Vancouver consulate review July 28/11

[SunnySanDiego 17]

Quick or not Vancouver consulate review

So my appointment was at 10:00am on July 28/11 in Vancouver. I got to the consulate around 9:00 and was told to come back in about half an hour. The consulate has line up queues outside with a time on each line and there was absolutely no one there when I got sent away. I went to the Moonpennies cafe, kiddy corner to the consulate and had breakfast (it was not very good and expensive).

I came back to the consulate at 9:45 and was told to get in the 10:00am line. There was a family of 3 and one guy in front of me. A security guard came out and told the family to come in. Then another family showed up and lined up behind me. Then the guy in front of me got taken in by the security guard and another guy showed up and lined up behind me also. It was then my turn and was called in by security. Right inside the doors they had a table where they took my papers and asked if I had any of the "forbidden” items which I said I did not. The one guard riffled through my documents and made a mess of them =( grr and took my medical results. I said I needed them and he told me that he would give them to another guard and told me to walk through the metal detector. I went through the detector and was handed my papers on the other side.

Another security guard then came down the stairs and took the medical results from the security and led me up the stairs. At the top she took me to the right and scanned my sealed medical results envelope and handed them back to me and told me to go and see the other guard and pointed behind me. I looked behind me and another guard beckoned me over to where he was standing by an elevator. I waited along with a couple of other people and he took us up to the 20th floor. We were then escorted and sent through another metal detector and I was told to go through a set of doors, turn left and go to counter B.

I went in to the left and went to counter B. I had to wait a minute or so for someone to come to the window. The switch they have there to get someone did not seem to be working when I tried it. A guy came up and asked me for my paper work. I gave him my whole folder so he could take what he needed. I had everything very organized. He took my passport, my birth certificate original and photo copy I provided, my divorce certificate and photocopy I had provided, police certificate original and said a photocopy wouldn't be acceptable. The affidavit of support from my fiancé, a copy of my fiancé's income tax, pay stubs and bank statements, my two passport photos, the DS-230 part 1, both copies of the DS-156, and DS-156K. He then had me sign all the forms in front of him, told me to sit down and he would call me up to give me a number in a little while. I asked about my originals and he told me the agent who interviewed me would give them back.

I sat down and ended up seeing a girl that had her medical with me the day before. We talked for about 15 minutes and then they called her up and gave her a number and then me right after. The guy who took my paper work was the same guy who gave me the number and told me it would be about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. By this time it was about 10:30am.

Other people that were there for other visas were all getting called way before us, even ones that came in much later.

At about noon the other girl was called up to the other row of counters and then I was called right up also. When I got there the guys said "oh you are the other K1, I can't help you, go sit back down and one of the other agents will help you in a bit". So I sat down along the wall of seats by the counters and waited. The other girl’s interview took about 10-15 minutes and then she was told to go sit down. I waited about 10 minutes and the same agent called me up.

He asked my name and took my finger prints on a digital finger scanner. He then had me raise my right hand and told me to just say yes at the end of what he said if I agreed. I raised my right hand and my hand was shaking so badly that he faltered in reading me the declaration and forgot the words. I laughed and said I was sorry but that I was nervous. He said it was okay and composed himself and finished. I said yes and the interview began.

He first asked me where my fiancé lived and where I was going.

He then asked who I was marrying, and he asked me to repeat the last name.

He asked how we met.

He asked how long we had know each other.

He asked me about when we had first met in person and how many times we had seen each other.

He asked when we had gotten engaged and when we planned to marry.

He asked me again who I was marrying.

He asked what my fiancé did for work.

He asked where he lived again.

He asked if I planned to work.

He asked me where fiancé lived and gave me the city my fiancé was born in as the city I was going. Tricky tricky... I corrected him and said no that was the city my fiancé was born not where we were going to live.

He asked me again who I was marrying again.

He never asked to see any of the proof of relationship stuff that I had brought. He typed something into the computer and said "okay good". I asked if that meant I was approved and he said yes. He then gave me back my original birth and divorce certificate and told me to go sit down and that someone would call me back to counter B. The interview part only took about 5 minutes.

I waited a few minutes and was called back up to counter B by the original guy who took my papers. The guy made sure I had my original back said I was approved and told me I could pick up my passport and visa in 3-5 business days at my local DHL location and told me I was free to leave.

Total time was about 2 1/2 hours. All in all everyone was pretty nice. The interviewing agent was friendly but tried to trick me a few times. As a side note, the room where they interview you is very small and everyone in the room will be able to hear the questions and answers you give, so don’t expect any privacy.

[kaibosh 3]

Quick or not Vancouver consulate review

So my appointment was at 10:00am on July 28/11 in Vancouver. I got to the consulate around 9:00 and was told to come back in about half an hour. The consulate has line up queues outside with a time on each line and there was absolutely no one there when I got sent away. I went to the Moonpennies cafe, kiddy corner to the consulate and had breakfast (it was not very good and expensive).

I came back to the consulate at 9:45 and was told to get in the 10:00am line. There was a family of 3 and one guy in front of me. A security guard came out and told the family to come in. Then another family showed up and lined up behind me. Then the guy in front of me got taken in by the security guard and another guy showed up and lined up behind me also. It was then my turn and was called in by security. Right inside the doors they had a table where they took my papers and asked if I had any of the "forbidden” items which I said I did not. The one guard riffled through my documents and made a mess of them =( grr and took my medical results. I said I needed them and he told me that he would give them to another guard and told me to walk through the metal detector. I went through the detector and was handed my papers on the other side.

Another security guard then came down the stairs and took the medical results from the security and led me up the stairs. At the top she took me to the right and scanned my sealed medical results envelope and handed them back to me and told me to go and see the other guard and pointed behind me. I looked behind me and another guard beckoned me over to where he was standing by an elevator. I waited along with a couple of other people and he took us up to the 20th floor. We were then escorted and sent through another metal detector and I was told to go through a set of doors, turn left and go to counter B.

I went in to the left and went to counter B. I had to wait a minute or so for someone to come to the window. The switch they have there to get someone did not seem to be working when I tried it. A guy came up and asked me for my paper work. I gave him my whole folder so he could take what he needed. I had everything very organized. He took my passport, my birth certificate original and photo copy I provided, my divorce certificate and photocopy I had provided, police certificate original and said a photocopy wouldn't be acceptable. The affidavit of support from my fiancé, a copy of my fiancé's income tax, pay stubs and bank statements, my two passport photos, the DS-230 part 1, both copies of the DS-156, and DS-156K. He then had me sign all the forms in front of him, told me to sit down and he would call me up to give me a number in a little while. I asked about my originals and he told me the agent who interviewed me would give them back.

I sat down and ended up seeing a girl that had her medical with me the day before. We talked for about 15 minutes and then they called her up and gave her a number and then me right after. The guy who took my paper work was the same guy who gave me the number and told me it would be about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. By this time it was about 10:30am.

Other people that were there for other visas were all getting called way before us, even ones that came in much later.

At about noon the other girl was called up to the other row of counters and then I was called right up also. When I got there the guys said "oh you are the other K1, I can't help you, go sit back down and one of the other agents will help you in a bit". So I sat down along the wall of seats by the counters and waited. The other girl’s interview took about 10-15 minutes and then she was told to go sit down. I waited about 10 minutes and the same agent called me up.

He asked my name and took my finger prints on a digital finger scanner. He then had me raise my right hand and told me to just say yes at the end of what he said if I agreed. I raised my right hand and my hand was shaking so badly that he faltered in reading me the declaration and forgot the words. I laughed and said I was sorry but that I was nervous. He said it was okay and composed himself and finished. I said yes and the interview began.

He first asked me where my fiancé lived and where I was going.

He then asked who I was marrying, and he asked me to repeat the last name.

He asked how we met.

He asked how long we had know each other.

He asked me about when we had first met in person and how many times we had seen each other.

He asked when we had gotten engaged and when we planned to marry.

He asked me again who I was marrying.

He asked what my fiancé did for work.

He asked where he lived again.

He asked if I planned to work.

He asked me where fiancé lived and gave me the city my fiancé was born in as the city I was going. Tricky tricky... I corrected him and said no that was the city my fiancé was born not where we were going to live.

He asked me again who I was marrying again.

He never asked to see any of the proof of relationship stuff that I had brought. He typed something into the computer and said "okay good". I asked if that meant I was approved and he said yes. He then gave me back my original birth and divorce certificate and told me to go sit down and that someone would call me back to counter B. The interview part only took about 5 minutes.

I waited a few minutes and was called back up to counter B by the original guy who took my papers. The guy made sure I had my original back said I was approved and told me I could pick up my passport and visa in 3-5 business days at my local DHL location and told me I was free to leave.

Total time was about 2 1/2 hours. All in all everyone was pretty nice. The interviewing agent was friendly but tried to trick me a few times. As a side note, the room where they interview you is very small and everyone in the room will be able to hear the questions and answers you give, so don’t expect any privacy.

Thanks for the review and congratz, I have mine on the 22nd of Aug.

Isent it only you and the immigration officer in the room for the interview anyways? Or are you saying everyone in the lobby will be able to hear you?

[BlueBonnet 84]

I noticed that you said tricky tricky.

I remember something that happened before my interview. I had handed in all the paperwork that they required of me, and a lady came back to the window and called me back. She leaned in and asked me to spell my fiances middle name for her. I did and she left and I sat down. I thought nothing of it at the time, probably nerves, but after I thought to myself, Why would she ask me to spell his middle name when she had his birth certificate on file ?

At the interview window, one of the opening statements was, So your Duo Citizen ? I corrected him and said no, Im only PR, I also offered him my PR card as proof which he said he didnt want to see.

This one I told my fiance and he said, He was trying to see if you would lie to him.

Those were my experiences at Vancouver with the tricks up their sleeves.

[Team Katman 9]

Congratulations on getting your visa, and thanks so much for posting your review!

[HeatDeath 430]

Thanks for the review and congratz, I have mine on the 22nd of Aug.

Isent it only you and the immigration officer in the room for the interview anyways? Or are you saying everyone in the lobby will be able to hear you?

Vancouver is set up as a central waiting room, with two hallways coming off from it, one pointing east and one pointing south. the "interview rooms" are just windowed booths set into the wall of one side of each of these hallways. There is no privacy between adjacent booths whatsoever, but the ceiling, walls, and floors are sound-absorbent enough that you can't really hear any details from the waiting room, unless it's quite quiet.

You enter the waiting room (the big square) through a door I've marked with an x. There is a booth in the waiting room itself for dealing with the clerk . Two hallways go off, one pointing off to your right, and one pointing back behind you. There are interview booths along both hallways (the letter a's) If there are larger, more private interview rooms they're in a different part of the floor and I never saw them.

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L......._________________...

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Edited August 2, 2011 by HeatDeath

[SunnySanDiego 17]

Thanks for the review and congratz, I have mine on the 22nd of Aug.

Isent it only you and the immigration officer in the room for the interview anyways? Or are you saying everyone in the lobby will be able to hear you?

Good luck with your interview =)! Well when I was there I heard everything that everyone was being asked and their replies. I could repeat half the interviews I heard that day and I was not sitting near the windows. It was weird knowing people could hear your business.

I noticed that you said tricky tricky.

I remember something that happened before my interview. I had handed in all the paperwork that they required of me, and a lady came back to the window and called me back. She leaned in and asked me to spell my fiances middle name for her. I did and she left and I sat down. I thought nothing of it at the time, probably nerves, but after I thought to myself, Why would she ask me to spell his middle name when she had his birth certificate on file ?

At the interview window, one of the opening statements was, So your Duo Citizen ? I corrected him and said no, Im only PR, I also offered him my PR card as proof which he said he didnt want to see.

This one I told my fiance and he said, He was trying to see if you would lie to him.

Those were my experiences at Vancouver with the tricks up their sleeves.

Yeah they are nice but it's to get you to relax and slip up if you're lying about anything, tricky tricky lol.

Congratulations on getting your visa, and thanks so much for posting your review!

Thanks so much, I am so happy =).

Edited August 3, 2011 by SunnySanDiego

[bcrose24 0]

Agreed - Vancouver was tricky tricky but they were very nice. It was funny because I ran into the officer who did my interview TWICE afterwards doing errands in Vancouver, and he remembered me! He was a really nice guy, all the people were really nice.

I had to wait about 4 hours altogether because there were two couples in front of me, both of which were not very 'with it' with their documents and such so took up quite a bit of time, but the service was great and like I said the officers were all really nice and I got to catch up on my 'Readers' Digest' magazine readings!

[JustJanis 2]

Thank you for the review. I am going for my interview on September 23rd, I'm so afraid my nerves will make them think I'm hiding something or being dishonest. I've always had a problem speaking to a a crowd, talking to border guards, and taking written and oral tests - I shake, sweat and get red in the face. Any pointers?

Oh and can anyone tell me where the Packet 4 with the sealed envelope gets mailed to? Or is the sealed envelop from the medical???

Thx

[Penny Lane 8,159]

You get a sealed envelope with your medical.

[SunnySanDiego 17]

Thank you for the review. I am going for my interview on September 23rd, I'm so afraid my nerves will make them think I'm hiding something or being dishonest. I've always had a problem speaking to a a crowd, talking to border guards, and taking written and oral tests - I shake, sweat and get red in the face. Any pointers?

Oh and can anyone tell me where the Packet 4 with the sealed envelope gets mailed to? Or is the sealed envelop from the medical???

Thx

I was so nervous that my hand was shaking madly when the agent made me raise it, so badly in fact that he got distracted and forgot what he was saying. Everyone is nervous, it's understandable. You have nothing to worry about if you have nothing to hide and your relationship is true =). My best tip would be to come prepared and tell the truth.

Your medical results are sealed.

[kaibosh 3]

Quick or not Vancouver consulate review

So my appointment was at 10:00am on July 28/11 in Vancouver. I got to the consulate around 9:00 and was told to come back in about half an hour. The consulate has line up queues outside with a time on each line and there was absolutely no one there when I got sent away. I went to the Moonpennies cafe, kiddy corner to the consulate and had breakfast (it was not very good and expensive).

I came back to the consulate at 9:45 and was told to get in the 10:00am line. There was a family of 3 and one guy in front of me. A security guard came out and told the family to come in. Then another family showed up and lined up behind me. Then the guy in front of me got taken in by the security guard and another guy showed up and lined up behind me also. It was then my turn and was called in by security. Right inside the doors they had a table where they took my papers and asked if I had any of the "forbidden” items which I said I did not. The one guard riffled through my documents and made a mess of them =( grr and took my medical results. I said I needed them and he told me that he would give them to another guard and told me to walk through the metal detector. I went through the detector and was handed my papers on the other side.

Another security guard then came down the stairs and took the medical results from the security and led me up the stairs. At the top she took me to the right and scanned my sealed medical results envelope and handed them back to me and told me to go and see the other guard and pointed behind me. I looked behind me and another guard beckoned me over to where he was standing by an elevator. I waited along with a couple of other people and he took us up to the 20th floor. We were then escorted and sent through another metal detector and I was told to go through a set of doors, turn left and go to counter B.

I went in to the left and went to counter B. I had to wait a minute or so for someone to come to the window. The switch they have there to get someone did not seem to be working when I tried it. A guy came up and asked me for my paper work. I gave him my whole folder so he could take what he needed. I had everything very organized. He took my passport, my birth certificate original and photo copy I provided, my divorce certificate and photocopy I had provided, police certificate original and said a photocopy wouldn't be acceptable. The affidavit of support from my fiancé, a copy of my fiancé's income tax, pay stubs and bank statements, my two passport photos, the DS-230 part 1, both copies of the DS-156, and DS-156K. He then had me sign all the forms in front of him, told me to sit down and he would call me up to give me a number in a little while. I asked about my originals and he told me the agent who interviewed me would give them back.

I sat down and ended up seeing a girl that had her medical with me the day before. We talked for about 15 minutes and then they called her up and gave her a number and then me right after. The guy who took my paper work was the same guy who gave me the number and told me it would be about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. By this time it was about 10:30am.

Other people that were there for other visas were all getting called way before us, even ones that came in much later.

At about noon the other girl was called up to the other row of counters and then I was called right up also. When I got there the guys said "oh you are the other K1, I can't help you, go sit back down and one of the other agents will help you in a bit". So I sat down along the wall of seats by the counters and waited. The other girl’s interview took about 10-15 minutes and then she was told to go sit down. I waited about 10 minutes and the same agent called me up.

He asked my name and took my finger prints on a digital finger scanner. He then had me raise my right hand and told me to just say yes at the end of what he said if I agreed. I raised my right hand and my hand was shaking so badly that he faltered in reading me the declaration and forgot the words. I laughed and said I was sorry but that I was nervous. He said it was okay and composed himself and finished. I said yes and the interview began.

He first asked me where my fiancé lived and where I was going.

He then asked who I was marrying, and he asked me to repeat the last name.

He asked how we met.

He asked how long we had know each other.

He asked me about when we had first met in person and how many times we had seen each other.

He asked when we had gotten engaged and when we planned to marry.

He asked me again who I was marrying.

He asked what my fiancé did for work.

He asked where he lived again.

He asked if I planned to work.

He asked me where fiancé lived and gave me the city my fiancé was born in as the city I was going. Tricky tricky... I corrected him and said no that was the city my fiancé was born not where we were going to live.

He asked me again who I was marrying again.

He never asked to see any of the proof of relationship stuff that I had brought. He typed something into the computer and said "okay good". I asked if that meant I was approved and he said yes. He then gave me back my original birth and divorce certificate and told me to go sit down and that someone would call me back to counter B. The interview part only took about 5 minutes.

I waited a few minutes and was called back up to counter B by the original guy who took my papers. The guy made sure I had my original back said I was approved and told me I could pick up my passport and visa in 3-5 business days at my local DHL location and told me I was free to leave.

Total time was about 2 1/2 hours. All in all everyone was pretty nice. The interviewing agent was friendly but tried to trick me a few times. As a side note, the room where they interview you is very small and everyone in the room will be able to hear the questions and answers you give, so don’t expect any privacy.

Were you asked for the USC's birth certif? I only have the most recent tax return from our sponsor ( her dad) do you think that will be enough? I have her last 3 pay stubs as well as she got a full time job after we applied to at the time of the application she was unemployed but now meets the requirements.

[HeatDeath 430]

I was so nervous that my hand was shaking madly when the agent made me raise it, so badly in fact that he got distracted and forgot what he was saying. Everyone is nervous, it's understandable. You have nothing to worry about if you have nothing to hide and your relationship is true =). My best tip would be to come prepared and tell the truth.

Your medical results are sealed.

LOL. I was so nervous, it was hilarious.

They asked me to put my fingers on the fingerprint machine to take my fingerprints. Well, they wouldn't quite read, so she told me to use some hand sanitizer. I was so nervous, that instead of rubbing it on my fingers, I squirted it on the fingerprint machine glass and rubbed it around!

Enh, the thing probably needed cleaning anyways.

Edited August 17, 2011 by HeatDeath

[SunnySanDiego 17]

Were you asked for the USC's birth certif? I only have the most recent tax return from our sponsor ( her dad) do you think that will be enough? I have her last 3 pay stubs as well as she got a full time job after we applied to at the time of the application she was unemployed but now meets the requirements.

No they only asked for my birth cert. I only had the most recent tax return and last three tax returns for my sponsor and they didn't ask me for that info, I just made the guy take it lol. I think it will more than likely be enough.

LOL. I was so nervous, it was hilarious.

They asked me to put my fingers on the fingerprint machine to take my fingerprints. Well, they wouldn't quite read, so she told me to use some hand sanitizer. I was so nervous, that instead of rubbing it on my fingers, I squirted it on the fingerprint machine glass and rubbed it around!

Enh, the thing probably needed cleaning anyways.

LOL awesome!

[BlueBonnet 84]

LOL. I was so nervous, it was hilarious.

They asked me to put my fingers on the fingerprint machine to take my fingerprints. Well, they wouldn't quite read, so she told me to use some hand sanitizer. I was so nervous, that instead of rubbing it on my fingers, I squirted it on the fingerprint machine glass and rubbed it around!

Enh, the thing probably needed cleaning anyways.

Thats funny ! And I thought I was nervous.

I had to read this to my husband, he laughed and asked what the consulate officer said when she saw you do that ?

[HeatDeath 430]

Thats funny ! And I thought I was nervous.

I had to read this to my husband, he laughed and asked what the consulate officer said when she saw you do that ?

It wasn't a consular officer. At least, it wasn't the same one who did the interview proper.

I barely remember. Something like "No, no, no! On your fingers!"

Then she got me some kleenex to wipe off the fingerprint thingy.

It did work fine after that, though...

Edited August 19, 2011 by HeatDeath