bccanadagirl's US Immigration Timeline

Petitioner's Name: David Beneficiary's Name: Erica VJ Member: bccanadagirl Country: Canada Last Updated: 2013-01-19 Add Comment to Timeline Register or log in to follow this timeline

Immigration Checklist for David & Erica:

USCIS DCF I-130 Petition:       Dept of State IR-1/CR-1 Visa:     USCIS I-751 Petition:   USCIS N-400 Petition:

IR-1/CR-1 Visa Event Date Service Center : California Service Center Transferred? No Consulate : Montreal, Canada Marriage (if applicable): 2009-11-08 I-130 Sent : 2012-01-03 I-130 NOA1 : 2012-01-06 I-130 RFE : I-130 RFE Sent : I-130 Approved : 2012-05-11 NVC Received : 2012-10-10 Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : Pay AOS Bill : Receive I-864 Package : Send AOS Package : Submit DS-261 : Receive IV Bill : Pay IV Bill : Send IV Package : Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : Case Completed at NVC : 2012-11-05 NVC Left : 2012-11-06 Consulate Received : Packet 3 Received : Packet 3 Sent : 2012-11-06 Packet 4 Received : 2012-11-06 Interview Date : 2012-12-13 Interview Result : Approved Second Interview (If Required): Second Interview Result: Visa Received : 2012-12-18 US Entry : 2012-12-19 Comments : Processing Estimates/Stats : Your I-130 was approved in 126 days from your NOA1 date. Your interview took 342 days from your I-130 NOA1 date.

Member Reviews:

Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Event Description Review Date : December 17, 2012 Embassy Review : Got to the consulate around 6:45am and there were two people in line. by around 7:20am there was quite a line up and by the way people were talking I figured I was the only VJ-er. There was the couple of people in front of me thinking everyone got the same interview time and they figured they would come early just in case... A LOT of people in that line had brought back packs & purses and were asked to get rid of them by security when doors opened at 7:30am. DO NOT BRING ANY BACK PACKS OR PURSES. All I brought was my folder in a plastic bag and that's accepted. Once I got through the front door there was a lady there asking for your appointment letter, DHL registry and Passport(s). She took mine and my daughters passports put a sticker on and wrote the registry number on the back. Once that was done we went through security which is similar to airport security in the U.S. you take off your coats and hats but could leave your shoes on, and had to put my plastic bag with my folder which was more like a binder through the xray machine. Then they motion for you to walk through a large metal detector and once you get through that your all good to go. They tell you to go down the stairs and sit by the elevator. SIT AS CLOSE TO THE ELEVATOR AS POSSIBLE. I almost forgot about that and first sat by the passport photo booth (that I had read about on here). We moved from there and sat right next to the elevator and waited for security to open the barrier (or red tape). we then lined up and was maybe 2nd in line but not sure exactly and he started telling people to go in until it got too full so the others had to wait for the next one. You go to 19th floor but that elevator is so nice it doesn't even feel like you're moving at all. You want to stand by the back left corner of the elevator because that's where it opens because people really do try and push their way through you. Once we were there there was a sign telling you to line up to get your number (I was 3rd in line). Before anyone got their numbers from the window C1, C2 and C3 were called. Our number was C3 so we went straight to window #3 and was greeted by this really pleasant short red headed lady. She asked for a photocopy of my passport, Verified addreses which we needed to do an address change for our place in minnesota and for my Custody agreement since my husband is her step father (please note: it's very important to have agreement that's registered through the courts). it went very smooth and right then I felt really relaxed. she then gave me back my number C3 and took the other half and told me to sit and my number will be called shortly. i want to add my husband did come with me. For those of you wondering if that's ok, it is. About 15-20 mins later my number was called to window #9. You walk down the hall and there's a bunch of other windows there (was kinda nice was more private). There we were greeted by the lady I read about with dreadlocks. She verified who everyone was (me my daughter and hubby). Then she looked through all our paperwork and we had sent in everything. She started by saying "so why don't you start by telling me how you two met?" I told her "we met online back in 2005 actually it was a cell phone chat site" she laughed and said "wow usually it's e harmony or plenty of fish)" Which is usually the reaction from people (it's strange how we met lol). She handed all our original documents back and asked my husband how often does he come to visit? we told her since we met in person back in 2007 we've been seeing each other. She seemed stunned and said "WOW that's hard" (by this time it seemed less like an interview and more like having a conversation at a drive thru at Wendy's... It was THAT relaxed) She was younger maybe early Thirty's. She looked through some more ducuments like my custody agreement (she read every word to herself)... A couple minutes later she looked up at me and said "I'm approving you for your Visa congratulations" And handed me that piece of paper that says at the top "Welcome to the United States" along with instructions on how to track and retrieve your Visa. I gasped when she told me (I had only gotten about 2 hours of sleep the night before because I was so worried about it) We thanked her and walked back towards the elevator and what a feeling knowing that all had come to an end!... As long as all your documents are in order it should go very smoothly. Rating : Very Good

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