Packet 3 received!

[~Nini~ 2]

The mailman personally handed me the envelope from the Vancouver consulate, and I just about fell off my porch. Definitely the nicest mail I've received all year, apart from the snail mail that Bee sends me.

Here's to a good day for the rest of you all!

[CutienPurg 0]

did u kiss him?

Congrats!!!........almost there now

[Flames9_RN 358]

Not much more to go, congrats!

[raymaga 25]

Good luck for a successful interview and a speedy trip "home"!!!!

[MissStacey 1]

Congrats!!!

I'm checking my mailbox everyday!!

[HannahP 119]

Holy #######, that was fast!

(Jeaaallouss)

Congrats!

[Autumnchik 6]

WOO HOO!!!!!!

[~Nini~ 2]

Bee is now a stressed wreck: "So, what do I need to mail you? What can I do on my end? Is there anything I can do?..."

Stacey33 and HannahP - yours should be coming in anytime now!

If I had a scanner, I'd copy these documents... let me know if you want info so you can start early.

Edited May 17, 2007 by Nini & Bee

[AndreaK 1]

that's awesome! it also means mine should be arriving anytime now... except that i'm in Wichita until June 1. oh well, it won't take long to get the medical booked or get the criminal check done.

while i'm here, i want my fiance to fill out the affadavit of support (I-134, if i recall correctly) and get it notarized so i can bring it home with me. he also has not yet received the NOA2 letter in the mail - and i've heard conflicting reports of whether or not that's needed for the interview. could you either scan or post what exactly is on the checklist to have/bring to the interview? this way we all know - at least for vancouver - up front the exact requirements.

thx! and good luck for a speedy interview!

[~Nini~ 2]

AndreaK - it's not listed on the checklist in Packet 3, but I know for a fact that you need to bring at least a photocopy of your NOA2 to the interview. I'm guessing it's under the category of "Evidence of Engagement". The NOA2 is also needed for adjusting status later on so make sure your fiance gets that letter!

Without a scanner, I'm forced to type out the contents of Packet 3 - so when I get home from classes later this afternoon, I'll paraphrase the checklist for all the VJ'ers that are going through Vancouver so you can start preparing your to-do lists. Sound fair? I promise, I'll be thorough.

[misa 2]

The K1 checklist for Vancouver is on this page: http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...p;cty=Vancouver

[Eka_&_Pyrrhic 0]

Congrats! Here's hoping for a speedy interview too.

~ Eka

[~Nini~ 2]

Looking over the link that misa helpfully provided for us, I can say that it mostly matches with what I received. Some differences that I got compared with that link though:

The Form OF-167 letter I received was only one page and was mostly for the sponsor to sign in the event that an I-134 is to be submitted at the consulate. The gist of it can be found on #7 on page 2 of the OF-167 given in the link.

Saskatchewan no longer has a physician available for medical examinations. (This info was updated on April 25th of this year, for those that were curious.)

---

I also got my police certificate at the RCMP detachment in Vancouver and was able to receive it within the hour. The only reason I had to wait that long was because the commissioner couldn't find an RCMP officer who was able to sign it off (all out at lunch!). It's very ordinary, a single printed piece of paper with two signatures and a rubber stamp. For $40! I brought my short-form birth certificate and driver's license, and they were able to process the info, but I would also bring a passport in case there's a problem.

The best updated forms can be found here; one of the links they gave me on Packet 3 were outdated, but luckily I caught it in time.

For the passport photos, I'd recommend London Drugs, but please make sure that they are properly done - I used to work at the ones in Broadway and Kerrisdale, and I know some of them will just flake out, while others will take the time to do the job properly. Best thing to do is go in at a non-peak hour, otherwise they will just fankle the job. (Or, just go somewhere else - LD is just my recommendation.)

Am I right to assume that you also get a generated barcode in form DS-156 and NOT DS-156K or DS-230 Pt. 1?

---

Hope that helps all the nervous people going through the Vancouver embassy!

(And yes, I've been a very, very busy girl today. )

Edited May 17, 2007 by Nini & Bee

[AndreaK 1]

thanks for the info and links! i hope to get all of this done the week after i get home so that *hopefully* i can have my interview by the end of June.

what items/paperwork do you have to return to them prior to the interview being scheduled? are you allowed to fax them, or do they have to be returned by mail or courier?

[~Nini~ 2]

Prior to the interview, you have to fill out your DS-230 Part 1 and fax it to the consulate; once you get the checklist filled out, you also fax that in - there's a statement at the bottom of the page where you fill out your potential interview date (and also tell them when you're getting married!) and sign it.

The DS-156 and DS-156K are for the interview, along with all the other evidence listed on the checklist - make a photocopy of all certificates along with the originals. They'll want the USC's original birth certificate too, so if you're attending the interview alone make sure that gets sent to you prior to the interview. (Since my fiance intends to fly in for the interview he's just bringing the original with him.)