CPP-Ottawa

[aerogurl87]

I find the larger cities are OK, we are in Knoxville TN, but it is when we venture out into the counties that we have problems.
There are towns that we cannot go to let alone live in. The KKK is still active in the surrounding area.

That's true as well. I'm from a smaller city in NC. My best friend now lives in Chapel Hill, which although it isn't big. It has the benefit of being a university town with a much younger population, so things are better for her there (she's black and he's white) than in our hometown.

 

[cempjwi]

That's true as well. I'm from a smaller city in NC. My best friend now lives in Chapel Hill, which although it isn't big. It has the benefit of being a university town with a much younger population, so things are better for her there (she's black and he's white) than in our hometown.

We used to live in NC and got out of there as soon as the state ban on same-sex marriage was passed. We now live in West-Central Florida which although has a state ban on all types of same-sex relationships, it is way friendlier and less threatening, and we live in a city that has domestic partnership registration (which is at least something as our marriage performed in Washington DC is not recognized here). We cannot wait until we are in Canada where we do not have to remember to check the government-appropriate marital status depending on where we are.

 

[aerogurl87]

On a good note, I just passed my first interview today! Maybe I'll actually get a decent job when I land.

 

[moochops]

I'm from the South and as much as I love my southern roots with their fattening cuisine and awesome accents (well I may be a little biased, haha) I don't think I'd like to raise a family down there because of the fact that my fiance and I are an interracial couple. I'm black and he's white, and although the racial issue has gotten better, it's still got a way to go compared to Canada. We live in a small town in Alberta and no one has ever really looked at us strangely or asked if we ever thought about what problems being an interracial couple might cause here. His parents have asked if it would be a problem with my family since I'm from the South, which it isn't at all. But that's about it.

Ooooh where are you aerogurl? I am in small town rural alberta too, just north of a place called Stettler - in the back of beyond

 

[aerogurl87]

Ooooh where are you aerogurl? I am in small town rural alberta too, just north of a place called Stettler - in the back of beyond

I'm about 15 minutes from Grande Prairie.

 

[zero_03]

FYI for those who get a request to redo medical, plan for a long wait. If you can afford it, I'd advise doing one before an anticipated request if it'll save you the headache i'm going through. Wish I had.

"Thank you for your email,

Due to a large volume of applications and medical results, the information has not been updated as of yet, please allow another 4-6 weeks for the results to be entered into the system.

Yours truly,

Officer | Agent xxxxxxxx"

 

[lunas]

FYI for those who get a request to redo medical, plan for a long wait. If you can afford it, I'd advise doing one before an anticipated request if it'll save you the headache i'm going through. Wish I had.

"Thank you for your email,

Due to a large volume of applications and medical results, the information has not been updated as of yet, please allow another 4-6 weeks for the results to be entered into the system.

Yours truly,

Officer | Agent xxxxxxxx"

It seems to me that officer is referring to their system ecas. But I hope you don't have to wait that long.

 

[computergeek]

But when you live in a city where it rains pours for 2/3 of the year, you should have all weather tires! If you can't stop properly when the light turns red then you're going too effing fast, or you need new/different tires. I cringe every time I see someone almost die because of this problem.

I walk almost everywhere and I've yet to have a problem stopping for a red light. My Boston Terrier, on the other hand, isn't quite so bright.

 

[computergeek]

We used to live in NC and got out of there as soon as the state ban on same-sex marriage was passed. We now live in West-Central Florida which although has a state ban on all types of same-sex relationships, it is way friendlier and less threatening, and we live in a city that has domestic partnership registration (which is at least something as our marriage performed in Washington DC is not recognized here). We cannot wait until we are in Canada where we do not have to remember to check the government-appropriate marital status depending on where we are.

Things may change in the US if Windsor's victory is upheld (a tax case for a same sex couple challenging DOMA Section 3).

In the interim, you'll still have to do that when you file your US tax return (a perpetual obligation for US Citizens, regardless of where they live). I like the fact the Canada/US tax treaty refers to "spouse" but does not define the term, leaving it open to further litigation. An oddity of US law is that treaties have the same impact as Constitutional law, so the fact that the fifth protocol was signed AFTER Canada legalized same-sex marriage and the US didn't insist on clarifying the language probably means that the US is stuck respecting Canadian same-sex relationships - DOMA cannot overrule something at the level of Constitutional Law (ergo, treaty).

 

[thetreble]

That's some good information computergeek. Very interesting to boot.

It was crazy to me that in New Jersey, people would move purposely to put their kid in a decent school district. Some of the towns in N, NE and NW Jersey that have great schools are charging people $15,000 - $20,000 in property taxes. Basically, it relugates middle class or lower middle class working families to areas that can be violent or crime ridden. My husband was sent to a Catholic highschool where his parents paid $6,000.00/year in tuition, not because he was Catholic, but because the highschool in his town had a 33% graduation rate.

The whole thing...just blows my mind. The longer I stayed, the more I could not wrap my head around it. Jersey was great when I was visiting and we went to NYC, the beach, Atlantic City, etc. But when I moved, I found my happy-go-lucky, bubbly personality didn't fit in with most of the people around me and I got dragged down.

BTW, My husband got his COPR yesterday on his birthday!

 

[Rattles]

That's some good information computergeek. Very interesting to boot.

It was crazy to me that in New Jersey, people would move purposely to put their kid in a decent school district. Some of the towns in N, NE and NW Jersey that have great schools are charging people $15,000 - $20,000 in property taxes. Basically, it relugates middle class or lower middle class working families to areas that can be violent or crime ridden. My husband was sent to a Catholic highschool where his parents paid $6,000.00/year in tuition, not because he was Catholic, but because the highschool in his town had a 33% graduation rate.

The whole thing...just blows my mind. The longer I stayed, the more I could not wrap my head around it. Jersey was great when I was visiting and we went to NYC, the beach, Atlantic City, etc. But when I moved, I found my happy-go-lucky, bubbly personality didn't fit in with most of the people around me and I got dragged down.

BTW, My husband got his COPR yesterday on his birthday!

Didn't anybody forewarn you about moving to New Jersey? Don't move to New Jersey haha. Or anywhere in that area to be honest. I have lived all over the U.S. and the Northeast (not counting New England area as I haven't lived there)and North Carolina have to be the worst places I lived. (Chapel Hill area is quite nice though, same can be said about Asheville)

 

[neenee25]

This may sound like a strange question but is there there a time limit to "land" once the visa/CoPr is issued?

 

[thetreble]

This may sound like a strange question but is there there a time limit to "land" once the visa/CoPr is issued?

It's funny that you ask that. I asked my husband what the COPR letter said yesterday and if there was a date on it that he had to enter by. He said there was no sentence in the letter that state "you must enter by X date or COPR is invalid". There were just a few dates about his medical and security being good until February 2014. I think he has to enter by those dates or else is expires.

 

[parker24]

This may sound like a strange question but is there there a time limit to "land" once the visa/CoPr is issued?

Yes. It will say "Valid until: DATE" and that's when the COPR will expire and you will have to go through the entire process all over again. So land before that date.

 

[thetreble]

Didn't anybody forewarn you about moving to New Jersey? Don't move to New Jersey haha. Or anywhere in that area to be honest. I have lived all over the U.S. and the Northeast (not counting New England area as I haven't lived there)and North Carolina have to be the worst places I lived. (Chapel Hill area is quite nice though, same can be said about Asheville)

haha No one warned me! And I was 22 and so in love. :-*