christchurch, either hop in car or on a plane and head south to Queenstown. Spend a few days exploring Southland (Queenstown, Franz Josef, Wanaka). This area is where you would want to be for hiking, kayaking etc. - all that you mentioned. So if you only want to go to one area then head straight to Southland.
Day 10 - fly back to Auckland for your flight home (~$79)
This is just an idea and are the highlights that I would say NZ has and what I love about NZ and what I would want my husband to see when we visit again next year!

Mine only took about two weeks from the time they got it, I sent mine UPS Standard, but USPS would work just as good too:)I only sent mine UPS because the office is open later. Just so you know you don't need to send in your Canadian passport with ROC, just a copy of front and back of green card, but it would be a good idea to get your passport done before your greencard expires so you have two forms of id that is valid.

I sent mine almost a month late, and it wasn't a problem for me either. You'll be fine!

I have sent it in past the 10 days a few times and I am still here... lol

Sorry but DS 160 is required for K-1 visas. The OP is interviewing for a K-1 visa. They need the confirmation page.

You are light years away from being even able to apply for naturalization as a US citizen. Without being a US citizen, you cannot renounce your Canadian citizenship as renouncing your Canadian citizenship before being having another one would prevent you from being deported to your home country as you wouldn't have a home country anymore.
But even if you have another citizenship than you Canadian one, you would be in a very small circle of people if you would renounce your Canadian citizenship. Almost all of them had their entire brain removed when doing that, as there is no logical reason to do that. Even if your annual income is in the 8 figures, meaning you make over $10,000,000 per year, you would still need a certain degree of mental retardation in order to renounce your Canadian citizenship.

Go on the Canada forum, there's a bunch of people that seem to be having the same issue with DHL... They'll be able to help...

I've been looking for 6 months and counting, and not much has happened... I would start looking right now for jobs in his field. If I could change one thing in my visa process it would be to have started looking for work even before moving...
Just a thought!

Hi Va-Bound! Welcome!
I'm in VA too, so if you have any questions VA -specific, feel free to ask!
As to your question, well, this is just my opinion and feel free to disregard it! Since you seem new on the site, let me tell you one thing us canadian dealing with the consulate in Montreal have learned the hard way: the consulate is VERY slow handling pretty much anything... If this was me, I would try to reschedule the wedding before rescheduling the interview, because you might have to wait a couple months (if not more) before getting another interview date. I don't know if much has changed since last year with Montreal, but most of us had a wonderful 4-6 months wait before their interview...
Do what you think is right, but expect delays if you decide to reschedule your interview... Good luck either way!

Hi Va-Bound! Welcome!
I'm in VA too, so if you have any questions VA -specific, feel free to ask!
As to your question, well, this is just my opinion and feel free to disregard it! Since you seem new on the site, let me tell you one thing us canadian dealing with the consulate in Montreal have learned the hard way: the consulate is VERY slow handling pretty much anything... If this was me, I would try to reschedule the wedding before rescheduling the interview, because you might have to wait a couple months (if not more) before getting another interview date. I don't know if much has changed since last year with Montreal, but most of us had a wonderful 4-6 months wait before their interview...
Do what you think is right, but expect delays if you decide to reschedule your interview... Good luck either way!