Visa Interview in Vancouver... FINALLY getting a visa!

My hope is that the following post is useful to those who might be going through the visa/green card/immigration process themselves... if that is you, I know your pain!

Boy meets girl...

... yes, this is what we looked like on the night we met
 

Boy and girl fall in love... 

Boy and girl get engaged...

 

Boy and girl get married and live happily ever after???

 

... umm, not so fast!

I love that my wife is from Canada, however starting our life together whether here in Colorado or in Canada presented a big challenge for us. Either way one of us would be leaving our home and moving to another country. The following will give you an idea of the choices we made and processes we've had to go through getting my wife, Lise, her green card.

Fiance Visa (K-1) vs. Spousal Visa (K-3) - There are several options for getting a visa to the U.S. Work visas, student visas, tourist visas, etc. From all the research we did it appeared that getting a fiance visa would be the best option for us. I applied for a K-1 visa two months prior to our actual engagement. Here is what you can expect the costs for the petition to receive a K-1 Visa:

I-129F (K-1 application) - $340

Passport photos and verified express shipping - $20 

Total Cost: $360

Total Waiting Time for Petition Approval for us: 4 months

Getting the Visa...

Once the I-129F petition is approved then you must schedule a visa interview and medical appointment... This information is given to you as to where you must go to do this. In our case this meant preparing even more redundant documents and flying to Vancouver. Unfortunately, only certain consulate offices can process fiance and spousal visas so we were forced to go to Vancouver even though there is an embassy in Winnipeg. I didn't have to go with Lise but didn't want to pass up a trip with her to see the city. Her visa was approved the day of the interview (which was very short and simple as long as you have ALL of your documents together properly) and we received it back with the passport in the mail less than 5 days later. Here is what you can expect for the costs of getting the visa:

Background check - $40

Visa Application Fee - $260

Medical Appointment Fee- $280

Flights - $225 (we used frequent flyer miles otherwise it would've cost $800 for the two of us to go)

Hotel - $160 (we stayed for 2 nights on my Westin employee rate and another 2 nights at a friend's place)

Food and transportation in Vancouver - $200

Total Cost for us: $1,165 (this could easily have been more without some of the ways we saved money)

Total Waiting Time from I-129F approval to visa interview date: 2 months

Moving Day and Applying for a Green Card

Once you receive your "visa packet" and visa you are then allowed to move yourself and all your belongings across the border. For us this meant a 1,200 mile drive from Winnipeg to Colorado including a relatively quick and easy border crossing (and $6 fee). The K-1 Visa requires you to marry within 90 days of entering the U.S. and at that point your are then allowed to apply for permanent residency (your green card). Send in a copy of the marriage certificate, a couple of additional forms, and a lovely $1,070 check to USCIS and then the wait once again begins, albeit much less painful having my new wife here with me. Hopefully, in a few months I'll be able to write an update on how long it took to get the green card. Currently 36 days and counting...

So, for those looking at having your fiance come to the U.S. you can expect about a 6 month wait and $1,500-2,000.  When you add in the green card and fees and it will come to around $3,000 and almost a full year of waiting, all totally worth it if you ask me. For those in need, please don't hesitate to contact me if you are in this situation and needing help, after all the time and work I've put into this, I'd be more than happy to help anyone going through the same trouble we've had.

We were very fortunate to have Lise's visa interview in Vancouver as opposed to somewhere cold and awful/French. As always, thanks for reading my blog and enjoy the photos!

-Bryan

 

Beaches, Mountains, Summer

A lot has happened in my life since my last blog post: a family cruise, summer in Colorado, heading to Vancouver for Lise's visa interview, driving to and from Canada to move my fiance to Colorado, getting married, and now the brief off season before the start of winter. I haven't had my usual diligence in posting as things happen (or shortly after) so I'll try and do a few short updates the next couple of weeks to both share recent photos and update anyone who cares on what has been going on in my life lately.

I don't really have a lot of dialogue to go along with the photos below. Lise and I joined my family on a 7-night cruise to Turks and Caicos, San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas. We over-ate, lounged around in the sun, and spent good quality time with my family. It was nice to spend time with them after our recent engagement and gave Lise another opportunity to get to know them all better. I'm not much of a cruise person, as you might imagine with my backpacking experiences, but it is still nice to wake up, relax, and not really have to worry about what you're going to eat or how to get somewhere for the day.

View from our balcony at the W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale

Lise behind the Jellyfish aquarium at the hotel

See-through pool at the hotel

View of the ship St. Thomas

My mom looking out at San Juan from the fort

My sister and her boyfriend walking around the fort

 
Living in Colorado has been such a great decision. I love visiting friends and family in Texas and also traveling around the world seeing different places and experiencing different cultures, however, Colorado allows me to stay active and live in a place that I'm not constantly itching to get away from. The following pictures are of a few hikes and other things I did this summer.... and yes, I'm stealing some of my wife's instagram photos.

  Hike and overnight camping trip to Booth Falls

Lake Charles hike with Lise

Glenwood Caverns

Red Cliff Bridge

 Campsite in the Flat Top Wilderness (3 day/2 night, 50 miles)

The last several photos are from my hike with Zac and Shane up Ellingwood Ridge to reach the summit of La Plata Peak. The route is 5,900 vertical feet of up and down Class 3-4 scrambling. One of the most difficult climbs I've done.

As always, thanks for looking at my photos, I'll post about my trip to Vancouver and getting married soon.

Adios!
-Bryan

Engaged?

Maybe you’re a relative of mine that has known me from the day I was born, possibly you’ve been a friend of mine for years, perhaps you only recently met me on one of my trips, or maybe you just happened to stumble across my blog. Regardless of your knowledge of me, one thing you’ll quickly begin to see by reading this or spending a little time with me is that I live a less than conventional life. I make spontaneous decisions that feel right in the moment rather than slow calculated decisions that set me up to live a safe, secure, sheltered life. Therefore, I just wanted to clarify that this was NOT one of those spontaneous moments in my life. No, marriage was something that was instilled in me as a young boy growing up in a healthy home with two parents that were and are still in love with one another. Regardless of that, all men have a fear of commitment and losing their independence at some point over the course of every relationship (if they tell you otherwise they’re lying) and for me the fear of falling in love with a woman who didn’t share my passions to travel and explore would not only hamper my dreams but also compromise a great part of who I am as a person.

Meeting Lise randomly for about a 36 hour (non-consecutive) period in Thailand made it odd enough that we even kept in touch. It is odder still that just a few hours in Koh Phangnan and one good long conversation was all it took for me to fly to Canada to see her again. Looking at things now though, it doesn’t surprise me at all that I am now engaged to the girl of my dreams. Not only does she not “tie me down,” but she encourages and ignites my passions to see the world in adventurous ways more than ever before.

My parents, like many young couples 30 years ago, were married within a year of meeting one another. Nowadays though, we’re seemingly encouraged to stay in relationships for years before getting married, if ever at all. A year is no longer the norm for getting engaged and if someone does then you’re pretty skeptical of them (I know I’ve sure been!). However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about relationships the past few years, it’s that not every friend you have in your life will be standing at your side for your last days on earth. And with that said, many times its better to let unhealthy friendships go that hold you back and cling only to those who are going to always be there for you and push you to greatness, especially when choosing a spouse. As most of us do, I suffered through several relationships that had promise and were fun in the beginning, but ultimately were doomed from the start. If you’re reading this as a single individual or are currently in a dating relationship, heed my one piece of advice that I wish I’d have lived by years ago. Find someone like-minded in their faith, upbringing, and values and do not EVER compromise yours. Whether you are the tiniest bit religious, or not at all, don’t settle for anyone who doesn’t share your views and is instead headed in the same direction that you wish to head in your own life.

Since many of you don’t know Lise well, seeing as how we met in Thailand, she lives in Canada, has visited Texas only once, and Colorado a handful of times, I thought I’d give you a little profile on the future Mrs. Bryan Preast:

Name: Lise Macaulay
Age: 25 (turns 26 in 10 days)
Currently Lives in: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Moving to: Edwards, CO!!

Height: 5’2” (on a good day)
Weight: Perfect
Occupation: Paramedic
Religion: Christian
Car: 99’ White Honda Accord... for now...
Hobbies: Running, Yoga, Ultimate Frisbee, Traveling, Kittens, hiking, camping, getting better at skiing/snowboarding, baking, the Winnipeg Jets, the Dallas Cowboys (this was a non-negotiable part of our relationship… remember, don’t compromise who you are!).

  Clue #1 of the "Scavenger Hunt" ... not really sure what is going on yet

 Tamara and Lise with Clue #2

Ryan, Lise, and Devon with Clue #3

 

Lise and Michelle with clue #4
 

Kara, Lise, Jenn, and JR at Site #6Lise and Jill with her final clue.. I skipped a few pictures

I hid up at the top of toboggan slide with Paul to take pictures and wait for Lise... she was told to head to this area and obviously found the box.

 Yes, the lake was still frozen solid on April 20th!

 Lise opening the box

Here Lise is reading letters from friends and family I had them all write to Lise

Here Lise watching a video of friends and family that couldn't make it for the day. Maybe I'll post it on YouTube at some point.

Me waiting to come down to surprise her... she thought I was coming 5 days later than this day.

The proposalUs sitting on the bench with the box

With the help of Lise's mom I got about 35 people to come over to her parent's house for a surprise engagement party. She was definitely surprised as you can see.

A couple engagement photos (the first of many we'll likely take I'm sure)

A big thanks to everyone who helped me make this day happen, I couldn't have done it without you!
-Bryan