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

[DGF 730]

12 hours ago, M Brown said:

On average, how long are people spending sitting in “ISSUED ...(necessary administrative processing)” these days, post-interview?

2.5 days, which felt like the longest 2.5 days of the whole process!

 

2 hours ago, TedsGirl said:

Hello all! A long time lurker here just wanting some feedback if I can.

 

(My fiance and I are nowhere near the stage for filing yet - got to get married first - and he is seeking out options. He's the USC and I'm a Canadian PR. We met for the first time on the 11th when I flew to Texas and returned to Canada last Tuesday. I think being in quarantine is making me think and overthink🤪)

 

Do those of you here file the paperwork yourselves or use an immigration lawyer or a company like RapidVisa? Also from filing to visa issuance, about 2 perhaps 3 years considering covid now?

 

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

We used a lawyer but I wouldn't recommend the same to others if you have a simple case (no bans, no criminal records, etc). They filled out the paperwork which was nice but we had to review everything and there were always a ton of mistakes. They also didn't let us know when our case at USCIS was beyond normal processing and we had to figure that out and fix it on our own. We've been one step ahead of them the entire process. They were nice, and didn't give us any bad information, but in hindsight I don't think they were necessary.

 

Stay away from rapidvisa, I've seen them giving out misleading information. 

[Stylereveal 38]

14 minutes ago, DGF said:

2.5 days, which felt like the longest 2.5 days of the whole process!

 

We used a lawyer but I wouldn't recommend the same to others if you have a simple case (no bans, no criminal records, etc). They filled out the paperwork which was nice but we had to review everything and there were always a ton of mistakes. They also didn't let us know when our case at USCIS was beyond normal processing and we had to figure that out and fix it on our own. We've been one step ahead of them the entire process. They were nice, and didn't give us any bad information, but in hindsight I don't think they were necessary.

 

Stay away from rapidvisa, I've seen them giving out misleading information. 

I talked to a few lawyers when starting out and it was extremely expensive. And then I thought it’s not hard to do on your own which we did, with no issues, and less money. Plus this group is very helpful to answer any questions. 

[Stylereveal 38]

I finally got my visa as my appointment was Jan 20th, I’m surprised it came so quick and I didn’t even pay for courier services. 
What I do want to know is, that it came in a white envelope with my name and a bar code, no other instructions am I allowed to open it?

[gavinski91 102]

My wife and I met with a lawyer for a consult before we began our application, just to get an idea of what to expect (I wasn't aware of VJ at that point). I think we paid $300 for a one-hour consult with him. He had some useful advice about general strategy for us to take (at that point we hadn't decided between consular processing or AoS) but at the end of the consult he actually advised that we go through the process ourself and not hire him. I don't recall his exact words, but it was something like "I'd be happy to help and take on your case, but I think it'd be a waste of money for you - if you file your own taxes you can apply for a visa on your own."

Edited January 26, 2021 by gavinski91

[rafale1973 141]

On 1/24/2021 at 9:58 PM, ameena1423 said:

Just an update:

 

I crossed at POE to activate my IR-1 Visa on January 10th.

 

I got my SSN on January 19th and my Green Card on January 22nd.

Wow you are so lucky. Which state are you in ? I crossed on December 15 and I still haven’t received anything yet. 

[TedsGirl 192]

3 hours ago, jackanddeona said:

Did the whole process ourselves. I've heard mixed results from lawyers on this forum. Not sure about rapid visa. The information here is generally more than enough to complete the process but if you would rather have someone else do it for you that is totally your call. Just be warned that some lawyers are better than others in regards to immigration. I'm getting my visa in 18 months ish but there are a lot of factors that could have made it longer.

Thank you for your reply! I appreciate. I've shared this site with my Love. Your comments are encouraging.

[PennyLaneB 55]

53 minutes ago, Stylereveal said:

I finally got my visa as my appointment was Jan 20th, I’m surprised it came so quick and I didn’t even pay for courier services. 
What I do want to know is, that it came in a white envelope with my name and a bar code, no other instructions am I allowed to open it?

Same! I had my interview on Jan 20th and my passport arrived at the pick up location today. I haven't picked up mine yet but I assume the envelop contains your passport with the visa inside so it should be safe to open.

[TedsGirl 192]

@bort_s @PennyLaneB @DGFI want to thank all of you who commented regarding my query. I truly appreciate all the feedback🙂

 

Instead of highjacking your thread with my responses and quotes, I wanted to address a few in one post.

 

@mam521 we considered K1 prior to meeting, however post meeting we want to get married and start the process. After much research we believe the CR1/IR1 would be best to get everything done in one swoop rather than in bits and bobs. 

 

@CGs_Mother hey there! We met the other night on the coronavirus thread. I am actually celebrating in quarantine today my 19th Canadaversary! I'm originally from London, UK so I am sure everything will be fairly straight forward as I have only lived there and here in my 51 years. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

@EJOyamot I appreciate your feedback re RapidVisa!

 

@gavinski91 Thanks so much for your response! I am hopeful in sharing your response with the others will sway my Love to consider doing it himself/together! 

 

-lurks out-

[mam521 1,985]

@TedsGirlfair enough.  Removing conditions sucks, but you might have to anyway, depending on how slow the consulate continues to be!  I think if your case is pretty straight forward, you can likely do it yourself.  The lawyers are an additional expense to an already expensive process.  I say this, as I mentioned, as a person who filed initially with hubs as a PR, not a USC, AND with my 2 kids in tow (additionally challenges with additional applications to file once transitioning from PR to USC). 

 

I'm married to a Brit.  A British Texan...how funny is that?! The only British thing he's gotten over in over 15 years in the States is saying "um" instead of "uhrm"  

[TedsGirl 192]

3 minutes ago, mam521 said:

@TedsGirlfair enough.  Removing conditions sucks, but you might have to anyway, depending on how slow the consulate continues to be!  I think if your case is pretty straight forward, you can likely do it yourself.  The lawyers are an additional expense to an already expensive process.  I say this, as I mentioned, as a person who filed initially with hubs as a PR, not a USC, AND with my 2 kids in tow (additionally challenges with additional applications to file once transitioning from PR to USC). 

 

I'm married to a Brit.  A British Texan...how funny is that?! The only British thing he's gotten over in over 15 years in the States is saying "um" instead of "uhrm"  

Yes you're right regarding the removal of conditions. Also looking at the K1 it appears not to be a high priority in terms of processing. Overall we like the way the CR1 looks. 

 

That's too cool 😂 I just had someone tell me how interesting it will be for me a Londoner in Texas! You're funny about what your husband says. 

[mam521 1,985]

2 minutes ago, TedsGirl said:

Yes you're right regarding the removal of conditions. Also looking at the K1 it appears not to be a high priority in terms of processing. Overall we like the way the CR1 looks. 

 

That's too cool 😂 I just had someone tell me how interesting it will be for me a Londoner in Texas! You're funny about what your husband says. 

Well, you have the "competitive advantage" of transition in Canada.  It's not like arriving straight from Heathrow, which would probably be a bigger shock to the system.  

 

Texans are a funny breed, though.  Texans love Texas.  They have no idea why, but they LOVE it.  They are born that way.  They fly that Lonestar flag proudly and sing all about "deep in the heart of Texas!". Don't ever tell a Texan that In n Out Burger is better than Whataburger...you'll be schlepped for it.  And, if there is a Buc-ee's along the way to anywhere you might drive, you have to stop.  That's the unspoken rule. Also, if you have allergies, be prepared to be allergic to Texas.  Everything here is trying to kill me.  I'd also recommend learning what the local snakes are, just so you aren't too freaked out if you (inevitably) come across one. 

 

Where will you be moving to?

[M Brown 25]

2 hours ago, DGF said:

2.5 days, which felt like the longest 2.5 days of the whole process!

I can only hope to be this lucky but I doubt it.  Interview was Jan 20.  I had to upload my new police certificate to CEAC the day after the interview.  Hopefully it doesn’t take them too long to get the processing done.  

[TedsGirl 192]

14 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Well, you have the "competitive advantage" of transition in Canada.  It's not like arriving straight from Heathrow, which would probably be a bigger shock to the system.  

 

Texans are a funny breed, though.  Texans love Texas.  They have no idea why, but they LOVE it.  They are born that way.  They fly that Lonestar flag proudly and sing all about "deep in the heart of Texas!". Don't ever tell a Texan that In n Out Burger is better than Whataburger...you'll be schlepped for it.  And, if there is a Buc-ee's along the way to anywhere you might drive, you have to stop.  That's the unspoken rule. Also, if you have allergies, be prepared to be allergic to Texas.  Everything here is trying to kill me.  I'd also recommend learning what the local snakes are, just so you aren't too freaked out if you (inevitably) come across one. 

 

Where will you be moving to?

 Yes! Very patriotic! The Republic of Texas. I think they don't want to be a part of America the way he says it😄He's cute his favorite stop on the highways were QuikTrip. Great customer service at everyone we stopped at. Too funny about the In N Out Burger. He didn't take me to a What a burger although we passed several. Ooh that's gotta be hard with those allergies. How long have you been living there now? 

 

Ugh your snake reference just made me shudder, although I have a thing about spiders too and he told me to get ready. In the summer apparently tarantulas head out and cross the roads! Yuck! 

 

Odessa will be my home hopefully. 

[mam521 1,985]

2 minutes ago, TedsGirl said:

 Yes! Very patriotic! The Republic of Texas. I think they don't want to be a part of America the way he says it😄He's cute his favorite stop on the highways were QuikTrip. Great customer service at everyone we stopped at. Too funny about the In N Out Burger. He didn't take me to a What a burger although we passed several. Ooh that's gotta be hard with those allergies. How long have you been living there now? 

 

Ugh your snake reference just made me shudder, although I have a thing about spiders too and he told me to get ready. In the summer apparently tarantulas head out and cross the roads! Yuck! 

 

Odessa will be my home hopefully. 

Oooohhhhh....West Texas...bit redneck that way!  That said, you aren't far from Carlsbad, NM with the pretty caverns and the gypsum sand dunes that are stunning!

 

There are plenty of friendly snakes in Texas, which is important for pest control.  There are about 4 main ones that are venomous, but they tend to be pretty shy, not super big and you can just take the water hose to shoo them off.  Rat snakes are good pest control and are the characters around here - if there is a snake in a regretful predicament, chances are it's a rat snake.  I've only stumbled upon a single Dekay's brown in my yard in the time I've been here (so far). I haven't dealt with tarantulas, but I think they are typically further west and south.  Apparently we can get scorpions, too.  I haven't seen one yet, but it's good just to be aware.  It's like Australia, only less deadly! 

 

I was here on an L1b work visa for 5.5 years.  I met my husband in that time.  We filed my I-130, but he was still a PR at the time.  He'd filed for citizenship, but everything in Houston takes longer and it was right after Harvey.  He got it and then we "upgraded" my petition.  In the "upgrade", we then had to file separate applications for my kids and expedite them because they were initially included on my application when he was a PR, but needed separate petitions when he became a USC.  Can you hear the big gong being summoned here?  Anyway, I had to leave the US with the kids to prevent visa overstay.  So back to Canada we went, thinking it would be 9 to 12mo, tops.  18 months later, we finally came through the border on April Fool's Day, truck and trailer loaded to the hilt, kids and dog in the back seat.  I had the most excellent landlords who extended my lease in 3 month blocks after the initial year long that I was there.  We were so scared covid was going to keep us back, but we were one of the last interview batches that interviewed before the Consulate closed.  

[AMSAL 68]

Update! 

I activated my green card (IR1) on January 18th, I flew from Toronto Pearson to LGA. 

January 25th - Green Card status changed to "Card is being produced" (Fee was paid on January 8th)

January 26th - SSN received by mail