janurabi

Did you have any problems with safety standards for your Ford? My Cavalier is a 2001. How do you go about finding out if your vehicle fits the safety standards? Sorry for all these questions but I'm a bit concerned about this when I get to the POE

I have my original bill of sale, does that count for anything?

Oh okay I got … lol. My car is over 200,000 kms. Hope that's not gonna make a difference. He's getting up there

Thank you for that. What is a KLM? Sorry I'm a bit ignorant (I can admit that…lol)

I'm moving to the U.S. in a month (RI to be exact). I have a job lined up, a place to stay and alot of friends in the area. I'm moving on my own. Not for love but making a personal choice. I can sympathize with how your feeling. Although I've done my research and know the area VERY well, I'm still scared to leave my family. And although our situations are different, I can safely say that I'm scared but exhilarated with the change.

But to be honest, I'm leaving a bad situation. My current job is in question, with many former co-workers moving to work for the competition. Things are very ugly for me professionally that I feared that if I didn't cease an opportunity, I would definitely regretted it. Honestly, if I didn't have this move to look forward to, I would've definitely had a nervous breakdown by now. The argument of people in Canada vs people in the US is really irrelevant because it depends on where you're moving or live and who you know. For me, I live in Winnipeg (the confirmed murder capital of Canada). Don't get me wrong, Winnipeg can be fun sometimes and has a great cultural diversity, however, there are obvious problems that the city faces as well as the overall ho-hum attitude of Manitobans in general. And as a professional graphic designer, for 8+ years I've been searching for opportunities in the area for sooooo long with none to be found. Unfortunately for someone in my profession, Winnipeg is not a major centre and there are not alot of opportunities. I fear that if I waited for my job to fold, which is inevitably going to happen, I won't have a heck of alot of luck finding anything remotely close.

So when an offer came I sat on it, thought about it, did the numbers crunching and said what the hell, I have no kids, no debts, no marriage, now's the time to take a risk.

I was just wondering do I have to get any special requests or letters from the manufacturer to bring my vehicle across the border? The vehicle's been paid off and owned.

I just received my Canadian Amex Card today and am planning the move in mid October to the states. I'm currently awaiting the arrival of my SS card. What do I do to apply for an American Amex card? Do I have to wait until I have a U.S. address to apply for one?

So is it just better to find something for catastrophic coverage and just pay for the check-ups out of pocket?

I'm 31 and don't have any pre-existing medical conditions. I just do the regular annual check-up and that's about it. Thank you for your help.

I'm trying to do some research on private medical insurance in Rhode Island. I've been offered a full-time job but medical coverage is not included. I'm now trying to weigh the options and find out what a single person like me can get for medical coverage and how much it would cost. That would help influence my decision and formulate a plan.

Can anyone venture a guess as to how much Private insurance would cost (ballpark) for a single and fairly healthy person?

Oh I see. I wasn't sure if the U.S. passport increase fees caused an influx of applicants in the months of May and June or whether it would affect the work flow. Don't know much about the Calgary Consulate but I've heard about the griefs of many about the Montreal Consulate. Because I'm living in Canada I applied for a U.S. Passport via the Calgary Consulate. Unfortunately, because I don't have an SSN I can't track the progress of my application.

After contacting the DOS, it was stated that as of July, passport fees increased. Anyone whose applied around May till now will likely have to wait longer. I’m sure there was an influx of passport applications prior to the price increase.

That would probably explain why I’ve been waiting for 11 weeks without word

I haven't received mine yet. It could be a good sign that I haven't heard anything from them. Have you tried contacting the U.S. Consulate for information on your passport application status? You can do that since it's been over 90 days for you. Which Consulate did you apply to? My case is quite a bit complex. We could chat further through PM if you like.

My grandfather was a US citizen, I grew up on a border town so it was common. My father had claim to US citizenship but never had any reason to bother with it. I looked it to it because of my husband and that sure would have made this a lot easier but since my father never actually lived in the US after his 14th birthday I have no claim. They changed the laws a few times so it depends on the year your mother became a citizen and the year you were born.

The laws governing whether or not a child born outside of the United States acquires U.S. citizenship from parents have changed several times. You'll need to look at the law that was in effect on the date of the child's birth (and the parents' birth, if grandparents were U.S. citizens) for guidance. These laws differ for the following time periods:

• prior to May 24, 1934
• May 25, 1934 to January 12, 1941
• January 13, 1941 to December 23, 1952
• December 24, 1952 to November 13, 1986, and
• November 14, 1986 to present.

Here is an article that explains the different laws but unless she lived in the US for at least 5 years after her 14th birthday then unfortunately you probably don't.

Thanks to you both. Actually I got a hold of trailmix and we were able to chat a bit about the situation.

Hello,

I have a bit of a situation that I may have acquired U.S. citizenship at

birth. Right now I'm dealing with the U.S. Consulate in Calgary as I currently reside in

Canada. I'm awaiting the decision on my U.S. Passport application to the U.S. Consulate. It's

been over 9 weeks since I applied and haven't heard anything from them, not even an RFE. Here's

my scenario:

My mom just obtained her U.S. passport. My mom had found out that she had been a U.S. citizen

since the day my grandparents became naturalized citizens in 1964. My mom was 14 years old and

had a Green Card at the time. By law, according to the Calgary Consulate, of the time says any

minor with a Green Card automatically becomes a citizen once the parents are naturalized. Now

I'm just wondering, since she would've been a citizen since the day her parents were

naturalized, is it possible that I may have acquired citizenship from birth? I was born

November 15, 1978 and my parents were married.

My mother provided letters that my parents wrote back and fourth to

each other from '64 to '68. My mother lived in the U.S. from May 1958 to August 1968. She

married my father (a Canadian citizen) when she was 19. My mother also provided high school and

elementary school records to the Consulate. My grandparents lived and died U.S. citizens after

their naturalization in 1964. My grandparents resided in Minneapolis from 1958 till their

deaths respectively in 1974 and 1984.

I've been trying to consult with the Department of State and USCIS but either doesn't seem to

know anything about anything. My mother encountered this same frustration when she first began

looking into her situation. USCIS even went so far as to tell my mom that there's no way she's

a citizen. And yet, the Calgary consulate total contradicted that and treated her like one even

before approving her passport application.

We decided on dealing with the Consulate directly since USCIS initially had misinformed my

mother and the State Department is telling me that since my mother wasn't herself naturalized

that there's no way I could claim it through her and there's no way of verifying that she was a

citizen at the time of my birth. But there IS verification, my grandparent's naturalization

papers and my mother's alien #, such and such. Otherwise the Consulate would never have

approved my mother for a passport. The State Department also commented that if I was going

through my Grandparents that I would have to contact immigration.

Is there a good chance that I'm a U.S. citizen or is our proof not enough to prove my mother's

physical presence? If I get denied what's my next step? Will it hurt my chances at a visa? I

also have an employer whose willing to sponsor me for a Visa.

Also does the USC parent need to be a USC for the entire 10 years of their residing. She was a PR from the age of 8 to the age of 14, then became a USC.

It depends on the birth year of the applicant. Because I was born in 1978 different rules would apply to me.

My mother resided in the States from 1958 to 1968 but my mother didn't become a U.S. citizen till she was 14. I'm receiving contradicting information from a number of sources. An immigration lawyer told me that my mother doesn't meet the requirements to pass on citizenship because she only resided in the U.S. as a U.S. citizen at the age of 14, therefore only lived in the states as a citizen for 5 years. However, various other sources have told me that she did meet the requirements. Help please!!! I'm confused.

Hi Natasha,

I've applied for a U.S. passport. I was born to one USC parent and one alien in Canada in '78. I'm applying through my USC mother. It's been 9 weeks since I applied and haven't heard anything back as of yet from the U.S. Consulate. I'm interpreting this as possibly a good sign but I'm not holding my breath. They still may send me an RFE. I've been hard pressed to find someone under similar circumstances as my case appears to be a unique one. Good luck to you

It's been about 7 weeks since I submitted my passport application to the U.S. Consulate (first-time derivative claimant). As of now I have not heard anything. I would've assumed that if they had a request for further info, they would've contacted me by now. Is this a good sign if I haven't heard anything from them?

I was born abroad to one citizen parent and one alien parent. I follow under the law that was in effect from 1952 to 1986. I applied for a passport through U.S. Consulate in Calgary. Was told I may have been a citizen from birth via my mother's citizenship.

I'm just curious if it's possible to check the status of my passport application on the Calgary U.S. consulate website. I clicked the link and it takes me to the department of state website where it asks for an SSN. However, being a first time applicant for a U.S. passport I don't have an SSN. Is there a way to check the status of my application?

Well it's now come down to this. I have my meeting with the U.S. Consulate on Thursday morning for my U.S. Passport application. I've done everything I possibly can at this point. Now it's all up to them as to whether or not I qualify for transmission of U.S. citizenship from my mother. My only concern is to whether or not we have enough to prove my mom's physical presence for the required amount of time, letters with my mother's U.S. address at the time, spanning 10 years (yes she kept everything). We have the affidavit signed and stamped. I just wish I knew we had enough for it. I just have absolutely no idea.

Here's a recent update with what's been happening. My mom just obtained her passport and now I'm waiting for a response from the Calgary Consulate as to what I can do in terms of my own situation.

I've been trying to consult with the Department of State and USCIS but either doesn't seem to know anything about anything. My mother encountered this same frustration when she first began looking into her situation. USCIS even went so far as to tell my mom that there's no way she's a citizen. And yet, the Calgary consulate total contradicted that and treated her like one even before approving her passport application.

My parents are telling me it's probably best to deal with the Consulate directly since USCIS initially had misinformed my mother and the State Department is telling me that since my mother wasn't herself naturalized that there's no way I could claim it through her and there's no way of verifying that she was a citizen at the time of my birth. But there IS verification, my grandparent's naturalization papers and my mother's alien #, such and such. Otherwise the Consulate would never have approved my mother for a passport. The State Department also commented that if I was going through my Grandparents that I would have to contact immigration. When I contacted USCIS about this they didn't seem to understand why the State Department would even suggest that. I believe the retention law was abolished in 1978 by Congress. My mom resided in the States for 10 years until her 19 birthday. It is a bit of a complex case which is not cut and dry.

Anybody hear about a similar situation this?

You asked this already. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=240603

oops yes I did I'll repost under that thread. Sorry about that.

My mom just obtained her U.S. passport. My mom had found out that she had been a U.S. citizen since the day my grandparents became naturalized citizens in 1964. My mom was 14 years old and had a Green Card at the time. By law, according to the Calgary Consulate, of the time says any minor with a Green Card automatically becomes a citizen once the parents are naturalized. Now I'm just wondering, since she would've been a citizen since the day her parents were naturalized, is it possible that I may have derived citizenship from birth? I was born November 15, 1978 and my parents were married. Mom does fullfill the physical presence requirement that falls under law that refers to my year of birth.

I've been trying to consult with the Department of State and USCIS but either doesn't seem to know anything about anything. My mother encountered this same frustration when she first began looking into her situation. USCIS even went so far as to tell my mom that there's no way she's a citizen. And yet, the Calgary consulate total contradicted that and treated her like one even before approving her passport application.

My parents are telling me it's probably best to deal with the Consulate directly since USCIS initially had misinformed my mother and the State Department is telling me that since my mother wasn't herself naturalized that there's no way I could claim it through her and there's no way of verifying that she was a citizen at the time of my birth. But there IS verification, my grandparent's naturalization papers and my mother's alien #, such and such. Otherwise the Consulate would never have approved my mother for a passport. The State Department also commented that if I was going through my Grandparents that I would have to contact immigration. When I contacted USCIS about this they didn't seem to understand why the State Department would even suggest that. I believe the retention law was abolished in 1978 by Congress. My mom resided in the States for 10 years until her 19 birthday. It is a bit of a complex case which is not cut and dry.

Anybody know anything about this? I understand this is a bit of a complex case but I just wanna know if it's possible