Fellow Canuck starting this long road of pain.

[pawfectchis 0]

Hello everyone. I am a newbie here and just signed up yesterday. I work for the Canadian Forces on Vancouver Island, my fiance is American Forces in the US. I don't understand alot of this stuff and am having a hard time to figure all this out. We have been together for two years now (long distance relationship). As he just signed for another two years with his military we have decided I will be the one to leave and move to the US with him. From what I have found on the internet it looks like it is an easier process to get married in Canada then for him to have me and my son brought to the US. We also don't know if using the fiance road is quicker and less expensive or using the spouse route. All we want is to be together and do it the least expensive way. I also read that file fees are less if you actually go to a consulate and walk in or make apts than to send things to an immigration office. Not sure if I am understanding it correctly but that is what I get out of it. So many questions. It is really discouraging to see some of the timelines that are posted. I want to be able to just pack up and be there tomorrow. I know that is unreal but if I had the powers that is what I would want. Anyways I just wanted to say hello to everyone and I am inspired by reading some of your stories and how you have all gotten through this process. I have a son that I also have full custody and guardianship. There is a 10 year no contact order filed with the courts against his father to contact either of us. I am really surprised that Military members are subjected to these kinds of wait times. They can be posted to an undisclosed location and not available for interviews or filing papers etc.......Any suggestions are greatly appreciated as to what path to take. We marry in US or Canada, CR -1 or K1 or K3????. Good luck to everyone else.

[LadyJane 1]

Welcome aboard!

It seems to me that if you want fast, then you'd go the K visa route. Vancouver would be your embassy, they are processing K visas quickly. Montreal is the only Canadian embassy that processes CR1 visas and the wait time for an interview looks to be 6+ months. However the wait times for CR1 interviews may go down {fingers crossed}. The cost of doing it the K way is more expensive but since you'd be interviewing in Vancouver then you'd be reunited quicker.

If your fiance is domicled in Canada then I do believe that you can use direct consular filing.

Good luck!

[pawfectchis 0]

Are you telling me I would have to go to Montreal if I used the CR1 route. I am favoring that one because I can go to work right away, less money, less paper work etc........no he lives in Utah and works for the US Forces there and I work for the Cdn Forces here.

Edited October 11, 2007 by pawfectchis

[PfcsBaby 0]

Welcome to VJ!! As LadyJane put it, your best bet would be to go the K visa route. It is expensive, but you are in Vancouver and from what I've seen on here, people get their interview a lot quicker and they can pick up their visa the same day as their interview. In Montreal, they ship your visa to you through the mail and sometimes that can take up to a week or longer. With more people going to add to this post, hopefully you'll get things figured out with what it is you want to do. Good luck, don't hesitate to ask any questions and as I said before, WELCOME!!

Mary

[pawfectchis 0]

Thank you both for your advice. I am really enjoying this forum. It is nice to see how much love is out there. We must for what we are going through to be with our loved ones.

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

Welcome hon

The people here are great!

~Laura

[LadyJane 1]

OK because your man doesn't live in Canada, he and you can't just walk up to a consulate and file papers. So, you do have to file paperwork via the USCIS and then the NVC. Check out the guides here, they're great, and they can help you step-by-step.

As an aside, my Canadian hubby came down here to get married. You can do that if it is not your intention to stay in the US and file paperwork. You also cannot tell them that you are "just visiting" with intent to stay and file paperwork to immigrate-that's called visa fraud. You can see from other threads that Canadians have and do come down here to visit their loved ones. It does help make the process a bit more palatable.

[trailmix 77]

Hi paw and welcome,

As you can see on the right we are doing IR1 - so a bit different

However generally K visas get interviews faster than a CR1/IR1.

The K visa, whether you decide to do a K1 fiance visa and get married when you get there, or get married first and file for the K3 will end up costing you a bit more - I'm not sure what all the fees are but I'm sure someone who has done the K visa and then adjusted status in the U.S. (AOS = adjustment of status) will be along with more information on that.

If you go with a CR1 you must interview in Montreal, Vancouver does not offer interviews for IR1/CR1. If you go with the K visa you can request your interview take place in Vancouver.

K visas generally interview much faster than CR1/IR1. As someone mentioned the CR1/IR1 visas are currently taking 6 months or more to obtain - and that's after all the paperwork has been done.

You did mention that you wanted to take whichever route costs less - well that is the CR1 as you are good to go as far as working etc as soon as you arrive - no adjusting status when you get there. But you have to weigh up the - wait extra months for the processing vs cost.

For U.S. military personnel, just so you know, there is a dedicated USCIS contact number - 1-877-247-4645 - the information on that is here: Information for Members of the Military and Their Families

No matter what you decide, I wish you luck!

[Flames9_RN 358]

Howdy, idont have much time (school ####### to do), but what did ya do in the Forces? I was an Aesop in greenwood prior to getting out! Cheers

[misa 2]

Hi and welcome!

If you want fast, then K1 is always faster than K3. For some reason USCIS processes those faster than K3s. It will be expensive though as you'll have to file for adjustment of status after you enter the U.S. (cost now is over $1010 I think).

CR-1 is cheaper but as others mentioned you'd have to go interview in Montreal and the processing time is not fast. Every case is different but if I had to estimate it would take from start to finish anywhere between 9 to 12 months.

If your husband is due to be deployed, USCIS can expedite the petition paperwork for the K1 and also the adjustment of status after you enter on the K1. Not sure if the NVC (if you're going the CR-1 route) or the Montreal consulate will expedite though.

I know it's all overwhelming at first. I think all of us were overwhelmed by the process but take some time to read the guides and the frequently asked questions. I promise that it will all "click" and make sense after a little while.

[raymaga 25]

Welcome to VJ!!!

The "Guides" and "Visa FAQ" sections here on VJ are a must to read before you make your decision about which way to go.

Good luck and best wishes, whichever route you go.

We look forward to seeing your posts in the future.

[pawfectchis 0]

Howdy, idont have much time (school ####### to do), but what did ya do in the Forces? I was an Aesop in greenwood prior to getting out! Cheers

I am a Civilian on our base at CFB Comox. I work in HQ's for the WAdmin branch. My fiance is US Airman in Utah. Nice to meet you.

Hi paw and welcome,

As you can see on the right we are doing IR1 - so a bit different

However generally K visas get interviews faster than a CR1/IR1.

The K visa, whether you decide to do a K1 fiance visa and get married when you get there, or get married first and file for the K3 will end up costing you a bit more - I'm not sure what all the fees are but I'm sure someone who has done the K visa and then adjusted status in the U.S. (AOS = adjustment of status) will be along with more information on that.

If you go with a CR1 you must interview in Montreal, Vancouver does not offer interviews for IR1/CR1. If you go with the K visa you can request your interview take place in Vancouver.

K visas generally interview much faster than CR1/IR1. As someone mentioned the CR1/IR1 visas are currently taking 6 months or more to obtain - and that's after all the paperwork has been done.

You did mention that you wanted to take whichever route costs less - well that is the CR1 as you are good to go as far as working etc as soon as you arrive - no adjusting status when you get there. But you have to weigh up the - wait extra months for the processing vs cost.

For U.S. military personnel, just so you know, there is a dedicated USCIS contact number - 1-877-247-4645 - the information on that is here: Information for Members of the Military and Their Families

No matter what you decide, I wish you luck!

Thank you so much for your time to respond and advice. I guess I really have some thinking to do. Working is very important for me when I do get there. Man they sure don't make it very easy do they. Also I appreciate the link too. I owe you big time.

[pawfectchis 0]

Welcome to VJ!!!

The "Guides" and "Visa FAQ" sections here on VJ are a must to read before you make your decision about which way to go.

Good luck and best wishes, whichever route you go.

We look forward to seeing your posts in the future.

Thank you for the advice.

Hi and welcome!

If you want fast, then K1 is always faster than K3. For some reason USCIS processes those faster than K3s. It will be expensive though as you'll have to file for adjustment of status after you enter the U.S. (cost now is over $1010 I think).

CR-1 is cheaper but as others mentioned you'd have to go interview in Montreal and the processing time is not fast. Every case is different but if I had to estimate it would take from start to finish anywhere between 9 to 12 months.

If your husband is due to be deployed, USCIS can expedite the petition paperwork for the K1 and also the adjustment of status after you enter on the K1. Not sure if the NVC (if you're going the CR-1 route) or the Montreal consulate will expedite though.

I know it's all overwhelming at first. I think all of us were overwhelmed by the process but take some time to read the guides and the frequently asked questions. I promise that it will all "click" and make sense after a little while.

I appreciate your advice and will get reading up on all of this.

[Peggy 1]

Welcome to VJ

[pawfectchis 0]

Welcome to VJ

Thank you and she is so cute