I'm a Canadian citizen, of the professional student variety - already done one double-major bachelor's degree, finishing a master's in my first major this July, and I've been accepted at a school down in the US for another master's (in my second major) for this fall. I thought getting accepted would be the hard part, but after reading over this site, I'm freaking out a little over all the details!
First: the visa. I submitted proof of financial self-sufficiency as part of my grad school application, and they're sending me the I-20. I've seen some conflicting information about the next step - the EducationUSA site seems to indicate that I need to schedule a visa interview at the nearest US consulate, but some of the posts here say I just show up at the border with my I-20 and get waved on in. Is the latter true? Are they going to ask me any questions then and there? What should I be prepared for?
Second: the visa, redux. What are the odds of my visa being denied? I have strong ties to Canada (my entire extended family lives in Ontario, I have an excellent academic record here with five years of post-secondary education, I have a fairly solid history of work in the field of academia [TA, grad TA, college writing center], I have a car registered in Ontario), and I have every intention of returning to Canada once I'm done my degree. But... I also have an American boyfriend. He's been visiting me in Canada off and on during the past few years, never overstaying his welcome, of course, and I've gone to see him 10 or 12 times as well. When I go to school in the US, I'll be living with him. And when I graduate, I plan on bringing him up here with me. Is this going to be a huge red flag? If so, how can I minimize it? Would it be better if I crossed the border alone on the visa trip?
Third: the car. I have a Canadian-made 2007 Ford Focus, given to me by my parents last fall as an early grad present. It's a fine vehicle, and I'd like to take it with me and use it down there, but I'm not sure what will need to be done about importation and registration and insurance and the like. Ideally, I'd like to just insure it in the US, with my boyfriend on the insurance as well so he can drive it. Can I do that with my existing Canadian plates, or will I need to import and register it in Illinois?
Fourth: the kitty. Kitties, thankfully, need neither visas nor insurance. As long as I have her vet records showing that her shots are all up to date, she should be fine, right?
Thanks in advance for the help!


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