US Residents(on H1/L1/F1/H4/GC EB2, EB3) in CIC Express Entry Pool connect here

[RajeshIL]

Hello,
This is for people applying from US with any one of the above visa statuses. There are many US specific formalities we need to go through but there is not enough threads with good progress. Please restrict this to US related processes/documentation etc. Please post questions like Canada PR or USA H1B, which one to go for? elsewhere since this is for people who are 100% towards Canadian PR. A few of those example posts include:

1. Doing medicals in US
2. IELTS/WES in US
3. Indian or any other country's PCC while in US
4. FBI PCC in US(There is a separate thread for this because of long processing times, so you can preferably follow that one as well)
5. OINP DDs in CAD dollars
6. Mailing passport during PPR
7. Other pre and post ITA challenges faced by US residents of any nationality
8. When to land? Which PNPs are good?
9. When to move permanently
10. Which port of entry to choose
11. How to book UHaul etc. etc.

Please do your best to limit the conversations to the processes/documents related to US residents since people really struggle to find information sometimes. We are not that many, we need to unite together and it could be hard to do things right first time without any rejection and unusual delays in our journey to obtain a PR.

Admins welcome for this thread

Best,
Rajesh

 

[jsjsjsj]

Re: Legal US Residents on H1/L1/F1/H4/GC In-progress etc. candidates connect here

Thanks for starting this thread.

I'm on F-1 student visa and just got AOR this week. My two cents:
1. I did my medicals in Canada when I was visiting friends, but the doctor I called in the US said it would cost total ~$400 (in CT). It was cheaper in Canada.
2. I had to wait for three months for the earliest IELTS opening in the East Coast. Book early! WES was pretty straightforward: My university has a specific protocol for getting transcripts, so got them to be sent directly to WES. I put a friend's Canadian mailing address to save on the international mail cost. I think WES took about a month and half - can't remember exactly.
3. Got Korean PCC with the help of my mother in Korea (and many, many hours of going through confusing information).
4. It took me 4 months to get the FBI PCC. The various threads helped me a lot. I made a mistake of not having kept the mailing record, but luckily got mine in time to submit with the rest of the PR application. I also had a second set of fingerprints (taken by a different person) ready to go in case the first set was rejected.
5. Didn't do OINP, but I submitted my bank statements without converting USD to CAD. (The amount shown in USD was still above the minimum required in CAD, so whatever conversion rate applied would be ok.) I figured it would be ok, and remember reading somewhere that USD is fine. Don't take my word for it, though.
6-11. We'll see!
It helps to have a credit card with no foreign transaction fee. You can get one of those fancy ones with perks. Often the annual fee is waived the first year, and you can cancel the card after the first year.
I scanned and submitted my passport bio page as well as the US student visa page just in case. Not sure if the visa was necessary, but I didn't want CIC to doubt that I was legally in the US.

 

[drkv78]

Hi Rajesh,

I have a plan to move to USA within 3-4 weeks.
but, I am a PNP inland-applicant (Sep.2015) and I got PPR on 15th Feb.
I have submitted passport on 25th Feb. (fingers crossed).

However, I would like to help you guys if there is any need to share information/knowledge.
Best of luck guys!

Thanks,

warm regards,
drkv78

 

[ginna.p]

Thanks for starting this thread!
Will definitely be extremely helpful for internationals in the US under visa.

I started my EE when I was still under F-1-OPT. However, my company just recently transferred me abroad, so I'll be doing the rest of my application outside the US. But, if anyone has any questions, I might have some insights

I agree to book IELTS early. Depending on where you live, you might have travel to another city or even to another state.

WES is definitely straightforward, if you have a US degree, you only have to submit a request to your university to directly send your official transcripts to WES. (Some universities charge a small fee, others are free). It took me less than a month to receive my ECA

Haven't done medicals yet, as I submitted app to OINP and still waiting for decision.

I agree that it is important to submit your visas and legal status of your country of residence. (I think this is required for OINP app)

For OINP app, I submitted a bank draft in CAD from Bank of America, I had to do it in branch and I wasn't charged for it (except for the exchange rate), because with my account, I am allowed 10 bank drafts free of admin charges. So make sure to check with your specific bank.

Also, if you have already submitted EE and have a high CRS (above 450), or have submitted app for provincial nomination, send your fingerprints to FBI ASAP as they do take a while to get to your sets. Make sure to send more 2 or more sets of fingerprints, just in case, and ask for a tracking receipt from the courier company. Getting fingerprints aren't expensive (I was charged $20 for 2 sets at my local police station), you might be able to get them taken at your local police station (call ahead to make sure and ask what documents you have to present).

Hopefully, this is helpful & all the best to everyone!

 

[RajeshIL]

Great going guys. You do not have to stick to my topics since those were just examples. Now, I would like to ask a few questions as well for myself or anyone in my stages:

1) How long does the medical take? How long does the status take to reflect in MyCIC so that we know whether we passed or not? Any other forms/fields we need to be aware of? We carry our ITA to them I guess and the rest they might take care.
2) While PPR is far off, we are not supposed to mail Indian passports outside US. Can we get the PPR in NY or LA VAC?
3) Indian PCC from US - What documents we need to carry?

Thank you in advance for the help

Best,
Rajesh

 

[jsjsjsj]

When I called the doctor in CT, I was told appointments could be made within a few days. I ended up not going there, though. In any case, call a few doctors in your area and ask them how easy it is to schedule an appointment. I did my medicals before getting an ITA, so I just brought my passport and everything else was taken care of. The doctor that did my medicals said that she'd been doing this for twenty years and had everything streamlined. I was given a piece of paper at the end of the examination and told to upload it when I apply for PR. No clue when the status changes to medicals passed, but from readings other threads it apparently takes anywhere between 2 days to several months. Mine has not changed yet.

Don't know about Indian passports and PCC.

I need to move out of the US by July as I'm graduating in May. I'm guessing I'll need help with changing my address and VO, etc.

 

[ESREDDY]

Great going guys. You do not have to stick to my topics since those were just examples. Now, I would like to ask a few questions as well for myself or anyone in my stages:

1) How long does the medical take? How long does the status take to reflect in MyCIC so that we know whether we passed or not? Any other forms/fields we need to be aware of? We carry our ITA to them I guess and the rest they might take care.
2) While PPR is far off, we are not supposed to mail Indian passports outside US. Can we get the PPR in NY or LA VAC?
3) Indian PCC from US - What documents we need to carry?

Thank you in advance for the help

Best,
Rajesh

Hi,

I have applied for my Indian PCC from NY Embassy through mail. These are the following documents sent by mail.

1. Filled application form downloaded from Embassy website.
2. Photocopy of first and last page of Passport
3.Passport in original.
4. Address proof - I have sent my bank statement which is notarized.
5.43$ Money order for PCC
6.25 $ Money order for return postage

Not sure if there is a difference in the list of documents required by embassy in different locations but these are what I have sent to embassy in New York.

 

[sraj07]

Great thread !!!Rajesh

I got my ppr email last week ,i have requested for VO change for stamping , if it happens , i will post my exp too .


Medicals is around 400 usd per person . But only very few clinics in each state and some states dobt have clinic at all for medicals .. in my state there is only one clinic to do medical and lucikly it is just 7 miles from my home , my neighbouring states doesnot have

for ielts i have to travel 200 miles to a small town and taken the exam

 

[RajeshIL]

Thank you ESREDDY and Sraj07. Good luck with the whole process!

 

[ginna.p]

Hey you guys!

Does anyone know, for PR application, if we have to disclose all of the funds that we have available or can we just indicate that we have a little more than the minimum settlement funds required (with proof)?

Thanks in advance & all the best!

 

[sraj07]

its enough to disclose the required POF , no need to show all the money you have .

 

[ginna.p]

its enough to disclose the required POF , no need to show all the money you have .

Thanks for the reply!

 

[krishere1982]

Hello members,

I am in US on H-1B and need some guidance for applying in express entry.
When I used the CIC website to check eligibility to apply for PR in express entry, the result was that I am ineligible, but when I emailed my info on attorney David Cohen's free assessment on their website, they got back to me saying that I have a CSR of 459. I am totally confused!
Can anyone help me understand why is there such a big difference in my eligibility?

Thanks in advance.

 

[rajanvnv]

Hello members,

I am in US on H-1B and need some guidance for applying in express entry.
When I used the CIC website to check eligibility to apply for PR in express entry, the result was that I am ineligible, but when I emailed my info on attorney David Cohen's free assessment on their website, they got back to me saying that I have a CSR of 459. I am totally confused!
Can anyone help me understand why is there such a big difference in my eligibility?

Thanks in advance.

All attorneys would make use of the same tool to arrive at your CSR. Recheck if all the details you entered is correct, otherwise redo it if possible. Am sure you must he keyed something wrong.

 

[mashamasha]

Hello, everyone!

I am on F1/OPT from Russia applying for EE. My OPT ends in June 2016. I have only recently taken IELTS and am supposed to get my results by mail in the next couple of days or so. My main concern is the timing. I decided to wait with the WES report until I get my IELTS scores. But, given that I only have a few more months left in the U.S., should I start the process from here at all? Or should I wait a few months and get it all going from Russia?

The problem is, I am not sure whether I will get my H1-B, my company is applying, but I am afraid about the quota. Anyone in a similar situation?