Stuart and Thea

Just so you know, this is the I hate Montreal thread, you're SUPPOSED to complain in it! There are all those other feel good threads out there where people can smile and look pretty and be happy because everything went well, but that's not THIS thread.
By the way, were you truly satisfied with how things went? Really? It takes WAY too long, and they have FAR too few people to process these petitions. Besides, Montreal starts after NOA2 and all the way till the Visa's in your hand, so hopefully you don't have any hiccups with the rest of the Montreal portion.
For the Newbies reading this thread, yes, there is LOTS of things that are going to piss you off about this process, from the moment you send your first petition in. Montreal is just one of the parts along the way.
And, yes, even if it's all rainbows and unicorns for your petition, you still have to put up with waiting, waiting, waiting.
Now get back to venting people! It's cathartic!

My letter from them told me I was randomly selected, you could call and ask about your situation though! Good luck!

Losing your passport does not mean you lose your status. That being said, there are a couple ways to keep your passport/limit the time you do not have it in hand. Local consulate can help you renew it (but that is an emergency passport more $$$, valid for a maximum of one year) - they can also offer you the retention service (less $$), you keep your passport while Passport Canada renews it. Or, if you plan to go to Canada, for about the same price, urgent service gets you a new passport
Personally, I would just make a copy of my current passport and send this one for renewal.

No, we've been randomly selected for an interview.
We were also randomly selected for the interview after marrying.

I went for an infopass today and got my passport stamped. TIP: If your last name in the passport is different, they ask for a passport photo. I had to go to Walgreens next door to get it.
The officer couldn't tell me anything about my case besides what I already knew. It is still processing in Vermont. She told me to wait for decision and not worry. At the same time she said a few times that my interview wasn't scheduled yet. I asked her if I was selected for an interview and she said NO. Confusing!!! It will be 11 months since I filed on April 25th.

http://www.salon.com/2015/03/26/the_10_most_inhumane_laws_courtesy_of_southern_republicans/

Only if you are willing to listen to my 100 reasons the Leafs will win the Stanley Cup next year without laughing.

I did end up calling the number on the letter, but my receipt number was not in their system, so I was unable to get what I wanted from it, so today I called USCIS directly, and asked them if I can change the address to a PO box, as suggested above, and the answer was yes! So that's what I'm gonna do, just change to a PO box, and send the letter saying what my new zip code is going to be, and ask them to reschedule it there!

Thanks Dave&Roza for the solution!

Also shout out to Brittney from USCIS for being so super helpful! (and also for mentioning NOT to just show up without an appointment somewhere, so that 4 hour there an 4 hour back trip is definitely out!)

you could freeze the homemade sauce if you wanted to. Portion it out into single servings that your son could just pop into the microwave to warm up...

I met my best friend and became friends with her in 30 minutes. I met another friend when we ran into each other with our bicycles and became friends in 5. I am not friends with everyone I wave at, but some of them you have a connection with. It depends on personality, and mutual interests. Making friends for kids is easy, because they don't have any expectations to get anything out of being friendly. If you meet someone and you like them, they are friendly, then strike up a conversation and see what you have in common. Tell them that you'd love to see them again if it's true. I moved a lot as a kid, and realised that you do not make friends by sitting quietly while the world passes you by, or waiting for someone else to make the first move.
Mothers will walk their children over to a stranger's house to introduce their children and ask if they can play. Guess what? Those children become friends immediately. If you look up aquaintance, it will show you a synonym: friend. It's not the people that you wave at, you're friendly with them, it's the people that you take one step further with, and talk to and enjoy and spend time with. But it starts with that first conversation. When you think back to all of your friends in your life, and ask yourself when was it that we became friends? We don't say, oh, I spent time with her and 30-40 days later, decided we were friends. You say, oh we met here, and liked each other immediately and became friends. Yes, there may be some people you don't immediately become friends with but do later? But that delay? It's because you didn't take the time to try, until then. So, how to make friends? Go out and get them.
There's been great suggestions here as to how to find like minded people, who you might enjoy being friends with. Let me add a few that weren't mentioned. If you enjoy excercise, join a yoga class or a walking/running group. Go to a senior's centre and talk to an elder. Knock on someone's door who has a garden you admire and ask them to show it to you. Host a block party and ask your neighbours to help. Join the neighbourhood association, if that's too much work for you. Talk to people online, even if you've never met you can be friends with someone, I have a few friends online that I would love to meet but haven't yet, and I did meet my husband by talking to him online in a game... Just use every opportunity you can to make friends, and the ones you want to pursue, do so! The more you develop a friendship, the better it is!

I met my best friend and became friends with her in 30 minutes. I met another friend when we ran into each other with our bicycles and became friends in 5. I am not friends with everyone I wave at, but some of them you have a connection with. It depends on personality, and mutual interests. Making friends for kids is easy, because they don't have any expectations to get anything out of being friendly. If you meet someone and you like them, they are friendly, then strike up a conversation and see what you have in common. Tell them that you'd love to see them again if it's true. I moved a lot as a kid, and realised that you do not make friends by sitting quietly while the world passes you by, or waiting for someone else to make the first move.
Mothers will walk their children over to a stranger's house to introduce their children and ask if they can play. Guess what? Those children become friends immediately. If you look up aquaintance, it will show you a synonym: friend. It's not the people that you wave at, you're friendly with them, it's the people that you take one step further with, and talk to and enjoy and spend time with. But it starts with that first conversation. When you think back to all of your friends in your life, and ask yourself when was it that we became friends? We don't say, oh, I spent time with her and 30-40 days later, decided we were friends. You say, oh we met here, and liked each other immediately and became friends. Yes, there may be some people you don't immediately become friends with but do later? But that delay? It's because you didn't take the time to try, until then. So, how to make friends? Go out and get them.
There's been great suggestions here as to how to find like minded people, who you might enjoy being friends with. Let me add a few that weren't mentioned. If you enjoy excercise, join a yoga class or a walking/running group. Go to a senior's centre and talk to an elder. Knock on someone's door who has a garden you admire and ask them to show it to you. Host a block party and ask your neighbours to help. Join the neighbourhood association, if that's too much work for you. Talk to people online, even if you've never met you can be friends with someone, I have a few friends online that I would love to meet but haven't yet, and I did meet my husband by talking to him online in a game... Just use every opportunity you can to make friends, and the ones you want to pursue, do so! The more you develop a friendship, the better it is!

Casual friends can be just as valid as best friends. The relationship is just different. We can have friends at work (out coworkers who we know we can count on in the job versus the ones that leave us high and dry at every opportunity), friends amongst family members, friends who are neighbors that we know we can call on and help out when evacuations start, friends that we don't talk too much but that know us deeply, game night buddies that we laugh with (and share beers with), and those who know us deeply and accept us for all out faults.
But you can't build a deep friendship with someone you have never met.

I'm not saying I don't WANT to obtain it, sheesh! I just can't afford it right now, and don't see that changing anytime soon! I'm trying to figure out just how this is supposed to be a benefit to us is all. If there IS an emergency, I CAN access help, that's not parasitical behaviour, it's called charity, and I would advise anyone in a situation where they find themselves unable to pay for healthcare themselves to seek help. What would you HAVE these parasites do, just suffer with the illness and injury lest they take on government services, god forbid?
I think that's per person, I was using the calculator for a family of three to obtain that figure

http://forums.serbinski.com/viewforum.php?f=2 better place to ask tax questions

In real life or on the internet?

Quit espousing your Soviet Canuckistan ideals!!!!!!
Actually, left.

Seriously? The government forcing you to buy services from heavily regulated businesses sounds like something our forefathers thought was a good idea? Something our service members fought and died to protect?
Really?

It was a question. Perhaps you'd care to answer it? Did it sound American to you?

Well, being that I have NO insurance right now, my cost can only go up. I pay ZERO dollars a year for insurance. After this stuff gets going, I'll pay at least $695.
The dollar amount is not the important thing. The important thing is the federal government is now telling me I must do something - even if I don't want to do it.
SCOTUS' ruling on the matter cleared it up somewhat. It's a tax, just like any other tax, and congress has the right to pass taxes. What's scary for me though is they're taxing the people through private companies. Does anyone not see this as a problem?
It's shocking that the same folks who occupied Wall Street and constantly gripe about corporate greed are so turned on by the federal government jumping in bed with them. They should be so against this yet they're sucking it up like it's free candy. It makes no sense.
And that's what lets me know we're doomed.

Hahaha. How ignorant.

See i'm liek this took. i always say i got this at THE walmart or The whatever store it is. I do the same with highways..county roads. you take THE I-90...my husband will lookit me funny too and be like..Kim..its just I-90..no THE...course i jsut screw up my face at him and re say it again teh way I want to lol.
I grew up in Montreal, but my dad was born and raised in Scotland, and my Mother is from Nova Scotia with Scottish descent as well. Not sure if its from them eh?

None in Branson, so I decided to host one. Anyone in the area who wants to help me host it is more than welcome to help out! There are tons of Canadians that come through here, it would be awesome to have a bunch of them come over!
I think I'll have Corner Gas run in the background, and we can eat butter tarts and drink Caesers! Poutine might be a bit of a stretch, but I could still do french fries and REAL gravy, what's with the white stuff?

You may want to check out the map in the attached thread. It's been a while since we discussed this. I think it will be fun to add a few more names to the list.
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/231245-where-are-the-canaliens/page__view__findpost__p__4427133

Oh, fabulous! Thank you.
Here are the instructions for those who aren't on there:

Create/login to your google account. Click on the "Edit" button next to the title "VJ Canaliens". Zoom in to the area of the map where you would like to place your marker. Inside the map on the top left-hand side, click on the middle icon. Drag the marker to your location. Right-click your mouse. A box will pop up where you can enter your information. Under "Title", enter your VJ name and then any description you want. On the right-hand side you will see a blue marker. Click on that marker to choose a different one. Click "OK". Click "Done" to exit edit mode.

A petitioner should treat this process as though there was not a "return to sender" option. It's not fair to look at your role in this journey from a position of leverage and power. People mention the heart of the USC; it's bad enough that USCIS paperwork refer to people as ALIENS (hubby really took offense to that), but to have the frame of mind that only the USC has a heart implies that you believe your worth is more.
When the relationship is USC & USC the issue of returning them is null. Can you truly say the hurt is greater when the person is from another country or is your mentality that you believe you've paid for this person so they owe you?