I'm so confused - Picking back up with an app I started a year ago

[AyaJulia 0]

Hello everyone.

Well, my husband and I are from opposite sides of an invisible line, as is the case with so many people here I think. He is from Canada, and I am from the US. Originally we planned to live in the US--I had no choice at the time really, I couldn't leave due to the military--so he came in as a visitor and filed an I-485 and I-130 together as he was told to do. Well, something got really mixed up and they sent the two forms to two different processing centers! Which resulted in them accepting one and rejecting the other because they didn't realize the first form was in their hands too. To be honest, I can't even remember which one was accepted and which was rejected, as he's lost the letter we got somewhere. I think they took the I-130 and rejected the expensive I-485. Anyway, we decided to go to Canada, fed up with US Immigration and the rising costs of it, when I was released from my military duties.

Things are going a lot of nowhere here and we've finally decided to pick the US application back up. We still have something like 10 months left to act on it. But it's been so long since I dealt with US immigration, and I don't know what we need anymore! I've tried to call the 1-800 number to ask, but it's blocked from Canada, so we'd have to call the 1-900 number instead which I don't want to do on principle. So I'm hoping you good people might be able to help me out. Please?

I've read your wonderful guides--thanks for those, by the way, I suppose the DCF guide is what applies to us and that's what I'm following--but I'm mostly wondering if the strange way we've chosen to go about this process will affect anything, and I'm hoping to find out without paying a 1-900 number or waiting a month (40 days to be exact) for a consular appointment. Will we need different forms? Can we skip some, since we already had them accept the I-130?

I'd be especially interested in the checklist of documents required, since frankly that's been our biggest holdup with Canadian immigration as well--every time we go to file, we realize there's yet another bit of paper we didn't know we needed that takes us a few months to track down. The guide says "The checklist will include items such as a Police Certificate, Birth Certificate, Previous Divorce Records, an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864), and others." What others? I'd like to start gathering as soon as I can. If this list varies from consul to consul, we are at the Calgary office.

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer.

[milimelo 4,481]

I was able to call the 1-800 from Bosnia, how could you not be able to get it from Canada?

You need to know your case number from the old petitions before they can tell you what is going on. Since you're former military you should be able to use the military USCIS info line - try calling: 1-877-247-4645 and they can assist with your questions and what nexts. Just to get to a person on mil line will take at least 5 minutes as you have to listen to the recording on address change before you get an agent.

Good luck in your visa journey!

[AyaJulia 0]

I was able to call the 1-800 from Bosnia, how could you not be able to get it from Canada?

That's a very good question, but I called it and got a recording saying the number was not available in my area. Even the local consulate has a 1-900 number: "Appointments can be made at the Visa Appointment Reservation System web site or by calling (900) 451-2778 (in Canada) or (900) 443-3131 (in the U.S.A.) or (888) 840-0032 (for calls by credit card)." I find it very frustrating having to pay to get information from my own country.

In fact, between that last paragraph and this new one, I tried the number you gave me. Same deal. Thanks anyway, though. :\

I expected I'd have to dig up the old number before they would tell me anything, but am I for certain going to have to call them, or could anyone else here maybe point me in the right direction of the next form?

Again, thanks very much for your help in advance.