Hello world,
I wanted to give an update - As of December 31st 2009 Kyle became a permanent resident of Canada! We crossed the border together and everything went so smoothly. The most fun part was sorting through all of his belongings in Nebraska and deciding what we were keeping, and itemizing his whole life on paper with number values for everything. It was quite the job!
It has been a fantastic 9 months just living our lives with each other. As for opening the bakery - we had a flood in our house in June of this year which has lead to setting back our opening date significantly.
I can't wait for things to be normal again. Everything seems to happen for a reason though, through this experience Kyle has decided to go back to school and pursue a bachelors degree in Computer Science. I couldn't be happier for him, and look forward to gaining some independence and starting out small with the bakery.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Permanent Residence News
As of August 25th, Kyle's permanent residence application has been processing!
I'm finding the time lines interesting - Kyle received a letter on the 28th saying that they received his application and it's in the lineup to be reviewed, then on the 31st CIC updated our file online and it says that as of the 25th the application is processing. So is it waiting to be looked at or actually being looked at? My guess is it's waiting... but how amazing would it be if they were already reviewing it! I'm not sure how long they spend looking through these applications.
Hopefully they don't need us to send any additional documents, we tried to be very thorough and send in as much "proof of relationship" stuff as possible. I mean if eight years of emails, phone records, letters, and photos isn't enough proof then I'll be very surprised!!
Once Kyle lands as a permanent resident we will be opening a bakery together. There's always some crazy adventure happening in our lives it would seem! We're going to get to spend a lot of time with each other every day which is great because we get along so well and want to make up for all the time we have missed not being physically together.
In other news, Kyle will be visiting eight days from now!!! We're so excited that we might never have to say goodbye again! This is huge for us. Every time we are together things seem so rushed, we try to get a lot of things done when we are together so we don't miss out on important moments or events in each others lives. It will be really nice to just relax with my hubby and not cram bunches of appointments and events into a week or two of visit time.
Until next time!!
I'm finding the time lines interesting - Kyle received a letter on the 28th saying that they received his application and it's in the lineup to be reviewed, then on the 31st CIC updated our file online and it says that as of the 25th the application is processing. So is it waiting to be looked at or actually being looked at? My guess is it's waiting... but how amazing would it be if they were already reviewing it! I'm not sure how long they spend looking through these applications.
Hopefully they don't need us to send any additional documents, we tried to be very thorough and send in as much "proof of relationship" stuff as possible. I mean if eight years of emails, phone records, letters, and photos isn't enough proof then I'll be very surprised!!
Once Kyle lands as a permanent resident we will be opening a bakery together. There's always some crazy adventure happening in our lives it would seem! We're going to get to spend a lot of time with each other every day which is great because we get along so well and want to make up for all the time we have missed not being physically together.
In other news, Kyle will be visiting eight days from now!!! We're so excited that we might never have to say goodbye again! This is huge for us. Every time we are together things seem so rushed, we try to get a lot of things done when we are together so we don't miss out on important moments or events in each others lives. It will be really nice to just relax with my hubby and not cram bunches of appointments and events into a week or two of visit time.
Until next time!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Yippeee!
Woohoo! Guess what I got in my mail box today! It was a letter from Immigration Canada stating that they are pleased to advise me that my application to sponsor Kyle has been accepted!
When I read the letter in the car outside the post office I broke down crying. People probably think that I'm crazy, but it was a really happy and relieved moment. Kyle's application has been sent to a different visa office to be processed now.
It's important to note that the CIC website had not yet listed that they even started processing our application at the time of receiving the letter. I'm super hopeful that the permanent residence portion goes as quickly and smoothly - but they say that part takes 5-6 months to process.
We now have a case number, so we can check on our application online - I'll be checking it out religiously no doubt!
It's a small step, but we're one step closer!
When I read the letter in the car outside the post office I broke down crying. People probably think that I'm crazy, but it was a really happy and relieved moment. Kyle's application has been sent to a different visa office to be processed now.
It's important to note that the CIC website had not yet listed that they even started processing our application at the time of receiving the letter. I'm super hopeful that the permanent residence portion goes as quickly and smoothly - but they say that part takes 5-6 months to process.
We now have a case number, so we can check on our application online - I'll be checking it out religiously no doubt!
It's a small step, but we're one step closer!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Limbo
I don't have any new immigration news today - but within the next week they should start processing our applications!
As for my husband being in limbo, we have decided for him to leave his apartment and stay at his friends house while we wait for September - that's when he separates from the Air Force and is coming to visit with me. It will really help keep our bills low and help us save for when we have no income coming in.
Things are a little clearer now then they were before. I did not realize how much effort the Air Force puts into making sure you're going to be successful after you leave. They will be paying for storing all his belongings, the moving truck when it's time to move, and distance he has to travel, among other things. I feel so grateful that they take care of their veterans as much as they do.
What comes to mind when you think of a veteran? Probably not a 24 year old, right? I'm still wrapping my mind around that title for my husband, and it makes me giggle.
More news soon!
As for my husband being in limbo, we have decided for him to leave his apartment and stay at his friends house while we wait for September - that's when he separates from the Air Force and is coming to visit with me. It will really help keep our bills low and help us save for when we have no income coming in.
Things are a little clearer now then they were before. I did not realize how much effort the Air Force puts into making sure you're going to be successful after you leave. They will be paying for storing all his belongings, the moving truck when it's time to move, and distance he has to travel, among other things. I feel so grateful that they take care of their veterans as much as they do.
What comes to mind when you think of a veteran? Probably not a 24 year old, right? I'm still wrapping my mind around that title for my husband, and it makes me giggle.
More news soon!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
On July 9th, 2009 we sent in our completed stack of immigration forms! It turned out to be almost 1.5 pounds of pure paper. A few days earlier we had called immigration to confirm a few questions we had. [It's a little silly that you can't call them from outside of Canada, and there's no place to email your questions.] They informed us that applications to sponsor are currently taking 43 days to process and that they will process the permanent residence part after if you are accepted as a sponsor.
Anyway, the post office said the papers should be to Mississauga by Tuesday - the online package tracker thing says it will arrive by Monday though! Woot! We decided to have them sign for it on the other end to make sure they receive it... I guess we don't want to take the chances of thinking they have when really our important papers are floating around somewhere.
When we were driving back to Canada the immigration officers there took one look at Kyle's machine washed passport and told us we had better apply for a new one because they will not accept that one for immigration. We weren't going to get another one because hopefully he will be in Canada soon enough, but boy are we glad they let us know before we found out too late!
Yesterday was a very tough day for Kyle and myself, we had to say goodbye again at the airport. There's something about leaving him at customs that tears me apart inside. I woke up this morning and rolled over to see my husband, but he was not there. What a terrible feeling. On a more positive note, we have been promising each other that he will be here for our September one year wedding anniversary. Sometimes promises are the only thing that keeps us able to withstand the distance.
The future isn't clear to me right now, and I hate that. Is it okay for him to visit when the immigration paperwork is still being looked over? Will it seems suspicious when he does come to visit? How are we going to pay for his apartment and the house/all the bills while he's in limbo and out of the Air Force?
All I'm sure of right now is that it feels great to finally be done looking over forms. At one point Kyle got so used to writing his birth date that he tried to say we got married in 1985! Yikes!
So, now we wait some more!
Anyway, the post office said the papers should be to Mississauga by Tuesday - the online package tracker thing says it will arrive by Monday though! Woot! We decided to have them sign for it on the other end to make sure they receive it... I guess we don't want to take the chances of thinking they have when really our important papers are floating around somewhere.
When we were driving back to Canada the immigration officers there took one look at Kyle's machine washed passport and told us we had better apply for a new one because they will not accept that one for immigration. We weren't going to get another one because hopefully he will be in Canada soon enough, but boy are we glad they let us know before we found out too late!
Yesterday was a very tough day for Kyle and myself, we had to say goodbye again at the airport. There's something about leaving him at customs that tears me apart inside. I woke up this morning and rolled over to see my husband, but he was not there. What a terrible feeling. On a more positive note, we have been promising each other that he will be here for our September one year wedding anniversary. Sometimes promises are the only thing that keeps us able to withstand the distance.
The future isn't clear to me right now, and I hate that. Is it okay for him to visit when the immigration paperwork is still being looked over? Will it seems suspicious when he does come to visit? How are we going to pay for his apartment and the house/all the bills while he's in limbo and out of the Air Force?
All I'm sure of right now is that it feels great to finally be done looking over forms. At one point Kyle got so used to writing his birth date that he tried to say we got married in 1985! Yikes!
So, now we wait some more!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Delays
I was very excited to see the envelope from the FBI in the mailbox, it was a sweet surprise!
It took 16 days from sending in Kyle's fingerprints to receive them back with the "No record of arrest" stamp on the back. I was expecting it to take 3-4 weeks, and had been reading about it taking longer then 12 weeks for some.... needless to say - we're relieved!!!
We finished all our paperwork today but hit another little road block. I'm in Nebraska right now but need my "Option C printout" from Revenue Canada. Not sure how this slipped by me, but tomorrow I have to call and get it mailed to our Canadian address - and send out our whole package from Canada when I get back there (July 7th).
Right now I'm a little upset that we can't mail this package out right away. I'm very anxious, nervous and excited at the same time!
It's June and all I've been thinking about is Christmas... Will I get to be with my husband? Will we have our first little family Christmas in our home? We must make stockings together to hang by the fireplace, drink eggnog, and go caroling with Grandma! I guess my ultimate goal is to have Kyle in Canada for Christmas (that would be the sweetest present of them all), but my guess is that it will take until February/March 2010 for all the paperwork to go through. That's 7-8 months from July.
[Currently the processing times on the immigration website say 38 days for sponsorship applications, and 5-6 months for permanent residence applications.]
For now all we can do is wait to send all these forms in and enjoy the rest of the time we have together for this summer.
Happy Father's day to all the dads out there! I'm going to call mine right now.
It took 16 days from sending in Kyle's fingerprints to receive them back with the "No record of arrest" stamp on the back. I was expecting it to take 3-4 weeks, and had been reading about it taking longer then 12 weeks for some.... needless to say - we're relieved!!!
We finished all our paperwork today but hit another little road block. I'm in Nebraska right now but need my "Option C printout" from Revenue Canada. Not sure how this slipped by me, but tomorrow I have to call and get it mailed to our Canadian address - and send out our whole package from Canada when I get back there (July 7th).
Right now I'm a little upset that we can't mail this package out right away. I'm very anxious, nervous and excited at the same time!
It's June and all I've been thinking about is Christmas... Will I get to be with my husband? Will we have our first little family Christmas in our home? We must make stockings together to hang by the fireplace, drink eggnog, and go caroling with Grandma! I guess my ultimate goal is to have Kyle in Canada for Christmas (that would be the sweetest present of them all), but my guess is that it will take until February/March 2010 for all the paperwork to go through. That's 7-8 months from July.
[Currently the processing times on the immigration website say 38 days for sponsorship applications, and 5-6 months for permanent residence applications.]
For now all we can do is wait to send all these forms in and enjoy the rest of the time we have together for this summer.
Happy Father's day to all the dads out there! I'm going to call mine right now.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Our Story
It's not every day you have to go to the police station to get fingerprinted for the FBI - but today is exactly that kind of day for my husband.
We have been planning for him to immigrate from the USA to Canada for years now and it's finally time! Nearly all of our paperwork is complete, he gets his fingerprints taken at lunch, and we have a medical exam scheduled for June 15, incidentally on his 24th birthday. We have to travel to Iowa to have the medical done by a doctor that is approved from Canada to do this kind.
For anyone planning to follow along with us to help with their own immigration journey, here's some background information:
-Husband (Kyle) and myself (Kate) met on the internet (and started dating) in 2001 when I was 13 and he was 15.
-I did not realize it at the time but I had some pretty cool parents because they drove to Ohio with me a year and a half into our relationship to meet Kyle and his parents in person because we were serious about our relationship. (I'm not sure even we would ever do that for our daughter if we have one...)
-We met a bunch of times and spent summer vacations together mostly in Canada.
-In February 2007 Kyle proposed to me while I visited him in Nebraska (where he is stationed for the US Air Force) I said yes!
-September, 2008 we married in Canada, had our honeymoon at Disney World, and I stayed in Nebraska for a while with him after the honeymoon.
-Kyle had the option of getting out of the Air Force a year early but we decided financially it was better for him to stay in until September, 2009 even if it causes us more heartache being apart most of our first year of being married. No matter what, we are going to be together for our one year wedding anniversary!
Currently I am visiting with Kyle in Nebraska, and plan to be here until July. Goodbyes are always so hard, as anyone in our situation can surely sympathize with.
It has been a crazy journey so far and I'm sure it will continue to be crazy until my husband can finally come to Canada to stay. We can't wait for this emotional roller coaster to be over!
We have been planning for him to immigrate from the USA to Canada for years now and it's finally time! Nearly all of our paperwork is complete, he gets his fingerprints taken at lunch, and we have a medical exam scheduled for June 15, incidentally on his 24th birthday. We have to travel to Iowa to have the medical done by a doctor that is approved from Canada to do this kind.
For anyone planning to follow along with us to help with their own immigration journey, here's some background information:
-Husband (Kyle) and myself (Kate) met on the internet (and started dating) in 2001 when I was 13 and he was 15.
-I did not realize it at the time but I had some pretty cool parents because they drove to Ohio with me a year and a half into our relationship to meet Kyle and his parents in person because we were serious about our relationship. (I'm not sure even we would ever do that for our daughter if we have one...)
-We met a bunch of times and spent summer vacations together mostly in Canada.
-In February 2007 Kyle proposed to me while I visited him in Nebraska (where he is stationed for the US Air Force) I said yes!
-September, 2008 we married in Canada, had our honeymoon at Disney World, and I stayed in Nebraska for a while with him after the honeymoon.
-Kyle had the option of getting out of the Air Force a year early but we decided financially it was better for him to stay in until September, 2009 even if it causes us more heartache being apart most of our first year of being married. No matter what, we are going to be together for our one year wedding anniversary!
Currently I am visiting with Kyle in Nebraska, and plan to be here until July. Goodbyes are always so hard, as anyone in our situation can surely sympathize with.
It has been a crazy journey so far and I'm sure it will continue to be crazy until my husband can finally come to Canada to stay. We can't wait for this emotional roller coaster to be over!
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