SupportGeek

Hi...

So J&J and I had our interview on the same day, and she got a hit on her enveloppe while checking the Canada Post website... I haven`t got anything yet... When is it 'normal' to start worrying about Montreal having lost, forgotten, used as fire starter my enveloppe with my visa?

And can DOS inform you of anything? Like when it was shipped and such?

I was more impatient than worried, they didnt put mine in the mail until 1 day shy of the full 2 weeks after the interview for me.

Montreal is slow, remember that, slow and inconsistant at EVERYTHING. People that had their interviews the day before me, had their envelopes in the mail that evening.

Get mad after 2 weeks, you were approved, they arent going to change their minds or something.

My turn to call tomorrow! Fingers crossed!

Honestly, in the last several batches, they have released them only on fridays, shich sorta sucks because some people miss the call and then end up wondering all weekend if they got a date with others or not (Happened to both myself and Vero lol)

So its going to be a lot of "no news" for those calling any other day I think.

Gratz Vero!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! I've packed everything and realized we had a LOT more than I thought, but it's okay, because I have pretty detailed lists of what's in the boxes, along with serial numbers if I could find them. I'm just curious as to who I give the list to - the guy at the booth or the guy we talk to inside? EEEK. Kinda nervous but strangely relaxed at the same time!

There is about a 99.9% chance you wont be asked for a list, and if offered, they may refuse to look at it.

I waited for them to ask, no one did. I think they might look at the vehicle contents quickly while you are in secondary as they tell you to leave it unlocked, if they have questions at that point, you will get asked.

Haha! Raccoon eyes!

On another note, I didnt know there was an airshow down your way yesterday, I like them, and would have gone, we were looking for something to do too....

I'd be advocating armed rebellion and insurgency... not necessarily terrorism.

Too bad the label you get stuck with will only be determined by who controls the media, and who wins decides what you are known as in the history books.

In other words, get used to being labelled a terrorist.

I want to remind the govenment that they can't overstep their obligations. That folks like me - patriots - will defy them by force if necessary. I' like to remind you - and folks like you - that you can be all the majority you want, make all the requests you want, but when it comes down to it, you're ineffective against the government's will.

If the democratic process breaks down, (ie. current administration refuses to leave office if voted out) or other legal and provided for means also fail, like impeachment or what have you, I could see a very hypothetical scenario where more severe means may need called on someday. Even with the average citizen being armed, its an uphill battle. Average citizens have numbers, but law enforcement, will have training, equipment, and communication on their side.

Completely Ignoring the democratic process and inciting or participating in armed rebellion against a duly elected government because they make a decision while in office you dont agree with doesnt make you a patriot, and never will, it makes you a traitor happily committing treason against his own country. Gratz.

The funny thing about Tim Hortons no longer making the donuts in the stores------They changed how they did it for months before announcing it to the public, and no 1 complained!! BUT once they heard they were no longer "fresh" then they stated they sucked,lol

This isnt an uncommon thing in chain stores since often when quality slips people will just think its "their" store.

Most consumers wont complain about things to the store anyhow, they simply stop going/purchasing when the problem remains for a time.

Being told that its a global official policy change though usually makes people a little more vocal, especially a franchise like Tim's, the media were probably shoving microphones in everyones face over it.

I asked my mom when I was filling forms and making an inventory list, she worked as a customs broker for Canada for like 35 years so has a fairly good idea on import/export rules etc, she told me just listing "Clothing" or "Bathroom Items" is good enough, you dont have to list everything individually.

Which is what I did for both the things I shipped and the list for my car, no problems with it at all, they didnt even ask for a car list, and I dont even think they looked, just sent me right to secondary when I got there and asked to activate my K1

It isn't the obvious things that are a problem but the subtler ones - the ones that grow in your realization over time when you begin to understand that the 'ideology' and the 'culture' are alien to your way of thinking.

I wanted to quote this, because while the obvious differences factored into my feelings, this was also a factor in why I wasnt comfortable, Toronto and area are in general, pretty darn conservative, the attitudes, the thinking, its all very different from what I came from in the lower mainland, I could never adjust, the whole environment already changed me, I felt, for lack of a better term... poisoned.

I felt like I was angry all the time, stressed for no reason, and I had no real idea why.

I had changed for the poorer enough because of where I was, if I had fully integrated, I dont think I would have been me at all anymore.

In your shoes I would activate the Visa on a visit, and return to get the medical condition looked after, unless it is something chronic, in that case, your husband should be looking seriously at his medical insurance and if it can cover you and your needs.

At least activating it wont mean you have to write off all that time and money and still look at your options.

I am sad to hear you had such a bad time in Ontario I don't disagree with everything (and there's only so much I can say about BC because I haven't even been there), but I would have to say the GTA is definitely a different ball of wax than the rest of Ontario. I would hesitate to say it's the best province, but there are some beautiful places if you drive out a bit. lol

It's interesting that Canada and the U.S. are so huge that different areas can have such drastic differences.

I should probably caveat that most of my references to "Ontario" really were focussed on the GTA only, although some parts do carry into the rest of the province, like the weather, and traffic hehe.

Im positive that most of the bad stuff was a result of being where I was, at times it seemed to me Toronto and the area were trying to match the stereotypes of the worst things you only hear about US cities.

I will admit, I was completely shocked at how diffrent the 2 provinces were, i was unprepared, and it put me in an awful spot. Never in a million years would I have felt so much like I was alone and unsupported while still in Canada

Ive been reading this thread a while now, I wanted to say, I have experienced some of the same feelings, but not here in the USA.

Ive only been in the US about a month now, so IF those feelings are to come, it may not be for some time yet. My only frustration here is that I cannot legally work yet, we chose not to actually marry until Aug 28, with no civil ceremony first to kind of "move things along" so almost a month to go before I can file AOE, then a long wait for EAD etc to come, its so annoying to not be able to contribute when I know we could use it.

That said I WAS in a situation I hated.

I was born and raised in B.C. and lived in the lower mainland most of my life until about 11 years ago, I moved to the GTA in Ontario, I had no family, no friends, and I left everything familiar behind.

At first it seemed ok, something new, some things to be unsure of, but it was still Canada right?

Well sure, but Ontario is so different from B.C. its pretty staggering. I wasnt sure about the province, but I thought Id give it a try, but right away I found things that I hated, EVERYTHING was paved over, there was almost NOTHING pretty or scenic about Ontario, I came from a province of thick forests, beaches beautiful lakes and ocean, stunning mountains with snowy caps and I could get to any of that with 30 min drive if I wanted, if not sooner, Ontario had the occasional hill that they claimed was a mountain, and a big dirty lake.

This was just the tip of the iceberg for me, Ontario's highways are clogged with tractor trailers, getting anywhere within a reasonable amount of time was impossible even though the 401 was 6 lanes in each direction at most points in the GTA, even driving across town in Brampton where I lived was around a 40-45 minute trip for 10km. Horrible weather, Winter was so bad they needed the army to dig them out, Summer was hot, but 90% humidity EVERY DAY ruined it. Most everyone I encountered in Ontario were selfish, rude, self absorbed, and unfriendly or a complete whack-job, rampant racism everywhere (against all races), and the stress emanating from everyone was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

I hoped I could accept it and grow to like my new surroundings, I did my best to downplay as much as I could, but when you are reminded by even strangers, almost every day to "be happy I lived in the greatest province in Canada, and the greatest city in the Universe" (Yes they truly believed this)

To me, Ontario was a huge mistake, I was miserable it wasnt home, and never would be, I felt like I would never integrate and at that point, I really felt that doing so would be compromising my principles, and the things that made me....well....me.

Honestly, even though its only been about a month, Central Coast, California just "feels" right, I find I get along with people here better, its far more similar to B.C. in a lot of ways, attitude, traffic, and plenty of beauty. Sure some of my feelings are the shine of newness, but the biggest things that wont change for me are that Im about to marry the woman of my dreams, and I have family here, both hers, and an aunt and uncle in Reno, my family is closer overall since they live so close to the Washington-B.C. border too if need be. Im confident I can settle here, time will tell though.

I sort of suspect that had I moved somewhere east in the US, or far south, I wouldn't be really much happier than I was in Ontario, my own experience is that moving distant, even within the same country is a culture shock, home always looks better. Im sure to many, especially if you grew up there, Ontario isnt bad at all, maybe the GTA was the problem, but for me, Ontario was awful, ive never been so miserable, and depressed as I was living there.

So I understand the feelings of regret, discomfort, and alienation, despite not feeling it now, Ive been through it before, for me, the solution became to leave, had it been an environment where I could make friends, and had some family, there may have been other options I bet.

I guess my thing is that I am not a huge fan of Butter-cream frosting

Costco has a nice lighter whipped icing too IIRC

well it looks like it is a no-go on the cake... wouldn't you guys prefer a nice homemade cake over a store bought cake?? it isn't like they are getting it from some fancy bakery. it is usually one of those cakes you get from the supermarket

Normally, yes.

But I do like me a Costco cake, they taste super good for a store bought cake IMO.

Failing that, take me to a bakery or homemade, yes

Too bad, you don't live in Texas. If you get a traffic ticket, you plead not guilty and request the judge for a jury trial. You and the cop will be summoned for trial and if the cop doesnt show up, which happens about 99% of the time, you win by default. Works like a charm everytime. If he does show up for the trial, you request the judge for an extension and you can do that upto 2 times.. Unless the cop really hates you guts, he is bound to not show up eventually in which case you can get the ticket dismissed.

Jury trial for a speeding ticket??

After seeing this sort of abuse of the court system, I dont know how people wonder why the justice and courts in the US are overloaded and haemorrhaging money like crazy. Thats ridiculous

You'll be fine. I brought a bunch of loose leaf tea with me (didn't even mention it, and they didn't look), and well, we all know loose leaf tea can sometimes look like... uh... something else.

I brought a tin of Matcha tea that I had barely touched, and it was fine too, although mine doesnt look anything like the wacky tabaccy, green nose candy perhaps if anything

Really? I think southern ontario is the worst. Everyone there drives too slow, confuses the word "yield" for "stop", and there are far too many that are so overly cautious it's almost dangerous at times. It's all a matter of perspective

No, you really are right with that.

I just came from Southern Ontario, and every day on the roads I wanted to kill everyone, to echo ashen, I was road raging so bad I was stressed all the time because the drivers there are so awful, half of them I cant understand how they passed a drivers test, then another chunk are the indian immigrant drivers whose husbands passed the test, then handed the license to their wives misunderstanding that it covers the rest of the family too

I detested even driving across town it was so bad.

Here in the Central coast, its a joy in comparison,

Pft, road rules in california:

Blinkers are optional, middle fingers are the ideal way to say you wanted to merge in.

Never look before you merge, they have to get our of your way, you don't have to make sure that they can.

Constant swirving into lanes that arent your own makes sure that other drivers on the road are awake so do this at every chance.

Green means stop, yellow means slow down, red means speed up and go through anyway, beeping at any of the ******'s who DARE try to turn on their green light.

Likewise, stopsigns are a suggestion.

Speeds - Never go the speed limit. You must always go either 10+ above or below the speedlimit but never the actual speed limit. If you are the only one of 2 people on the highway, driving at 45 is suggested, preferrably in front of the other person.

Sadly these road rules work the same for the GTA =/

Hi guys. I just got off the phone with the pubic health unit and it looks like I'm too old for them to have records which means blood titers. According to the nurse I spoke to, they do not do Tetanus titers in Ontario. I also know I had a tetanus shot in June 2009 which I will be able to prove. So...

1. Does anybody know a place to get a Tetanus titer in London, ON or Toronto, ON?

2. You should not get a tetanus if you have had one in the past 5 years. Dr. Seiden's web site says you must have had one in the last 4 weeks or something like that. I have also checked the CDA and other links posted here. I can't find any information on whether I will need one or not and what are the consequences of having one.

3. I have also read that you cannot take Aspirin within 6 weeks of the varicella vaccine. I take a daily low dose due to my heart condition. Does anybody know anything about this?

4. And a bonus question ( ) that Dr. Seiden's office has not answered for me. Does anybody know if they require extra vaccinations for people with heart disease?

Big thanks for any help any of you can provide.

1. - Just see your family doctor, they will give you a sheet to go to the lab and have the titres done. When I went to see mine, I explained what I was doing and I took a print out of all of the vaccinations I needed to have checked out, and was tested for all, including Tetanus/Diphtheria, this was the only one I needed to have updated.

2. - I would ask your doctor about this, if you can provide proof of the previous Tetanus shot as well, that is enough for Seidens.

3. - No Idea, again I would defer that question to your doctor, not a nurse.

4. - To see what immunizations you need click HERE (assuming you are 18-64 yrs old) these are what Immigration requires, also that you have no contagious diseases of course, but I don't believe heart disease falls under that category.

Yep I've read the posts. Everyone has been helpful and giving you the correct information. It is up to you to decide how you're going to read it and/or take it and you must be always on the defense or something because most of the time you are calling people rude. Stating facts is not rude and it is not discriminatory. Say what you want. Everything we say is falling on deaf ears anyway.

Kayla*Mathew,I agree, It seems she enjoys playing a victim, its a pattern of hyperbolizing everything to justify her feeling that everyone is attacking her.

I assumed that it was a slight translational problem when reading English and taking posts the wrong way, basically giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Diana, At no point did I indicate your English sucks, its pretty good, but its clear that its not your primary language, and being from Quebec, thats understandable, as I mentioned above, I figured that there was a strong possibility that some of the slight nuances were missed when reading others posts, making you feel like they were attacking you or "being rude", hoping that you would realize that no one is truly attacking you and that its likely you were simply misreading is all. I apologize if it read differently from my intent, it was 2am and perhaps I wasn't as clear as I needed to be.

Kayla is correct, and everyone in this thread except you can see it, you are being excessively rude to others that post the facts you don't want to hear, you are attacking them personally and in some of your posts, breaking the TOS and posting guidelines, that is why you were previously banned, yet you still haven't learned to treat others with respect.

Again, I sincerely hope your process goes smoothly, because at the rate you are going, if you run into problems and need questions answered, you aren't going to find others willing to help as you attitude is alienating potential allies.

I imported my 2004 Dodge Neon with no issues, supplied my letter of compliance and VIN, they filled in the forms and computer work, ez

I was offering some friendly advice on how to deal with authorities in the US, and you responded by biting my head off. You've done the same with a few other posters here.

Sadly its a recurring theme

I think your problem is obvious. Law enforcement officers in the US are not the same as they are in Canada, and that isn't likely to change regardless how big a tantrum you throw. If you are flippant or rude with a law enforcement officer in the US, as you have been with people in this thread, then you will find yourself face down on the concrete with your hands cuffed behind your back.

Also likely tazer probes lodged in her back!

Diana, I suspect it is likely some of your miscommunication is a result of a slight language barrier, its obvious your English is not as fluent as your French likely is. Knowing how difficult communication when only using text is, then adding difficulties from language diffrences, I think you may be perceiving people to be more arrogant or offensive to you than they really are.

No one here is telling you that you cant have an opinion about how much the process sucks, or how craptastic it can be to deal with a CBP officer who seems to want nothing to do but hassle you (or multiple officers?). However, when posters here tell you that you have NO rights at the border when attempting to cross and dealing with a CBP officer, that is not an opinion, it is fact. When someone tells you that you can be denied for any reason whatsoever, it is not opinion, it is fact.

No one here is lying to you, or trying to trick you, and if you actually take the time to read the FAQ's, the How To's and the Wiki's available here on the site, you would see that what you have been told is very much corroborated there.

We are all here to help one another with the process of getting to our loved ones, and being forewarned is forearmed, but acting hostile to the other posters isnt going to earn you any friends, and soon you may find yourself with a lot less allies to help answer questions on your journey.

Good luck with your visa, I hope the process is smooth for you.

They only asked me for the confirmation page, I still have the other pages that I did print off in my folder as they would not take them when offered.

Hey folks

Ive been tryin to help my sister with this immigration stuff, and we have been readin the forums tryin to find an answer but decided to post our question here

My sister (an American) is engaged to a Canadian guy. He has been in the states for the past 4 months living with her. They got engaged a few months ago. The last time he was back in Canada was only for a few weeks, and before that he was livin with her for about 6 months. (So over the past year he's only been in Canada about 2 weeks)

In September they're goin back to Canada to be at his cousin's wedding in Ontario. They're going to be in Canada about 2 weeks.

His flight doesn't have him goin back to Canada...just from US to there, and back into the US. Looks like from these forums that isn't a good sign to the border guards? Also, he ain't got no job in Canada or house or nothin...only tie to Canada he's got is a student ID from college that I think he's still enrolled in up there.

And another thing----- he is flyin in to a small airport, that help at all??? Last time (after bein here bout 6 months and goin to Canada) he flew into a small airport in Minnesota (canadians are only foreign planes there), and they didn't ask hardly any questions or nothin.

Well thanks for your time

Just wonderin' if you think he'll be coming back into the US without hassle, or might get some hassle, or what ya thinkin

Thanks much

Phil

Yea, I will have to agree to what the others have said, it certainly looks like an overstay of under 6 months. Which WILL impose a 2 year ban on entry to the US. I think overstays over 6 months are a 10 year ban, and before you ask, they count the time stayed in the US in a 12 month year, consecutive, there is no date that it resets and the Canadian gets another 6 months to stay.

Even then, the amount of time the Canadian CAN stay in the US is really up to the POE officer.

If they plan to get married before the ban is lifted, they can do one of a couple of things: he goes back to Canada, they file an I-129f petition for foreign fiancee and start that process, at some point in the process they will need to try getting a waiver to have the ban lifted early, Im not sure what all is involved in that another poster likely will have that information, I know its a pain in the butt, however will need to be taken care of unless they dont plan to marry within 2 years.

Another option is for them to get married NOW, and file for AOS, Once the AOS is complete and he has a greencard IIRC overstays are forgiven and there will be no ban, this comes with a HUGE caveat though, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should he leave the US before or during the AOS process, not until he has that greencard, if he does, the AOS is considered abandoned, and the ban will be enforced.

It is an extremely risky game he is playing right now if he and your sister are serious about their relationship and are considering marriage. Border officers have access to a fair bit of information, and if he drove across earlier, or flew, there is a record of it in their databases, so they will know that he is a risk to immigrate illegally (and is trying to do so right now in their eyes) With illegal immigrants becoming more and more of a hot button topic right now in the US, it is something the CBP officers are looking at a lot harder these days.

Im curious how he managed to get into the US for a duration of 6 months in the first place? I tried to go across for 2 months once and was hauled into secondary where I showed I DID have ties to Canada (not enough though) and despite a return ticket I was only granted a 4 week stay. Sounds like he has even LESS ties than I did, so I am assuming he likely gave them a different duration of stay when he crossed, If so, he could be looking at a penalty of misrepresentaton as well, and if Im not mistaken can incur a LIFETIME ban.

Im going to suggest the get married and file AOS route now, since the overstays can be forgiven and ban avoided, but the process isnt too quick and he will have to miss his cousin's wedding because he wont be able to leave, but thats the price he will have to pay for gaming the system like this.

Sorry

OMG! where is the problem? i live with my mom. i dont see that as a problem! i have my share of responsabilities and all. the choice to live with my mom. is my mom and only my mom right. you dont like it. that dont mean its bad, wrong or whatever. my goodness. you all make such a big deal out of nothing. and 99% the denial of entry is out of no real reason just the poe felt he or she today wasnt gonna let someone in and he or she said ok here it goes and boom that ''person'' wasnt let it. and yeah i guess us canadians are too nice to you damn americans. my man is american and i love him and im doing all of this to be with him and living in the U.S. its cool with me. i have no problems with americans or the states. you all need to learn that we are a union we both live in the same continent jesus we are neighbours why such hate and discrimination? now im not saying canada cant be mean. it can believe me. but it has its reasons. U.S. no. it brought its grief upon itself. but still aint gonna stop me to be with my fiancee i have no problem. im cool. im not prejudice nor racist or close minded. thank you.

Where are you even getting that mtlgato is insulting you?

In an earlier post, you mentioned that you lived with your mom, and had some small issues with proving ties to Canada, possibly mtlgato simply misread this to be you would have a hard time proving any ties, I seriously doubt you were being judged by anyone, I know I certainly read it the same as mtlgato did and thought there was a chance you might have to go to a little more effort collecting ties.

Here is your Quote from your thread "About Visiting U.D suring Visa Process"

[quote name=D&JDianaM' date='22 July 2010 - 11:41 PM' timestamp='1279856516' post='4082473'

Hello everyone. My name is Diana im from Montreal. My Fiancee (my petitioner) is from Ohio. Im a new member here but so far learned a lot and I thank everyone advice, support! I read you can visit your Fiancee during the K-1 Fiancee process. Ok so who does that apply to? What does someone need with them? We have filed the I-129F form and recieved the confirmation number. Does is matter I dont have a normal job persay. No boss that can write a letter? and that I dont live alone but with my mother so im under her wing persay? I have proof of residency and ties even without those two. thanks.

For such a "Positive" person, you seem to jump into defensive posture for no reason rather quickly.

All we are doing here is to prepare you properly with advice, people have been denied for valid as well as garbage reasons when crossing for visits even when everything seemed in order. Be prepared that it can happen to you, although it is rare fortunately.

If you jump to the defensive with the CBP officer when crossing as quickly as you do to people here, be prepared to find yourself dragged into secondary processing rather quickly.

To reinforce what Huggles said above, no matter how similar the countries are, YOU ARE ENTERING ANOTHER COUNTRY, they can turn you away just as easy as a restraunt can deny service for bad breath, so be careful what you say when crossing, short, sweet, and to the point, dont get defensive, or offended, dont offer any more information than they ask and it will all be fine.

Good luck!