possible denial over self harm/diagnosis and past drug use

[mynx1991 0]

so I'm a Canadian citizen looking to marry an American. I've read that I could be ineligible for self harm, psych diagnosis and past drug use. for me personally I self harmed pretty bad on my forearm when I was sixteen (I'm 28 now) and it's visible and looks pretty bad. I did it because I was so upset and angry that my mom gave me up to the system at after my dad died. it wasent related to mental illness. 

 

I've considered tattoos or skin graphs to hide them but I've read that you have to admit it either way, or if the medical examiner asks. 

 

a problem I have concerning it is that a few years ago I was diagnosed borderline personality and went through treatment for it (DBT a skills based group) but recently got reassessed and my psych believes I wasent borderline to begin with nor at all and gave me accurate up to date diagnosis (ADHD and some anxiety). I'm worried that I will have to admit my past misdiagnosises cause I was also misdiagnosed bipolar at fifteen. 

 

i also read to list off any psych treatment, would I have to mention when I was hospitalized at 16? would I have to list off the bipolar and borderline misdiagnosis? or when I went through behavioural skills therapy? 

 

Do I have to get records? or can I just give a note from my psychiatrist or gp stating my current diagnosis and stating I'm not a threat to myself or others? 

 

also I experimented with drugs until I was 19. I tried many and read that even trying twice consitutes as drug abuse. do I have to go into detail on my forms or at the exam? like which ones? would they put me through an addictions program in order to qualify even though it's been so long and I never was facing addiction? I only did them because I didn't know any other environment (I live on an island where there is huge drug culture) 

 

how likely am I to be denied or having to submit waivers, or even barred from entry permenantly? 

Edited February 26, 2019 by mynx1991

[Nov2017AD 52]

Rule of thumb, don't mention anything no one asked about. 

[millefleur 5,046]

**Moved from K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures to General Immigration-Related Discussion; question is not specific to K-1 procedures**

[Ontarkie 14,226]

29 minutes ago, Nov2017AD said:

Rule of thumb, don't mention anything no one asked about. 

It is asked and is a medical history question that one must answer.

 

 

Get your current doctor to write a letter about your medical history and current diagnosis. It is important that they write that you are not a threat to yourself or others. 

 

You will most likely get a 1 yr ban for the drugs and yes you must tell them about it. You don't list what drugs, there are a few that can result in much worse than a 1 yr ban. (other might know more about this then I do)

Edited February 26, 2019 by Ontarkie

[Nov2017AD 52]

2 minutes ago, Ontarkie said:

It is asked and is a medical history question that one must answer. Get your current doctor to write a letter about your medical history and current diagnosis. It is important that they write that you are not a threat to yourself or others. 

 

You will most likely get a 1 yr ban for the drugs and yes you must tell them about it. You don't list what drugs, there are a few that can result in much worse than a 1 yr ban. (other might know more about this then I do)

Rules and rules but I wouldn't shoot myself in the foot if the only evidence of taking drugs in the past was me saying I did. Agree with disclosing recorded medical history though.

[millefleur 5,046]

I have heard of cases with 1 year bans for marijuana use and even alcohol abuse and this usual requires some kind of additional drug testing before getting approved after that. There may be also further psychiatric evaluations, I'm not sure as I'm going off of threads I've read here on VJ and not experience. But realistically, expecting at least a 1 year ban for drug use would seem in line with usual protocol.

 

Disclose everything regarding medical history and bring all recent medical docs with you, as @Ontarkie mentioned.

[millefleur 5,046]

3 minutes ago, Nov2017AD said:

Rules and rules but I wouldn't shoot myself in the foot if the only evidence of taking drugs in the past was me saying I did. Agree with disclosing recorded medical history though.

It's against the TOS to advise users to withhold information or misrepresent information. If a question is asked about prior drug use (and most likely it will be, as this is standard for US visa medical exams), it must be answered truthfully.

[carmel34 3,633]

16 hours ago, mynx1991 said:

so I'm a Canadian citizen looking to marry an American

You're jumping ahead of yourself asking about the medical exam for an immigrant visa for the US when you are only looking?  The most important thing would be to tell the American (if you find one) all about your past and not hide anything from him/her.  If you don't the relationship is not genuine and unfair to them.  And if the relationship progresses to marriage and a visa application, then yes, you will have to disclose everything about your past medical treatment and drug use on the forms to be completed for the visa and also the medical exam.  Then see what happens.  It could be difficult, but not impossible to overcome this.  First find someone willing to marry you.  Maybe even a Canadian.

[beloved_dingo 1,979]

39 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

You're jumping ahead of yourself asking about the medical exam for an immigrant visa for the US when you are only looking?  The most important thing would be to tell the American (if you find one) all about your past and not hide anything from him/her.  If you don't the relationship is not genuine and unfair to them.  And if the relationship progresses to marriage and a visa application, then yes, you will have to disclose everything about your past medical treatment and drug use on the forms to be completed for the visa and also the medical exam.  Then see what happens.  It could be difficult, but not impossible to overcome this.  First find someone willing to marry you.  Maybe even a Canadian.

I'm fairly certain the OP was using that as an expression, not to be taken literally as "I'm looking for an American spouse" but rather "I am interested in marrying my American partner." 

[David & Diana R 1,005]

4 hours ago, Nov2017AD said:

Rule of thumb, don't mention anything no one asked about. 

Rule of thumb #2:  Omission is the same as lying.  And lying is NEVER okay during the process.

[K & R 343]

My husband had mental health issues in his teen years. You have to bring your medical records to the medical exam and they will see everything so don’t try to hide it. My husband went to a psychiatrist before the interview to get an up to date eval to bring to the medical. This was an extra $400 for us but well worth it because the doctor at the medical was very pleased with the detailed and up to date evaluation that confirmed that my husband did not still have the same issues he had as a teen and that he was not a threat to himself or others. He was honest 100% through and through and he got approved for his visa. Always be honest. The consequences of lying are big. Good luck.

[K & R 343]

4 hours ago, millefleur said:

I have heard of cases with 1 year bans for marijuana use and even alcohol abuse and this usual requires some kind of additional drug testing before getting approved after that. There may be also further psychiatric evaluations, I'm not sure as I'm going off of threads I've read here on VJ and not experience. But realistically, expecting at least a 1 year ban for drug use would seem in line with usual protocol.

 

Disclose everything regarding medical history and bring all recent medical docs with you, as @Ontarkie mentioned.

A lot of times the ban decision has to do with the country the immigrant is in. I’ve seen many cases on VJ of marijuana use for UK beneficiaries that get only a few months ban or no ban at all. Not sure if Canada would be similar. I haven’t seen any Canada specific cases. But I’ve seen a lot of cases from carribean countries that all got the 1 year ban. Just an interesting tid bit I’ve found on here over time ☺️

[DJClaire 134]

PM me I would be happy to share my experiences.

[TBoneTX 45,304]

A post treading on the relevant Terms of Service provision has been removed.  Anything that we try to hide during this process can come back to bite us.

 

VJ Moderation

[geowrian 22,337]

Disclose anything asked when asked. There may or may not be a ban depending on the specifics and/or a the results of a psych evaluation. In the end, assuming there's nothing like drug trafficking or dealing involved,  you'll get there.

Good luck.

 

Don't listen to anybody suggesting or implying lying to immigration. It can come back very hard at any point in the future, even after obtaining US citizenship.