Port of Spain Office, Trinidad and Tobago

[CdnandTrini]

Thanks for the great help, like you said, I can breath a sigh of relief.

You are most welcome. Blessings.

 

[MissDominica]

Hello my dear, sending good vibes back to you and hubby. :-* Shouldn't we be expecting a happy landing story from our fave forum doctor?? Or did I miss it? Miss D. come out of your winter hibernation .

Blessings.

My lovelies CdnandTrini and Can-Vinc - it's good to know I wasn't forgotten and to anyone else that is hanging around from the crew who remembers my story - bug hugs to all.

I'm sure I'm in the dog house for taking sooooooo long to write my landing story. Hubby landed way back on Dec 5 so I'm extra slow. Things have just been crazy getting everything set up and in motion while trying to still be a doctor lol.

TONIGHT I will write a landing story! I will force myself to sit down and type it all out.

Best wishes to everyone waiting for news and I shall rerun tonight!

Dr. D

 

[MissDominica]

Hey Lovelies...

As promised, here is the landing story (better late than never?)

Ok, so hubby got his PPR after I had already planned a trip to go and see him. It was INSANELY fast this time around (3 months from application to PPR) which felt somehow unreal and amazing all at the same time. I got an email from them a few months into the process and just assumed it was some generic thing as it was so early on. I was at work and I opened the email and it just said to see attached document for more info. I opened it and it was PPR. I almost had a panic attack. I was excited, shocked, I could barely breathe. I felt like crying, and screaming all at the same time. I also had a small pit in my stomach wondering if this was really happening after all the sh^t they put us through last time (14 months processing and a genuine relationship after interview followed by a denial and about 10k wasted). I truly felt like it was maybe a dream.. you know those dreams you SWEAR are true and you wake up only to be either really disappointed or really happy it was a dream... well I thought it was one of those. I felt like I would wake up and be DEVASTATED that getting the email wasn't real. I did whatever I could to wake myself... and finally accepted it was not a dream after all. I ran outside of the clinic (and left my patient waiting in the room - bad doc, I know). I called my husband first thing and kept saying "guess what" "guess what" and he kept being like "yeah, what" like it was some little thing I wanted to tell him... when I finally half blurted/wailed out "You got the visa" as I was fighting back the ugly/happy cry. He was like "you're joking" "for real" "are you serious". He couldn't believe how fast it went by. He went immediately that day and got photos done and everything they needed for the PPR. I then called my dad and told him all about it, as he and hubby are quite close. He was shocked too and so relieved for us.
I went to visit hubby as planned. He had already sent off his passport and photos when I had arrived to visit him. I had planned to stay a full month and enjoy my vacation in the warmth with him and enjoy our excitement and relief (escape from the cold of Canada PLUS vacation with hubby and the thrill of waiting for his passport to come back). But hubby kept saying how he wanted to leave earlier and come back to Canada as he was so excited to finally get to be in Canada with me (he was never even allowed to visit Canada so this would all be new to him). So we tracked his passport back everyday and when we saw that it was on its way back, we booked flights back to Canada and cut our warm vacation short by 1.5 weeks. We picked up his passport with his visa inside (all this hell for a tiny slip of paper in a passport.. it's heart-wrenching to see such a small thing put us through this much heartache). We booked a flight for a couple of days later and we were off...

We landed in Toronto at around 11pm. I kept asking hubby "does it feel real yet" and he kept saying "no" even after we were in the toronto airport. He said he couldn't believe it was all happening and it felt fake. I think we both had this feeling that after all that had happened last time, that some how this was too good to be true. We were ecstatic but guarded and scared. We stood in the landing line forEVER. At least an hour and more. It is literally just a long line (like at a bank) and you walk up to an agent at a tellar-like counter. Finally it was our turn. My legs were sore from standing and hubby was anxious. The agent was a young girl, nice. She asked if we knew all about the process and landing rules, to which I actually laughed out loud and recited them off... and she said "well I think she's got that covered" and did not go through them with him. They filled out the paperwork they needed to do. She explained that hubby would need to wait for his PR card before leaving Canada or else he would need a visitor visa to come back in if he didn't yet have his PR card and decided to leave Canada. Then she goes, "Oh wait, Do people from Dominica even NEED a visitor visa to come to Canada? I can't remember." To which I fought back the urge to throttle her (after multiple visitor visa rejections for hubby to come to see me in Canada). But I politely answered that he would need one, yes lol. She smiled and filled out everything. Gave hubby his COPR paper and told him he was good to go. As we exited the room and walked into the airport lobby with our paperwork, hubby asked "now where" thinking that there was another step. He goes "it's funny... I can see the door and the street, we could just walk out and be in Canada if we wanted.. " He assumed that there were more steps after all the application ordeal.. could it be that easy? I told him that was IT and he COULD walk outside if he wanted and that he was officially in Canada now and he was THRILLED. A big grin crossed his face and you could see it was starting to sink in. He wanted to go outside right away. We stood outside the terminal and he was cold but wanted his picture taken and wanted to enjoy it. He flagged a taxi right away but I told him I had to pee (lol) and he had to wait for me so it was best to let the taxi go. He refused. As if the taxi was the ONLY one that would take us to the hotel so he could spend his first night in Canada. So he made the taxi wait while I ran inside to use the bathroom. It was kind of cute. We took our taxi into Toronto and went straight to our hotel. I had asked the hotel in advance to upgrade our room due to the special occassion and had emailed in advance to tell them what the occassion was. They had responded and said they would try. When we arrived, the front desk lady checked us in. It seemed like we maybe got a slightly nicer room, but she didn't mention it and didn't say anything, so I just assumed no one passed on the upgrade message. I was disappointed, as I wanted to make his arrival special, but there wasn't much that could ruin my mood. We went up to the room and hubby took pictures out the window of the huge buildings. We were starving after our large flight. I went to the lobby to order a pizza (the lobby had free wifi and computers) for delivery. When I returned to the room, hubby was concerned. He told me that the "hotel guy in a suit" came to the room and brought us a tray of food. Confused, I looked at the tray. It had a bottle of wine, 2 glasses, and a huge fruit and cheese plate (easily quite expensive). Hubby said "he opened the wine and tried to pour it for me but I told him no because I didn't pay for this" and he was shocked when the "man in the suit" told him it was free. He was uneasy about this and asked me why someone sent us free food. It was then I realized that they HADN'T overlooked the special occassion that I'd told them about and that this was their gift to us. I explained this to hubby and he was happy and finally trusting of the free goods. lol. We had some fruit and cheese and wine and went straight to bed. We had booked our connecting flight the next day in the evening so that we could explore Toronto. We walked around the downtown near our hotel, watched people skate, took pictures of the christmas trees and each other... it was good fun. We were adventurous (and cheap) and took public transit to the airport later that day. We boarded our flight to good ol' Saskatchewan and landed a couple hours later. Hubby finally said "now it feels real".

I was so happy to have gotten to "land" with him. And be there with him through all of the apprehension. We spent the next few days aimlessly driving around our city so that he could see everything. As soon as we would get home, he'd ask to go out again. This was exciting for him. He's adjusted now (its been over a month) and we stay home more now. We moved into a new apartment last week (a bigger 2 bedroom) and have been busy making it our home (buying furniture together, shopping for stuff). It's so surreal! We spent Christmas together and decorated our first tree together (a real one at that). Hubby starts work Thursday and all the immigration worries are melting away. I still have the box of random receipts and documents that have no meaning anymore but can't bring myself to throw it away. I guess because I can't bear to relive the stress of that again but also because it brings me back to that sad lonely place and I dont want to think of it anymore. I think the box will be there a long time.. I'd love to just burn it but that doesn't seem right either. It's hard to re-train myself to stop collecting receipts and documenting each thing we do... but it feels so FREE to not have to do that anymore. I still get a little thrill out of doing the "boring" every day stuff. Like grocery shopping or cleaning up. Because he comes with me or appreciates what I do. All the annoying, every day things seem better and happier now that he's here and I finally (for the first time EVER) feel like I have my life together. In the past, it was always long-distance with medical school or financial issues of paying for immigration while being a poor student. As soon as I'd get one thing together (like graduating), there would be something else that just sucked all my joy away (like being apart from my husband and going to work every day and coming home to nothing). But now - for the last month - it's been good. I have the job I've been working for for the last 10 years. I don't have to study every day, all day. I have pay check. And I have my husband. And I can come home every day to my husband. And take him to the grocery store. And make him dinner. All stupid stuff that NO ONE else in the world who hasn't been through this process even CARES about enough to mention. But to me, it's my world. I FINALLY have my world. It's been a long time coming... and I still think it's too good to be true sometimes... but I haven't woken up from that "dream" yet.. and I'd like to stay here for awhile.

Congrats to all that have made process. To those who are moving slow or struggling or are hearing bad news... let us be an example. We got dragged through the ringer and even told they believed our story and still got shut down. And now we are here, happy. There is an end to this. For some people it comes easy and for some it comes HARD. But it comes. Keep fighting. I promise it's worth it and the nightmare ends - to be replaced with a relief and happiness you can only appreciate after having gone through this unique type of hell.

Thanks for the support over the years to the long-timers and I hope we are a support to the people who are new here.

Much love.

Dr/Mrs D (previously Miss D)

Xoxo

 

[CdnandTrini]

My lovelies CdnandTrini and Can-Vinc - it's good to know I wasn't forgotten and to anyone else that is hanging around from the crew who remembers my story - bug hugs to all.

I'm sure I'm in the dog house for taking sooooooo long to write my landing story. Hubby landed way back on Dec 5 so I'm extra slow. Things have just been crazy getting everything set up and in motion while trying to still be a doctor lol.

TONIGHT I will write a landing story! I will force myself to sit down and type it all out.

Best wishes to everyone waiting for news and I shall rerun tonight!

Dr. D

;D Never in the doghouse with us Miss Dr. D!!! We understand that when our beloved's land, that starts a whole other journey........Glad to see you are still alive and kickin' and whenever you get time we will enjoy it. Last year my guy had to deal with all of the snow and ice we received in T.O. all winter (we live close to Pearson Airport). This year, hardly any snow but BITTERLY cold...brrrrrrrr so he actually now prefers the snow....lol.... Big hugs and of course, Blessings :-*

Can-Vinc, hope you are doing well, prayers and blessings are coming at you too :-* and Big Hugs!

 

[CdnandTrini]

Hey Lovelies...

As promised, here is the landing story (better late than never?)

Ok, so hubby got his PPR after I had already planned a trip to go and see him. It was INSANELY fast this time around (3 months from application to PPR) which felt somehow unreal and amazing all at the same time. I got an email from them a few months into the process and just assumed it was some generic thing as it was so early on. I was at work and I opened the email and it just said to see attached document for more info. I opened it and it was PPR. I almost had a panic attack. I was excited, shocked, I could barely breathe. I felt like crying, and screaming all at the same time. I also had a small pit in my stomach wondering if this was really happening after all the sh^t they put us through last time (14 months processing and a genuine relationship after interview followed by a denial and about 10k wasted). I truly felt like it was maybe a dream.. you know those dreams you SWEAR are true and you wake up only to be either really disappointed or really happy it was a dream... well I thought it was one of those. I felt like I would wake up and be DEVASTATED that getting the email wasn't real. I did whatever I could to wake myself... and finally accepted it was not a dream after all. I ran outside of the clinic (and left my patient waiting in the room - bad doc, I know). I called my husband first thing and kept saying "guess what" "guess what" and he kept being like "yeah, what" like it was some little thing I wanted to tell him... when I finally half blurted/wailed out "You got the visa" as I was fighting back the ugly/happy cry. He was like "you're joking" "for real" "are you serious". He couldn't believe how fast it went by. He went immediately that day and got photos done and everything they needed for the PPR. I then called my dad and told him all about it, as he and hubby are quite close. He was shocked too and so relieved for us.
I went to visit hubby as planned. He had already sent off his passport and photos when I had arrived to visit him. I had planned to stay a full month and enjoy my vacation in the warmth with him and enjoy our excitement and relief (escape from the cold of Canada PLUS vacation with hubby and the thrill of waiting for his passport to come back). But hubby kept saying how he wanted to leave earlier and come back to Canada as he was so excited to finally get to be in Canada with me (he was never even allowed to visit Canada so this would all be new to him). So we tracked his passport back everyday and when we saw that it was on its way back, we booked flights back to Canada and cut our warm vacation short by 1.5 weeks. We picked up his passport with his visa inside (all this hell for a tiny slip of paper in a passport.. it's heart-wrenching to see such a small thing put us through this much heartache). We booked a flight for a couple of days later and we were off...

We landed in Toronto at around 11pm. I kept asking hubby "does it feel real yet" and he kept saying "no" even after we were in the toronto airport. He said he couldn't believe it was all happening and it felt fake. I think we both had this feeling that after all that had happened last time, that some how this was too good to be true. We were ecstatic but guarded and scared. We stood in the landing line forEVER. At least an hour and more. It is literally just a long line (like at a bank) and you walk up to an agent at a tellar-like counter. Finally it was our turn. My legs were sore from standing and hubby was anxious. The agent was a young girl, nice. She asked if we knew all about the process and landing rules, to which I actually laughed out loud and recited them off... and she said "well I think she's got that covered" and did not go through them with him. They filled out the paperwork they needed to do. She explained that hubby would need to wait for his PR card before leaving Canada or else he would need a visitor visa to come back in if he didn't yet have his PR card and decided to leave Canada. Then she goes, "Oh wait, Do people from Dominica even NEED a visitor visa to come to Canada? I can't remember." To which I fought back the urge to throttle her (after multiple visitor visa rejections for hubby to come to see me in Canada). But I politely answered that he would need one, yes lol. She smiled and filled out everything. Gave hubby his COPR paper and told him he was good to go. As we exited the room and walked into the airport lobby with our paperwork, hubby asked "now where" thinking that there was another step. He goes "it's funny... I can see the door and the street, we could just walk out and be in Canada if we wanted.. " He assumed that there were more steps after all the application ordeal.. could it be that easy? I told him that was IT and he COULD walk outside if he wanted and that he was officially in Canada now and he was THRILLED. A big grin crossed his face and you could see it was starting to sink in. He wanted to go outside right away. We stood outside the terminal and he was cold but wanted his picture taken and wanted to enjoy it. He flagged a taxi right away but I told him I had to pee (lol) and he had to wait for me so it was best to let the taxi go. He refused. As if the taxi was the ONLY one that would take us to the hotel so he could spend his first night in Canada. So he made the taxi wait while I ran inside to use the bathroom. It was kind of cute. We took our taxi into Toronto and went straight to our hotel. I had asked the hotel in advance to upgrade our room due to the special occassion and had emailed in advance to tell them what the occassion was. They had responded and said they would try. When we arrived, the front desk lady checked us in. It seemed like we maybe got a slightly nicer room, but she didn't mention it and didn't say anything, so I just assumed no one passed on the upgrade message. I was disappointed, as I wanted to make his arrival special, but there wasn't much that could ruin my mood. We went up to the room and hubby took pictures out the window of the huge buildings. We were starving after our large flight. I went to the lobby to order a pizza (the lobby had free wifi and computers) for delivery. When I returned to the room, hubby was concerned. He told me that the "hotel guy in a suit" came to the room and brought us a tray of food. Confused, I looked at the tray. It had a bottle of wine, 2 glasses, and a huge fruit and cheese plate (easily quite expensive). Hubby said "he opened the wine and tried to pour it for me but I told him no because I didn't pay for this" and he was shocked when the "man in the suit" told him it was free. He was uneasy about this and asked me why someone sent us free food. It was then I realized that they HADN'T overlooked the special occassion that I'd told them about and that this was their gift to us. I explained this to hubby and he was happy and finally trusting of the free goods. lol. We had some fruit and cheese and wine and went straight to bed. We had booked our connecting flight the next day in the evening so that we could explore Toronto. We walked around the downtown near our hotel, watched people skate, took pictures of the christmas trees and each other... it was good fun. We were adventurous (and cheap) and took public transit to the airport later that day. We boarded our flight to good ol' Saskatchewan and landed a couple hours later. Hubby finally said "now it feels real".

I was so happy to have gotten to "land" with him. And be there with him through all of the apprehension. We spent the next few days aimlessly driving around our city so that he could see everything. As soon as we would get home, he'd ask to go out again. This was exciting for him. He's adjusted now (its been over a month) and we stay home more now. We moved into a new apartment last week (a bigger 2 bedroom) and have been busy making it our home (buying furniture together, shopping for stuff). It's so surreal! We spent Christmas together and decorated our first tree together (a real one at that). Hubby starts work Thursday and all the immigration worries are melting away. I still have the box of random receipts and documents that have no meaning anymore but can't bring myself to throw it away. I guess because I can't bear to relive the stress of that again but also because it brings me back to that sad lonely place and I dont want to think of it anymore. I think the box will be there a long time.. I'd love to just burn it but that doesn't seem right either. It's hard to re-train myself to stop collecting receipts and documenting each thing we do... but it feels so FREE to not have to do that anymore. I still get a little thrill out of doing the "boring" every day stuff. Like grocery shopping or cleaning up. Because he comes with me or appreciates what I do. All the annoying, every day things seem better and happier now that he's here and I finally (for the first time EVER) feel like I have my life together. In the past, it was always long-distance with medical school or financial issues of paying for immigration while being a poor student. As soon as I'd get one thing together (like graduating), there would be something else that just sucked all my joy away (like being apart from my husband and going to work every day and coming home to nothing). But now - for the last month - it's been good. I have the job I've been working for for the last 10 years. I don't have to study every day, all day. I have pay check. And I have my husband. And I can come home every day to my husband. And take him to the grocery store. And make him dinner. All stupid stuff that NO ONE else in the world who hasn't been through this process even CARES about enough to mention. But to me, it's my world. I FINALLY have my world. It's been a long time coming... and I still think it's too good to be true sometimes... but I haven't woken up from that "dream" yet.. and I'd like to stay here for awhile.

Congrats to all that have made process. To those who are moving slow or struggling or are hearing bad news... let us be an example. We got dragged through the ringer and even told they believed our story and still got shut down. And now we are here, happy. There is an end to this. For some people it comes easy and for some it comes HARD. But it comes. Keep fighting. I promise it's worth it and the nightmare ends - to be replaced with a relief and happiness you can only appreciate after having gone through this unique type of hell.

Thanks for the support over the years to the long-timers and I hope we are a support to the people who are new here.

Much love.

Dr/Mrs D (previously Miss D)

Xoxo

OMG.......chills, thrills and spills.......and a few tears too. So adorable, thanks for sharing so many details. For the support you gave other members, YOU SO DESERVE THIS. And it is a story well worth waiting for Dr./ Mr. & Mrs. D. That's right, you are a missus now with hubby at home - FINALLY!!! So, so happy for both of you and laughing at how your hubby reacted. I always call my hubby "Trini Dundee" because of all of his reactions when he first arrived, it reminded my a lot of the movie (the original) Crocodile Dundee. I think it feels surreal to most of us and yes, most definitely savour those pleasurable "boring and normal" times. So many landing stories talk about the same small sweet moments.

I can also relate to much of your story as me and Mr. C&T were also refused TRVs, grrrrr...4 times....so he had never been here either. We were 6.5 years long distance with me doing all of the travelling and I am sure we spent closer to 100k, on fees, phone cards/phone bills, travelling, maintaining 2 households etc. And trust me, almost nothing we did during this time was luxury, we were always scraping by. The part that you and hubby alone endured - having to go through the process twice???? I get the bad chills for you about that . However it is a wonderful testament to love and will be the basis of family folklore for your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren !! Not to mention a legacy of dogged determination and persistence.

Ahhhh yes the big ole' immigration file......I have one as well and cannot part with it yet. And I probably won't. Actually, I think it is better to keep it for many reasons, particularly until we all get past the 2 year PR condition. And the receipt saving habit is very difficult to break and can often take months before you won't feel that urge or twinge to "document" everything for immigration. I often say that the feeling of relief at not having to live in the "fear of immigration" mindset trumps every other feeling for the first while until it sinks in that it is finally over. And then the happiness and joy and fun can start bubbling up. Oh and let's not forget, the ability to 'make-up' quickly and in person....lol!! :-* ;D

And to paraphrase a quote by Bob Marley “If it's amazing, it won't be easy. If it's easy, it won't be amazing. If it's worth it, you won't give up. If you give up, you're not worthy. ... Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”

May God cover you, your husband and your marriage and shower blessings upon your future together. Big hugs :-*

 

[guyanese24]

Hey Lovelies...

As promised, here is the landing story (better late than never?)

Ok, so hubby got his PPR after I had already planned a trip to go and see him. It was INSANELY fast this time around (3 months from application to PPR) which felt somehow unreal and amazing all at the same time. I got an email from them a few months into the process and just assumed it was some generic thing as it was so early on. I was at work and I opened the email and it just said to see attached document for more info. I opened it and it was PPR. I almost had a panic attack. I was excited, shocked, I could barely breathe. I felt like crying, and screaming all at the same time. I also had a small pit in my stomach wondering if this was really happening after all the sh^t they put us through last time (14 months processing and a genuine relationship after interview followed by a denial and about 10k wasted). I truly felt like it was maybe a dream.. you know those dreams you SWEAR are true and you wake up only to be either really disappointed or really happy it was a dream... well I thought it was one of those. I felt like I would wake up and be DEVASTATED that getting the email wasn't real. I did whatever I could to wake myself... and finally accepted it was not a dream after all. I ran outside of the clinic (and left my patient waiting in the room - bad doc, I know). I called my husband first thing and kept saying "guess what" "guess what" and he kept being like "yeah, what" like it was some little thing I wanted to tell him... when I finally half blurted/wailed out "You got the visa" as I was fighting back the ugly/happy cry. He was like "you're joking" "for real" "are you serious". He couldn't believe how fast it went by. He went immediately that day and got photos done and everything they needed for the PPR. I then called my dad and told him all about it, as he and hubby are quite close. He was shocked too and so relieved for us.
I went to visit hubby as planned. He had already sent off his passport and photos when I had arrived to visit him. I had planned to stay a full month and enjoy my vacation in the warmth with him and enjoy our excitement and relief (escape from the cold of Canada PLUS vacation with hubby and the thrill of waiting for his passport to come back). But hubby kept saying how he wanted to leave earlier and come back to Canada as he was so excited to finally get to be in Canada with me (he was never even allowed to visit Canada so this would all be new to him). So we tracked his passport back everyday and when we saw that it was on its way back, we booked flights back to Canada and cut our warm vacation short by 1.5 weeks. We picked up his passport with his visa inside (all this hell for a tiny slip of paper in a passport.. it's heart-wrenching to see such a small thing put us through this much heartache). We booked a flight for a couple of days later and we were off...

We landed in Toronto at around 11pm. I kept asking hubby "does it feel real yet" and he kept saying "no" even after we were in the toronto airport. He said he couldn't believe it was all happening and it felt fake. I think we both had this feeling that after all that had happened last time, that some how this was too good to be true. We were ecstatic but guarded and scared. We stood in the landing line forEVER. At least an hour and more. It is literally just a long line (like at a bank) and you walk up to an agent at a tellar-like counter. Finally it was our turn. My legs were sore from standing and hubby was anxious. The agent was a young girl, nice. She asked if we knew all about the process and landing rules, to which I actually laughed out loud and recited them off... and she said "well I think she's got that covered" and did not go through them with him. They filled out the paperwork they needed to do. She explained that hubby would need to wait for his PR card before leaving Canada or else he would need a visitor visa to come back in if he didn't yet have his PR card and decided to leave Canada. Then she goes, "Oh wait, Do people from Dominica even NEED a visitor visa to come to Canada? I can't remember." To which I fought back the urge to throttle her (after multiple visitor visa rejections for hubby to come to see me in Canada). But I politely answered that he would need one, yes lol. She smiled and filled out everything. Gave hubby his COPR paper and told him he was good to go. As we exited the room and walked into the airport lobby with our paperwork, hubby asked "now where" thinking that there was another step. He goes "it's funny... I can see the door and the street, we could just walk out and be in Canada if we wanted.. " He assumed that there were more steps after all the application ordeal.. could it be that easy? I told him that was IT and he COULD walk outside if he wanted and that he was officially in Canada now and he was THRILLED. A big grin crossed his face and you could see it was starting to sink in. He wanted to go outside right away. We stood outside the terminal and he was cold but wanted his picture taken and wanted to enjoy it. He flagged a taxi right away but I told him I had to pee (lol) and he had to wait for me so it was best to let the taxi go. He refused. As if the taxi was the ONLY one that would take us to the hotel so he could spend his first night in Canada. So he made the taxi wait while I ran inside to use the bathroom. It was kind of cute. We took our taxi into Toronto and went straight to our hotel. I had asked the hotel in advance to upgrade our room due to the special occassion and had emailed in advance to tell them what the occassion was. They had responded and said they would try. When we arrived, the front desk lady checked us in. It seemed like we maybe got a slightly nicer room, but she didn't mention it and didn't say anything, so I just assumed no one passed on the upgrade message. I was disappointed, as I wanted to make his arrival special, but there wasn't much that could ruin my mood. We went up to the room and hubby took pictures out the window of the huge buildings. We were starving after our large flight. I went to the lobby to order a pizza (the lobby had free wifi and computers) for delivery. When I returned to the room, hubby was concerned. He told me that the "hotel guy in a suit" came to the room and brought us a tray of food. Confused, I looked at the tray. It had a bottle of wine, 2 glasses, and a huge fruit and cheese plate (easily quite expensive). Hubby said "he opened the wine and tried to pour it for me but I told him no because I didn't pay for this" and he was shocked when the "man in the suit" told him it was free. He was uneasy about this and asked me why someone sent us free food. It was then I realized that they HADN'T overlooked the special occassion that I'd told them about and that this was their gift to us. I explained this to hubby and he was happy and finally trusting of the free goods. lol. We had some fruit and cheese and wine and went straight to bed. We had booked our connecting flight the next day in the evening so that we could explore Toronto. We walked around the downtown near our hotel, watched people skate, took pictures of the christmas trees and each other... it was good fun. We were adventurous (and cheap) and took public transit to the airport later that day. We boarded our flight to good ol' Saskatchewan and landed a couple hours later. Hubby finally said "now it feels real".

I was so happy to have gotten to "land" with him. And be there with him through all of the apprehension. We spent the next few days aimlessly driving around our city so that he could see everything. As soon as we would get home, he'd ask to go out again. This was exciting for him. He's adjusted now (its been over a month) and we stay home more now. We moved into a new apartment last week (a bigger 2 bedroom) and have been busy making it our home (buying furniture together, shopping for stuff). It's so surreal! We spent Christmas together and decorated our first tree together (a real one at that). Hubby starts work Thursday and all the immigration worries are melting away. I still have the box of random receipts and documents that have no meaning anymore but can't bring myself to throw it away. I guess because I can't bear to relive the stress of that again but also because it brings me back to that sad lonely place and I dont want to think of it anymore. I think the box will be there a long time.. I'd love to just burn it but that doesn't seem right either. It's hard to re-train myself to stop collecting receipts and documenting each thing we do... but it feels so FREE to not have to do that anymore. I still get a little thrill out of doing the "boring" every day stuff. Like grocery shopping or cleaning up. Because he comes with me or appreciates what I do. All the annoying, every day things seem better and happier now that he's here and I finally (for the first time EVER) feel like I have my life together. In the past, it was always long-distance with medical school or financial issues of paying for immigration while being a poor student. As soon as I'd get one thing together (like graduating), there would be something else that just sucked all my joy away (like being apart from my husband and going to work every day and coming home to nothing). But now - for the last month - it's been good. I have the job I've been working for for the last 10 years. I don't have to study every day, all day. I have pay check. And I have my husband. And I can come home every day to my husband. And take him to the grocery store. And make him dinner. All stupid stuff that NO ONE else in the world who hasn't been through this process even CARES about enough to mention. But to me, it's my world. I FINALLY have my world. It's been a long time coming... and I still think it's too good to be true sometimes... but I haven't woken up from that "dream" yet.. and I'd like to stay here for awhile.

Congrats to all that have made process. To those who are moving slow or struggling or are hearing bad news... let us be an example. We got dragged through the ringer and even told they believed our story and still got shut down. And now we are here, happy. There is an end to this. For some people it comes easy and for some it comes HARD. But it comes. Keep fighting. I promise it's worth it and the nightmare ends - to be replaced with a relief and happiness you can only appreciate after having gone through this unique type of hell.

Thanks for the support over the years to the long-timers and I hope we are a support to the people who are new here.

Much love.

Dr/Mrs D (previously Miss D)

Xoxo

WOW what a beautiful landing story, and thank you so much for the words of encouragement! I wish you and your hubby nothing but joy and happiness
PS: What was the name of the hotel you stayed ( you can private msg me) I work in the Hotel industry and it sounds very familiar.

 

[MissDominica]

WOW what a beautiful landing story, and thank you so much for the words of encouragement! I wish you and your hubby nothing but joy and happiness
PS: What was the name of the hotel you stayed ( you can private msg me) I work in the Hotel industry and it sounds very familiar.

Thanks! It was the Sheraton centre toronto hotel

 

[MissDominica]

OMG.......chills, thrills and spills.......and a few tears too. So adorable, thanks for sharing so many details. For the support you gave other members, YOU SO DESERVE THIS. And it is a story well worth waiting for Dr./ Mr. & Mrs. D. That's right, you are a missus now with hubby at home - FINALLY!!! So, so happy for both of you and laughing at how your hubby reacted. I always call my hubby "Trini Dundee" because of all of his reactions when he first arrived, it reminded my a lot of the movie (the original) Crocodile Dundee. I think it feels surreal to most of us and yes, most definitely savour those pleasurable "boring and normal" times. So many landing stories talk about the same small sweet moments.

I can also relate to much of your story as me and Mr. C&T were also refused TRVs, grrrrr...4 times....so he had never been here either. We were 6.5 years long distance with me doing all of the travelling and I am sure we spent closer to 100k, on fees, phone cards/phone bills, travelling, maintaining 2 households etc. And trust me, almost nothing we did during this time was luxury, we were always scraping by. The part that you and hubby alone endured - having to go through the process twice???? I get the bad chills for you about that . However it is a wonderful testament to love and will be the basis of family folklore for your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren !! Not to mention a legacy of dogged determination and persistence.

Ahhhh yes the big ole' immigration file......I have one as well and cannot part with it yet. And I probably won't. Actually, I think it is better to keep it for many reasons, particularly until we all get past the 2 year PR condition. And the receipt saving habit is very difficult to break and can often take months before you won't feel that urge or twinge to "document" everything for immigration. I often say that the feeling of relief at not having to live in the "fear of immigration" mindset trumps every other feeling for the first while until it sinks in that it is finally over. And then the happiness and joy and fun can start bubbling up. Oh and let's not forget, the ability to 'make-up' quickly and in person....lol!! :-* ;D

And to paraphrase a quote by Bob Marley “If it's amazing, it won't be easy. If it's easy, it won't be amazing. If it's worth it, you won't give up. If you give up, you're not worthy. ... Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”

May God cover you, your husband and your marriage and shower blessings upon your future together. Big hugs :-*

Thanks so much! U were a huge support and a great friend all through my process and even now. Xo

 

[guyanese24]

45 days since Pos received hubby PP. What are they doing there. Patiently waiting.

 

[bieraumane]

45 days since Pos received hubby PP. What are they doing there. Patiently waiting.

Indeed, we are the same boat, they are talking a long time for this.....

 

[guyanese24]

Indeed, we are the same boat, they are talking a long time for this.....

I am out of words right now. I really don't know what Pos is doing!!! Really keeping the faith on this end.

 

[CdnandTrini]

Hang in there folks, I know.....easier said than done right? Many people agree that this can be the hardest part of the whole process.

The immigration waiting game never gets any easier and hopefully and prayerfully POS will get things turned around soon. If it is 45 days waiting for both of you, that is just over 6 weeks and still within their "average" passport return time of last year, which was about 2-8 weeks for files that were processed with POS being the applicants "home office" so to speak, as opposed to a file transfer from Kingston.

Also pick up any calls from private numbers. If there is a last minute clarification or question, the VOs have been known to make a quick call to confirm. If that happens, remember to ask, "when will it be sent out and/or when will we receive it"? And then scream, "HURRY UP!!" .......lol..........Blessings.

 

[guyanese24]

Hang in there folks, I know.....easier said than done right? Many people agree that this can be the hardest part of the whole process.

The immigration waiting game never gets any easier and hopefully and prayerfully POS will get things turned around soon. If it is 45 days waiting for both of you, that is just over 6 weeks and still within their "average" passport return time of last year, which was about 2-8 weeks for files that were processed with POS being the applicants "home office" so to speak, as opposed to a file transfer from Kingston.

Also pick up any calls from private numbers. If there is a last minute clarification or question, the VOs have been known to make a quick call to confirm. If that happens, remember to ask, "when will it be sent out and/or when will we receive it"? And then scream, "HURRY UP!!" .......lol..........Blessings.

hmmm missed two private calls yesterday actually. I hope it was not them and even if it was I hope they call today.

 

[confusednscared]

Hey everyone,

WOW!!!! I can't believe this thread is still up and running after so many years of creating it. I am glad to see that many are still using it and getting the relevant information needed for their FC applications. I know and can related to all of you how frustrating and time consuming this process can be. Be positive and have faith. Never be urged to give it because there will be light at the end of the tunnel sooner than later.

Seems as though the POS office is working faster in comparison to my time having dealt with them or am I just imagining.

It's been just over 3 years now since I have landed in Canada and I am currently in the process of applying for the last leg of feeling part of this wonderful country, Canadian citizenship. I happened to come across this forum while gathering information on my application for citizenship.

Be strong everyone and never lose hope. The end will be near when you least expect it. Good luck to everyone

 

[CdnandTrini]

Hey everyone,

WOW!!!! I can't believe this thread is still up and running after so many years of creating it. I am glad to see that many are still using it and getting the relevant information needed for their FC applications. I know and can related to all of you how frustrating and time consuming this process can be. Be positive and have faith. Never be urged to give it because there will be light at the end of the tunnel sooner than later.

Seems as though the POS office is working faster in comparison to my time having dealt with them or am I just imagining.

It's been just over 3 years now since I have landed in Canada and I am currently in the process of applying for the last leg of feeling part of this wonderful country, Canadian citizenship. I happened to come across this forum while gathering information on my application for citizenship.

Be strong everyone and never lose hope. The end will be near when you least expect it. Good luck to everyone

WOW!!! Hey back confusednscared, welcome and thank you for being the creator of this thread. And having one of the best user names. Ever.. When I found the forum during one of my desperate searches shortly after starting the process, I read every single page on this thread .....yup and am grateful for all of those who contributed. It's a uniquely difficult process for so many and this was sometimes my only safe haven in the immigration storm.
Congratulations on the last lap of your journey and enjoy your citizenship. Blessings