grooveman

My Wife received her CR-1 visa in May. She was called in to the local USCIS office in June to verify biometrics.. Does anyone have any idea how long it typically takes to get the actual green card in the mail? It going on 3 months.

Thanks!

I won't defend this Officers actions, if it indeed happened the way you said it did then that Officer should probably be reprimanded. But I will say that I don't for one second believe that the Officer thought you were a terrorist as some others have eluded to. Simply put, these Officers are trained to ask questions in a certain way in order to seek out inconsistencies in order to catch those who ARE trying to enter the country under false pretenses. Unfortunately the post 9-11 era has made this necessary for many reasons. And yes, there are those Officers who do tend to have a little too much "badge pride", on BOTH sides of the fence and in all areas of Law Enforcement. I have been an LEO for many years on the local, state and now federal level and they will always be out there.

Here's my advice for what it's worth. If this happens to you again, ask to speak to a supervisor immediately. I can assure you that their tune will change real fast if they think a supervisor is going to be involved in the exchange. As to taking the complaint to the next level as some have suggested (congressional), that is certainly your right to do so. But my personal feeling is that if you feel that the Port Director handled your complaint effectively, then leave it at that. Writing a letter to a Congressman is not really necessary unless you feel that your complaint was not properly handled at the local level.

Glad you had a good experience overall at Sweet Grass. I live and work there so it's always good to read about the positive experiences.

Congrats!

Congrats to you guys Grooveman !! Good to hear. Hey I see you don't have a timeline completed. When did you start the process and more importantly, when did you get case complete and how long in between case complete and an interview?? thanks

Thanks to all. I never completed a timeline because I came to this forum well after we started the process and I didn't remember all the dates. We started the K3 process in September 2008. It took us about 1 1/2 years from start to finish mainly because there were some delays on our part getting the paperwork back to USCIS. The case was completed in Feburary, we received the appointment email in March with a date set for May 13th.

Well we got through the week and everything went fairly smoothly. Wife had her CR-1 interview on Thursday the 13th. Here is the rundown of our experience.

We arrived in Montreal Sunday and with a room reserved at the Days Inn Downtown. When we arrived there were fire trucks everywhere due to an alarm malfunction in the hotel which had evacuated everyone into the hotel lobby. We had to wait a couple of hours for our room. Not a good beginning.

Once everything calmed down we were able to check in and walk around downtown a bit. Restaurants were within easy walking distance and the consulate in only about a 15 minute walk from the hotel.

Took a cab to Dr Seidens office Monday morning and got the physical out of the way. One thing we did not know is that they do NOT offer a courier service from that office so we had to take another cab ride to pick up the results which were ready by 2PM on Weds.

Thursday by 0715 we were in line to get into the consulate and there were already a lot of people waiting. As many have said here before, be sure you wait to the left side of the doorway as you are facing the consulate. Most were lined up on the right which was good for us since the guard had everyone on the right line up behind us to get inside. They opened the doors early and took us upstairs. We were third in line.

We were worried about my Wife not having her long form birth certificate since we were told she would need it at the interview. We had sent away for it a few weeks before but of course it didn't get to us in time. Turns out we didn't need it after all since they took her wallet sized one.

Interview went quickly with just a few quick questions about how we met and so forth. My Wifes visa was approved and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we could go back the same day to pick up her visa which was ready by 3PM. So it turns out that we didn't need the xpress post envelope we spent $25 on. Oh well.

All in all a good experience and we thoroughly enjoyed spending the week in Montreal which is a beautiful city. If you have any extra time take the bus tour to Quebec City, highly recommended!

Yeah it really bites but not much we can do, we leave tomorrow. I guess we can always mail it back after the interview assuming Canada post can ever manage to deliver it.

So after 2 different attempts through Canada registry to get a copy of my Wifes birth certificate, it looks like we are going to the interview without one. She paid the fee and sent off for the first one about 4 weeks ago. It never arrived.

She then called Edmonton where they supposedly originate from and they sent another copy out late last week.. As of today it hasn't arrived either and our flight leaves Saturday.

She does have the wallet card but we were told she would need the long form. I emailed the consulate and they said to bring what she has but I am worried that this will delay everything until we can get the long form birth certificate to them. Has anyone gotten the CR1 visa without showing a long form birth cert?

I printed off the emailed interview letter and used that for both. Didn't have any problems.

Ok, Thank you. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to receive something by regular mail or not..

I have a question about the packet 4 for a CR-1, which I assume is the last thing you get from NVC before the appointment date.

All we have received is an email with the appointment letter, and a checklist of what we need to bring. Do I just need to print a copy of that cover letter for the Doctor and to get into the Consulate or should we have received a hard copy of a letter in the mail as well? We filed everything through the mail and it seems strange that they would send nothing except an email to us.

My Wife is scheduled for her interview in Montreal on May 13th.

Thanks

Here's our dilemna..

The wife has her interview in Montreal on May 13th. The original plan was to fly up there the weekend before, get the medical done on Monday and do the interview on Thursday.

Obviously the problem with this is that it is only 3 days before the interview so if there is a problem with the medical, we may not get it resolved before the actual interview.

So we thought, well ok we will drive the 14 hours to Vancouver and get it done next week. We have scheduled an appointment but I am having second thoughts since we really would prefer to make just one trip to get everything done.

I know the safe bet would be to go to Vancouver ahead of time, but worst case if we go to the Dr in Montreal and there is a problem, can we still complete the interview process and send the medical stuff afterward? How long might that delay the issuance of the visa if that happened?

Unfortunately we live in the void (Montana/Alberta border) between the East and West.

I still can't believe there are only 3 places in all of Canada to get the medical done, but that's the way it is I guess.

Thanks for the input!

Isn't NVC supposed to send out a hard copy of what they send in an email? It's been almost 3 weeks since I received an email with the interview date.

Just wondered if I should try to call NVC and inquire about that..

My Wifes CR1 interview is Thursday May 13th and we had planned to get the medical done the Monday before, but after reading this thread now I'm not so sure. I suppose we should plan on trying to get it done a bit farther ahead of time just to be safe..

Wifes CR1 interview is Thursday May 13th in Montreal. Received an email notification a couple weeks ago but haven't received a packet in the mail yet, don't know how long that usually takes.

Anyway, we plan to arrive a few days before and get the medical done on Monday. Staying at the Days Inn downtown.

What a long journey it has been..

Status is determined at POE. Technically, if you enter after your 2 year marriage anniversary, you are entitled to a IR-1.

Alert the CBP at the border, they might be able to make the update in their system.

Thanks for the replies.. I just wondered if anyone else went through something similar.

I will email the consulate and see what they say.

Thanks again, yes she is permitted to stay with me in the U.S. while the visa is being processed. Waiting there will not be an option however, so she may have to try to work something else out in order to travel back and forth. Or she will just have to quit her job across the border in Canada and stay in the U.S. until she gets her passport back.

I thought of something else I couldn't find the answer for.. Should we receive some kind of interview packet or anything else in the mail before we go to Montreal?

So far all we received is the email about 2 weeks ago with the date of interview and items to bring..

Mathew had his interview on the 23rd, and STILL doesn't have his passport with his visa in it. It's been printed and everything, it just hasn't arrived. So that might be a problem if she needs her passport that soon.

Maybe if you explain this to the CO they may let you pick up the visa instead of having it mailed out. The worst they can do is tell you no, but it's worth a shot.

Yeah doesn't hurt to ask I guess.

If approved, the Consulate will keep her passport, yes, to put her visa into it.

Although your appointment says 8:30, it is most certainly first-come, first-serve. Doors will open at approx. 7:30 and folks will begin lining up anywhere from 6:30 on. Best to arrive early, as the sooner you are there, the sooner you will get to leave.

It is greatly to your benefit if you are one of the first five couples lined up outside the Consulate.

How long does it typically take to get the passport with visa returned? Problem is we live right on the border and she works in Canada so she crosses 3 or 4 times a week. Shes needs her passport to do that..

I don't know what effect if any this may have on my Wifes CR1 application, but our 2 year wedding anniversary will be May 17th which is 4 days after our scheduled interview in Montreal. Is there any significance to that? For example, if we wait and cross back into the U.S. after May 17th will she receive a different status or is this something we should discuss with the consulate while we are there?

Thanks

My Canadian wife has her CR1 visa interview on May 13th in Montreal. I want to make sure I have all our ducks in a row before we get there and possibly encounter problems.

A couple of questions came to mind while I was researching.

Does the Consulate keep her passport after she is approved for the Visa?

Also, our interview is scheduled for 0830, but I read that we should arrive early as it is first come first served.. So even though we have an 0830 appt, so many others may have that same time as well is that correct?

Thanks

Well, if you're going for fast results, go to Seiden. (2 days) If you don't mind the extra days wait and want a cheaper price, then go to Medisys (3 days).

Great, we'll try them.. I guess she will have to go to the registry also to get a new birth certificate since neither of her parents has one for her, and all she has is the wallet card.

I went to Dr Seiden, and it was pretty easy. He asked me a few basic questions about my medical history, then checked my blood pressure, neck, listened to my breathing and checked my abdomen.....I didn't even have to change into one of those gowns. They didn't do the 'gender' check!! Once that was done, they took my blood samples and sent me off to X-ray. The exam and blood work took all of about 15 mins, then a bit longer for the xray (I actually went to a different xray clinc that day as the one in the building was very backed up (the receptionist at the medical clinic suggested it). The other clinic was about 10 mins away and I ended up getting there just at lunch time, so I don't think it ended being much faster since they stop working at lunch time!! Once they started working again, I was in and out in 10 mins. I think it takes 48 hrs to get your results there.

Thanks for the info, we called and left a message for the Dr's office to call us back for an appt.

I have another question. If I recall, we didn't send a birth certificate to NVC for my wife, and according to the list it looks like they might need to see it. Does anyone know if the birth certificate wallet cards will work, or will she will need to obtain a certified copy of her birth record.

I posted this in the IR1 CR1 forum, but thought I should ask here.. Wifey finally received an interview date for her CR1 May 13th in Montreal. Plan on getting there at least 4 days in advance to get the medical stuff done. Any advice on best place to stay, and which Dr to use? I guess there are 2 there that are panel physicians.

Also, if I am reading this correctly looks like ALL we need to bring besides passports, photos, cover letter, MONEY etc is a birth cert. We filed everything by mail with NVC.

CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTIONS C

IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION Y

DS-230-II F

PASSPORT Y

BIRTH CERTIFICATE A

ADOPTION F

MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE O

MARRIAGE TERMINATION F

COURT RECORDS F

FINANCIAL EVIDENCE Y

CUSTODY PAPERS F

MILITARY RECORDS F

CANADA POLICE CERTIFICATE O

FEE PAYMENT $

PHOTOGRAPH Y

PETITIONER MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE F

PETITIONER BIRTH CERTIFICATE F

Thanks in advance!

Thanks I was looking for the Canada forum but haven't found it yet... duh

My wife finally received her interview date for Montreal,(CR1) May 13th.

So now we need to prepare for that. One question I had was about the doctor exam. There are 2 in Montreal, does anyone have any insight into which one might be best to use and why?

Second, going through the list of documents it looks like NVC received everything, (although we will take copies of everything we sent in anyway).. What about the birth certificate? My wife just has one of those wallet cards, will that suffice or does she need to get a certified copy of the original?

The interview is on a Thursday so we plan on getting there well ahead of that time to make sure we get the Dr stuff squared away, any other advice that anyone has to prepare would be appreciated!

Thanks