Various Questions

[*Bella* 0]

I was just wondering if someone can point me in the right direction. This is such an overwhelming process, and I don't even know where to start.

A little back story :

My boyfriend and I decided that I should immigrate there, to the US, rather than him coming to Canada.. as he has family there. We've been dating for a long time, and we're determined to get through this hump, but WOW it's confusing.

I have a few questions.. feel free to let me know anything you may think I need to know, aside from that.

- While we're getting my permanent residency, can I live in the US with him, or do I have to stay here in Canada. I'd really love to get there ASAP, but I don't want to break any laws and get myself deported.

- Is this a generally long process? From start to finish?

- After we're married, I can live there, right? (if 'no' was the answer to the first question)

- After we're married, will I automatically get added to his insurance (from work) as a spouse? Just in the sense of having a family and all those medical costs.

- If no to the above question, and we go ahead and have a family anyways, how do the united states work with billing? Of course, here in Canada having 'free' healthcare it's totally different. Do they send you one big bill for everything that needs to be paid in 1 shot, or do they break it up for monthly payments? This confuses me a whole deal.

I guess after knowing the answers to these, it sort of clears my mind a BIT on the process and how we'll live. Especially with the first question, I suppose i'd need to know the answer of that BEFORE we start anything.

Thanks so much! <3

I asked these questions on Yahoo Answers and they suspended my account for 30 days. I emailed them asking why and they said for me to read the guidelines, I did, and I don't see anything wrong! LOL. They still wont give me a straight answer as to WHY they booted me. LOL.

[amykathleen2005 441]

I was just wondering if someone can point me in the right direction. This is such an overwhelming process, and I don't even know where to start.

A little back story :

My boyfriend and I decided that I should immigrate there, to the US, rather than him coming to Canada.. as he has family there. We've been dating for a long time, and we're determined to get through this hump, but WOW it's confusing.

I have a few questions.. feel free to let me know anything you may think I need to know, aside from that.

- While we're getting my permanent residency, can I live in the US with him, or do I have to stay here in Canada. I'd really love to get there ASAP, but I don't want to break any laws and get myself deported.

- Is this a generally long process? From start to finish?

- After we're married, I can live there, right? (if 'no' was the answer to the first question)

- After we're married, will I automatically get added to his insurance (from work) as a spouse? Just in the sense of having a family and all those medical costs.

- If no to the above question, and we go ahead and have a family anyways, how do the united states work with billing? Of course, here in Canada having 'free' healthcare it's totally different. Do they send you one big bill for everything that needs to be paid in 1 shot, or do they break it up for monthly payments? This confuses me a whole deal.

Two choices here. You can get a fiance visa and marry in the US once you receive it or you can get married anywhere first and then file a spousal visa. For the fiance visa you will file, wait around 6-9 months and then once approved you can come to the US, get married and file for permanent residence. For the spousal visa you get married and then file, wait 7-10 months and once received you would enter as a permanent resident.

As you are Canadian you may be able to visit during the process, although no absolute guarantees. You will need to be back in Canada for your interview which is the last stage of the process.

You can be added to insurance once you are married. Once it goes through insurance the hospital will bill you the rest of the amount and you will have to pay it all or set up a payment plan depending on the hospital.

[Cathi 5,757]

If you are merely boyfriend and girlfriend there is no visa for you to apply for. If you are engaged you apply for the 129f petition for fiance and k-1 visa process, After being approved you move to the US and have to get married within 90 days of entering the US. The process takes about 6-7 months from start to finish complete,you cannot live here during the process. There are guides at the top of this page that explain the entire process in detail step by step. Good luck!!!!

[*Bella* 0]

Two choices here. You can get a fiance visa and marry in the US once you receive it or you can get married anywhere first and then file a spousal visa. For the fiance visa you will file, wait around 6-9 months and then once approved you can come to the US, get married and file for permanent residence. For the spousal visa you get married and then file, wait 7-10 months and once received you would enter as a permanent resident.

As you are Canadian you may be able to visit during the process, although no absolute guarantees. You will need to be back in Canada for your interview which is the last stage of the process.

You can be added to insurance once you are married. Once it goes through insurance the hospital will bill you the rest of the amount and you will have to pay it all or set up a payment plan depending on the hospital.

Thanks! By anywhere, can we get married in the US, or is that 'off limits' as i'd need a visa. (For your second explanation).

Edited July 6, 2012 by *Bella*

[*Bella* 0]

If you are merely boyfriend and girlfriend there is no visa for you to apply for. If you are engaged you apply for the 129f petition for fiance and k-1 visa process, After being approved you move to the US and have to get married within 90 days of entering the US. The process takes about 6-7 months from start to finish complete,you cannot live here during the process. There are guides at the top of this page that explain the entire process in detail step by step. Good luck!!!!

We are 'technically' engaged, except I don't want it to somehow ruin our visa process. This probably makes no sense at all, but for the past while, this has been my rationalized thoughts.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Thanks! By anywhere, can we get married in the US, or is that 'off limits' as i'd need a visa. (For your second explanation).

You can. But you can't stay unless you have the proper paperwork.

[*Bella* 0]

You can. But you can't stay unless you have the proper paperwork.

Hmm, alright! Will the type of wedding ruin/help my Permanent Resident journey? I heard small 'quick' weddings can get you denied because they see it as a fluke/

[amykathleen2005 441]

Hmm, alright! Will the type of wedding ruin/help my Permanent Resident journey? I heard small 'quick' weddings can get you denied because they see it as a fluke/

Type does not matter. As long as it is legal.

[*Bella* 0]

Type does not matter. As long as it is legal.

Thank you

[litlmina 40]

They *may* have booted you from Yahoo Answers because they thought you might be talking about immigration fraud. As in, you want to get permanent residency here by marrying your boyfriend vs. you're marrying your BF out of love and...oh look, you get permanent residency, too. Nitpicky.

1: From my experience with the K-1 fiance visa, if you enter the country LEGALLY as a tourist/visitor, then there is no reason why you can't start the K-1 process in the US. That's what we did. He was here on an exchange worker visa when I filed the papers and then left the country when his visa period was finished. I noted that on the application, and we didn't have any problems getting the I-129f approved.

Just make sure you FOLLOW THE TERMS OF THE VISA. If you are supposed to leave the country in 90 days, leave the country in 90 days.

4 and 5: If he gets health insurance from his employers, you usually cannot change your plan or add people to your plan. There are two exceptions - 1) during the once-a-year period, called "Open Enrollemnt," when you make changes and plan out your health care needs for the next year, and 2) if he has a "life changing event." Luckily for you, getting married is a life changing event (as well as things like having a baby, someone dying, etc). However, he only has a limited period of time to add you onto his insurance plan. It will vary from company to company. For instance, you may have 30-60 days from the time you filed your marriage license to add you to his plan. His monthly premium will go up - sometimes it MORE than doubles.

There are websites that can explain billing to you, but I can offer this advice: ALWAYS save receipts/records from the doctor's office, and know the number to the billing office. I have spent HOURS AND HOURS on the phone arguing with insurance companies. Unfortunately, that's the way things are done here (and not just insurance issues). My dad was denied coverage for physical therapy, so I had to go to the office, copy ALL of his chart notes, then go through over 60 appointments ONE BY ONE with someone from the insurance company (after playing phone tag with her, naturally) before they said, oh, you're right, he's covered for another 30 appointments! If I hadn't questioned the bill, we would have paid for a bunch of PT sessions - and they were not cheap!

When in doubt, call the billing office. Be polite, and play dumb. Make them explain every little deduction and charge. If you treat them nicely, they will take the time to explain everything to you, and knowledge is a powerful thing to have!

[canadian_wife 1,822]

- While we're getting my permanent residency, can I live in the US with him, or do I have to stay here in Canada. I'd really love to get there ASAP, but I don't want to break any laws and get myself deported.

- Is this a generally long process? From start to finish?

- After we're married, I can live there, right? (if 'no' was the answer to the first question)

- After we're married, will I automatically get added to his insurance (from work) as a spouse? Just in the sense of having a family and all those medical costs.

- If no to the above question, and we go ahead and have a family anyways, how do the united states work with billing? Of course, here in Canada having 'free' healthcare it's totally different. Do they send you one big bill for everything that needs to be paid in 1 shot, or do they break it up for monthly payments? This confuses me a whole deal.

1) We'd all love to move to the US to be with our spouses ASAP, however you have to marry, file the paperwork and complete the process in Montreal. Sorry, no way around this. You can visit however, you cannot live

2) Start to finish out of Montreal you are looking at 8-12 months. We did ours in 10, but others have done as much as 14. Do your research to see how you can get out of NVC the fastest.

3) after you are married AND you have your immigrant visa, you can live there. but not before

4) you have to ask his insurance company, this is not an immigration question. And how a doctor or hospital bills you is up to the billing department of the facility you go to.

Happy to help with any questions you need. Montreal can be a unique beast. YOu'll need your long form birth certificate issued by the provice (the one with both your parents names on them) so you can go ahead and get that now if you like

And I got married on a Wednesday afternoon in City Hall. USCIS only cares that you are legally married, the 'how' doesn't matter

Good luck

Edited July 7, 2012 by canadian_wife