IR-1/CR-1 Montreal DQ'd private message group goes public part 3

[MA1793 28]

Hey all, happy to report that I had my "interview" and the officer "plans to approve my visa".

 

Everyone was really nice. I could tell that the officer knew really nothing about my case, like he was encountering my information on the screen for the first time. I felt like the interview was really just to make sure that you meet them in person, you have all of your documents in order, that you can answer basic questions about your case correctly, and if there are any issues that you have a conversation about it then.

 

Documents they asked for in my particular case: passport, original birth certificate, original marriage certificate, original divorce certificates (spouse), original criminal record certificate, 1 passport photo, updated tax documents, US address that would go on the green card, my address.

 

He asked me:

Who is your petitioner?

Where did you meet and when?

When did you get married?

Do you have children? Does he have children? How old are they?

Have you been married before? Has he been married before?

Where does your petitioner live? Is that where you are planning to live?

Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime?

Where have you travelled in the last 5 years?

Do you have a joint sponsor?

Did you read the domestic violence pamphlet and understand it?

Did you live in any other countries besides Canada and South Korea?

 

I also asked him if wanted my updated proof of relationship and he said no, he believed me. But he took a look at my photos from Christmas anyway, which was nice.

 

Couple things:

• They didn't like my 2020 passport photos even though my lawyer assured me they would still accept them. They gave me a pass to leave the consulate and have them redone next door at the Pharampix. They absolutely need to be stamped within 6 months.
• Make sure to bring the originals for the everything (birth, marriage, divorce, criminal record from each country).
• Even if you hire an immigration lawyer, double check their work. They're human and deal with multiple consulates so they don't always get it right.

[rainbow-skies 130]

3 minutes ago, MA1793 said:

Hey all, happy to report that I had my "interview" and the officer "plans to approve my visa".

 

Everyone was really nice. I could tell that the officer knew really nothing about my case, like he was encountering my information on the screen for the first time. I felt like the interview was really just to make sure that you meet them in person, you have all of your documents in order, that you can answer basic questions about your case correctly, and if there are any issues that you have a conversation about it then.

 

Documents they asked for in my particular case: passport, original birth certificate, original marriage certificate, original divorce certificates (spouse), original criminal record certificate, 1 passport photo, updated tax documents, US address that would go on the green card, my address.

 

He asked me:

Who is your petitioner?

Where did you meet and when?

When did you get married?

Do you have children? Does he have children? How old are they?

Have you been married before? Has he been married before?

Where does your petitioner live? Is that where you are planning to live?

Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime?

Where have you travelled in the last 5 years?

Do you have a joint sponsor?

Did you read the domestic violence pamphlet and understand it?

Did you live in any other countries besides Canada and South Korea?

 

I also asked him if wanted my updated proof of relationship and he said no, he believed me. But he took a look at my photos from Christmas anyway, which was nice.

 

Couple things:

• They didn't like my 2020 passport photos even though my lawyer assured me they would still accept them. They gave me a pass to leave the consulate and have them redone next door at the Pharampix. They absolutely need to be stamped within 6 months.
• Make sure to bring the originals for the everything (birth, marriage, divorce, criminal record from each country).
• Even if you hire an immigration lawyer, double check their work. They're human and deal with multiple consulates so they don't always get it right.

Congratulations! 

 

I have a question, do the passport photos need to be stamped? I got mine done at CVS 2 weeks ago and they never stamped it. Expecting an interview soon since we are expedited. Thanks

[annierob 194]

6 minutes ago, MadKittyCat said:

GUYS I WAS APPROVED! I just had my appointment at 8 am and I still can’t believe it! I will write a review and update my timeline later, as I’m going to go enjoy Montreal for the day. But I am just so happy I had to update y’all! Thank you to everyone’s advice and support on this thread, it got me through this long wait!!!

Yay! Congrats!!! This stage is finally over for you! Best of luck with your move and settling in to your new life  

[MA1793 28]

12 minutes ago, rainbow-skies said:

Congratulations! 

 

I have a question, do the passport photos need to be stamped? I got mine done at CVS 2 weeks ago and they never stamped it. Expecting an interview soon since we are expedited. Thanks

I really can't say for sure, they might accept them, but they want them to be within 6 months and the only way for them to know is if they are stamped. Err on the side of caution.

[rainbow-skies 130]

18 minutes ago, MA1793 said:

I really can't say for sure, they might accept them, but they want them to be within 6 months and the only way for them to know is if they are stamped. Err on the side of caution.

Thanks! I have a receipt for them too which has the date. So hopefully im good

[Purrikitty 50]

Hi all, I will offer a review and more detailed write up once I am home in the next two days but I'm happy to report that my visa was approved today! Wife and I are over the moon to be reunited soon. I'm glad to see others approved today as well! 😊

[DGF 730]

59 minutes ago, rainbow-skies said:

Congratulations! 

 

I have a question, do the passport photos need to be stamped? I got mine done at CVS 2 weeks ago and they never stamped it. Expecting an interview soon since we are expedited. Thanks

Per the FAQ: "you need 2 recent (within the last 6 months) US sized passport photos. It is not required that they be stamped, but it is recommended".

[gavinski91 102]

18 hours ago, Shumai84 said:

Is there anyone who crossed the border and has a good idea on how to get a temporary health insurance coverage till starting a new job?

 

I'm crossing the border this weekend and trying to find a short term policy but haven't been able to find one. 

Initially I thought I can just buy a travel insurance, but when I spoke with the online agent I was told that the travel insurance won't cover my situation because I will no longer be a Canadian resident once I cross the border. 

What state did you move to?

I'm only familiar with Washington, but you should be able to sign up for a monthly policy with any major provider in your area - if you're in Washington you can use wahealthplanfinder.org. Moving to the US from a foreign country is a "qualifying life event" so you're able to sign up for insurance outside of the normal signup window. You can then cancel that plan once you start your job and get coverage through them.

Basic "Bronze" level plans in Washington are around $500/month for a married couple with no kids.

[Shumai84 157]

20 minutes ago, gavinski91 said:

What state did you move to?

I'm only familiar with Washington, but you should be able to sign up for a monthly policy with any major provider in your area - if you're in Washington you can use wahealthplanfinder.org. Moving to the US from a foreign country is a "qualifying life event" so you're able to sign up for insurance outside of the normal signup window. You can then cancel that plan once you start your job and get coverage through them.

Basic "Bronze" level plans in Washington are around $500/month for a married couple with no kids.

Thanks! We are moving to Pennsylvania. This is good info. We will look into the government enrolment website. 

 

[ME_RHEDZ77 269]

4 hours ago, MadKittyCat said:

GUYS I WAS APPROVED! I just had my appointment at 8 am and I still can’t believe it! I will write a review and update my timeline later, as I’m going to go enjoy Montreal for the day. But I am just so happy I had to update y’all! Thank you to everyone’s advice and support on this thread, it got me through this long wait!!!

Congratulations!

[mam521 1,893]

On 9/2/2021 at 10:22 AM, darth vader said:

Also, what did you do to satisfy the domicile requirements? Good luck. Ipray that you get your visa soon. Hang in there. You are almost there.

Hello friend!  Nice to see you continuing to shop for answers!  

 

22 hours ago, 6ixtoSoCal said:

Now we just await the SSN and greencard!  We created a USCIS account for her and absurdly, ridiculously, my wife's profile information was entered with NMN right next to her middle name, so it reads FirstName MiddleName NMN LastName.  I found another thread where this didn't turn out to be a problem for that group of people, but the incompetence is mind-boggling.

Makes you wonder how anything gets done, eh?  Also explains why so much time is wasted fixing mistakes that never should have been made in the first place.  I often wonder how much less delay others would see if there weren't so many basic level screw ups.  

[6ixtoSoCal 21]

14 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Makes you wonder how anything gets done, eh?  Also explains why so much time is wasted fixing mistakes that never should have been made in the first place.  I often wonder how much less delay others would see if there weren't so many basic level screw ups.  

Haha yep, our thoughts exactly.  We're just hoping someone further down the line realizes the mistake, but I think that's being too generous

[Twiz&Toz 240]

Just want to give everyone the heads up if they fly to the states for a visit. When you need a covid test to get back to Canada walgreens offers free covid testing via drive threw. Super quick we pulled up did the test and had it back with in 3 hrs. Now to head back home to Canada tomorrow  

[Atyree9 29]

Looking for some help. I posted this a few weeks ago, but I'm still stumped.

 

Husband entered 01/09/2021 and we still haven't received his green card. The IOE case status shows that it was paid for and no action has taken place since then. However, when I go to make an inquiry, there IOE is not associated with a I-90 form, but will associate with other random forms (I think it was OS0-something something). We've tried to call but can't get through to a live person. When logging into the account, there is no case associated. Do we fork up $500 to try and get a new one? At this point, I'm over it because we're coming up on a year and I really don't know what to do. Can we travel to Canada without the green card? Help.

[ADW & JOP 146]

5 hours ago, Atyree9 said:

Looking for some help. I posted this a few weeks ago, but I'm still stumped.

 

Husband entered 01/09/2021 and we still haven't received his green card. The IOE case status shows that it was paid for and no action has taken place since then. However, when I go to make an inquiry, there IOE is not associated with a I-90 form, but will associate with other random forms (I think it was OS0-something something). We've tried to call but can't get through to a live person. When logging into the account, there is no case associated. Do we fork up $500 to try and get a new one? At this point, I'm over it because we're coming up on a year and I really don't know what to do. Can we travel to Canada without the green card? Help.

I forgot what I did exactly but I remember I had a similar issue, but forgot what I chose that allowed me to inquire. Tried it once, generic response. Tried a second time, similar so I filed with the ombudsman and my card was printed soon after. Took 6+ months.