philandjulie

When you go to the actual DHL site http://www.dhl.ca/ca/, there is a tracking box on the left side that you put your reference number from your Visa Summery account page. Make sure the little drop down menu below where you put your number says reference. Once it recognizes the number it will show you your package. Click on the "View Status" and it will tell you where your package has been and if it has arrived at your location of choice.

Thanks!!

There is a reference number in your account summery. Use that on the DHL tracking site and it should work. I went crazy too thinking i never got a number from dhl but finally i gave that reference number a try and it worked and my package had already been delivered. DHL never called me though.

Where do you type in your reference number to track your DHL. Is it the usvisa-info.com address or the actual dhl site? Thanks for the info. I have my interview on Tuesday.

My Canadian fiancée got her K-1 packet approved in February 2010. After waiting and waiting for an interview, we had to reschedule the first two due to last minute emergencies, we finally were able to get a time that worked, this following Monday, October 25th at the Montreal consulate. We have all of our documents in order except we now realize that the FBI police certificate we received (she used to work in the states) was issued in June 2009, so is now 4 months past a year since it was issued. There doesnt seem to be any way to expedite a new certificate so it appears we just need to go to the interview and hope that it wont be a problem.

We assume it will be an issue and her application may be put on hold, which would be a huge pain as I am sure all you fellow K-1 suffers well know. Does anyone know from past experience if they check the police cert or the extent to which it needs to be issued within a year of the interview?

We are desperate for information on what we might do or how we should approach this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thought I'd copy my response as a reply so that you get this via e-mail.

I think you will be okay, but I am not a lawyer so take this as amateur advice:)

The department of state website explains that you do not need police certificates from the USA. The travel.state.gov website states, "Note: Present and former residents of the United States need NOT obtain any U.S. police certificates." You can see for yourself by going toMy link. The reason for this is because you are already checked out by the FBI when you filed your I-129f to USCIS. Also when you go to your interview they will finger print you and search your background through the US databases on site.

I was a student for a year but my lawyer pointed out that I did not need US police certificates because I resided there. You only need police certificates from other countries you have lived in for more then 6 months. So you need an RCMP certificate from Canada, which takes 5 minutes by going to the local RCMP.

Unless you have a specific criminal background or have been advised to get FBI background checks I think you should be okay.

Sorry here is the link - from my last post http://travel.state....195.html#police

I think you will be okay, but I am not a lawyer so take this as amateur advice:)

The department of state website explains that you do not need police certificates from the USA. The travel.state.gov website states, "Note: Present and former residents of the United States need NOT obtain any U.S. police certificates." You can see for yourself by going toMy link. The reason for this is because you are already checked out by the FBI when you filed your I-129f to USCIS. Also when you go to your interview they will finger print you and search your background through the US databases on site.

I was a student for a year but my lawyer pointed out that I did not need US police certificates because I resided there. You only need police certificates from other countries you have lived in for more then 6 months. So you need an RCMP certificate from Canada, which takes 5 minutes by going to the local RCMP.

Unless you have a specific criminal background or have been advised to get FBI background checks I think you should be okay.

Sorry here is the link - from my last post http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3195.html#police

What a relief!! Glad to hear things worked out!!

yeah you are signed up as long as you picked a location.

Thanks! So when you leave your interview do you get a tracking number? Of is your reference ID your tracking number?

I got an expresspost just in case, but I've signed up for DHL.

However, I'm confused as to whether I've actually signed up. I went to the https://usvisa-info.com/ website and signed up for the Abbotsford DHL office and got a reference ID. Do we print something off and bring it to the interview? The last step on the website was to schedule a date which I did not need to do because I am a cr-1. So I just signed out. Is that how it works??

Thanks for taking the time to do the review! I have my interview next week and it is helpful to get a heads up on what to expect. Did you bring your spouse with you or did you go alone? We're trying to decide what is best.

Ya, if you have a straight forward case without any complications lawyers aren't really worth it. Visa journey has been more helpful then our lawyer.

Get out!! Our lawyer actually slowed down our process at the NVC. Forgot to send in my DS 230 for 3 weeks, and advised us wrong about our I-864 requiring us to deal with an RFE. It sucked. He ended up costing us about 3 months of unnecessary waiting when it was all said and done. You can get out or the lawyer set up easily. 5000 for the whole process is way too much. We paid about 2400 for the whole process everything included. Wish we hadn't though.

Just over do it. Bring as much proof of domicile as you can. Our NVC application got an RFE for it. Part of the reason was because my wife has been living in Canada with me the last 4 years so she did not have any w2's from the past year. We needed to proved she had moved back to the US so we sent in a utility bill, rental agreement and job letter.

A lot of people travel through the border without issues. You need to bring ties to Canada, be honest, but say as little as you need to. There is the possibility of being denied entry - especially if they have reason to think you are moving prematurely. See here http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/266939-now-this-is-upsetting/ for some current examples of it not working out as smoothly. I actually think the more frequently you go down the better your chances because they see you keep coming back. Staying overnight is not a big deal. Canadians are actually allowed to visit the US for 6 months at a time, but the catch is that you need to keep ties to Canada right now.

Just FYI, count on the process taking 9-12 months. The current wait just for the interview in Montreal is over 5 months for the CR-1's. That's after about 2-3 months with USCIS and 1-2 months at the NVC. The K-1's are going a bit faster but things can change quickly at Montreal and for the worse not the better. It is best to be prepared for this otherwise you will be disappointed and frustrated all year.

The nice thing about the cr-1 is that you don't have to adjust status once your in. You get your green card directly.

Have you thought of having your spouse move up to Canada? Sounds like you have a good job up there. It's a way easier process - your spouse can get a visitor visa for a year in about 2 minutes when you go to the border with a marriage certificate. That way you can live together while you wait for her residency in Canada. Took my wife about 8 months. She just worked across the border in the states during that year. The con is that the cost of living in Canada is too darn expensive

Good luck, and welcome to the journey!

I've gotten through once...........

I will NEVER understand why Vancouver is unable to pick up some of the slack here and get these Visa's through.

i know - it's ridiculous that we all have to deal with Montreal. Especially those of us living in Vancouver

It seems to me that things haven't changed that much. The k-1 group still needs to wait for their packet four before they can schedule their interview. If I'm not mistaken the packet four used to come with a pre-assigned date. So it's not really an issue of the k-1's getting interviews faster it is just that they get to pick their specific day of the month following their packet four.

Montreal has caught up a lot faster with the k-1's compared with the cr-1 though. Whatever the situation it still really sucks for all of us right now.

Do you K-1 people need a packet 4 before you can schedule your interview? Us Cr-1's are not able to schedule our own so I'm just trying to figure out why there is barely any movement with our cases. I was completed on May 26 at the NVC and have missed out on an October date.

Ya, this is definitely frustrating for us CR-1 people. My case was completed on May 26 and I missed out on an October interview. The Montreal Consulate seems to be making about a 7 day dent into the CR 1 cases each month lately.

Do the k-1 people have to receive a packet 4 before they can schedule the interview?

And yes, it is a totally confusing a messed up process. Once you file your forms though the NVC is pretty quick at processing them.

You do not have to wait for the package. All you need is the barcoded cover sheet that comes with your payment confirmation and then you can download the I-864 from the internet and send it today! There is some confusion because the process has changed with the online payment process. You used to have to wait for them to send you a barcoded package but now you can just print it off online. The barcode is the thing you need. Good luck!

My lawyer cost us 2 extra months of waiting due to his negligence. He forgot to send in our DS-230 for 3 weeks and when it finally got sent in he made a stupid mistake that caused an RFE.

If it is an easy case do it yourself. The guides on this website will help.

So sorry to hear about your situation.

Hey Josh,

Another option you might want to look into is if you moved up to Canada. This may not fit your circumstances and work situation at all, but it would solve the separation problem. My wife immigrated to Canada when we were married and it was so much easier then what we are dealing with now that I'm coming her way. When you get married you can simply go to the Canadian border and get a year long visitor visa at the port of entry. We got hers in about 2 minutes when we showed them our marriage certificate. You can live with her in Canada while you wait for your permanent resident card which took us about 8 months. The things to consider about this plan is that she would need to be able to sponsor you financially - ie have a job in Canada making more then poverty level, or you would need a co-sponsor up in Canada like one of her parents. You would also not be able to work in Canada for the entire process. My wife and I live 10 minutes from the US border so she found a job just across the line during the wait.

This would also solve the issue with her child. It sounds like her child is already able to live in Canada so you wouldn't have to deal with 2 immigration visa applications.

I can't believe the US government expects couples to be separated. The Canadian process is so much more humane and practical. Plus the process is so much more streamlined - you just send one application to one address and wait for it to be done. The US path requires so many more complicated steps.

All the best!

Regarding your other question.

Unfortunately she will not be able to live with you while you wait out her visa. This means you'll be separated for a few months, though you can visit her in Canada and she could potentially visit you in the US (but its a bit risky for her to travel to the US - she can be denied entry if they think she is living with you). Sounds like the wedding is kind of an unplanned thing. If the wedding is not totally set up yet you could apply for a fiance visa - a K-1. You would wait a few months for this to come and then she would enter in on that and it would give you 90 days to get married. After that you'd apply for her green card but she could be with you. The K-1 might get her in quicker then the IR-1 but it means you'd have to postpone the wedding on Monday. Though K-1's are also taking a bit of time right now.

Hey Josh,

Sorry, misread your original post. I see now that your wife is actually from Canada. So you might want to try for the K-3 as it could potentially get your wife into the country quicker. Filing the I-129f is no extra charge when you file the I-130. Though you will have to pay extra fees to adjust her status to an immigrant after she enters in on the K-3

In the end the decision will probably be made for you. You can try the k-3 but if it is canceled then you'll have to wait out the IR-1 process.

Not sure how it works with her child from the Philippines. May want to consult an immigration lawyer on that.

Hey Josh,

Congrats on the marriage! The way it works is that you will file an I-130 petition first. This is for the actual immigrant visa. Once you have received notice that the I-130 is receipted you can then file an I-129f for the K-3. Here's the deal, though. As of Feb 1,2010 the department of state changed the rules with the k-3 stating that if both petitions are approved at the same time then then the K-3 is administratively closed (ie it is canceled). Most cases done at the California Service Center end up having both petitions approved at the same time so the K-3 is almost not an option anymore.

The benefit of just going straight for the ir/cr-1 is that in the end it cuts out a lot of steps. Your wife will enter in with an immigrant visa and can start working right away. If you do the k-3 then you will have to adjust status to an immigrant visa after she arrives. Since she is from the Philippines she would have her interview for the ir-1 out there at the US consulate. From what it looks like the Philippines consulate moves fast so she would not have to wait forever for her interview. Us Canadians are waiting 3-4 months for our IR-1 interview right now.

Not sure how it works with her child. That is out of my area of knowledge. There will have to be a petition filed for her child as well I believe. Good luck as you sort this stuff all out. You're not alone man, this website is a great place to share the journey!