Rose416

I am starting to think about applying for my California Drivers License and have read several personal stories from VJ members. I am a little confused about 'deadlines'. The DMV site says I have 10 days to apply after receiving California residency. Does this mean that I should wait until I receive my temporary green card before I apply?

Or is my I-94 enough? It is expiring in a few days.

Thank you for your help!

Hey guys, thanks for the encouragement, but I'm not getting my hopes up... Star_shine who's from NC had to get her congressman involved to get a letter, after having waited two months... It makes me nervous because we're somewhat close, and I hope it's not a trend in the southern offices... But there's not much I can do at this point!

Congrats Rose416! Another step completed! How did your cookout/party go?

Oh, and thanks nickbits for the info about 'touches', I just now saw it!

It was great! Thanks for asking. The weather turned out to be sunny and warm. We had a little rain in the evening, but by that point we were all so hot from dancing, it was really refreshing.

How was your party?

I hope you get your letter soooon! I don't think you should start worrying just yet. I was freaking out about my SSN card taking so long, and just when I started to panic, it arrived in the mail (:

I got the letter for my biometrics appointment in the mail soon after I received my NOA.

I am sure yours is coming Vero. The appointment itself is so easy. Took me less than 10 minutes to get everything done. Now I am on to the next step: opening up a bank account!!!!

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to check in, I haven't been able to spend to much time on the puter lately. We have been having some rough and happy times at the same time. Our aunt had passed away unexpectedly last week..She will be deeply missed, in the mist of it all my Shower was planned to happen this passed weekend and we continued on with it because that's what our aunt would want. My mom showed up and surprised me at my bridal shower. I was shocked! It was planned for 2 months, I had no clue at all..It was a very nice surprise in the mist of everything else that has been happening. Our aunts memorial is going to be on Friday. Still have some planning to do for the wedding, which is right around the corner. We are very excited, but wish our aunt could be here to celebrate it with us at the same time.

I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well and are enjoying your new lives with your loved ones!

Can't wait to start my AOS process with ya'll.. I might need some help with it when the time comes. I haven't really had any time to even go through it yet. I did recieve my SSN in the mail last week tho. I didn't have no problemos!

Love,Peace & Chicken Grease, heh

J & J

I am sorry for your loss J&J.

I know what that mix of emotions feels like. A month ago Clay's grandfather passed away and was put to rest the day after my bridal shower. That night and into the day of his funeral, Clay's cousin went into labour and gave birth to a baby boy. What a roller-coaster! My lesson learned was how important family is, both old and new.

Vero, I'm happy your celebration was a hit! We'll be having our BBQ this Saturday. My mom, sister and best friend are flying out to support me. I am soo excited. Just praying for sunshine in Fresno (:

Other than that I am STILL waiting for my SSN to be sent in the mail. I am trying not to stress...

HI Vero,

I got my NOA1 in the mail October 8 and my biometrics appointment letter arrived yesterday. I am scheduled for October 28th. If you'd like to add that to your list.

Thanks a bunch!

I got 3 NOAs. One for AOS, AP and EAD. It feels good even though I know I still have a long time to wait...

Hi Rose416! Good to hear from you!!! What are you up to lately? Are you volunteering like you wanted to? I've added your date!

User .......... AOS sent .... NOA1 ....... Bio. App ... AP/NOA? .... AP - Result ... EAD NOA? ... EAD Result ... AOS Result

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mandaNchris ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

Rose416 ....... 09/25/10 ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

Vero and Chris. 10/06/10 ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

J & J ......... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

Wishing ....... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

Alaba ......... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

Valerie78 ..... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

nickbits ...... 09/16/10 ... 09/24/10 ... 10/28/10 ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

Brenda2010 .... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

Tater&####### .. xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx ... xx/xx/xx.... -----------.... xx/xx/xx ... ---------- ...-----------

My husband and I adopted a rescue puppy last week, so my days are busy. She's a 4 month-old rott/hound mix and is so much fun.

We're having our reception/BBQ on October 23rd. My Mom, sister and best friend are flying out to support me. As much as I look forward to receiving my EAD, I really am enjoying being a 'lady of leisure'. (: Now all I need to do is train my pup to let me sleep in (:

Have a great time at your reception! Is any of your family from Canada going?

Hi Vero,

Congrats on sending off your AOS.

I sent mine on September 25 and just received my e-notification. I'll let you know when I get my actual NOA1.

Thanks for making the list again! It's so fun to follow our progress.

I put my AOS, EAD and AP in separate manila envelopes and paper clipped certain documents together. I put my passport pics in pairs, in ziplock bags and stapled each bag on to a piece of paper.

I had a checklist stapled to my first, AOS, manila envelope and put the other two behind, with all of the documents in order of the checklist.

Good luck!

Hi August Crew,

After being in California for nearly 6 weeks, I have finally sent off my AOS package.

What a relief!

I haven't received my SIN yet. I applied with my married name and was told I have to wait 4 weeks for them to do a background check. I guess I wasn't in their records yet. Oh well..I am trying not to stress about it.

Now that the AOS is done, I can breathe for the time being. VJ's guide is super useful for tips. I found that making a checklist and including it in my package was helpful. I almost forgot to include something on my way to FedEx. I triple checked before I actually sealed the envelope.

Also, you need 6 passport pics. At first, I thought it was only 2, but you need 2 for AOS, 2 for EAD and 2 for AP. I went to COSTCO to get mine for about $12.

Good luck everybody!

Hello,

I have been in California for nearly one month now and am without health insurance. My husband works for a non-profit and has great benefits. Unfortunately, we would have to pay high fees to have me included in the coverage, being that it is a charity.

I am looking for emergency coverage from now until I get a job (hopefully soon!) On-line research into Emergency Medicaid (Medi-Cal, in California), has left me very confused. I am young, and healthy, so my only real concern is being covered in case of a medical emergency.

If anyone can offer any advice or personal experiences with emergency Medi-Cal I would be so grateful! Or if anyone has any knowledge of private insurance companies offering temporary coverage to new immigrants, feel free to post!

Hey guys I've always done these changes of address online (as I hate having to make 50 calls to change addresses everywhere)

So for government stuff (CRA) if you get an EPASS you can change all your info online. Although I've only used this so far for moves within Canada so I may end up having to call them this time. I'm aiming at calling them this week exactly to stop any GST/HST credits!

Here are the options on the CRA website:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/newaddress/

Last time I changed OHIP I went to the local office. But you can also do it at Service Ontario website.

Hope this helps:)

Hey guys,

I just got off the phone with Ontario Sales Tax Credit. I was told I need to send a photocopy of my Passport K1 entry visa and one of my marriage certificate for their official record. When I originally phoned last month to cancel my GST/HST credit, it was a smooth transaction and not much was requested. Has anyone encountered this before?

I had a little panic attack too, but the AOS process really isn't that bad. At first, it does seem like K1 all over again, but the paperwork isn't nearly as complicated and by now we are total pros at all of this!

My husband keeps reminding me to sit down and reflect on how far we've come. At least now we are with our partners, enjoying our new homes.

Have a wonderful wedding! I was really emotional at my civil ceremony. Beforehand, I referred to it as a 'formality', but on that day I really felt like a bride marrying the love of my life.

Hello Canucks,

My husband and I are putting together a free all day music festival to benefit the St. Joseph Center (www.stjosephctr.org)

VENICESTOCK 2010

Sunday, September 12, 2010

12pm-8pm

Windward Plaza, Venice Beach, California

We are in between the boardwalk and the beach and are expecting BIG crowds.

Check us out! If you're in need of a good time, bring your picnic blanket and sunscreen and come have some fun!

www.venicestock2010.com

Hello,

My husband and I are putting together a free, all-day music festival on Sunday September 12, to benefit the St. Joseph Center here in Venice, California. www.stjosephctr.org

The St. Joseph Center is an excellent organization which helps to rehabilitate low-income and homeless families.

Any Visajourney members living in Southern California are encouraged to come! We are expecting big crowds, bright sun, picnics on the beach and really REALLY good music.

Check us out - www.venicestock2010.com

Stress? What's that?

My fiance took one look at my face when he came home from work and said, 'oh no, here we go again.' The AOS is going to take longer to prepare than I had anticipated. Oh well, just another obstacle to cross. I want to cross it with you guys! YAY August interviewees!

When we get our Permanent Residency we can REALLY celebrate!!

I'm coming up to my 2 week anniversary of POE and have been enjoying this time with my fiance and planning our civil ceremony (this Friday!!)

Last week we applied for our marriage license and scheduled our ceremony. I'm starting to think about applying for my SSN. I think this is the first step. Without it, depending on the state, you can't get your driver's license or open up a bank account.

The only thing is, I have to apply for it in my maiden name first (because you have to apply with at least 60 days left on your I-94) , and then go into the office once I have my marriage certificate and apply for a name-change. Craziness. Anyway, it's different with every state, so don't fret.

I've also started volunteering. It's a great way to give back to the community, keep busy and make new friends. On my days off, I've been experimenting with new recipes. It can be hard not working, but at the same time, it's nice to have this opportunity to settle and establish roots.

Good luck to you all with your POE and welcome home!

Thank you for your advice (:

Unfortunately, LA County takes longer to process marriage certificates. "Expedited" takes 10-15 days, while the normal delivery time is around 5 weeks! Crazy! I don't think I can pick it up from the office either.

I think I'll go into my local SSN office after my 2 week anniversary of my POE and apply with my maiden name. When my certificate arrives, I'll do a name change. YAY paperwork!!!

Hello,

I am in the first stage of putting together my AOS package and would like to apply for my SSN.

I have read and re-read specific forums on here and am getting a little confused.

My concerns are with getting a SSN with my new name on it. I am assuming that I need my marriage certificate to show proof of my new legal name, but in LA county it takes 10-15 days to receive it. By then, I will have less than 60 days remaining on my I-94.

Should I just apply for my SSN now and change my name later?

Thank you!!!

I don't know what I would do without VisaJourney

mandaNchris,

Has anyone started looking at the AOS stuff? Do you guys think we should start a topic to keep track and help each other with that part too?

Good idea Vero. I have just started looking into AOS and the list of required documents is really intimidating. It's like applying for the K1 all over again! I am going to start working on it this week. Unfortunately, in LA county it takes extra long to receive our marriage certificate, so I should have a couple of extra weeks to put together the package. I'll let you know how it goes.

Congrats again to all of the approved!!!! I am so happy for every single one of you. It's amazing how far we have all come!

YAY! More great news from Montreal!! Congratulations guys and gals! I am celebrating with you today

Clay and I are going to pick up our marriage license this afternoon!!!!!!! I am so happy

I only mailed the confirmation page with Package 3 and brought a copy with me to the interview. They asked if I had the entire form printed out but it didn't seem to matter that I didn't. If you want to fill out the form again just print out that along with the new confirmation page/barcode and bring that with you.

My POE was so easy! Toronto Pearson didn't seem busy today (?!?!). I was the only one waiting in secondary. The officer was very friendly and joked about Montreal being so slow. He didn't even look through my bags or the list of items I had printed out.

I have loads of time to kill now and am anxiously awaiting my flight.

Best of luck to all of the rest of you August interviewees! All of this waiting is so worth it!

Like my fiance said to me the other day, "we've already hit the home run, now we're just going over the bases. Maybe we'll trip a little, but we'll make it to the plate soon enough."

I finally got my K1 visa and POE envelope in the mail today, 9 days after my interview.

I foolishly booked my flight before receiving my visa, but it all worked out. I am leaving for the airport at noon and just got my visa at 11:30 this morning!

WOW! Talk about stress!!! It all worked out though! My bags are packed and I am sooo ready to go!

I'll write a review of my POE at Toronto Pearson when I am safe and sound in California. I can't believe I get to see my fiance tonight

Congratulations!! Time to celebrate :dance:

Ha ha Vero, I almost started crying when I saw your post. So mean...

Seriously though, congrats on your approval! I think I had the same guy interview me. He was very friendly.

Have fun packing and getting ready for the big move!!

They didn't ask me for my x-ray. Apparently I'm not the only one. Why does the civil surgeon insist on us bringing it then? It's so awkward to carry!

I'd bring it with you just in case though. I'd hate for them to suddenly start asking for them, and then you'd be stuck. Maybe you could roll it up with a couple of elastics?

I threw mine out as soon as the interview was over. (:

Good luck with your interviews!!! I can't wait to hear the news at the end of the week!!