Need help preparing my Application Timeline

[InLoveWithAnAmerican]

My wife is US and i am a Canadian citizen applying to Sponsor her. we married June 18th 2014 and are still waiting for our official marriage certificate to arrive.

If you were me, or her, what steps would you be taking to prepare complete application forms?

In what order would you complete the requirements to submit a complete and error free application.

I have a good understanding of what's required in the application for it to be completed, but in what order should i accumulate all of the requirements?

Medicals before criminal background? should i fill out the forms and mail them to my wife to sign and fill out her forms, then have her mail them back to me?

Someone please send us down the right path? would hate to make a silly mistake like doing one this before another too early.

We plan on living together in Novemeber/December and would like to see her pursuing her career goals as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can share with us.

 

[commonlawsponsor]

Start filling out all the forms now - use this as a first copy, but by doing this you make sure you really understand what needs to be done. Also start collecting proof of the relationship right away. Phone doctors in your wife's area (or your area if she comes to visit you, I guess it is usually cheaper in Canada) to find out the cost and how far in advance you need to book an appointment. Medicals are only valid for 1 year and although the majority of American applications take less time than that, some also take longer, so to be on the safe side, make the medical one of the last things you do before submitting the application.

I'm not familiar with how long FBI background checks take, but they are only valid for 3 months, so again time these so you get them when you are sure you are ready to send your application.

When you have collected everything and are ready to send, double check everything - make sure no forms have been updated online and you are sending the most recent forms available. Fill out the forms electronically, email them, have your wife print out and sign her forms and mail them to you. The forms you need to sign you can print out yourself. Put the application together, double and triple check everything. Attach the receipt of online payment. With a pen, number all the pages in a corner (so in case CIC loses anything they will realize it, or in case your file gets out of order). Then either scan every page or make a photocopy of your whole application for your own records (I was told CIC loses more things that you would realize). Then send it off to Mississauga.


Hope I didn't miss anything.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I'm not familiar with how long FBI background checks take, but they are only valid for 3 months, so again time these so you get them when you are sure you are ready to send your application.

current FBI processing time is 28 days, not including mail. it's pretty easy to do.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks

 

[InLoveWithAnAmerican]

Medicals are only valid for 1 year and although the majority of American applications take less time than that, some also take longer, so to be on the safe side, make the medical one of the last things you do before submitting the application.

I'm not familiar with how long FBI background checks take, but they are only valid for 3 months, so again time these so you get them when you are sure you are ready to send your application

If background check is only valid for 3 months, then why would i do medical last if it lasts 12 months?

Just a little confused about this