US Immigration from Canada

Asking on behalf of my brother.

My brother is a Canadian citizen, being sponsored by his US citizen wife. They have 2 kids together. She previously sponsored his ex husband.

My sister in law said USCIS told them they need to have DNA testing done for the 2 kids to prove the relationship to my brother (their father). This made no sense to me and I'm not sure why they would need this. Both kids were born in the US and he is on the birth certificate as their father.

Is there any way in which USCIS would request this information?

This may only be a little off topic but I was wondering if anyone here has had to go through obtaining an ITIN for filing taxes with their US spouse. I imagine many of us have spent more time in the US than expected visiting, possibly triggering the need to file US taxes. I was given advice last year by my lawyer to not worry about that for now, but with how long the AP is taking, I am getting worried about being offside with the IRS.

Any thoughts on this?

Hi

Can a beneficiary change jobs after submitting ds 260 ? What should we do in that case ?

Has anyone gone through this situation?

I am currently on an F1 visa and was granted OPT which is valid until spring 2025. I am weighing my options on post F1 and AOS and which to best proceed with and what steps/timeline would each take.

I have been working for a company for almost a year and would love to stay with them long term. There is a potential of a sponsorship although not confirmed. Not a STEM field but I do have a master's degree.

I plan to marry my long term girlfriend who is a US citizen in the next year or so.

Thanks in advance

Sharing my recent experience with Dr. Gulzar Cheema in Surrey, BC for the medical exam in case anyone may find it helpful.

Medical Exam date: April 9, 2024 at 0700, finished the entire process at 0820
Cost: Paid the cost for my age range, no additional fees required

Getting the appointment:
I had to email them at panelphysicianusa@drcheema.ca - I included my appointment confirmation and my vaccination record. I got my packet 4 emailed in the afternoon on March 20, 2024, so their office responded first thing the next morning with availability. They initially offered me April 12, 2024 and beyond but that timeline felt too close with my interview date. I read on the booklet they send you by email that you can ask about earlier dates if you're in the area. So I said I was going to be and asked for April 8 or April 9 - they fit me in April 9. There was some confusion about vaccines for me so I sent them my vaccination records again with my questions and we were able to sort it out by email. Aman and Indu are very kind and helpful throughout the process. Both appear to monitor the email, but it is mostly Aman.

Appointment day:
I showed up for my appointment 20 minutes early and ended up walking in at 0645. There was lots of parking available at this time. The door was already open and there was one other person there. They asked for the 5 passport photos, my appointment confirmation, my vaccination record, my passport, and another photo ID. I included my recent bloodwork from September 2023 that showed my immunity for varicella, because I only received one dose as a child and have never had chicken pox (we discovered this by email). They wanted to take my records but asked if I needed it back. I said yes, so they made copies of it.

They book you in ahead of time for the blood work - mine was at 0720. The office began to fill up fast and because of this and my approaching blood work time, Indu asked me if I could go to the lab first, so I did. It was around the corner and isn't the one that's in the booklet. The lab was great but also filling up fast. Indu cut my passport photos further and put one on my lab work requisition. At Life Labs, she gave it back to me and said she didn't need it but I unfortunately cannot use it further because it's been trimmed to be smaller than the 2x2 inch standard. The girl was amazing, she poked me once, took one vial worth of blood and I was on my way, super quick! I did not need to provide a urine test. Then I went back to Dr. Cheema's office and was seen right away. Indu got me to take off my shoes and weigh myself, then she took my height. Then I waited in the exam room for him. He was super kind - talked about the eclipse, asked me all the standard questions they do for physicals - any histories, etc. Then he asked me to cover one eye and read a line on this handheld eye chart. Then he listened to my chest with his stethoscope, took my blood pressure, had me lie down, pressed on my stomach, felt my wrist. I was good to go, it was 5-10 minutes max. He asked if I had any questions. Then he gave me the requisition for x-ray, which is the address given in the booklet. It is walk-in basis only. It is about a 6 minute drive north up the road, parking is in the back with first hour free. I waited here for about 20 minutes. They took one chest x-ray and that was it. It was all a great and very efficient process. I do believe having an earlier time slot helped because all the places can fill up quickly. As others have said to me, the process is much easier than the stress we put ourselves through getting to it.

What I learned:

• A series of 3 doses received in childhood of Hepatitis B gives you a lifetime immunity
• Hepatitis A is not required
• Tdap is required within the last 10 years (I got this beforehand)
• COVID-19 booster is required within the last 12 months (I got this beforehand)
• Polio booster is not required
• Varicella requires two doses, if you do not have both or records of both, you can get your family physician to get bloodwork done to test for immunity. If it is reactive, you are immune. An additional dose if needed at the office would have been $95.00 CAD
• They provide you with a CD (for border crossing) and vaccination record (for AOS) by mail - they told me this is not required for the interview
• Once results are sent to the US embassy, you will receive an email stating so