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

[DGF 730]

Official source from the US consulate in the UK. You can visit. Let's put this to rest please. 

[HD_BIRDS 121]

On 4/25/2021 at 9:09 PM, DGF said:

Yes, you can absolutely visit. I visited every other weekend for a year and a half, and then for 5 months leading up to the pandemic, and then again for another 3 months last summer. I immigrated 6 months ago, no issues. The only thing you have to be aware of is to leave the US before your admit until date (generally 180 days from when you entered). Also, if you are spending a lot of time in the US that will raise some suspicion with CBP and you'll need to bring strong proof of ties to Canada with you to convince them otherwise. 

If the Canadian half is a Canadian citizen and doesn't have anything that would have them disqualified from being visa exempt (criminal record including DUI, etc), then just a ticket is sufficient. Otherwise a B1/B2 would be required. Always be honest if they ask about the visa process and the fact that you're visiting your spouse, but I wouldn't offer any details they don't explicitly ask for. Also, travel with proof that you're in the process (one time I almost didn't make it through but my NOA2 convinced them). 

As for bans, I wouldn't worry about them right now. The way our lawyer explained it to us, it's very hard for them to give them out in pre-clearance (aka airports) because of how the law is applied since they're technically on Canadian soil. It's not impossible, but exceedingly rare. The place you have to worry about them is the land border, but of course that's closed right now. The worst they can really do is deny entry, which won't have an impact on the visa, but you will be required to disclose it on the application and at the interview. 

 

Happy visiting!

Agree with this. I have visited the US countless times while going through the process. I have never had an issue. I have always had ties to Canada (rental agreement, proof of employment) ready when crossing, but have never been asked for them. It's still good to have these documents though, just in case. Some people do get asked about proof of intent to return to Canada.

[aurmorr 270]

Maybe it was specific advice for me since I really don’t have any ties? I literally lost everything to COVID and now I’m just waiting out the processing time in my moms basement with my cats. They told me pets don’t count as ties so I literally have nothing 😰 I wish I’d had better advice when this all started...

[Jmillerca 12]

23 hours ago, Jmillerca said:

Were driving in tomorrow from Ontario so I can let you know

We got to Montreal today. We saw cops pulling over people periodically but we didn't get stopped at all. We drove right through

[Kai G. Llewellyn 837]

4 hours ago, aurmorr said:

Maybe it was specific advice for me since I really don’t have any ties? I literally lost everything to COVID and now I’m just waiting out the processing time in my moms basement with my cats. They told me pets don’t count as ties so I literally have nothing 😰 I wish I’d had better advice when this all started...

That would be the case. Attempting admission as a visitor with zero ties is risky at the best of times, even more so if you have a pending immigration application. Essentially, CBP want to be sure that you won't enter as a visitor with the intention to adjust status and abandon consular processing. If there's nothing compelling your return to Canada, you're gonna have a hard time convincing them of that.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Kai (CanadaDude)

[State and Maine 190]

Anyone have experience with having their passport dropped off in Montreal after their interview? I was thinking of getting an Airbnb and getting it delivered there. Or is there a better option? 

[YYZ&MIA 117]

Question for those who have had their interview: do they ask you COVID related questions at the door before letting you into the consulate?  For instance, if youre arriving from another province, etc. take your temperature ? 

[aurmorr 270]

9 hours ago, Kai (CanadaDude) said:

That would be the case. Attempting admission as a visitor with zero ties is risky at the best of times, even more so if you have a pending immigration application. Essentially, CBP want to be sure that you won't enter as a visitor with the intention to adjust status and abandon consular processing. If there's nothing compelling your return to Canada, you're gonna have a hard time convincing them of that.

Yeah I’ve noticed that they don’t really care how dedicated I am to doing it by the bon to be as safe as possible. But it’s fine I’ve lost nearly everything else and I never expected this to be easy, but damn. Every day I wake up not being at home with my wife is a day wasted, so the process is just extra grueling when there isn’t even a hope of visiting.

Edited April 28, 2021 by aurmorr

[LisaD1234 28]

3 hours ago, YYZ&MIA said:

Question for those who have had their interview: do they ask you COVID related questions at the door before letting you into the consulate?  For instance, if youre arriving from another province, etc. take your temperature ? 

They ask covid questions.  Dont take your temperature. They only asked if I had been outside of Canada in the past 14days, exposed to anyone blah blah blah, the usual. 

[YYZ&MIA 117]

3 hours ago, aurmorr said:

Yeah I’ve noticed that they don’t really care how dedicated I am to doing it by the bon to be as safe as possible. But it’s fine I’ve lost nearly everything else and I never expected this to be easy, but damn. Every day I wake up not being at home with my wife is a day wasted, so the process is just extra grueling when there isn’t even a hope of visiting.

I havent seen my wife in over a year and a half. Hang in there.

[CGs_Mother 114]

I am sorry I keep asking this but I have not seen any other forum in the Canada section discuss this (I saw a note from 2 years ago from someone who immigrated from Sweden). My teenager has autism and we were asked by Dr. Lee to fill out a form regarding their mental health. I know there is a provision which can deny immigration based on whether or not a person poses a safety threat to themselves or to others. When my teenager was a child in elementary school, before they started therapy, there were some instances of tantrums. The pediatrician commented on past instances and checked off that she "did not know" if there could be future instances of violence, and was not clear in her responses on the paperwork about whether or not my child would be considered a threat. My family doctor did clarify the information (including the wording "C. does not pose a threat to himself [sic] or others") and submitted this to Dr. Lee. I called Dr. Lee's office to make sure he had all of the information he needed and nobody got back to me to confirm. My question is - if my teenager's medical records don't appear to be sufficient to justify that they will not pose a safety threat (since the information came from MDs and not psychiatrists), will the Immigration Doctor tell me, or will they tell me at the Consulate? I honestly do not know how I would appeal this if this did happen, but I want to be prepared. I know in the FAQs here, they say that Montreal rarely denies visas outright, but given everything we've been through, I just want to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Any suggestions or recommendations? Thanks very much. 

[Meghan.brooke 60]

If anyone was wondering how the POE goes... crossed at Toronto airport!

They ask the basic security questions like if you have anything over 10k (besides the ones that ask how long you are staying for ect.). Then they just confirm your wedding date and the address that your green card will be mailed to  You can ask them any questions about the green card or social that you have and they'll answer it. Super nice people and its very simple crossing over! Good luck to everyone else! 

 

[Ontarkie 14,221]

2 hours ago, CGs_Mother said:

I am sorry I keep asking this but I have not seen any other forum in the Canada section discuss this (I saw a note from 2 years ago from someone who immigrated from Sweden). My teenager has autism and we were asked by Dr. Lee to fill out a form regarding their mental health. I know there is a provision which can deny immigration based on whether or not a person poses a safety threat to themselves or to others. When my teenager was a child in elementary school, before they started therapy, there were some instances of tantrums. The pediatrician commented on past instances and checked off that she "did not know" if there could be future instances of violence, and was not clear in her responses on the paperwork about whether or not my child would be considered a threat. My family doctor did clarify the information (including the wording "C. does not pose a threat to himself [sic] or others") and submitted this to Dr. Lee. I called Dr. Lee's office to make sure he had all of the information he needed and nobody got back to me to confirm. My question is - if my teenager's medical records don't appear to be sufficient to justify that they will not pose a safety threat (since the information came from MDs and not psychiatrists), will the Immigration Doctor tell me, or will they tell me at the Consulate? I honestly do not know how I would appeal this if this did happen, but I want to be prepared. I know in the FAQs here, they say that Montreal rarely denies visas outright, but given everything we've been through, I just want to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Any suggestions or recommendations? Thanks very much. 

Dr Lee's office should ask for a psychiatric evaluation done if they feel the medical is lacking information. They usually tell you if something more is needed.

[CGs_Mother 114]

4 minutes ago, Ontarkie said:

Dr Lee's office should ask for a psychiatric evaluation done if they feel the medical is lacking information. They usually tell you if something more is needed.

Thank you! I will take it as "no news is good news" since our interview is a week today...! 

[aurmorr 270]

4 hours ago, YYZ&MIA said:

I havent seen my wife in over a year and a half. Hang in there.

December 2019 since the last time I saw my wife 😞 like we knew this would be hard but why fate had to throw a pandemic in there I’ll never understand 😩 I believe in you!