LuckyCanard

Okay, so, update to put a bow on the actual move. It's been about two weeks since my arrival and it's the wee hours of the morning before my wedding. This is my experience as a Canadian using both UPS and Canada Post. For sending things, I went with Canada Post primarily in terms of smaller shipments for five months leading up to the flight. I booked the flight early, got a really awesome deal, and called in my favors so I only had to pay about $60 to fill a tank to bring me to Calgary. Of course, I ensured nothing had hazardous goods (effectively, no batteries or the usual stuff you find on their site and that they state you can't bring before you even try to ship). At roughly 20 - 40 kg boxes they came out to about $150 CAD each. These made it as standard since nothing was truly "high value" and made it without a hitch. Maybe I was just lucky, but I'm taking the win. Finally got to my expensive electronics. This time I went with UPS. I still ensured nothing was considered hazardous per requirements. For the sake of clarity and because I was cross-referencing multiple sources, I photocopied my K1 visa and main passport. For the manifest, I filled out CBP 3299 and provided this at the time of shipping. Per advice above, I went with general itemization but not being too general. Finally, I included my flight itinerary showing my date of arrival. The only note, UPS charged me incorrectly, so I had to pay an extra $42.25 for delivery on top of the $300 for four boxes. Honestly not bad considering these were also in the same weight range. For those who prefer imperial, these were boxes weighing anywhere from 44 - 88 lbs. so by no means were they "light" by shipping standards. I was also very thorough with the padding to make sure everything remained well-packaged against breakage or the like. Finally come flight time, I used precisely zero brain cells and filled up the carry on with all the battery-containing electronics and ultra-high-value electronics -- three laptops, my 3DS, my DSi, a wrist watch, my PS5, the stupid Wii U gamepad, just about everything but the kitchen sink -- and I ended up through security without a hitch. Didn't get stopped for additional looks at my electronics or additional questioning. In fact, customs was super nice. Was it worth the four days of muscle pain afterwards from bringing two weight-maxed carry-ons? Absolutely. Would I do this all again? Heck no. XD In all, I spent about $1600 CAD on shipping my entire one-man household, $300 on my plane ticket, and $60 actually getting my ride to Calgary.

Ah, my bad, thank you! To all responses, this has helped tremendously -- especially with regards to after I arrive. Had no idea I could apply for an SSN right away. I think I'll just end up going with the plan to move any items with batteries to my carry-on. I should be able to work with that. This said, does anyone have further info on moving stuff after I arrive?

The Journey So Far... Last episode, I finally got my K1 after a ton of admin processing and delays requiring a second medical. I had some worries over these new registration requirements but was ultimately assured and learned that because I'm going via plane to the USA, I'll automatically just get an i94 (thanks, media, for overhyping the difficulty of going across the border). The Questions of Now So I have three boxes I want to ship -- either via FedEx or UPS. It's the last of my stuff and includes a menagerie of gaming consoles. Some of which have internal batteries. It also may include one laptop (haven't decided yet if I want to just throw it in my carry-on). How do I go about sending it over the border? Do I have to fill CBP 3299? Do I have to wait until the i485 has been processed or approved? For the manifest, do I need to itemize every single item? For gaming consoles, certain cables are of course considered a part of the bundle (AC adapters, TV connectors) but do I need to list those separately, and if I have a RWY converter to HDMI is that counted separately? Like, how itemized are we talking? On the note of i485, I want to make sure, do we get married and then fill that out as soon as we've gotten married? What happens after that? I appreciate the responses in advance. I just hate that my mind is so... literal. @^@

Thanks for the responses, these responses really help clarify! Indeed, I am traveling via air. The exact info on it kind of had a bit too much going on and baffled the heck out of me. Got "lost in the sauce" so to speak. It's good to hear I will only need to more or less go through as normal.

So I got my K1 after a long wait. I'm finalizing my move, and I learned that Canadians have to register if they intend to stay in the US for longer than 30 days (iirc). Does anyone know if I need to register with USCIS?

Finally got the K1 visa today! I am in GO MODE!

Got tons of heartfelt responses. Thank you to those who responded my way, the encouragement to keep holding out is tremendously uplifting. Q_Q Still waiting on my end, but wondering now if I'm using the right sites to track progress. I've been watching both the CEAC site and the AIS site for the K1. Is there perhaps somewhere else to keep track of this more directly? Best of luck to everyone else on their journeys!

Hello, I appreciate the response! To answer the question, e-mailing did help at first I think. It was like... I sent them the docs they wanted following the interview, waited the prerequisite period of 90 days before sending an inquiry, and sent the first e-mail in July. Nothing. I did it again in a week. Nothing. I did it AGAIN and got a generic response a week after that to the same day; "We can't determine processing time." So I waited ANOTHER two weeks then. Response was similar, can't determine. Sent another update request again. Got a similar response in a week and eventually responses slowed to two weeks. Repeated this process over and over until October rolled around. It was at the end of October that the agent gave me the choice. I did it, and here we are. I have recently started sending e-mails again to try and get something, but now it's dead silence. CEAC still says refused and AIS still says "Send Documents." One thought that comes to mind is that maybe the Canada Post Strike delayed the process further alongside the holiday season, but we're sitting cozy in January. Everyone from my workplace is wondering what the heck happened and/or how this process is being "bad" (they used MUCH more colorful language). I'm just playing online games with the fiancee and American friends in the meanwhile I guess. lol

Hi. Former lurker, first time poster. Had my interview last year, May 10, got the dreaded form along with a request for a new criminal record check, filled it out and after waiting for two months started inquiring every two weeks. Back in October 2024, the consulate actually called me and said they're ready to finalize my visa, but that my former medical exam expired in four days and said they could do it, but that it may be best to redo the medical. So I did, getting it done at the end of November. Now it's radio silence. Supposing they were on holidays, but my patience is wearing. My fiancee started this whole process back in 2023. I miss her. Painfully. So I guess I'm adding my name and post here to mostly vent. @_@