Questions from a Canadian engaged to a US Citizen

[Moving to USA 0]

My fiancé and I are about to start the K1 VISA process and I am hoping some one can help guide me with the following questions…

What, on average is the turnaround time for a K1 VISA to be processed for a Canadian citizen?

Do you recommend an immigration lawyer (our application is straightforward; however I do not want anything we may miss to delay the process)?

How do I expatriate and when should I begin the process?

How do you recommend I move my belongings and when in the process I should move them (i.e. when I cross the border to obtain my VISA)? Do you recommend a moving company?

When in the process should I put my house up for sale?

When in the process should I bring my dog? Will I need an international health certificate for him?

If some one can provide advice or a web-site link to help with these questions I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Thank you.

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

Welcome to VJ I'll try and answer your questions!

First I'll direct you to the Guides here at VJ which have an outline of the K1 visa, a K1 timeline and other information about the visa.

My fiancé and I are about to start the K1 VISA process and I am hoping some one can help guide me with the following questions…

What, on average is the turnaround time for a K1 VISA to be processed for a Canadian citizen?

Average time is 6 to 9 months from Petition to Visa in hand. Sometimes sooner, sometimes longer.

Do you recommend an immigration lawyer (our application is straightforward; however I do not want anything we may miss to delay the process)?

I really don't recommend it and you'll find most people on here won't either. As you said, you have a straightforward case. You guys can totally do this on your own. Visa Journey has everything you need to file on your own. Read the Guides, print off the forms and put your package together. It's rewarding and saves you both thousands of dollars.

How do I expatriate and when should I begin the process?

I'm not quite sure what you are asking here. You can begin the process of the K1 asap. As long as both you and your fiance are able to marry and have met in person at least once in the last 2 years.

How do you recommend I move my belongings and when in the process I should move them (i.e. when I cross the border to obtain my VISA)? Do you recommend a moving company?

Some people use moving companies, some rent uhaul's and do it themselves. Google is your friend. There are many websites that can give you an estimate of what the cost will be from your door to soon to be spouse's.

When in the process should I put my house up for sale?

Tricky. Who knows how long your house could take to sell. Some stay on the market for months, others get snatched up before you know it. I'm sure someone else will have a more detailed answer for you. I'm not 100% sure on when you should put it up for sale.

When in the process should I bring my dog? Will I need an international health certificate for him?

You should bring him when you move. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be without you if you just took him down while you were visiting during the process. You will need a certificate for him.

If some one can provide advice or a web-site link to help with these questions I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Anything you need to know about the visa process is right here. Check out the tabs at the top of the page. FAQ, the guides, etc. It's all here

Thank you.

Best of luck to you!!

~Laura

Edited January 7, 2008 by ~Laura and Nick~

[L_n_O 3]

What, on average is the turnaround time for a K1 VISA to be processed for a Canadian citizen? 6-18 months. Check out the link in my signature if you'll be going through Montreal

Do you recommend an immigration lawyer (our application is straightforward; however I do not want anything we may miss to delay the process)? Nope. Just keep on top of the paperwork

How do I expatriate and when should I begin the process? Begin now. You can't make anything move faster.

How do you recommend I move my belongings and when in the process I should move them (i.e. when I cross the border to obtain my VISA)? Do you recommend a moving company? Rent a truck. I used u-haul. worth every penny.

When in the process should I put my house up for sale? once you get an interview date.

When in the process should I bring my dog? Will I need an international health certificate for him? When you're moving.

If some one can provide advice or a web-site link to help with these questions I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Thank you.

[Krikit 1,165]

Ditto to everything Laura and Liz say.

[trailmix 77]

Just to add about the dog:

Vaccinations

Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days

before entering the United States. This requirement does

not apply, however, to puppies less than three months of

age or to dogs originating or located for at least six

months in areas designated by the U.S. Public Health

Service as being rabies-free.

The following procedures pertain to dogs arriving from

areas that are not free of rabies:

■ A valid rabies vaccination certificate should accompany

the animal. This certificate should be in English or

be accompanied by a translation. It should identify the

animal, the dates of vaccination and expiration, and be

signed by a licensed veterinarian. If no expiration date

is specified, the certificate is acceptable if the date of

vaccination is no more than 12 months before the date

of arrival.

Link (page 8)

Also you might want to check out this moving thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71875

[Doug n Amanda 0]

Be sure to check out the other Visa options available to you, including the K3/CR1 Spouse visa; in our case it would've been a better option to keep my husband working in Canada while living in the US.

[Flames9_RN 358]

yep, take some time and go over the K1, K3 and cr-1 visas, know all ur options!! If working is important the cr-1 may be of interest of you.

[Moving to USA 0]

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERY ONE!

I really appreciate your help! Here is another question…since we do not want to wait 6 months, what if we got married in the US and then applied for a K3 VISA?

I believe that I can stay in the US while we wait but can not return to Canada without permission. Is this correct?

What do people recommend about this option?

My fiancé and I are about to start the K1 VISA process and I am hoping some one can help guide me with the following questions…

What, on average is the turnaround time for a K1 VISA to be processed for a Canadian citizen?

Do you recommend an immigration lawyer (our application is straightforward; however I do not want anything we may miss to delay the process)?

How do I expatriate and when should I begin the process?

How do you recommend I move my belongings and when in the process I should move them (i.e. when I cross the border to obtain my VISA)? Do you recommend a moving company?

When in the process should I put my house up for sale?

When in the process should I bring my dog? Will I need an international health certificate for him?

If some one can provide advice or a web-site link to help with these questions I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Thank you.

[DavidsPrincess 1]

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERY ONE!

I really appreciate your help! Here is another question…since we do not want to wait 6 months, what if we got married in the US and then applied for a K3 VISA?

I believe that I can stay in the US while we wait but can not return to Canada without permission. Is this correct?

What do people recommend about this option?

My fiancé and I are about to start the K1 VISA process and I am hoping some one can help guide me with the following questions…

What, on average is the turnaround time for a K1 VISA to be processed for a Canadian citizen?

Do you recommend an immigration lawyer (our application is straightforward; however I do not want anything we may miss to delay the process)?

How do I expatriate and when should I begin the process?

How do you recommend I move my belongings and when in the process I should move them (i.e. when I cross the border to obtain my VISA)? Do you recommend a moving company?

When in the process should I put my house up for sale?

When in the process should I bring my dog? Will I need an international health certificate for him?

If some one can provide advice or a web-site link to help with these questions I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Thank you.

I believe in the K-3 process you must return to Canada to wait until the K-3 is done before you can move to the US. This is why many go with the I-129F so that they can be together right after their marriage. No matter what visa you file, you will have to wait. From what I have read the K-3 and K-1 have a similar turn around time, with the K-3 taking a bit longer.

[Flames9_RN 358]

The k1, K3, cr-1 all "could" have the same "start" time, as in filing the paperwork!! Of course with the K3 and the cr-1 u have to be married and would spend the first part of being married apart. Of course one can still visit the USa (with POE officer approval) Many get married on a visit, return to canada and start the paperwork, thats what we did! Quick JP ceremony! Didnt even tel our family. Later on we had another family wedding, and they all thought it was real! Still do to this day,lol

[Moving to USA 0]

Thank you so much! Can we get married in the US and can I stay in the US while waiting for a K3 VISA? I won't need to work right away and can you apply for employment while waiting for the K3? Sorry for all of the questions.

Be sure to check out the other Visa options available to you, including the K3/CR1 Spouse visa; in our case it would've been a better option to keep my husband working in Canada while living in the US.

[Moving to USA 0]

Thank you so much! Can we get married in the US and can I stay in the US while waiting for a K3 VISA?

I would love to know how you managed to do the "real" wedding without any one finding out about the JP!

The k1, K3, cr-1 all "could" have the same "start" time, as in filing the paperwork!! Of course with the K3 and the cr-1 u have to be married and would spend the first part of being married apart. Of course one can still visit the USa (with POE officer approval) Many get married on a visit, return to canada and start the paperwork, thats what we did! Quick JP ceremony! Didnt even tel our family. Later on we had another family wedding, and they all thought it was real! Still do to this day,lol

[Flames9_RN 358]

NO!! U wont be able to claim EI if ur in the usa waiting for the visa!! Since ur just a tourist ur not legally able to work in the USA thus no EI. You would have to be back in Canada to claim EI!!

Yes u can stay in the USA while waiting for the Visa (with POE officer approval--some do get denied entry)

[Flames9_RN 358]

Were not religious, so both our ceremonies were completed by a JP! First one,which was the legal one, was done with a few close friends! The second with the family was done by a JP!! We let him know we already were married, BUT our families didnt know. He was ok with everything. Only thing that was different that we didn't sign anything! And no one asked why we didnt sign the marriage certificate in front of everyone,lol!!