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mam521

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mam521 last won the day on July 31

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Profile Information

  • City
    SPRING
  • State
    Texas

Immigration Info

  • Immigration Status
    Naturalization (approved)
  • Place benefits filed at
    Local Office
  • Local Office
    Houston TX
  • Country
    Canada
  • Our Story
    I lived in the US on an L1B visa for 5 years, 2 months. I met my husband in that time and we married. I left the US to prevent a visa overstay.

    Initially, DH was a PR. He received his citizenship in Jan 2019. We upgraded our petition at that point. After I-130 was approved, we endured 89 days, 22.5 hours of waiting before my I-130 magically showed up at NVC. The CEAC website was undergoing maintenance when I was trying to fill out the IV. After some frustration and losing data more than once, I learned how to manipulate the system to work and got the forms filled out. RFE setback for my CRC and a request for a marriage certificate for my Littles and we were finally DQ.

    We narrowly escaped the covid Consulate closure - our interview was the Monday, the Consulate closed Friday. We were approved and finally headed "home" on April 1, the day after our 2 year anniversary.

Immigration Timeline & Photos

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  1.    TBoneTX reacted to a post in a topic: Form I-864 Question
  2.    appleblossom reacted to a post in a topic: Form I-864 Question
  3.    OldUser reacted to a post in a topic: Form I-864 Question
  4.    Boiler reacted to a post in a topic: Form I-864 Question
  5.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: Bona fide evidence checklist
  6. mam521
    Montreal is strict about proving domicile in addition to the affidavit of support. I know you don't want to be apart, but you may NEED to be apart for your immigration journey to work if you cannot find a legitimate joint sponsor. Honestly, it's a small blip in time relative to a lifetime together and Canadians are pretty lucky because they can typically visit during the process - a luxury most other couples don't have due to distance and visit visa restrictions. If you've already gotten through the I-130 process, you're super close to making it to the end. If the US is where you want to be, I wouldn't give up this far into the game because you might have to spend a couple of months apart.
  7.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: Form I-864 Question
  8.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: Montreal interview wait time for CR-1
  9.    appleblossom reacted to a post in a topic: Montreal interview wait time for CR-1
  10.    appleblossom reacted to a post in a topic: Montreal interview wait time for CR-1
  11.    OldUser reacted to a post in a topic: N-400 September 2025 filers
  12.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: N400 - Applied under marriage condition but now separated/moving to divorce - need advice please!
  13.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: N400 - Applied under marriage condition but now separated/moving to divorce - need advice please!
  14.    edmc reacted to a post in a topic: Montreal interview wait time for CR-1
  15.    edmc reacted to a post in a topic: Montreal interview wait time for CR-1
  16. mam521
    No reason he can't visit you unless he's not able to cross the Canadian border for some other reason. If not, then good to go.
  17. mam521
    18-24 months to get through consular processing is pretty much the norm. You won't like this, but if you do get your interview before your 2 year anniversary, if you wait until the day after your 2 year anniversary to enter the US, you will get a 10 year greencard and not have to worry about removing conditions. Big time and cost savings. Might be worth it so you guys can spend the cash on a visit or 2 in the meantime. You can visit one another. There's nothing stopping you from visiting him, either. You will just need to have evidence proving strong ties to Canada - employment letter, mortgage or lease agreement, things evidencing that you couldn't just drop everything and not return to Canada.
  18.    appleblossom reacted to a post in a topic: Montreal interview wait time for CR-1
  19. mam521
    6 months is pretty average for Montreal. As you've probably figured out, it's a slow consulate. In the meantime, you can make sure you have all of your required vaccines done and paperwork organized.
  20. mam521
    It's not really a progress bar...more like crushing hopes and dreams bar or comedy hour bar. Anything but accurate.
  21.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: N-400 September 2025 filers
  22.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: Flinging Rants To See If They'll Stick
  23.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: Petitioning for my Father in Ghana
  24.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: better to file I-130 online or by mail when concurrently filing I-485?
  25.    mam521 reacted to a post in a topic: US Spouse Visa: Both working Overseas in different countries
  26. mam521
    How old were you when you moved to Canada and how come no US income tax returns have been filed?
  27. mam521
    I didn't try it myself, but I would assume so. IIRC, the kids' passport cards came in the mail, not with the passports. For rush passports, they print them on site; the cards aren't rush and I am pretty sure they are treated more like GC's in that they are printed at specific facilities.
  28. mam521
    It wasn't my idea of time well spent, let's put it that way. Luckily, getting my kids' passports was much less eventful. We went to the post office and did it there. The biggest "challenge" was I needed a DS-3053 for Kid2. The biggest annoyance was and still is that the post office agent stapled my naturalization certificate to their applications. It's not supposed to be stapled. Or folded. I'm sure @OldUser can empathize if their certificate was returned folded and stapled! We applied right before Christmas (Dec. 23 or 24) and had them back Dec. 29 and Jan 3 I think it was. Very fast turnaround. We weren't traveling imminently, so it was a pleasant surprise to get them back quickly. From there, a month or 2 later I applied for the kids' N-600's.
  29. mam521
    Is DoS giving you options? You're very lucky! In Houston when I needed mine rush (FYI - it may not be same day, it may be next day or 2 day, depends on the office and your travel date), I was told I might not even be able to get an appointment at the Houston office and might have to travel for an urgent passport. I was lucky enough to get a Houston appointment, though, but it was essentially 2 days spent sitting in the passport office. The salt in the wound was when they printed my passport, they spelled my name wrong, so they had to reprint which added a couple of more hours to the second day. Luckily, I was seated next to a friendly municipal utility district lawyer who'd naturalized and he was a total riot. We chatted it up and it definitely helped pass the time. Good luck! Don't forget to update your trusted traveller information if you have NEXUS/GE! You may need to stop into an office to do so.
  30. mam521
    Unfortunately, the good schools in this state are where there are HOA's. I have school aged kids so yeah.. HOA's are weird to me. Back home, we didn't have em. You don't mow your lawn and it ends up chest high? The city comes out and does it and fines you for it. Prefer that over this ridiculous can't do this and can't do that.
  31. mam521
    Do you have a ridiculous HOA that has to approve your color choices? We are supposed to get permission, even if we repaint the exact same color! Overreach IMO.
  32. mam521
    We did window replacement in 2021. They came and measured each window months before and made all the windows. The day they came to replace them, they did them all in one day (yes, 36 windows in a day). We had to move everything about 4ft from the windows. They laid down tarps inside and out and kept it reasonably clean. If you're doing the whole shebang, a proper contractor should provide you with the necessary recommendations and board up and section off areas, as necessary. Miu will be the challenge because she'll be scared of the noise and then she'll be nosey when the workers aren't there.
  33. mam521
    Make sure to consult your accountant before doing this. The minute you activate that visa, you become a permanent resident of the US and are responsible for taxes in both countries. Additionally, if you own and sell a property, you may be subject to capital gains taxes from the US side. Same goes on TFSA. There's a good number of intricacies that must be considered. If you plan to move in 2 months and the visa is still good in 2 months (typically they are good for 6 months from the date of the medical or 6 months from the date of issuance, whichever came first), activate it when you ACTUALLY plan to move.
  34. mam521
    Fat chance!!! Go Flames! 😁
  35. mam521
    I'm sad the Jays lost, but the friendly bet between Newsom and Ford was cute. Waiting to see what comes about with the "pay up"!
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