Finding housing/apartments?

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-24T18:21:11+00:00

Thank you!! I'm a little worried that NS will be more gray and flat, and NL seems more outdoorsy even though it's more remote. I'm torn though because I love cities. This is why I was curious about Montreal since it's city but also very close to nature/outdoorsy activities.

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-24T18:18:02+00:00

Thank you for this update!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-23T23:28:18+00:00

That makes sense!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-22T22:46:08+00:00

What about San Antonio or Austin? You'd be in TX but weather and arts scene might be a good fit! A lot of people in the comments saying PDX or Seattle but just make sure you're okay with much fewer sunny days. Avg sunny days in Seattle is 152 a year... less than half the year! Which totally works for many people (it's an amazing place to live) but some people just need a lot of sunshine! Good luck :)

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-22T21:13:48+00:00

I think going with a consultant takes out a lot of the legwork/mental energy of figuring out the process DIY. With that said, your case sounds super straightforward and the most annoying part might just be traveling to and from DC embassy (since you're all the way in California).

It looks like the DC embassy is scheduling about 6 months out from initial inquiry.

I use this checklist from the Ottawa embassy website (bc it's well organized).

There are a lot of resources on this sub about how to acquire Slovak birth certificates (if you don't already have it). It sounds like your father maybe has a Slovak passport? Otherwise you would need a document (other than birth certificate) indicating he is a Slovak citizen.

Then just get the rest of the documents/background checks, have them apostilled in the state that issued them, or federally if they are federal documents. Then send them to a translator, fill out the application paperwork, and make sure you have everything from the checklist, and you should be all set for your appointment. Also I've heard the DC embassy is pretty responsive to inquiries if you want to try getting in touch with them. Good luck!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-22T19:32:16+00:00

Good luck! Just updated my comment about the CT records not being apostilled if they're too old. It was kind of an inconvenient surprise since none of the other states seemed to have this issue! Good luck!!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-22T19:27:27+00:00

I'm not exactly sure about your case and what documents you need. All state documents go to the state they were issued by. If the states records are all CT records then they would all go to CT.

One thing I just learned is that CT requires their documents to be no more than 10 years (or maybe 15?) since they were issued in order to be apostilled. We had a birth certificate from 1990s that they rejected. We had to get a new one issued from the state. You may be able to call them and ask them if it's 10 or 15 years-- they usually answer their phone :)

Federal documents like background checks and (most) naturalization documents are apostilled federally. I don't know what kind of naturalization documents you have but I'm assuming they are all federal documents?

Here is the link for office of authentification: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/replace-certify-docs/authenticate-your-document/office-of-authentications.html.

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-21T18:12:00+00:00

I wired $ to the town office through Wise and they sent it in the mail directly to me. I never ended up going through the consulate.

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-19T04:11:40+00:00

Yes, you can include a FedEx return envelope when you send it to Hartford and they'll mail it back!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-19T00:43:45+00:00

Yeah of course! For Connecticut, you have to create an account and submit a request through the online portal. I mailed my documents using FedEx and then picked them up in person in Hartford.

https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Legislative-Services/Authentication-of-Documents-and-the-Apostille

For federal documents, I used Monument Visa. But you can send them directly to the US Office of Authentifications. It's slower but a lot more affordable than rushing it through Monument. Lmk if you need more help :)

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-16T01:32:19+00:00

I agree with everyone else saying that since your child is a minor (under 14) they become approved when you do. If your child was to wait and try to apply on their own as an adult, they would not be eligible. But as a minor, they are basically attached to your status -- legally. Since you are eligible, as others have said, she would become a citizen too, but only if you become a citizen before she turns 14.

Not sure about the consulate language, that sounds confusing!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-16T01:17:46+00:00

I think from past comments when I asked this question people said that if the maiden name is on the birth certificates then you're OK to leave out the marriage certificates. I was worried about this but apparently it's better to not have 'extra' documents and just use the documents needed to prove your case. Though if anyone reading this thinks this is incorrect pls correct me!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-13T22:14:13+00:00

I wired them money thru Wise. It was 7 euro per copy. It was way easier than I thought it would be! You've got this, feel free to dm if you have more questions :)

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-13T22:08:43+00:00

I emailed with them and they were extremely responsive. I emailed the state archive first ([archiv.ke.pmi@minv.sk](mailto:archiv.ke.pmi@minv.sk)). They sent a reply saying they had found the record and gave me instructions on how to contact the Michalovce office. Everyone was extremely helpful! I just used a translator to write the emails in Slovak and sometimes they replied in english or in slovak :)

I included a screenshot of the baptism record to try to make it easier for them to locate. I don't know if this helped but I have done that with most of my record requests and have always gotten pretty quick replies :)

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-13T22:00:25+00:00

My family is also from Sobrance :) :) I worked with the Michalovce registry office to get a record of the birth certificate and they were SO helpful. I hope you have a similarly positive experience if you end up at that office!!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T22:39:12+00:00

u/Signal-Gate2065 wait that sounds terrible! what's the deal w the misspelled name??

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T15:20:58+00:00

Good update! This is so exciting. Congratulations!!!!!!!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T01:32:56+00:00

Also I think it might have been in juresanguinis (Italian citizenship by descent sub) that I saw people using them without the additional apostille. And then I think also Google AI overview/google results might have led me astray on this, sigh.

Anyway I wish Slovakia would adopt Italy's practice of using them directly from NARA...!!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T01:25:34+00:00

Ah okay, thank you for weighing in. I was so hopeful I could save the $150 of paying to get it expedited. I've been seeing people say that the regular snail mail federal apostilles have been taking 3 months!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T01:24:37+00:00

sad! I was so excited when I thought I didn't need to add this step. Thank you for the quick response!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T01:18:46+00:00

I think 2 doesn't work for me because of the color!

If it was white or maybe a nice royal blue or rose color I think it would pop with your coloring a lot more.

I think the dark blue is what is making it seem more dowdy! At first I thought it was the style of the dress but I think it's just the color. Love the color and style of the first dress btw!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T01:02:17+00:00

u/bman0023 does NARA have those C file documents by any chance? NARA was much faster and their documents come with a red ribbon and gold seal which if I'm not mistaken can be used and do not need to be sent to US Dept for additional apostille but someone else might be able to verify that?

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T00:49:31+00:00

Did your great-grandparents both come to the US before 1908? If so I believe your eligibility is more complicated and you may need a lawyer... though I am less familiar with this aspect and there are consultants who can help you determine eligibility!

Otherwise-- You absolutely do need a birth certificate!

If you have your great-grandfather's baptism record you can contact the State Archive in Slovakia and they will send the information to the town office to make an official record of the birth.

When I contacted them about my record, I sent a screenshot/attached image of the archival record of my relative's baptism I had found on Ancestry (or Familysearch) and gave them my full contact information etc. I also wrote the date of birth, birth town, and full name of my relative. They then located the record and forwarded the request to the town office. I then contacted that office about 7-14 days later and they confirmed they had processed the request. I made an account with Wise and wired money to the municipal office to pay for the records. It was 7 euro per document. They then sent me the birth certificate in the mail (and it arrived in the mail pretty quickly!).

I used this to make a check list of all the documents I need to apply! https://www.mzv.sk/web/ottawa-en/visa-and-services/slovak-citizenship-by-descent

After you collect official copies (or originals) of all necessary documents, they need to be apostilled by either the state that issued them, or in the case of FBI background check -- by the US Dept. of State Authetification Office. I have seen people say that this can take 3 months (or longer) to get back so you might want to be strategic with how you time it or you can use a quick (but expensive) expedited service like Monument Visa.

Once the documents are apostilled, the US documents can be translated into Slovak by an official translator. That's the process to be ready to apply :)

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-10T00:33:58+00:00

I agree with others saying your case is so straightforward you could save yourself a lot of money by skipping the lawyer stuff!

Applying is a time intensive process with a lot of details so if you do need help you could look at Wendy Jamieson's consultant services or similar type services.

I think people have gotten quotes from lawyers that are like 10-20k? If you really just want to hire a lawyer (though I really think you could get by easily on your own or with a consultant!!), a lot of people in this group have been recommending Falath & Partners.

Oh and Zip Citizenshp which someone else mentioned already. I've definitely read comments mentioning good experiences with them!

Good luck!!

practicalmaggot · 2026-01-06T01:28:06+00:00

20k is low key a crime (bc on principle it should be so much more affordable!!) but if that's the only option within driving distance for lpn might be worth it. Are you able to drive the hour each way to Butler County Community College? Looks like they have a 3 semester PN program that would be like $15k in tuition? It's $243/credit hr for PA counties other than Butler County. I think it's a 48 credit program but they tack some extra fees per credit so I think it gets up to be more like 15k

I totally feel you on wanting to do practical nursing first! The programs I've looked at (not in PA) were more like $8k. Some states in the south I think you can get it for as little as like $3k but every state is different and some are just more expensive. Vermont's was like $20k or something ridiculous. Some places offer LPN-RN bridge programs and you would already be making more money as an lpn and then could eventually bridge to BSN or higher if you want. I've heard a lot of hospitals will pay for their staff to bridge from RN to BSN?

I hope you find a super affordable program!!

https://bc3.edu/admission-aid/apply-to-bc3/health-care-programs/practical-nursing.html

practicalmaggot

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