Montreal Consulate Review -- CR-1 Visa Approval

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

Gotcha!!! Im looking forward to this, once again thanks for the great review

My pleasure! Hopefully it helps.

[ZansGirl 0]

Thanks for the correction regarding reserving the Aerobus....Did you do return on the Areobus as well ???

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

Thanks for the correction regarding reserving the Aerobus....Did you do return on the Areobus as well ???

Yup! Actually, there's a bit of a story there too.

So after checking out of Le Dauphin (which had a checkout time of 12:00...so I was in my room until about 11:50), I had my luggage and started wandering around, looking for a decent place to eat. I walked down Viger St., since I knew a Metro station was there...but didn't find anything that looked appealing, in terms of restaurants. So I walked up St-Urbain, and found myself in a sort of mini Chinatown...where all the restaurants were Asian cuisine. I didn't really feel like Asian cuisine, so I kept walking, and made my way up to St-Catherines, ultimately going into Place Desjardins (a mall). I found a restaurant there (called Mike's) and had lunch, rather bemused that I couldn't understand a single word anyone around me was saying (damn my monolingualism!), and had lunch. Afterward, I walked through the mall and saw on the directory that there was a metro station nearby. Well, it turned out to not REALLY be nearby, but after about seven or eight minutes more of walking, I came across it.

One thing I found very interesting about the metro is that almost all of the signs are in French only. It really quite surprised me. One would think that on something so utterly public there would be signs in BOTH languages...but nope! Nevertheless, I managed to figure out which metro line I needed to take to get to the Berri-UQAM station, and so I bought a ticket. I walked over to the turnstiles, where one has to insert one's ticket, and I stuck my ticket in and pressed against the bar...but it wasn't budging. Confused, I pushed against it again, and suddenly heard a woman from a ticket booth SCREAMING at me en Francais..."Je blah blah le blah outre blah!!!!" I mean, she was seriously screaming at me! She had stood up in her booth and her eyes were all wild, and I walked toward the booth, angrily saying, "What?!?" To which she replied, "Other side! Other side! Other side!" Another fellow metro user quietly mentioned, "Oh, you tried to go through on the wrong side of the turnstile..." So I realized my (very minor) gaffe and took a step towards the correct side of the turnstile when the woman screamed again, "GO! GO! GOOOO!!!" I don't respond well to such things, but I guess I'm getting older, because I just went! went! went! instead of getting into a confrontation with Tina Turnstile.

Once on the metro it was a mere two stops until Berri-UQAM. It's definitely within walking distance, but I was already tired, and also a bit sore from carrying my duffel bag (which was probably close to fifteen or so pounds), so the aggravation of dealing with Tina Turnstile was probably a better option than walking anyhow. Anyway, Berri-UQAM is one of the main metro hubs, so it's quite large and bustling with people. And again, almost everything is in French without English subtext. I managed to figure out how to get to the bus station (it's basically down one corridor, through some doors, up some stairs, down another corridor etc.), and bought a ticket for L'Aerobus right before it left. Since it leaves every half an hour, it wouldn't have been a problem if I missed it that time though.

But yeah...it was a bit of a frustrating trip back to the airport, but I made it. It probably helps to have a bit of knowledge of French. I've got some very basic knowledge, but really can't speak the language at all. I WILL say that it was nice that everyone I came across was bilingual and had no problem speaking to me in English, but French really is the predominant language there. Tres interessant!

[OBX 51]

Great (and very entertaining!) review.

Even though you didn't get the letter "A" I am sure you won the award for "Most Prepared" and "Best Dressed" of the day.

Congrats again! Now you have to rest up for the long drive once your visa arrives.

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

Great (and very entertaining!) review.

Even though you didn't get the letter "A" I am sure you won the award for "Most Prepared OVERprepared" and "Best Dressed Overdressed" of the day.

Fixxored!

Congrats again! Now you have to rest up for the long drive once your visa arrives.

Thanks! Yeah, I've been sleeping poorly for quite awhile now...averaging about six hours per night. Even this morning I was up at 5:00 AM. UGH! If I don't get a good night's sleep tonight, I think I'm going to do something I NEVER do -- take a sleeping pill. I keep getting worried that I'm going to come down with a cold. I don't feel like I am, but having been out in the cold weather for an hour and a half, being jetlagged, overtired and having spent eleven hours on two planes in the span of thirty hours...it's the perfect storm for a cold! I just keep popping Tylenol and multivitamins and hoping I stay healthy until I get to D.C. Then I will be more than happy to catch a cold!

[OBX 51]

Fixxored!

Thanks! Yeah, I've been sleeping poorly for quite awhile now...averaging about six hours per night. Even this morning I was up at 5:00 AM. UGH! If I don't get a good night's sleep tonight, I think I'm going to do something I NEVER do -- take a sleeping pill. I keep getting worried that I'm going to come down with a cold. I don't feel like I am, but having been out in the cold weather for an hour and a half, being jetlagged, overtired and having spent eleven hours on two planes in the span of thirty hours...it's the perfect storm for a cold! I just keep popping Tylenol and multivitamins and hoping I stay healthy until I get to D.C. Then I will be more than happy to catch a cold!

Just give yourself a few days to unwind. It's probably all of the stress of the last 8 - 9 months slowly working its' way out.

Happy days ahead!

[trailmix 77]

Fixxored!

Thanks! Yeah, I've been sleeping poorly for quite awhile now...averaging about six hours per night. Even this morning I was up at 5:00 AM. UGH! If I don't get a good night's sleep tonight, I think I'm going to do something I NEVER do -- take a sleeping pill. I keep getting worried that I'm going to come down with a cold. I don't feel like I am, but having been out in the cold weather for an hour and a half, being jetlagged, overtired and having spent eleven hours on two planes in the span of thirty hours...it's the perfect storm for a cold! I just keep popping Tylenol and multivitamins and hoping I stay healthy until I get to D.C. Then I will be more than happy to catch a cold!

You are probably not far off the mark there - you wouldn't be the first person to return from the interview with a cold!! The Tina Turnstile story made me laugh - but it's also tres weird.

Umm yeah, they should have the information in both English and French - IF they want to be welcoming to tourists - obviously they do not, so I guess that is their perogative.

[Kimbear 53]

lol ya umm that 2nd story..kinda why i moved out of quebec. no offence to anyone who still lives there or actually likes the place, but i always felt an immigrant in my own province where i was born. and it's the law that most of the signs are in french, if you do put up english it has to be a certain size blah blah and french has to predominate it. it's usually cheaper for most places to just do em in french only. and if that was me insted of you..i woulda probably biffed her..i dont take well to that kind of treatment...

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

lol ya umm that 2nd story..kinda why i moved out of quebec. no offence to anyone who still lives there or actually likes the place, but i always felt an immigrant in my own province where i was born. and it's the law that most of the signs are in french, if you do put up english it has to be a certain size blah blah and french has to predominate it. it's usually cheaper for most places to just do em in french only. and if that was me insted of you..i woulda probably biffed her..i dont take well to that kind of treatment...

Yeah, it's true! No offense from me as well...but I felt the exact same way in Montreal, and said as much to my wife when I talked to her later that day. When you're sitting at a table and all you hear is French, when you're in a bus station and all you read is French, and you're in an airport and all the TV channels are French, you don't really feel like you're in the same country!

Another thing I noticed is just how many people smoke there! It was VERY noticeable. Smoking has gradually been weened out of society in B.C., but it's obviously still quite prevalent in Quebec.

Fashions are beautiful there though, I will say that.

[zenaxe 22]

Yup! Actually, there's a bit of a story there too.

So after checking out of Le Dauphin (which had a checkout time of 12:00...so I was in my room until about 11:50), I had my luggage and started wandering around, looking for a decent place to eat. I walked down Viger St., since I knew a Metro station was there...but didn't find anything that looked appealing, in terms of restaurants. So I walked up St-Urbain, and found myself in a sort of mini Chinatown...where all the restaurants were Asian cuisine. I didn't really feel like Asian cuisine, so I kept walking, and made my way up to St-Catherines, ultimately going into Place Desjardins (a mall). I found a restaurant there (called Mike's) and had lunch, rather bemused that I couldn't understand a single word anyone around me was saying (damn my monolingualism!), and had lunch. Afterward, I walked through the mall and saw on the directory that there was a metro station nearby. Well, it turned out to not REALLY be nearby, but after about seven or eight minutes more of walking, I came across it.

One thing I found very interesting about the metro is that almost all of the signs are in French only. It really quite surprised me. One would think that on something so utterly public there would be signs in BOTH languages...but nope! Nevertheless, I managed to figure out which metro line I needed to take to get to the Berri-UQAM station, and so I bought a ticket. I walked over to the turnstiles, where one has to insert one's ticket, and I stuck my ticket in and pressed against the bar...but it wasn't budging. Confused, I pushed against it again, and suddenly heard a woman from a ticket booth SCREAMING at me en Francais..."Je blah blah le blah outre blah!!!!" I mean, she was seriously screaming at me! She had stood up in her booth and her eyes were all wild, and I walked toward the booth, angrily saying, "What?!?" To which she replied, "Other side! Other side! Other side!" Another fellow metro user quietly mentioned, "Oh, you tried to go through on the wrong side of the turnstile..." So I realized my (very minor) gaffe and took a step towards the correct side of the turnstile when the woman screamed again, "GO! GO! GOOOO!!!" I don't respond well to such things, but I guess I'm getting older, because I just went! went! went! instead of getting into a confrontation with Tina Turnstile.

Once on the metro it was a mere two stops until Berri-UQAM. It's definitely within walking distance, but I was already tired, and also a bit sore from carrying my duffel bag (which was probably close to fifteen or so pounds), so the aggravation of dealing with Tina Turnstile was probably a better option than walking anyhow. Anyway, Berri-UQAM is one of the main metro hubs, so it's quite large and bustling with people. And again, almost everything is in French without English subtext. I managed to figure out how to get to the bus station (it's basically down one corridor, through some doors, up some stairs, down another corridor etc.), and bought a ticket for L'Aerobus right before it left. Since it leaves every half an hour, it wouldn't have been a problem if I missed it that time though.

But yeah...it was a bit of a frustrating trip back to the airport, but I made it. It probably helps to have a bit of knowledge of French. I've got some very basic knowledge, but really can't speak the language at all. I WILL say that it was nice that everyone I came across was bilingual and had no problem speaking to me in English, but French really is the predominant language there. Tres interessant!

Are you able to take a shuttle from the hotel to L Areobus and just repeat the steps you took coming in?

Also, yes the language thing. I find it remarkable that those of us in every part of Canada, particularly the west, and other than ONE province , we're met wiith French daily ie cereal boxes, flights, gov't site, everything. But in Quebec,, well they don't have to have English signs and can have everthing in French. If that's the case, why can't we have it in English here and only worry about French in Quebec . Double standard. I love to rant.

Fixxored!

Thanks! Yeah, I've been sleeping poorly for quite awhile now...averaging about six hours per night. Even this morning I was up at 5:00 AM. UGH! If I don't get a good night's sleep tonight, I think I'm going to do something I NEVER do -- take a sleeping pill. I keep getting worried that I'm going to come down with a cold. I don't feel like I am, but having been out in the cold weather for an hour and a half, being jetlagged, overtired and having spent eleven hours on two planes in the span of thirty hours...it's the perfect storm for a cold! I just keep popping Tylenol and multivitamins and hoping I stay healthy until I get to D.C. Then I will be more than happy to catch a cold!

Zinc helps boost the immune system. I use it quickly if I feel one coming on and I seem to have averted a few nasty colds.

[Bern. 3]

GRATSS.

And you're going to hate me, but I ask this to everyone,

what sort of financial stuff was required.

ThankyouWyatt. <3

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

I'm not sure if one can take a shuttle to L'Aerobus or not. I wondered the same thing and looked on their website but didn't see anything. I kind of doubt it, which is why I just took the metro instead. If it wasn't for the Tina Turnstile incident, it wouldn't have been a problem.

As for Quebec itself...I guess it really IS best to think of it as another country. Again, I mean no disrespect to the French Canadians on this board...but I certainly didn't feel welcome there, other than at the hotel.

Are you able to take a shuttle from the hotel to L Areobus and just repeat the steps you took coming in?

Also, yes the language thing. I find it remarkable that those of us in every part of Canada, particularly the west, and other than ONE province , we're met wiith French daily ie cereal boxes, flights, gov't site, everything. But in Quebec,, well they don't have to have English signs and can have everthing in French. If that's the case, why can't we have it in English here and only worry about French in Quebec . Double standard. I love to rant.

Zinc helps boost the immune system. I use it quickly if I feel one coming on and I seem to have averted a few nasty colds.

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

GRATSS.

And you're going to hate me, but I ask this to everyone,

what sort of financial stuff was required.

ThankyouWyatt. <3

Well, she just took the package I gave her, which consisted of the original copies of IRS transcripts from 2006 - 2008, copies of W2s from 2006 - 2009, the original letter of employment from last October, and some copies of paystubs. As I recall, she only really looked at the IRS transcripts, flipping through them to verify things.

I know that probably doesn't help you much, Bern. Sorry!

[Bern. 3]

Well, she just took the package I gave her, which consisted of the original copies of IRS transcripts from 2006 - 2008, copies of W2s from 2006 - 2009, the original letter of employment from last October, and some copies of paystubs. As I recall, she only really looked at the IRS transcripts, flipping through them to verify things.

I know that probably doesn't help you much, Bern. Sorry!

Hey, that works. Thank you so much buddy.

Edited March 7, 2010 by Bern.

[zenaxe 22]

I'm not sure if one can take a shuttle to L'Aerobus or not. I wondered the same thing and looked on their website but didn't see anything. I kind of doubt it, which is why I just took the metro instead. If it wasn't for the Tina Turnstile incident, it wouldn't have been a problem.

As for Quebec itself...I guess it really IS best to think of it as another country. Again, I mean no disrespect to the French Canadians on this board...but I certainly didn't feel welcome there, other than at the hotel.

So you can get to the airport, take L' Areobus to the main station and get a shuttle to the hotel but you can't take a shuttle from the hotel to the main station and then to the airport?