IR-1/CR-1 Montreal DQ'd private message group goes public CONTINUED

[Dkw 41]

3 minutes ago, LisaD1234 said:

My interview is on the 26th.  I'm more than a little bummed to hear of these new restrictions today, I am in ontario and will be driving to my appointment, going early is not a option for me, as I have kids and work to still attend.    I had my medical done Monday and have had nothing but hassles all week trying to get my daughter's immunization (didn't get the hep B before the medical, my own stupid fault for not double checking the lists)  my family doctor couldn't understand and comprehend that we needed to give it to her 7 years early because of immigration 🤦.  Regardless, it's done and the doctor sent the medical results to the consulate!

Interestingly enough on the ontario covid-19 website https://covid-19.ontario.ca/zones-and-restrictions they link to the april 7th emergency order that I am sure will be updated soon with today's announcement, but maybe not as it's just extended.  But the wording in that PDF clearly states that travel to "Obtaining government services, social services and supports, mental health support
services or addictions support services.". Also says "Attending an appointment at a business or place that is permitted to be open by

appointment only."  Is a valid reason to travel.   And also reading the info here.....https://www.ontario.ca/page/emergency-information it seems the order really only cares about your reentry to ontario, not your exit. I will be carrying copies of these documents with me when I travel. 

Hopefully that info can put some of your minds at ease, but I am still on edge and super curious to see if anyone has any troubles attending the interviews this week.  

I really like your positivity regarding this. I finally have an interview scheduled for May and just had my medical a couple days ago. Keeping fingers crossed there are no issues with crossing the provincial boarders either!

[YYZ&MIA 117]

12 hours ago, Kai (CanadaDude) said:

I'm debating getting my interview transferred to the London Embassy in light of this and staying with my folks in the UK while I wait it out. As a British Citizen I think I'm allowed to have my interview in the UK, right?

I was also going to do that bc I also decided to stay in Europe with family during the pandemic but was advised not to request my interview to be moved to the embassy here as I would lose my spot in the que plus it takes time for the file to be transferred to another embassy etc. At least we know Montreal is processing and things are going at a good pace, not sure about the embassy in the UK. However, who knows what the Canadian gov might do next - I wouldnt be surprises if they suspended international travel again for weeks so everything is so unknown at this point. If you are already in Canada, Id just stay there and wait it out. 

[State and Maine 190]

3 hours ago, YYZ&MIA said:

I was also going to do that bc I also decided to stay in Europe with family during the pandemic but was advised not to request my interview to be moved to the embassy here as I would lose my spot in the que plus it takes time for the file to be transferred to another embassy etc. At least we know Montreal is processing and things are going at a good pace, not sure about the embassy in the UK. However, who knows what the Canadian gov might do next - I wouldnt be surprises if they suspended international travel again for weeks so everything is so unknown at this point. If you are already in Canada, Id just stay there and wait it out. 

Looking at the visa issuances in London it appears that they’ve been steady throughout their lockdown. Montreal for some reason has issued a lot in the past few months. My anxiety ridden ### is still waiting for the rest of may to fill up! My police report expires on June 6th!!

[YYZ&MIA 117]

29 minutes ago, State and Maine said:

Looking at the visa issuances in London it appears that they’ve been steady throughout their lockdown. Montreal for some reason has issued a lot in the past few months. My anxiety ridden ### is still waiting for the rest of may to fill up! My police report expires on June 6th!!

Dont worry you will be next  Just take this time to relax and start getting your documents ready so you stress less and have less to do before the interview! 

[Nikasalts 10]

On 4/15/2021 at 11:37 AM, i5love said:

I wanted to share my POE experience at Peace Arch on April 9th, since I know others may be planning this shortly. My husband is a US Customs Broker, so he was able to help me get prepared well and get me into the mindset of a CBP official. 

 

I packed up my 1 bdrm apartment and drove the U-Haul on a one-way rental to avoid the 14 day quarantine. Due to a Dept of Transport Safety Standard, I had to sell my car in advance of the move and couldnt import it. That made part of my entry and preparation easier as I didnt have to tow the vehicle or deal with the car import.

 

As I packed, each box was numbered and contents were identified in some detail but not itemized detail (for example: Box #5 - plates and bowls. NOT: Box - Kitchen or Box - Kitchen, 5 bowls, 2 plates. Value $12.). I printed the manifest list and included a header with my name, date, and a-number so that if the list was taken by CBP it would be tracked back to my passport. 

 

When I pulled up to the booth, I was the only vehicle at the border. As expected, I was directed to secondary and instructed to wait inside my vehicle. Two CBP officers approached the vehicle and looked at my passport. I informed them that I was also travelling with my cat (beside me in a carrier) and had his rabies certificate. They didnt take the rabies certificate or ask to see the cat. The CBP officers looked at my manifest list, opened the U-Haul, and looked inside. They didnt open boxes or get into the back of the truck. I declared the 6L of alcohol I had with me, and indicated where to find it on the manifest list. The alcohol was itemized including type, volume, and brand name. As part of my preparation, I found an exemption on state tax, not federal tax, for alcohol for new residents. Its pretty straight forward. Just email them in advance, and they send you back a PDF to print that exempts you from any state tax if you qualify. 

 

All in all, I felt reasonably prepared. 

 

After inspecting my passport, the CBP officials that came to my vehicle did not take my passport inside. After waiting 45+ minutes in secondary, seeing other vehicles getting cleared by other officers, I was still waiting. The officer whose booth I drove through, came off his booth rotation and saw me sitting there. He approached my vehicle and asked if anyone took my passport. No one had. Eventually, he took it inside. Then he came out a second time to confirm the address of my US residence. After even more waiting, a new officer came out and returned my passport with CR1 stamp in it. I was finally free to go after about an hour - almost all of that time was waiting. 

 

My US residence is relatively close to the Peace Arch crossing, and so I was surprised to see a CBP sedan drive by the house as my husband and I hugged in the front yard shortly after I arrived. I dont live on a main street, so it isnt common to see their vehicles drive by, but we are close enough that it isnt entirely unusual. My husband shrugged it off, but I wasn't thrilled.

 

Now to wait for my SSN and Green Card.

 

Anyone in Whatcom county need boxes or bubble wrap? lol

 

Do you happen to have a info on what are we allowed to pack in Uhaul and bring over....I mean food wise, alcohol. I assume there shouldn't be issues with personal belongings? 

[CGs_Mother 114]

4 hours ago, Nikasalts said:

Do you happen to have a info on what are we allowed to pack in Uhaul and bring over....I mean food wise, alcohol. I assume there shouldn't be issues with personal belongings? 

You can bring anything that you could bring on any usual trip to the US - non-perishables, and you can bring alcohol without a limit, though you might have to pay duty or taxes if you don't get the documents described above. You cannot bring meat, fruit, vegetables, or dairy products (milk is OK if you are travelling with infants/toddlers). That being said, I don't think they will deny you entry if you bring sandwiches if you are driving over. But if you're bringing food (like all the things we are going to miss like Jos Louis, Ketchup Chips, KD, Mackintosh Toffees, Aero Bars, Peek Frean or President Choice cookies, etc.) that should be fine. There is a certain quantity limit because they want to make sure you're not selling things, but if it looks like it's for personal consumption, they generally let it go through. You can check the USCBP site for a list of foods you can bring into the US in case you're worried.

[CGs_Mother 114]

19 hours ago, LisaD1234 said:

My interview is on the 26th.  I'm more than a little bummed to hear of these new restrictions today, I am in ontario and will be driving to my appointment, going early is not a option for me, as I have kids and work to still attend.    I had my medical done Monday and have had nothing but hassles all week trying to get my daughter's immunization (didn't get the hep B before the medical, my own stupid fault for not double checking the lists)  my family doctor couldn't understand and comprehend that we needed to give it to her 7 years early because of immigration 🤦.  Regardless, it's done and the doctor sent the medical results to the consulate!

Interestingly enough on the ontario covid-19 website https://covid-19.ontario.ca/zones-and-restrictions they link to the april 7th emergency order that I am sure will be updated soon with today's announcement, but maybe not as it's just extended.  But the wording in that PDF clearly states that travel to "Obtaining government services, social services and supports, mental health support
services or addictions support services.". Also says "Attending an appointment at a business or place that is permitted to be open by

appointment only."  Is a valid reason to travel.   And also reading the info here.....https://www.ontario.ca/page/emergency-information it seems the order really only cares about your reentry to ontario, not your exit. I will be carrying copies of these documents with me when I travel. 

Hopefully that info can put some of your minds at ease, but I am still on edge and super curious to see if anyone has any troubles attending the interviews this week.  

I have friends who live in Gatineau who were already stopped today when they crossed to go to Walmart in Ottawa. It's always a good idea to make sure you have everything printed (not on your phone) to show the OPP or the SQ if you are driving across the 401 into Montreal. Hopefully you will have your approval letter when you leave so when you come back home you can show them why you had to leave (though generally they should let you come home). There is something on the ontario.ca site that now says you have to quarantine for 14 days if you arrive in Ontario from another province, so that is something to keep in mind if anyone was planning on trying to leave as soon as they received their passports back. 

 

You are correct, though. The interviews are considered essential travel, so no matter where you are coming from, they have to let you in!

 

We're going the day before to avoid being out during the Montreal curfew times. Good luck to everyone scheduled for an interview over the next while...

[Danii 312]

14 minutes ago, CGs_Mother said:

I have friends who live in Gatineau who were already stopped today when they crossed to go to Walmart in Ottawa. It's always a good idea to make sure you have everything printed (not on your phone) to show the OPP or the SQ if you are driving across the 401 into Montreal. Hopefully you will have your approval letter when you leave so when you come back home you can show them why you had to leave (though generally they should let you come home). There is something on the ontario.ca site that now says you have to quarantine for 14 days if you arrive in Ontario from another province, so that is something to keep in mind if anyone was planning on trying to leave as soon as they received their passports back. 

 

You are correct, though. The interviews are considered essential travel, so no matter where you are coming from, they have to let you in!

 

We're going the day before to avoid being out during the Montreal curfew times. Good luck to everyone scheduled for an interview over the next while...

Thanks for the info! I just checked the Ontario site and it says that the 14 day quarantine is strongly advised (not mandatory/enforced) https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-stop-spread#section-6

I also read that if your primary residence is in Ontario, you will not be stopped from entering. We should keep checking all of this Incase things change in the upcoming weeks though!

Edited April 17, 2021 by Dania A

[Riversong 420]

8 hours ago, State and Maine said:

Looking at the visa issuances in London it appears that they’ve been steady throughout their lockdown. Montreal for some reason has issued a lot in the past few months. My anxiety ridden ### is still waiting for the rest of may to fill up! My police report expires on June 6th!!

right! Mine expires July 10th, my passport photos expired, and I had to get them all done again, Walmart did the wrong sizes, even though I specified US Passport size. At least there was enough room to trim them down 3/4inch. Right now the RCMP where I live is not doing the fingerprint reports, and if my report expires before our interview I'm hoping that I can get them done. The RCMP is the only place to get them done where I live. That's what held us up the 1st time, took 4 months just to be able to get in and have my fingerprints done. They were only doing them for employment and bookings for the longest time. I totally feel you on the anxiety levels....and the separation from my husband has been really hard, as I am sure it is with all of us. It's too bad that there wasn't a way to have things done via skype, zoom, facetime etc

 

[DGF 730]

On 4/16/2021 at 10:53 AM, Hawk Riders said:

It's in the FAQ:

What option do I select when registering for the return courier?

“I have received a letter/email from the consular section with instructions to schedule an immigrant visa appointment.”

 

but maybe the FAQ needs a language update, @DGF?

Done!
 

On 4/16/2021 at 2:20 PM, Kai (CanadaDude) said:

I'm debating getting my interview transferred to the London Embassy in light of this and staying with my folks in the UK while I wait it out. As a British Citizen I think I'm allowed to have my interview in the UK, right?

I looked into this months ago for the Sydney consulate (but of course things change fast during the pandemic) and at the time consulates were not accepting transfers. If they have resumed transfers then yes you are allowed as a citizen. It can take a few months to process, but depending on where you are in line that may be worth it. Can't hurt to reach out!

[Kai G. Llewellyn 837]

2 minutes ago, DGF said:

Done!
 

I looked into this months ago for the Sydney consulate (but of course things change fast during the pandemic) and at the time consulates were not accepting transfers. If they have resumed transfers then yes you are allowed as a citizen. It can take a few months to process, but depending on where you are in line that may be worth it. Can't hurt to reach out!

Thanks for the response. Hmm, considering my case is still at NVC I would have thought NVC would just have London pick it up instead of MTL? I guess Montreal still have to kick off the transfer?

 

I'm very close to getting an IL, so a multi-month delay is definitely not worth it. Was more of a last resort if I couldn't get into Quebec. But seems that people are being let into the province for visa interviews so we should probably be okay. Hopefully the consulate will stay open!!

[plvt 21]

On 4/7/2021 at 3:16 PM, plvt said:

Hi Everyone!

 

My interview was this morning at 10 AM and my visa was APPROVED! Thank you all for the information. Shout out to @Hawk Riders for maintaining the spreadsheet. 

 

Interview went smooth, I was out in little over an hour, super quick. They asked the basic questions that everyone has posted. 

 

Best of luck to everyone next in line!

Passport received via Puralator April 12th, very quick turnaround. @Hawk Riders

 

FYI: My address is in Ontario, however I went to visit family in Nova Scotia after my interview and I was able to have my passport delivered there. Worked out perfectly!

[aurmorr 270]

On 4/17/2021 at 5:01 PM, Riversong said:

right! Mine expires July 10th, my passport photos expired, and I had to get them all done again, Walmart did the wrong sizes, even though I specified US Passport size. At least there was enough room to trim them down 3/4inch. Right now the RCMP where I live is not doing the fingerprint reports, and if my report expires before our interview I'm hoping that I can get them done. The RCMP is the only place to get them done where I live. That's what held us up the 1st time, took 4 months just to be able to get in and have my fingerprints done. They were only doing them for employment and bookings for the longest time. I totally feel you on the anxiety levels....and the separation from my husband has been really hard, as I am sure it is with all of us. It's too bad that there wasn't a way to have things done via skype, zoom, facetime etc

 

My expires at the end of May. It seems pretty impossible that I’ll get my interview and I think they had extended the validity at first but I can’t find any information about if that is still valid. I checked at Commissionaires in Ottawa and they have a lot of appointments available, so if you’re looking to redo it, maybe try there? Also I hadn’t absorbed it because I hoped it wouldn’t apply to me, but there have been changes to the security check so we should all be prepared for that 🥺

[Riversong 420]

5 minutes ago, aurmorr said:

My expires at the end of May. It seems pretty impossible that I’ll get my interview and I think they had extended the validity at first but I can’t find any information about if that is still valid. I checked at Commissionaires in Ottawa and they have a lot of appointments available, so if you’re looking to redo it, maybe try there? Also I hadn’t absorbed it because I hoped it wouldn’t apply to me, but there have been changes to the security check so we should all be prepared for that 🥺

I live in Northern BC, and any commissionaires that do them are in and around Vancouver,  which is about 1200km. I am just hopeful that I will have my appointment before it expires

[MichaelZas 21]

Hi Guys,

Quick question for the people who already had the experience to activate their visa at Pearson airport (Mississauga). How much time approximately does the process takes? what kind of questions asked? Any documentation required?

Just trying to plan ahead before my trip.

Thank you!