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

[mam521 2,062]

20 hours ago, Lovewithoutborder said:

My two questions are,

 

1: What does the I-551 null mean? The word null in there is making me nervous that something is wrong or somebody did something wrong and now I’m not going to get my greencard or SSN. Has anybody else had this? How long after POE does the original “you have paid your immigrant fees” message change?

 

2: Has anybody not imported their vehicle at the POE but instead did it later in SoCal? I’m trying to figure out where the hell im gunna be able to go to do the paperwork when I’m not at a POE. Maybe at a shipping port or an airport? Maybe the Mexico border? This whole process has been a nightmare and any advice would be extremely appreciated. 
 

The good news however, I am FINALLY in the USA and I don’t have to leave! My wife and I are together after months apart and that makes everything worth it! 
 

Thanks everyone, my apologies for the insanely long post.

As for the vehicle, I seem to recall that you may be able to make an appointment with CBP (possibly at the airport) to import it. Otherwise, San Diego is one of my favourite places to visit and it’s not far from the border (not that you need anymore headaches!). 

[HD_BIRDS 121]

8 hours ago, Nikasalts said:

This is great! Thank you

I definitely will be voiding Canadian license. 

I wonder if the fact you lived there for a year prior changed anything. Will try to look it up. 

Do you mind me asking what state have you moved to?

 

I don't think the length of time matters as long as you have proof of residency and status. I took in a lease for a new apartment I had just moved into and there wasn't a problem. I live in Washington, D.C. Hopefully the DMVs are increasing their appointments now that things are opening. If so, I don't think you'll have any issue getting a license. Just make sure you check what documents you need to confirm residency as they are pretty specific!

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

On 6/4/2021 at 12:20 PM, Shumai84 said:

She says there are far more spousal visa applicants than K1 to review and they are guided by DoS to maintain the proportion of each category. 

I didn't hear this from the video... Could you clarify when she said this or how you interpreted it?

 

On 6/4/2021 at 12:45 PM, NimF said:

Very hard to tell what it means for IL’s. There are 2 things mentioned that I noted in their communication 

 

- They’ve reached august 2020 in DQ, while for us it’s no news due to the lifesaving spreadsheet it is an official communication from the consulate on DQ dates and it’s a step in the right direction for transparency. Think of all candidates not on VJ/FB with no insight into things

- they said they’ll open up more as restrictions ease but since they plan a few weeks in advance it might not be right away. I understood it as: Quebec will open up in July but we won’t up in July in anticipation for this change, only the followings months once restrictions are in place.

 

I’m gonna go now to pretend it’s all cool and enjoy my summer while anxiously check my email every day.

Agreed with your analysis.

 

These are some additional interpretations/ conclusions drawn from what I heard:

 

1. We don't have to worry about Tier 1. There aren't many such cases at Montreal, so IR1/CR1 along with other parents, children and fiances are the priority. Also they aren't really scheduling any Tier 3 or 4 cases for interview (except those whose cases were cancelled before the pandemic), so we are really at the front of the line.

 

2. What has changed, I think, from the DoS order of prioritisation, K1 visa is now EQUAL priority to immediate family visas. Towards the end of the video the lady said the interviews for immediate family being scheduled this month are from July/ August 2020. Those recently requested from NVC for K1 are from the same timeframe. These are the K1cases we are seeing being scheduled for interviews in June/ July. I think they are trying to bring K1 up to speed to IR1/CR1. Once that is done, interviews for both will proceed concurrently. So it may be that the next interviews for CR1/IR1 will be scheduled in August 2021. (There is chance though that some maybe scheduled in July).

 

3. Many past posts have asked what the consulate does on days when interviews are not scheduled. This was answered - servicing US citizens in Montreal area, and working on immigrant cases in the backend. Btw, I think we are forgetting that besides CR1/ IR1, there are visas for parents and children (those not accompanied by the spouse of the USC) that we are not tracking on the spreadsheet. This may take up a day or two in the month as well.

 

4. They have cross-training staff for flexibility. Tier 3/4 have been on hold (except for those whose interviews were cancelled), leaving those dedicated to those categories free. They may have cross-trained them to cater to tier 1/2. This is how they are interviewing more CR1/IR1 cases per month than ever before.

 

5. The ease in COVID restrictions will increase number of interviews they are able to conduct. What may not be in favour of CR1/IR1 applicants is if they allot these additional slots made possible by ease of COVID restrictions, to Tier 3/4 instead of increasing Tier 2, which, to be fair, have been ignored for a long time...

 

So, I think, interviews for CR1/IR1 will resume in August (latest), Ease in COVID restrictions will not necessarily mean more interviews for month for cR1/IR1.

Edited June 6, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

On 6/4/2021 at 12:50 PM, State and Maine said:

She talked about the capacity and workplace safety due to government guidelines in Quebec and the US but they processed wayyyy more applications in the beginning of the year when covid numbers were insane as compared to now when the states are fully reopening and Quebec is one of the best provinces in regards to the covid situation. To me it’s just a bunch of lip service to say that they are openly communicating with us. 

Sorry, trying to understand how this is true when the stats are as follows, as posted previously on this thread.

 

April Stats (CR-1/IR-1) are out. 

 

Nov - 76

Dec - 162

Jan - 245

Feb - 258

Mar  - 316

April - 304

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

On 5/19/2021 at 9:21 AM, YYZ&MIA said:

They keep mentioning these substantial backlogs they are experiencing but in theory, because people werent able to get married all throughout covid we surely should see fewer marriages and applicants, shouldnt that give the consulate a great opportunity to catch up on these backlogs? At least in the spouse and K1 category? Correct me if I am wrong. 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

On 5/19/2021 at 9:21 AM, YYZ&MIA said:

They keep mentioning these substantial backlogs they are experiencing but in theory, because people werent able to get married all throughout covid we surely should see fewer marriages and applicants, shouldnt that give the consulate a great opportunity to catch up on these backlogs? At least in the spouse and K1 category? Correct me if I am wrong. 

Funny, but I have been thinking the opposite. I was thinking couples across the border decided to tie the knot and move to either country to be with their partners due to pandemic and border closure making it difficult to sustain a relationship living in different countries.

 

Maybe because, the pandemic acted as a catalyst for my marriage, and also when we were trying to figure out a way to get married, I saw many news articles of Cross-border couples who said the pandemic made them realise what really mattered....
 

But what you are saying could be true too...I don’t know.

[YYZ&MIA 117]

3 hours ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Funny, but I have been thinking the opposite. I was thinking couples across the border decided to tie the knot and move to either country to be with their partners due to pandemic and border closure making it difficult to sustain a relationship living in different countries.

 

Maybe because, the pandemic acted as a catalyst for my marriage, and also when we were trying to figure out a way to get married, I saw many news articles of Cross-border couples who said the pandemic made them realise what really mattered....
 

But what you are saying could be true too...I don’t know.

How were you able to get married? Zoom?

[Shumai84 157]

6 hours ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

On 6/4/2021 at 12:20 PM, Shumai84 said:

She says there are far more spousal visa applicants than K1 to review and they are guided by DoS to maintain the proportion of each category. 

I didn't hear this from the video... Could you clarify when she said this or how you interpreted it?

She said in the 2nd video "we are working very closely with NVC to ensure that the ratio of cases they schedule reflects the proportion of each category represents" and "in general there are far more IR1 and CR1 cases at NVC than fiance visa cases". 

 

If this is the case, scheduling only K1 for the latter half of May and the entire June just to catch up with K1 doesn't make sense at all.

Besides, K1's tracker on VJ indicate that the volume of K1 interviews scheduled in late May and June are barely maintaining the backlog and not even reducing it. Despite the far larger volume than K1, they were able to schedule spousal visa interviews for as many as two months worth of DQ dates a month earlier this year, and they were actually reducing backlogs. If the workflows are the same for spousal and K1 and they are dedicating the same resource to catch up with K1, they should have been tons of interviews scheduled in June and caught up with months worth of backlog as they are far fewer than spousals, which doesn't seem to be the case.

 

I can't even think of the scenario that they don't issue any spousal ILs this month for July interviews because it's so painful to think. They really should be continuing to interview spousals even in a smaller volume if they are trying to strike a right balance as they claim. 

 

Now both spousal and K1 are treated equally under the tier system, but it almost looks like they are trying to create the same level of backlog for both categories by letting spousal's backlog grow instead of reducing K1s. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Shumai84
misspelling

[Shumai84 157]

My opinion doesn't matter, but actually I do think spousal should be prioritized over fiance category. Getting married is the single biggest legal commitment that one can make in our lives and comes with serious legal obligations for one other, and visas for those who already made that commitment should have greater weight than those who are yet to make that commitment.

 

I'm not saying their relationships in K1 matter less, but given that it's not unusual to see couples end up dissolving engagements and therefore they have less proven ties to the US citizen the consulates are serving, it makes more sense to me if spousals are prioritized over fiances visas. 

[Mikeeastern 81]

8 minutes ago, Shumai84 said:

My opinion doesn't matter, but actually I do think spousal should be prioritized over fiance category. Getting married is the single biggest legal commitment that one can make in our lives and comes with serious legal obligations for one other, and visas for those who already made that commitment should have greater weight than those who are yet to make that commitment.

 

I'm not saying their relationships in K1 matter less, but given that it's not unusual to see couples end up dissolving engagements and therefore they have less proven ties to the US citizen the consulates are serving, it makes more sense to me if spousals are prioritized over fiances visas. 

Especially if it's IR1. And even more so if multiple children are involved. Sickening how this consulate cannot care less. 

[Lovewithoutborder 69]

20 hours ago, ADW & JOP said:

You can try one of these local port of entries. https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/ca

 

Make sure you have the necessary forms ready. https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-218?language=en_US

 

I had a shipping company do this for me, but when I spoke with another shipping company who did not do the forms at the POE along the Canadian/US border, they said to do it locally. Since you are in OC, may as well try one of these local places nearest to you first.

 

Also, the process of registering your vehicle with the DMV sucks as well. Make sure you meet the requirements and see if you need to do the star station smog test prior to visiting the DMV (will save you an unnecessary trip of waiting only to realize you need to get one done beforehand)

 

Good luck!

Thank you! 

[Lovewithoutborder 69]

12 hours ago, mam521 said:

As for the vehicle, I seem to recall that you may be able to make an appointment with CBP (possibly at the airport) to import it. Otherwise, San Diego is one of my favourite places to visit and it’s not far from the border (not that you need anymore headaches!). 

Thank you! I did look at the visa journey thread as well, I just wasn’t sure what to think because that is for ROC and I just made my first POE on Thursday. I was hoping maybe somebody had here had the same I-551 Null message on their USCIS status so I would at least know it’s not out of the ordinary to have after your first POE. 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

2 hours ago, Shumai84 said:

She said in the 2nd video "we are working very closely with NVC to ensure that the ratio of cases they schedule reflects the proportion of each category represents" and "in general there are far more IR1 and CR1 cases at NVC than fiance visa cases". 

 

If this is the case, scheduling only K1 for the latter half of May and the entire June just to catch up with K1 doesn't make sense at all.

Besides, K1's tracker on VJ indicate that the volume of K1 interviews scheduled in late May and June are barely maintaining the backlog and not even reducing it. Despite the far larger volume than K1, they were able to schedule spousal visa interviews for as many as two months worth of DQ dates a month earlier this year, and they were actually reducing backlogs. If the workflows are the same for spousal and K1 and they are dedicating the same resource to catch up with K1, they should have been tons of interviews scheduled in June and caught up with months worth of backlog as they are far fewer than spousals, which doesn't seem to be the case.

 

I can't even think of the scenario that they don't issue any spousal ILs this month for July interviews because it's so painful to think. They really should be continuing to interview spousals even in a smaller volume if they are trying to strike a right balance as they claim. 

 

Now both spousal and K1 are treated equally under the tier system, but it almost looks like they are trying to create the same level of backlog for both categories by letting spousal's backlog grow instead of reducing K1s. 

There is a second video?!! 
 

Sorry, I don’t have a Facebook and so I only clicked on the link sent by @State and Maine which lead me to what I think is the first video, and I don’t see any other information without a login. Also not savvy with Facebook since I don’t use it. Could you please share the link to the second video. Much appreciated...

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

4 hours ago, YYZ&MIA said:

How were you able to get married? Zoom?

I flew to thé US, quarantined for 14 days, got married on the 15th day and drove back to Canada on the 17th day.

 

At first we thought that marrying in the US with a visitor/ tourist visa is illegal, so were waiting for the border to open so he could come to Canada and we get married here in Toronto. When that didn’t happen after waiting several months, we started looking at other options. We came up with some wild ideas such as marrying at the border, marrying at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House at the border, marrying on a boat on the waters at Niagara Falls. None of these were workable because they didn’t meet the laws to make the marriage legal or weren’t in operation due to COVID.

 

We hatched a plan to fly across the country and get married at the Peace Arch Park, which was something many couples were/ are doing during the pandemic, but at that point we consulted a lawyer and he advised us that we were mistaken. As Long as the intent was for me not to stay in thé US and AOS after the marriage, it was perfectly legal to enter thé US on a visitor visa, marry a USC,  then return and apply for CR1.

 

After a lot of Meetings and back and forth with my employer to convince them to approve my time off (took 2-3 months) I finally got approval to take a little more than 2 weeks off to make the marriage happen at City Hall with my mother-in-law as the sole attendee.

 

We planned the entire wedding - ordering dress, rings, supplies and all the attire etc while I was in quarantine. Makeup, hair, flowers and even wedding cake was all DIY. It was PERFECT 😊

 

FYI we looked into Zoom weddings. From what we found out it for marriages in the United States, it wouldn’t be a legal marriage unless bride and groom were Physically present in the same state. The officiant Doesn’t havé to be in the same location as the bride and/groom. Maybe different for marriages conducted in other countries.

Edited June 6, 2021 by From_CAN_2_US

[Shumai84 157]

48 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

There is a second video?!! 
 

Sorry, I don’t have a Facebook and so I only clicked on the link sent by @State and Maine which lead me to what I think is the first video, and I don’t see any other information without a login. Also not savvy with Facebook since I don’t use it. Could you please share the link to the second video. Much appreciated...

https://twitter.com/usconsmontreal/status/1400846054111674368

Here is the link to the second video.