Police checks and other questions

[emily3859]

I'm currently in Canada, how can I get my police check from the USA if I'm up here? What do I do for that? Does he need one from Canada?

Does my husband have to meet an income guideline to sponsor me? It's just me, no other family or kids being sponsored.

If my maiden name is still on my passport is that what I use on all the application forms? If it asks if I ever went by another name do I leave that blank or put my married name?

The border person was an a-hole and only gave me a 2 month visitor visa, how can I extend that? I'd like to stay with my husband while the application is processing.

 

[missmatalini]

I'm currently in Canada, how can I get my police check from the USA if I'm up here? What do I do for that? Does he need one from Canada?

Does my husband have to meet an income guideline to sponsor me? It's just me, no other family or kids being sponsored.

If my maiden name is still on my passport is that what I use on all the application forms? If it asks if I ever went by another name do I leave that blank or put my married name?

The border person was an a-hole and only gave me a 2 month visitor visa, how can I extend that? I'd like to stay with my husband while the application is processing.

You'll have to get a set of fingerprints done and send them to the FBI in the United States.
If your husband is the sponsor he doesn't need a background check, I believe Canada runs their own once the application is received for sponsors.
You can either change your passport to your married name and then apply with your new last name, or apply now and use your maiden name and change all of your documents later. I left any other names blank, although in hindsight it might've been a good idea to put my married name there.

Go to cic.gc.ca and you can apply to extend your visitor status. Costs 100$ and takes about a month to get, but you're under an implied status so you're allowed to stay in Canada until a decision is made on your extension.

 

[emily3859]

You'll have to get a set of fingerprints done and send them to the FBI in the United States.
If your husband is the sponsor he doesn't need a background check, I believe Canada runs their own once the application is received for sponsors.
You can either change your passport to your married name and then apply with your new last name, or apply now and use your maiden name and change all of your documents later. I left any other names blank, although in hindsight it might've been a good idea to put my married name there.

Go to cic.gc.ca and you can apply to extend your visitor status. Costs 100$ and takes about a month to get, but you're under an implied status so you're allowed to stay in Canada until a decision is made on your extension.

Would you by any chance know the address to send them to? Can I just go to a police station and have them done? What's the chances of them saying no for my visitor status for 1 yr? Also for the immigration picture can I just go anywhere that says they do immigration pictures? Also it says I need four pictures. Four identical or four different pictures? Thank you so much.

 

[keesio]

For information on getting your FBI certificate (including where to send your prints to):
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/north-america/united-states.asp

You can go to your local police station. But if it is difficult to get clean prints (dry hands or worn ridges) then you may want to pay a little extra and have them done at a private place as they then to have better equipment to get clean prints

The odds for US citizens to get an extension are pretty good. Unless the border guard who gave you a problem added something negative in the notes, it is likely you will get an extension.

For your photos, make sure the pictures match the spec in the application guide. Most professional places should be able to see the specs and get it right. Since you are in Canada, many places should be familiar with Canadian immigration requirements.

And yes, four identical pictures.