To those of you finally home (US side)!

[LuvIllinois 1]

I have an IR1 visa and I didn't want to wait for a SSN...I went to the office the monday after I POE'd and received my SSN 2 days ago! So it took 8 days total to get to me. I really didn't believe it would be that darn quick.

[Undefined 4]

You should really check out the guides. They are stickied at the top of the forum and they go through every step of the process in detail. You can also read reviews of POE which will give you an idea of what the process is like.

Remember that no one cares about your visa more than you do- it's good to ask others for information, but it's also important to do on your research since you don't know what false information others may give you by accident. It can take awhile to do all the necessary research but you are immigrating, after all, and it requires some work VJ is a treasure trove of useful information, if you just look for it.

Edit: I'm pretty sure that receiving your SSN is different for CR1/IR1 visas and K1 visas. I -think- K1s have to actually apply for it whereas it sort of comes automatically in the mail for CR1/IR1s. This is an example of why it's important to do your own research- although we try to be helpful, no one is an expert on every nitty gritty part of the process. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'm super busy right now and haven't done thorough research on the process beyond POE. You have to particularly watch out for the differences in CR/IR1s and K1s.

Thank you and you are right its different for everyone, I just had prove at the interview lol and also its more talk chaos then actual chaos, we all need to be more relaxed lol.

Thanks again.

[Undefined 4]

Ok so I am a K-1. From Montreal and my Fiance from Ohio. So I can apply for the SSN right away after I entered the U.S. without getting married first?

Or am I reading the guides wrong?

[S and P 9]

you can get a SSN before you get married, but you do have to wait at least 10 business days after your POE to apply for a SSN , it takes a little bit of time to get your info updated in their system. You will just have to go back to the Social Security Office after you get married if you change your name.

Edited September 9, 2011 by S and P

[Undefined 4]

you can get a SSN before you get married, but you do have to wait at least 10 business days after your POE to apply for a SSN , it takes a little bit of time to get your info updated in their system. You will just have to go back to the Social Security Office after you get married if you change your name.

So I gotta wait 10 days after I entered the U.S. to apply for the SSN?

Ok can someone explain to me, the whole 1-693 form? Because I didn't know I was suppose to ask for an official copy to where I did the Medical for the Visa, which Im going back to see if I can get one, I did read in the guides that if you don't have it all, you will just need to do the extra stuff to a civil surgeon.

[Undefined 4]

Ok this is for the Quebecers lol. In the AOS Guide, says send birth certificate with translation what does that mean? I translated? or go to the birth certificate place? sorry lol so many questions I have. Learning alot along the way lol

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Ok this is for the Quebecers lol. In the AOS Guide, says send birth certificate with translation what does that mean? I translated? or go to the birth certificate place? sorry lol so many questions I have. Learning alot along the way lol

You should start your own thread instead of highjacking - helps questions not get lost.

[Moosker 7]

I was pretty homesick when I first moved here. Definitely get plugged in, plan to visit family as much as you can if you feel lonely, and remember, it just takes time!

[pocheros 101]

Well today marks one week since I got here. So far I love the weather (Las Vegas), our new apartment and the people (so far people have been very friendly and courteous... it's a huge difference from Brampton, ON). I had dinner with my fiance's family and enjoyed their company thoroughly.

Buuut one thing I can't get over is how terrible the grocery stores are compared to what was available in Ontario. Why is it so hard to find a large bag of chickpeas or lentils? So far I've been to Wal Mart, Smith's, Albertsons, and Food 4 Less and the only okay one in terms of variety so far was Albertson's, but it's expensive and is still lacking many of the things that I consider standard in my pantry... I miss being able to buy a big jar of tahini from Wal Mart for 4 bucks, and good multigrain breads and cheeses... The brie here is not that good. No Frills is loads better than Food 4 Less- sure NF has a lot of junk but it also had a lot of great healthy foods in bulk, like legumes and rice, and a good selection of produce. It seems like many of the grocery stores here are just aisles and aisles of junk food and pre made stuff. I don't want to sound like a snob but I make everything from scratch- hummus, soup, tomato sauce, beans, meats... Now it's more challenging and expensive. I shouldn't be despairing yet because we only checked out the grocery stores near by and I plan on hitting up an asian market soon in the hopes of finding more obscure things (like big bags of chickpeas? LOL!) at a decent price. I do not want to eat everything out of a box- my health is important to me, not to mention home made tastes way better!

My fiance always commented on how great the grocery stores are in Canada whenever he visited me. Now I understand why! Fortunately my fiance is a foodie like me and likes everything home cooked and healthy too, so this will be an adventure for us together...

Edited September 16, 2011 by pocheros

[pocheros 101]

Oh and another weird thing I noticed- no one seems to take milk in their coffee here. At starbucks they only have half-and-half on their condiment counter, and at restaurants when I ask for milk for my coffee it comes in a small glass because they don't carry milkers. When I asked for milk for my coffee at one restaurant the waiter actually said "Uuuummm..." and seemed unsure if he could provide me with any. Isn't milk a basic ingredient? What the heck. I'm going to attribute that to the individual waiter because there's no way a restaurant can't have milk. That doesn't really bother me, I mean I can still get milk for my coffee and so far the servers here have been very nice... I just feel uncomfortable when getting milk in my coffee turns into a big production!

Edited September 16, 2011 by pocheros

[canada_socks 97]

I POE at the Peace Bridge on the 25th. I'm not near done packing yet! I'm starting to get nervous and sad, but I know it will be worth it in the end.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Ok this is for the Quebecers lol. In the AOS Guide, says send birth certificate with translation what does that mean? I translated? or go to the birth certificate place? sorry lol so many questions I have. Learning alot along the way lol

Just to give a quick answer - if a Quebec Birth Certificate is issued in French you need to provide a translation by someone who is qualified to translate from French into English. They will not issue one in English if it was first issued in French. If your Quebec Birth Certificate was issued in English (mine was), you're fine.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Well today marks one week since I got here. So far I love the weather (Las Vegas), our new apartment and the people (so far people have been very friendly and courteous... it's a huge difference from Brampton, ON). I had dinner with my fiance's family and enjoyed their company thoroughly.

Buuut one thing I can't get over is how terrible the grocery stores are compared to what was available in Ontario. Why is it so hard to find a large bag of chickpeas or lentils? So far I've been to Wal Mart, Smith's, Albertsons, and Food 4 Less and the only okay one in terms of variety so far was Albertson's, but it's expensive and is still lacking many of the things that I consider standard in my pantry... I miss being able to buy a big jar of tahini from Wal Mart for 4 bucks, and good multigrain breads and cheeses... The brie here is not that good. No Frills is loads better than Food 4 Less- sure NF has a lot of junk but it also had a lot of great healthy foods in bulk, like legumes and rice, and a good selection of produce. It seems like many of the grocery stores here are just aisles and aisles of junk food and pre made stuff. I don't want to sound like a snob but I make everything from scratch- hummus, soup, tomato sauce, beans, meats... Now it's more challenging and expensive. I shouldn't be despairing yet because we only checked out the grocery stores near by and I plan on hitting up an asian market soon in the hopes of finding more obscure things (like big bags of chickpeas? LOL!) at a decent price. I do not want to eat everything out of a box- my health is important to me, not to mention home made tastes way better!

My fiance always commented on how great the grocery stores are in Canada whenever he visited me. Now I understand why! Fortunately my fiance is a foodie like me and likes everything home cooked and healthy too, so this will be an adventure for us together...

I noticed that as well - the Canadian grocery stores were better equipped and had a wider variety of produce and products than here in the US. The prices vary - some things are more expensive but a lot of things were actually cheaper in Canada. Even this past summer I realized all over again how much more I enjoy the Canadian grocery stores than the ones here. There is a lot of pre-packaged and processed foods here but not as many as the basics. I actually shop at a variety of different stores and one of them is an Asian market. I have not found big bags of chickpeas anywhere though. Sometimes you can find smaller bags in areas with a lot of Mexican residents or if you are lucky, you might have an International Market somewhere near by. You will find a common complaint here by Canadians is cheese - the normal US cheese is a big step down from what we have back in Canada. We were definitely spoiled! You can find good cheese around but it is in the specialty or deli areas, not the general grocery area. And I still miss the Bulk Barn after 7 years!

One thing I also appreciated back in Canada is when local produce was in season you could find it in the local stores. Here, no matter what is in season locally you don't find local produce here - it is all shipped in from elsewhere in the country. Interestingly, a few years ago I did find Leamington, Ontario tomatoes on sale in a Houston, Texas grocery store so that was cool!

[pocheros 101]

Ok this is for the Quebecers lol. In the AOS Guide, says send birth certificate with translation what does that mean? I translated? or go to the birth certificate place? sorry lol so many questions I have. Learning alot along the way lol

Like Kathryn said, you will have to get it translated by a certified translator. They will not issue a copy in English- they only issue copies in the language that the original was made. My birth certificate is in French (I was born in Quebec) so I had mine translated by an ATIO (association of translators and interpreters of ontario) certified translator. It cost about $80. I found them at the Centre of Education and Training in Mississauga, Ontario. If you live anywhere near them you can check them out here: http://www.tcet.com/ They also "notarized" my translation for free at an associated office down the street from where the translation office was. By the way, they're more often referred to as commissioners of oath here, not notaries. The "notary" who certified my translation was actually a commissioner of oath- that's the kind of person you need to look for.

At the interview they kept the notarized copy of my translation, so this is an important document to procure. Make sure to make extra copies as you will need the translation again in the future, and it's probably easier to find a French-English translator in Canada than it is in the States, depending on where you're moving

Edited September 18, 2011 by pocheros

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I POE at the Peace Bridge on the 25th. I'm not near done packing yet! I'm starting to get nervous and sad, but I know it will be worth it in the end.

Feeling the same way, leaving on the 25th (but splitting up the trip into two days, so not crossing until the 26th) ... it's starting to get real now. Sad, but exciting at the same time.