#i-129f

I met my future husband online and fell in love with him the moment I heard his voice in February of 2012.

We met in person after speaking for a year the following February (2013).

I stayed with him for 3 months and 12 days.

We spent the summer apart and I was back visiting him at the end of September (2013).

This time I spent 4 months and 15 days with him.

When I returned home, we started the immigration process.

February 15th we made the decision, or rather, we got “engaged” for a more romantic view on the process. (I just pictured my engagement to be a little more romantic than “lets start this long process and get it over with so we can be together” lol But those were my words, not his :P)

We gathered all the documents and fees in the next couple of weeks and sent out our first of many many forms  (filling out the I-129F)

* Sent out first package to immigration: March 7th 2014

*Received an email saying case was approved: March 14th 2014

*Received RFE (request for additional evidence): May 21st 2014

*Immigration received additional evidence: June 2nd 2014

*Case moved to “Post decision” NOA (Approval notice) sent in the mail: July 7th 2014

*NOA received by my husband: July 26th 2014

*Filled out DS-160 form: July 27th 2014

*Packet 3 received: August 6th 2014

*Packet 3 Documents they requested sent out: August 7th 2014

*Packet 4 Received: August 26th 2014

*Interview appointment scheduled: August 26th 2014 (for September)

* Medical exam done: September 5th 2014

*Interview toke place: September 15th 2014

*Visa approved: September 15th 2014

*Visa ready to be picked up: September 19th 2014

*Moved to USA: October 12 2014

*Got married: October 17th 2014

*Sent out Form to adjust to permanent resident/EAD (employment authorization document): October 19th 2014

*Obtained SSN: November 1 2014

*Biometrics appointment: November 17th 2014

*RFE received (again): November 21st 2014

*Sent out RFE: December 10th 2014

*Received EAD: January 6th 2015

*Received case update on green card status: March 6th 2015

*Got my first job here in the good ol’ US of A: June 27th 2015

*RFE; need to make an updated medical appointment: August 7th 2015

*Medical Appointment: August 20th 2015

*Sent out medical information along with other RFE they requested: August 27th 2015

*Got pregnant!: September (some day around the 7th lol) 2015

*Had our wedding “party” with family and friends: October 17th 2015

*Received NOA (approval notice) on green card: October 21st 2015

*Received green card: October 24th 2015 

Now I wait, patiently, lurking here, with my green card, waiting for three years to be up, so I can take my citizenship test and finally be done with this entire process!

(NOTE: Remember, as I’ve mentioned previously, every case is different, especially coming from different countries and obtaining different visa’s. I just want to document my process and have a bit of a guideline around for people to see so they can be reassured because lord knows that when I was going through this I couldn’t find anything to get my questions answered or my worries put to rest!

So last Tuesday, November 17th 2014 I had my Biometrics appointment up in Kansas City, Mo. It was pretty quick and went quite smoothly, well; until the GPS told us to turn right into oncoming traffic lol those things are ridiculous sometimes.

So this is how it basically went:

We got to the immigration office around 145pm, my appointment was for 2pm. My husband and I went through security and the guards chatted it up with us for a few minutes asking where I was from and then they tried to speak French to me once they found out I was from Quebec lol They were very friendly.

Things to bring with you: Passport and the appointment letter you got in the mail for your biometrics, don’t forget those two things, they are important!

After the guards chatted us up for a bit they told us to go through the doors in front of them and hand the person at the front desk the appointment letter and my passport. So we thanked them and went into the next room.

I stood at the front desk for about 5 minutes waiting for someone to come and greet me and once the woman finally came, she took the documents from me, gave me a form to fill out, a number they were going to call me with and told me to sit down until they called that number.

The form was pretty straight forward, A#, name, other names, how tall are you, how much do you weight, what is your hair/eye color etc.

After I filled it out I waited about 5 minutes and then they called me to have my fingerprints taken. My husband was not allowed to come with me; he had to wait in the seating area.

The woman was super nice who I had my appointment with, very friendly she took a bunch of my finger prints and talked me through the whole process. Then she took my picture (again with the pictures! Lol they have so many pictures of me!!) and after that she said she had to redo a couple of my fingerprints and once that was over she gave me a courtesy card to fill out and the appointment was over!

If it’s one thing I have discovered over the last two weeks being here permanently, it’s that you can’t do anything without a SSN (Social Security Number). Canadians, if you are reading this a SSN is the American equivalent of your SIN (Social Insurance Number) so you can imagine how much that limits you being able to apply for things and open bank accounts etc. not having one.

That being said, remember that I-765 you filled out that said you had to wait 3 months to get it and that would let you get your SSN among other things? Well you don’t necessarily have to wait to get your SSN.

I went yesterday afternoon up to the Social Security Office and got one all on my own. The process was fast, easy and I was in and out of there within maybe 10 minutes.

What to bring with you to make sure you have an equally smooth process:

 - Birth certificate (although they didn’t ask for mine but I brought it to be safe)

 - Marriage certificate

 - Passport

 - I-90 document (that was inside my passport)

The woman with whom I spoke with gave me a form to fill out; they were simple questions like, your full name, your parent’s names and my date of birth. Once I filled out that form the lady took it, entered all my information into the computer then said that was it, handed me a receipt and then told me that I would receive the card within 10 days.

See, simple and easy and not one bit of a headache. I also asked the woman if I was able to work now that I had this and she said that I should still wait until I receive my EAD or green card (whichever one you’ve applied for) to look for employment. Fair enough.

So! Now with your SSN you can apply for your driver's license, you can get your credit started by opening your own bank accounts, you can apply for an American credit card and also an American cellular service, if you so choose to do so!

Feels a lot better becoming more and more independent, let me assure you that! :)

I sent out my I-485 and I-765 last week on Friday and the USCIS received my applications today and sent my husband a text msg with the receipt number as well as emailed me the receipt number today, so that being said it took a total of 4 business days for them to get it. (Keep in mind yours may take longer or shorter depending where you live)

Here's what the email/text msg looks like:

Your case has been accepted and routed to the USCIS National Benefits Center for processing. Within 7-10 days by standard mail you will receive your official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) with your Receipt Number. With the official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) you may visit www.uscis.gov where you can check the status of your case using My Case Status. We suggest you wait until you have received your Form I-797 before checking My Case Status.

This confirmation provides notification of the date USCIS received your case. This notice does NOT grant any immigration status or benefit. You MAY NOT present this notice as evidence that you have been granted any immigration status or benefit. Further, this notice does NOT constitute evidence that your case remains pending with USCIS. The current status of your case must be verified with USCIS.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE

So with the new receipt number you can go back to the website:

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/CaseStatus.do;jsessionid=abcCP6X9v1XIheQC9mKLu

and check your status again over the course of the next year and a half. Again, each case is different and they say it can take UP TO 18 months to receive your green card so it could be a lot shorter too. But no need to worry anymore, the hardest part of the process is over, just sit back and relax now until your card comes in the mail and enjoy your new life!

One you are accepted this is the notice that will be on the website:

Acceptance

On October 29, 2014, your fingerprint fee was accepted and we have mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow any instructions on this notice. Your case is being processed at our NATIONAL BENEFITS CENTER location. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

During the acceptance step USCIS reviews newly received applications and petitions to ensure that they are properly filed (i.e. signed by the applicant, appropriate fees, etc.) USCIS issues a receipt number for the application or petition, and sends a receipt notice to the applicant or petitioner.

Applications and petitions that are not properly filed are rejected with an explanation of why the application is rejected and the corrective action needed. Rejected applications or petitions do not retain their filing date.

The acceptance step is typically completed within 2 business days of when the application is received. With mail time it may take several weeks for you to get the receipt or rejection notice in the mail. If you do not receive your notice within 30 days of mailing your application, please contact our national customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

So you got married and now you have to apply for adjustment to permanent resident status. Here’s what you need to know!

First and foremost you will need 2 MORE pictures of yourself, passport style, because they obviously just can’t get enough of you.

A copy of your birth certificate

A copy of your criminal back ground check you did

A copy of your passport page with your non-immigrant visa

A copy of your vaccination records

Form G-325A

A copy of the affidavit of support (I gave all the supporting documents with it as well)

A copy of the fiancé(e) petition approval notice

A copy of your marriage certificate

A copy of the I-94 document in your passport.

(Don’t worry, all they need are copies no original documents, so don’t freak out… unless you never made copies like they specifically told you to do, then maybe freak out a little bit)

The first form that is critical for you to fill out ASAP after you get married is called form I-485. The fee for this form is as follows: 985$ for the green card and 85$ for your biometrics appointment that they will send to you once they receive this form for a grand total of: 1070$ USD

The form is very straight forward to fill out; they are all questions they have asked you a million times already, just read through the instructions carefully and make sure you understand everything. I say this because the first time I read through this I was highly stressed out because I thought my computer died on the way down to Missouri and I wasn’t very amused so I read they required all original documents and I almost had a bird. lol. So the state of mind you are in when you read things definitely helps you understand things more clearly when it’s a good one. That being said, it’s easy peasy so don’t wait until the last minute to send this off. Remember you only have 90 days to get this done in, which might seem like a long time but can very well slip right past you if you aren’t paying attention and what good would being deported and having to go through more paper work be at this point! Am I right?

Also, if you are applying through the K-1 visa, you can also fill out form I-765 (with NO additional fee) which is your EAD (employment authorization document). This will grant you faster access to employment rather than waiting 18 months for your green card, banging your head against a wall from boredom lol The EAD takes roughly 3 months and this grants you access to a SSN.

This form is also fairly straight forward to fill out. And you will (it’s ok to get frustrated here now) need 2 MORE pictures, passport style, to send to them for this one too. So if you are sending both forms together that would mean you need 4 lovely pictures of yourself.

(Maybe they want to see your evolution through the process? lol)

They also need for this form specifically:

A copy of your I-94 form front/back

A copy of your passport

A copy of your birth certificate with ID

A copy of the Visa page of your passport

I am currently in this stage of the process, in fact, today is October 24th 2014 and I just sent out both forms this morning.  

Not having a SSN sucks as I’ve come to find out. I can’t open a bank account, I can’t start to get my driver’s license, I can’t apply for a US credit card, can’t do anything! So be prepared to not be a contributing member of society for up to 3 months. lol

Crazy process. So many forms to fill out. SO EXPENSIVE. At least on the K-1 visa you get pretty much exempt from a bunch of fees. Until you apply for citizenship down the road and that again is a pretty chunk of change but one thing at a time and that isn’t for a couple of years at least so that’s that.

Oh that reminds me, I forgot to mention, at the border, the guard told me I was on a conditional 2 year visa and that at the end of the 2 years my husband and I will have to go for an interview to make sure we are still together and everything is still legit so be prepared for more headaches in two years…

One day they’ll leave us alone… One day… lol

Until then good luck and enjoy married life!

Websites: http://www.uscis.gov/i-485

Packing, what a pain in the butt! Am I right? ;)

So you've made it this far! You're on your way to the US and your excited along with ten billion other emotions because let’s face it; you’re giving up everything you've ever known to move to a whole new country! Leaving behind family, pets and friends can be quite the sad experience but cheer up! You're gaining a whole new family and you can make new friends as time goes on.

Here’s a little note on my experience with the border, moving all my stuff and getting married!

I had my visa in my hands on September 26th 2014 and my date to leave Canada and head towards Missouri was October 11th. So I had much to do and little time to do it in. Do not be under the impression that the time between getting your visa and you leaving will go slowly because it doesn't at all. You find yourself the day before you have to leave running around saying to yourself “but I thought I had more time!” lol

Anyways I digress.

So here’s what you need to know before you leave.

I did not go by plane to Missouri this time around because I was fortunate enough that my father had offered to drive me down there with some of my personal things. (I don’t drive, I suck, this will be fixed soon seeing as I now live in the middle of nowhere lol)

So we packed the tiny van we rented with tons of stuff, lord only knows how it all fit in there and I made a list (3 copies) of what I was bringing because that is what I was told to do, granted though, once I got to the border, they didn’t even take a look at my list, but again, each case is different so just write a detailed list of stuff you are taking with you just in case.

My drive down to Missouri was about 20 hours from Montreal (my dad loves me a lot lol) but to be honest it was a lot of fun, especially when we were making fun of the GPS.

Note: If you are going to be carrying more than 10,000$ with you, you will have to declare that at the border, they do ask how much you are bringing though so be prepared to answer them if you so happened to clean out your Canadian bank accounts before leaving no matter how much or little it is. If you really want to be safe get your bank to give you a receipt that the cash you have on hand is in fact from your account.  

Don’t forget to cancel your services (like your cell phone etc.) before leaving the country if that’s what you intend to do because it can turn into a pain doing it from the US.

Also, if you are on any government assistance or are receiving checks from the government from your previous taxation year (like for example in Quebec we get a solidarity tax credit) you will have to inform them of your move so they can stop sending you checks because you no longer reside in the province.

Everything else is completely up to you to obtain before leaving if you wish. Like school transcripts medical records dental records etc. I personally didn't do any of that and will just take it a step at a time if I ever need to have any of those things, but you can always opt to get them all before you leave if that is something you are interested in having for your future down in the states.

The Border

Once we reached the border (we went through Detroit, Michigan)I got my documents ready (the yellow file you aren’t supposed to open) and  the border guard asked for our passports as usual then asked what the purpose of the trip was and that’s when I said I was immigrating to the USA. He then asked me to show him the yellow packet and once he saw that he radioed to his fellow guards that they would be receiving us within the next few seconds. He told my dad to pull off to the side and that we would have to go inside for processing while the guards checked the vehicle.

I have to say this was pretty stressful. Once my father pulled off to the side we were greeted by 5 guards who told us to get out of the vehicle and leave everything behind except for our money. (They say this so that you can’t go back and say that your money was stolen)

Once inside this little office the guards told us to take a seat until they called us. A few minutes went by and my nerves were just growing. THIS was the final step of acceptance, the guard I would speak to would be my last hurtle to climb before I was completely free so needless to say, I was more than a bit nervous. But that’s just me.

About 10 minutes, give or take, passed before one of the guards called my name up to see him. He was a friendly guy and my nerves were eased a little. It’s a pretty intimidating thing in my opinion, careless if you have nothing to hide.

He asked me some questions, pretty similar to the ones that the immigration officer asked me at my interview, he gave me a mild heart attack when he asked where my fiancé was because he thought he needed to be there with me and I freaked out hardcore inside as he went to find out if in fact he truly needed to be there with me because he had never done a K-1 process before without the fiancé being present at the time of entry. He doesn’t by the way. So after that little scare, he proceeded to ask me some more questions and be prepared to know your future address or at least have it written down because they ask you what your address will be in the states so they can send you documents once you get married.

He eventually put what they call an I-94 document into my passport and stapled it. He told me I had 90 days to get married and then congratulated me and sent me back on my way!

The whole process maybe took about a half hour. It wasn’t long at all. Just be friendly and sure of your responses, don’t lie or give them reason to think you’re lying and you’ll have a smooth process!

Oh and take off the instructions to the yellow packet before you give it to the border guard or you’ll never see them again. See I didn’t think that they would take the envelope and not give me the instructions and all those paper’s that they taped onto the envelope for you to read but they do lol I had to awkwardly ask if it was ok to have the instructions on what to do back before I left and the officer was like “no one has ever asked me that before” probably because no one was dumb like me and didn’t take them off I thought lol so he did go get me that one sheet titled “information about K-1 visas: frequently asked questions” but I didn’t get the other papers back and I was far to intimidated to ask for the rest of them and push my luck.

Getting married

Simple enough. My other half got us an appointment with the judge for October 17th to get married and we applied for our marriage certificate on October 14th, it cost 51$ and took maybe 10 minutes.

Once October 17th rolled around we had a small, 5 minute ceremony, said some vows, kissed and we are now married! ^_^

Now I get to plan the most amazing wedding for next year and begin my new life here in Missouri as a permanent alien resident!

So basically the entire process up until getting married took roughly 32 weeks (8 months). Which in retrospect isn’t THAT long, but being apart from someone you love for so long takes its toll.

So that’s that. There will be more information along the way as it comes up and I will let you all know how to go about it.

As always, remember each case is different and I am only recounting my tale as a guide line into the whole immigration process, your case could take longer or shorter and be subject to more scrutiny depending on the evidence you have provided etc.