Much Success! Approved!!!

[Gypsyangel 11]

I just updated my signature, typing in those 8 wonderful letters - A P P R O V E D. Yay! I didn't realize what a weight it was on my shoulders until it came off on Wednesday morning. I knew it was stressful, but I didn't realize I was carrying this heavy feeling around with me until it was gone!

First of all, thank you to everyone who posts here and answers all our crazy questions -- it really helps. In the spirit of that here's my detailed review of our interview in Montreal.

Mike and I both flew in on Tuesday evening -- me from Toronto, him from Philly. I waited for him at the airport and we made our way to the Hotel Square Phillips (thanks for the posts in the "where to stay" thread). It was a little spendy, but we felt this was a momentous occasion worth the splurge. We even got upgraded to a cavernous suite! It's a "nice" hotel, but I wouldn't rave about it. The staff was very helpful, but I would say the room was nice, but lacked charm/warthm. One very important feature - it was about a 5 minute walk to the consulate. Also, they had a business centre with computers.

After checking in, we made our way up to rue St. Catharine and found a restaurant for dinner. Then back to the hotel to sort through the mountain of paper we had accumulated. I used a see-through plastic accordian folder and somehow it was bursting at the seams. We made a couple of extra copies of things at the front desk of the hotel. I think I freaked out the desk person when I showed up with my volumnous folder and asked if I could make a few copies -- I assured her that we just needed a couple of pages and she was visibly relieved.

We set our alarms for 5:30 and after a relatively sleepless night because of colds and tension, we headed out at 6:30 a.m. to the free continental breakfast at the hotel. It was just what we needed because it opened at 6:30 and had Montreal bagels! Now I'm sure there are better bagels in Montreal, but these were the real deal. A good way to start the day.

At 6:55 we set out in yet another snow storm (flurries, they called it). The sidewalks were so filled with snow and we were tired of walking over snowbanks, so we walked on the road around the corner to the consulate. There was one person in front of us and we got the lucky letter B. Several people arrived right around that time.

One thing about the consulate is that they are very prompt. At exactly 7:30 a.m. the security guy game out and invited Letter A into the security area (I know you're reading this "A", you fingerprintless lurker you! I hope you were approved! We didn't see you afterwards.) Then they invited us in, read our appointment letter and checked us off a list. They confirmed we had no bags or purses, then asked that we put our documents in one tray, empty our pockets into another tray, and put our coats in another tray. These went through the X-ray machine while we were wanded. There were two security lines and a guy in the back reading the x-rays and another guy in a glassed off room, looking at a monitor. I wondered what he was screening. Hmmm.

We then went down the stairs to the waiting room. "A" was already down there and others joined us. At promptly 7:45 another security guy asked for letters A to ? to go to the elevator. He turned someone back because he wasn't ready for them yet (line jumper!). We got onto the elevators, getting out at the back and he told us to go to straight and to the right to the room with windows 7 to 12. We sat there and then someone came to one of the windows and asked for our appointment letters and "letters". They then sent us back to the main waiting area.

At promptly 8:00, "A" was called by name. I was called shortly thereafter to window 11, which took us a minute to find (I couldn't really hear the announcement even though the room wasn't crowded yet). The woman at window 11 was nice but stern. She asked for my documents:

- passport (no copy)

- 2 pictures

- Expresspost envelope

- medical (she asked if I had opened it in a very accusing way. I said no. I didn't tell her that I'd tried to read through the envelope.)

- documents from the checklist: birth certificate, police certificate, divorce certificates, supplement (by which she meant the unsigned 156K), notarized affidavit of support (she wasn't sure we'd given her the original and there was a flurry of papers at that point. She asked if there was anything we'd like to include with the affidavit and we gave her a bank letter, 6 months of pay stubs, 4 years worth of tax returns, and a letter of employment.)

- didn't ask for my marriage certificate from a previous marriage ( think they may just ask for this in Vancouver)

We were then sent back to the cashier to pay our $131USD - they showed the Canadian conversion rate, so I assume they would take Canadian dollars too. The cashier had quite a line at it and didn't open until 8:30. When she opened, the person there told those of us looking to pay to stand aside so she could issue numbers to applicants. We assumed that if you're not amongst the early arrivers, they stop giving out letters and send you up to the waiting room to get a number. The room was really beginning to fill up. Once again, we were so thankful we went early.

As I was finishing paying, we were called back to Window 11. Now I could see my lovely photo up on her computer screen. I gave her the receipt and then it was fingerprinting time, which was uneventful except that my hand was shaky due to nerves.

Back to the waiting room. At promptly 9:00 my name was called to go to Room 6 I think it was. Mike and I gathered our things and headed to this little room. There was a guy waiting behind the glass. This was it. Our interview! He had our folder full of stuff and welcomed us. This was the nicest guy ever, making the experience positive. Mike later said, what if the guy was really awful, it would have made for terrible memory of this experience. But, as it turns out, our guy was super nice. He said all my paper work was in order, my medical was fine and that I didn't need the X-ray anymore because my medical verified that I was negative for TB. He explained that I had to sign the 156K which he slid under the glass. I signed it and slid it back to him, and he signed it. He then asked us to both raise our right hands and swear that every thing in the application and everything we said today was true to the best of our knowledge. We swore.

He didn't ask us too many questions -- how we met, what Mike did for a living, what I would do for a living when I moved. There was a little more, but I can't remember. It was more like a chat. One thing for sure is that he didn't ask us for any more proof of a relationship -- I didn't need the extra photos, phone bills, evidence of trips. He then casually looked down at our pink folder stuffed with paper and said he was going to approve us! Big smiles from us. He very informally wrote "approved" on the front of the pink folder. Mike and I later laughed that we wanted him to pull out a a big stamp with the word APPROVED on it, followed by a frenzy of official-sounding stamping with papers flying everywhere, and we'd walk away dazed with a big 'ol official approved stamp. As it stands you walk away with only your little $131 receipt and a feeling of ... did we really get approved?

The next thing he said was that he would keep my passport and send it back to me. This is where I jumped in about the question that has been making me nervous -- I explained that I wasn't planning to move until July but my parents' 50th wedding anniversary was April 5th and the celebration would be in the U.S. I explained that I'd heard that they could return my passport to me now and I could send it back to have the visa inserted after I'd returned. He asked when we were getting married and I said July. He replied that when I went over the border to tell the immigration officer that I wasn't getting married until July and that I didn't want to exercize the visa on this visit. I told him that I'd read that the visa allowed one entry and that I was worried that they wouldnt' allow this. He then said he'd go and check with his supervisor. When he came back he said I had two choices: 1) a soft refusal today and I'd take my passport with me and then send it back, or 2) just do what he'd outlined above. He reiterated that he'd checked with his supervisor and that this was fine to do. Well, as you can imagine we didn't like the sound of a soft refusal, so I said I would go with Option 2 and get the visa asap. I know I won't relax until immigration lets me into the U.S. If they insist on exercizing the visa on that visit, I just won't go. I understand that it will be up to the immigration officer, so there is risk, but it sounded better to get approved and worry about that later. So, I told him we'd take the visa approval today.

It was such a great feeling to get that approval. I told him that the reason they must have all these windows is to stop so many people from hugging him. He then put his hand on the glass and we did a "high five" through the glass. He then left and Mike and I looked at each other and hugged - We did it!

I INTERRUPT THIS POST FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT - MY PASSPORT/VISA JUST ARRIVED!! WOW THAT WAS FAST. IT'S SO OFFICIAL-LOOKING!

It was 9:13 as we walked out the doors and into the snowy Montreal day. We headed for the Second Cup on rue Square Phillipps for a hot tea and a warm mocchacino. It was so incredibly beautiful sitting there together, full of relief and happiness ... a feeling that we could really begin. We watched the big fat snowflakes drift to the ground and felt serene for the first time in awhile.

They got it right when they called this site Visajourney. It sure is a journey with ups and downs, twists and turns. I know there's a lot more to come, but it feels great to be approved and to close this chapter on our journey. To finish up, here is a link to a song that has kept us company on our visa journey. I hope it can keep you company too! Enjoy!

(I don't know how to do links, so you'll have to copy and paste)

[amerasianlove 0]

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !!!!!

[Flames9_RN 358]

Congrtas! great review

[L_n_O 3]

yay!!!

[kimmbo 0]

Congrats! great review... and how great that you got your passport back already!!

[CBR 0]

Congratulations!! I got all teared up reading (still in the stressed phase here lol, just bout anything gets the waterworks flowing). So good to hear there are actually nice people involved in cranking us through this awful mess called immigration.

I bet those hot drinks tasted better than they ever have before

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Teehee!!!

[bearmirus 45]

Woohoo! Congrats!

[SpiritAlight 1]

Congrats again!

I loved reading about your experience.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

There are no crazy questions only crazy people. Thanks for the review and Super Congrats!!! I'm going out to mail my father's passport to MTL right now, boy if I get any more stoked someone's going to have to get out a cattle prod.

[melusine 5]

i felt all the emotion and could quite quite well imagine doing exactly the same with my sweet.

I just need to convince him *hum* (well he wants to go anyway.. but that depend of his job) to really come

[David_n_Amber 3]

congrats

[sandozwalker 0]

I get teary reading this too-especially on a day that we just found out we have our INTERVIEW IN 13 DAYS!!!!!!!!!! I'm so stressed out! But this post has relieved so many of my fears. Thanks so much-the Bruce Springsteen song is one I'd never heard before-BUT THANK YOU! Its perfect

[BH45 0]

Congrats.....glad to see that ppl are getting approvals.

[sandozwalker 0]

This is Libby's fiance and I just wanted to add that I am super excited to FINALLY HAVE A DATE!!

I know there's still a long way to go but we've just cleared a MAJOR hurdle.

Looking forward to the wedding

I would also like to HIGHLY recommend sending a professional email to Montreal to find about your interview date. It sure took a lot of the pressure off for us (I still haven't received my mailed notice!).

Also a big ol' thanks to Visa journey, this website has been phenomenally helpful to us throughout our process.