POE review at Montreal/New York

[Melyssa 0]

My now husband - then fiance - came to visit me and my family on Saturday, October 20, and pick me up after we found out that I got my visa only 2 days after my interview in Montreal and everything literally just fell into place for us to be able to get married on Tuesday, October 23rd! Too much to be a coincidence. Everything totally worked out with getting the marriage license (there's a 3 day waiting period for the one we got, but, if one fiance is not available then the one who is can start the waiting period so long as the other fiance comes with the same witness later.)

We prefer not to drive on Sundays if we don't have to, but that would have been a whole lot of driving for my then fiance. So we decide to wait until Sunday, so we could have some time with my family and visit some people before I left. We got to visit my nieces and nephews and some of the families I worked for, which was awesome. And say good-bye to everyone. So finally around 5:30 p.m. on October 21, we were on our way from Quebec to New York. We got stuck in traffic - our directions led us partway through Montreal, and we crossed at the same border I always used to cross when I would take the bus out here.

We arrived at the border a few minutes before 7 and ended up being there for about half an hour. We didn't have any problems at all - in fact, crossing the border was actually an enjoyable experience! I was thinking back to the first time I crossed into the U.S. at that exact same border crossing - a few days, in fact, before I met my now husband met at a conference. It had been my first time taking the overnight bus, and I got hardly any sleep at all, so when the officer was asking me what felt like a million questions I ended up crying (I was half asleep too.) Thankfully he let me through! And I got used to taking the overnight bus and even sleeping on it so I never had that problem again thankfully!

Well, anyways, so what happened? We went first to the 'gate' and only had to wait a couple of minutes - there weren't many cars ahead of us at all (there were a LOT going the other way though, back into Canada - exactly as one of the families we visited told us it would be!) The officer first asked us what our nationalities were, so I said "Canadian" and my then fiance-now husband said "American." We handed over our passports right away - mine being opened to the K1 Visa page. So he saw that and right away said, "Oh, a FIANCEE!" and asked if we really wanted to do this now so we said yes and I handed over my package that was to be surrendered. Then he asked us what we were bringing with us and my then fiance said "Nothing really to declare." and I said, "Oh, not much...just clothes and general stuff."

I guess he gave a funny look because I didn't have much luggage (you're moving if you're on a K1 after all and I know a lot of people come with U-Haul trucks and such!) so he asked again if we really wanted to do this now and said something about how we had 20 minutes to decide...so my then fiance said "We're doing it Tuesday," and then the officer said "Ok, you have to do it now!" Then he just told us where to park and told us to go inside and that our passports would be waiting for us inside (after telling us he just was telling us that because some people come in on a visa just to visit and don't really want the clock to start because they only have 90 days to get married or they have to leave - the visa is good for entry into the U.S. for six months.)

So we went and parked, and went inside, and basically just talked while we waited and wondered what they were going to do or ask us. I guess they just looked through the papers. We waited for about 20 minutes and during that time the same officer who took our passports walked by and joked to me, "So, did you change your mind yet?!" So I said "No!" and the other officers heard him and laughed and one of them joked, "You don't have to marry THIS man!" with a big smile on his face. So I just said "I want to!" and we laughed.

Finally one of them called us up to the desk and basically just informed us about the 90 days to get married (to which I replied, "We don't need that much time - we're getting married on Tuesday!") and about the forms we had to fill out once we were married, and then charged us a $6 fee for the I-94. Also, I asked for a copy of my medical exam for the adjustment of status process, which he gave me - so now we were able to read those papers I wasn't allowed to read ever since May 2nd! (Or, well, mid-June, because I didn't get my sealed medical until then!)

So that was that! We got to New Jersey late Sunday night. I think I will write about the wedding in another post to keep this from getting too long - it's long enough already!

[trailmix 77]

Well they sound really nice and friendly, glad your border crossing went so smoothly.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Welcome to the dark side of the moon! Oops, wrong . Welcome to the US sister!!!!

[SpiritAlight 1]

Hello Melyssa,

Thanks for posting your funny experience.

Sounds like a good bunch at that checkpoint.

I have been considering when I do finally get through this process to either fly from Montreal to Chicago, in which case the customs check will be done at the Montreal airport, or driving down and going through a Quebec border instead of an Ontario one...they just seem less threatening.

I was wondering if you asked about getting an EAD or did not bother because it is futile?

Has anyone tried this at the Montreal (Dorval/Trudeau) airport??

Thanks.

[L_n_O 3]

yay!!

[Melyssa 0]

Hello Melyssa,

Thanks for posting your funny experience.

Sounds like a good bunch at that checkpoint.

I have been considering when I do finally get through this process to either fly from Montreal to Chicago, in which case the customs check will be done at the Montreal airport, or driving down and going through a Quebec border instead of an Ontario one...they just seem less threatening.

I was wondering if you asked about getting an EAD or did not bother because it is futile?

Has anyone tried this at the Montreal (Dorval/Trudeau) airport??

Thanks.

I wanted to ask about EAD at the border - I did want the stamp if I could possibly get it - but in the end didn't bother asking. I probably didn't ask because I doubted they'd give it to me anyway since most don't seem to give it.

Edited December 3, 2007 by Melyssa

[Mephys 2]

Even if it's been a while already, welcome to the US Melyssa!

Hello Melyssa,

Thanks for posting your funny experience.

Sounds like a good bunch at that checkpoint.

I have been considering when I do finally get through this process to either fly from Montreal to Chicago, in which case the customs check will be done at the Montreal airport, or driving down and going through a Quebec border instead of an Ontario one...they just seem less threatening.

I was wondering if you asked about getting an EAD or did not bother because it is futile?

Has anyone tried this at the Montreal (Dorval/Trudeau) airport??

Thanks.

When I moved from Montreal to Chicago we went by car, and we crossed in Ontario at Port Huron /Sarnia. It was pretty painless I asked for the stamp but they don't give it anymore.

[Melyssa 0]

Even if it's been a while already, welcome to the US Melyssa!

Thanks!

It's been a month and a half already but it doesn't feel like it's been that long! Funny how in the months before the interview the time seemed to go so slowly but now that we don't have to leave each other anymore the time is speeding by! I knew that would happen though!

When I moved from Montreal to Chicago we went by car, and we crossed in Ontario at Port Huron /Sarnia. It was pretty painless I asked for the stamp but they don't give it anymore.

We would have gone through an Ontario border as well but wanted to visit some of my friends in Quebec!

[T.O_2_FL 0]

congratuations!

Glad to hear all went smoothly!