Interview at Montreal Consulate - Approved!

[samack 79]

My interview was scheduled for this morning at 7:45. I'd walked down to the consulate from my hotel (one of the McGill residences - La Citadelle. Affordable and very convenient) to get an idea of where it was since I didn't plan on bringing my phone. Like others have said, the door can be tricky to find depending on how you approach the building, but if you look for the eagle above the door you'll be fine. There will also more than likely already be people lined up no matter how early you go, but that helps. I had to stop at Medisys, which was literally 2 minutes from my hotel, to pick up my medical results beforehand and they let me in right away even though I'd gotten there a bit before 7, which is technically when they open. It was a a quick walk down to the consulate, so I got there a little after 7, and I was 5th in line behind a mother and daughter, a family, a very well-dressed couple, and a father and son. By the time they started letting people in, the line had gotten pretty long and it hadn't let up any by the time I left. They came out to set up the barricades, a woman instructed us to have our DS-160 (or appointment letter) and passport ready, and they called us in one by one to go through security. I was given the "Applicant #2" card.

The security guards weren't overly unfriendly when I first went in, but their moods seemed to go downhill pretty rapidly in the short time that I was upstairs. There were a lot of people in line with bags, ranging from small purses to larger totes and book bags, and I wanted to go up to every single one of them to say "get rid of it while you still can!" I didn't see what, if any, kind of hassle they were given, but the people with small handbags got through security and upstairs with them. I still wouldn't bother, but I was surprised to see them upstairs. The people with bigger bags, though -- wooooo boy. As I was leaving, I heard one of the security guards yelling at someone and telling them "no bags! I don't know why this is so hard to understand! Get rid of it! No! Bags!" And do not forget any of your documents, downstairs or otherwise, because they do not take kindly to having to take you back down in the elevator to get them. The woman directing people upstairs got a guard to hold the elevator for me when I was done, which was met with a sharp "did you forget your documents too?" His mood changed when I told him I was finished and leaving, but the woman I was in the elevator with was treated pretty rudely, had her documents shoved at her, and was told that she "shouldn't have forgot them in the first place". I got a bit confused about which door to use to leave because people were still coming in through security and when I asked to make sure I wouldn't be getting in the way, the same guard sarcastically said "that's right, ma'am, saaaaaame way you came in." I definitely understand how important the job they do is, and I'm sure it gets incredibly tedious when you have to deal with the same things every day, but I thought it was important to mention all of this just in case someone going through in the future is the type to get flustered by that sort of thing. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I think it's worth preparing for.

Anyway, I got through security and went downstairs to where the elevator was. Taking advice of everyone who came before me, I made sure to sit right next to the elevator. I'm beginning to think it was bizarro day or something, though, because when the time came to go up, a guard came through a closed door with an exit sign over it, just around the corner from the elevator, and called for 8 people to go up with him. Knowing I had an early number, I made a dash for the door and managed to go up on the first trip. We were taken to a standard bank of elevators and brought up that way, no turning around to face the opposite set of doors, taken through what looked like a reception area, and in to wait. It's possible the regular elevator wasn't working, but keep an eye out just in case this is how they're doing things now. A woman told those with numbers to sit in the center seats and those without to go stand in line, and I'd hardly sat down before I was called to window 2. Very glad I got on that first elevator. I was midway through handing in my documents before #1 was even called. She asked for my passport, scan of the biographical page, the two pictures, my medical results, proof I'd already paid for the interview, the letter of intent, my birth certificate and a copy (she said "oh, you don't have the long form one". It was, but she'd gotten confused because my father's name wasn't on it. She apologized, faked slapped her cheek and said "wake up!", and we both laughed a bit), just the original of the police certificate, the affidavit of support, and my fiancé's 2015 tax return. I told her I had his 1099s (instead of W2s, because he's considered self-employed) and his last 6 pay stubs and she took all of it. When she asked if he was an American citizen I told her I had a photocopy of his birth certificate and she took that too. She asked me a few questions, patiently waited until I figured out how to use the fingerprint scanner, gave me the domestic violence pamphlet, told me to relax while I waited to be called and wished me luck. Definitely organize your documents! I had mine tabbed and she seemed to appreciate it.

I sat back down and waited around 15 minutes to be called. Even though I had #2, I was interviewed first and was very happy to see the young guy everyone talks about waiting behind the glass at window 8. He asked how I was, I said I was fine and asked him the same, and he smiled and said "I love Wednesdays!" At first I thought he was being sarcastic because of how busy it was, but he said "oh no, it's always busy because we're always understaffed, but I LOVE Wednesdays!" I asked him why and he said "K1 visas!" I laughed and said "ah yes, the hopes and dreams of people in love" and he replied "AND they're the easiest ones we do!" He made me swear the oath and them rapid-fired the "first marriage for you both? When did you last see him? Where does he live?" questions. When I answered the last one, he smiled and said "Pittsburgh! Is he a Steelers fan?" I laughed and said "HUGE" (understatement), and he did a little shoulder shimmy and went "oh, I'm excited now!" He told me he's a Seahawks fan because he's from Portland, but that he was in Pittsburgh one of the years the Steelers won the Super Bowl and he's kind of a fan because of their fans. He didn't even ask what we do or how we met, just handed me the paper about tracking and shipping and said "Approved! You'll get it in around 8 days". I went "...just like that, huh?" He said "yep, have a great day!" and that was that. I think there was a woman doing K1 interviews in the next cubicle over, but I wasn't upstairs long enough to be sure. It was probably around 7:45 when we went in, I was upstairs by 8, and out by 8:30. I may have been the first one out, period.

It really, really, REALLY is the easiest part, to the point that it does almost feel anti-climactic after all of the months of waiting and obsessing and panicking. I'm incredibly relieved it's over, though, and now I'm heading home to finish packing. Sorry this got so long, but I wanted to be thorough and I'm also staring down a (now) 5 hour wait at the train station followed by an 11 hour train trip on about 4 hours of sleep. Plus I can only play Pokemon Go for so long.

I've already started refreshing the site to see if my status has been updated. Any ideas on how long that's been taking with the whole purolator debacle?

[PandaSong 15]

For your status update, it usually takes about.. 3 days or so? It'll go into administrative processing first and then will say issued when it's being mailed to you. After that you'll have to wait for purolator to e-mail you where to pick it up.

Congrats on passing! Everyone said it's the easiest part, and it really is as long as you're prepared for it! The people there always seem to appreciate when you have it organised (I had tabs on mine too, colour coordinated as well) and can keep up with them.

[almost_umrican 53]

My interview was scheduled for this morning at 7:45. I'd walked down to the consulate from my hotel (one of the McGill residences - La Citadelle. Affordable and very convenient) to get an idea of where it was since I didn't plan on bringing my phone. Like others have said, the door can be tricky to find depending on how you approach the building, but if you look for the eagle above the door you'll be fine. There will also more than likely already be people lined up no matter how early you go, but that helps. I had to stop at Medisys, which was literally 2 minutes from my hotel, to pick up my medical results beforehand and they let me in right away even though I'd gotten there a bit before 7, which is technically when they open. It was a a quick walk down to the consulate, so I got there a little after 7, and I was 5th in line behind a mother and daughter, a family, a very well-dressed couple, and a father and son. By the time they started letting people in, the line had gotten pretty long and it hadn't let up any by the time I left. They came out to set up the barricades, a woman instructed us to have our DS-160 (or appointment letter) and passport ready, and they called us in one by one to go through security. I was given the "Applicant #2" card.

The security guards weren't overly unfriendly when I first went in, but their moods seemed to go downhill pretty rapidly in the short time that I was upstairs. There were a lot of people in line with bags, ranging from small purses to larger totes and book bags, and I wanted to go up to every single one of them to say "get rid of it while you still can!" I didn't see what, if any, kind of hassle they were given, but the people with small handbags got through security and upstairs with them. I still wouldn't bother, but I was surprised to see them upstairs. The people with bigger bags, though -- wooooo boy. As I was leaving, I heard one of the security guards yelling at someone and telling them "no bags! I don't know why this is so hard to understand! Get rid of it! No! Bags!" And do not forget any of your documents, downstairs or otherwise, because they do not take kindly to having to take you back down in the elevator to get them. The woman directing people upstairs got a guard to hold the elevator for me when I was done, which was met with a sharp "did you forget your documents too?" His mood changed when I told him I was finished and leaving, but the woman I was in the elevator with was treated pretty rudely, had her documents shoved at her, and was told that she "shouldn't have forgot them in the first place". I got a bit confused about which door to use to leave because people were still coming in through security and when I asked to make sure I wouldn't be getting in the way, the same guard sarcastically said "that's right, ma'am, saaaaaame way you came in." I definitely understand how important the job they do is, and I'm sure it gets incredibly tedious when you have to deal with the same things every day, but I thought it was important to mention all of this just in case someone going through in the future is the type to get flustered by that sort of thing. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I think it's worth preparing for.

Anyway, I got through security and went downstairs to where the elevator was. Taking advice of everyone who came before me, I made sure to sit right next to the elevator. I'm beginning to think it was bizarro day or something, though, because when the time came to go up, a guard came through a closed door with an exit sign over it, just around the corner from the elevator, and called for 8 people to go up with him. Knowing I had an early number, I made a dash for the door and managed to go up on the first trip. We were taken to a standard bank of elevators and brought up that way, no turning around to face the opposite set of doors, taken through what looked like a reception area, and in to wait. It's possible the regular elevator wasn't working, but keep an eye out just in case this is how they're doing things now. A woman told those with numbers to sit in the center seats and those without to go stand in line, and I'd hardly sat down before I was called to window 2. Very glad I got on that first elevator. I was midway through handing in my documents before #1 was even called. She asked for my passport, scan of the biographical page, the two pictures, my medical results, proof I'd already paid for the interview, the letter of intent, my birth certificate and a copy (she said "oh, you don't have the long form one". It was, but she'd gotten confused because my father's name wasn't on it. She apologized, faked slapped her cheek and said "wake up!", and we both laughed a bit), just the original of the police certificate, the affidavit of support, and my fiancé's 2015 tax return. I told her I had his 1099s (instead of W2s, because he's considered self-employed) and his last 6 pay stubs and she took all of it. When she asked if he was an American citizen I told her I had a photocopy of his birth certificate and she took that too. She asked me a few questions, patiently waited until I figured out how to use the fingerprint scanner, gave me the domestic violence pamphlet, told me to relax while I waited to be called and wished me luck. Definitely organize your documents! I had mine tabbed and she seemed to appreciate it.

I sat back down and waited around 15 minutes to be called. Even though I had #2, I was interviewed first and was very happy to see the young guy everyone talks about waiting behind the glass at window 8. He asked how I was, I said I was fine and asked him the same, and he smiled and said "I love Wednesdays!" At first I thought he was being sarcastic because of how busy it was, but he said "oh no, it's always busy because we're always understaffed, but I LOVE Wednesdays!" I asked him why and he said "K1 visas!" I laughed and said "ah yes, the hopes and dreams of people in love" and he replied "AND they're the easiest ones we do!" He made me swear the oath and them rapid-fired the "first marriage for you both? When did you last see him? Where does he live?" questions. When I answered the last one, he smiled and said "Pittsburgh! Is he a Steelers fan?" I laughed and said "HUGE" (understatement), and he did a little shoulder shimmy and went "oh, I'm excited now!" He told me he's a Seahawks fan because he's from Portland, but that he was in Pittsburgh one of the years the Steelers won the Super Bowl and he's kind of a fan because of their fans. He didn't even ask what we do or how we met, just handed me the paper about tracking and shipping and said "Approved! You'll get it in around 8 days". I went "...just like that, huh?" He said "yep, have a great day!" and that was that. I think there was a woman doing K1 interviews in the next cubicle over, but I wasn't upstairs long enough to be sure. It was probably around 7:45 when we went in, I was upstairs by 8, and out by 8:30. I may have been the first one out, period.

It really, really, REALLY is the easiest part, to the point that it does almost feel anti-climactic after all of the months of waiting and obsessing and panicking. I'm incredibly relieved it's over, though, and now I'm heading home to finish packing. Sorry this got so long, but I wanted to be thorough and I'm also staring down a (now) 5 hour wait at the train station followed by an 11 hour train trip on about 4 hours of sleep. Plus I can only play Pokemon Go for so long.

I've already started refreshing the site to see if my status has been updated. Any ideas on how long that's been taking with the whole purolator debacle?

Fantastic, i used to live on rue st. marc on a complex ran by LA citadelle and used to walk pass by the US consulate every now and than.your account brought back some fond memories.Thank you, The ville de montreal is one of the best i ever lived in. good luck for your future.

[sanil1986 26]

My interview was scheduled for this morning at 7:45. I'd walked down to the consulate from my hotel (one of the McGill residences - La Citadelle. Affordable and very convenient) to get an idea of where it was since I didn't plan on bringing my phone. Like others have said, the door can be tricky to find depending on how you approach the building, but if you look for the eagle above the door you'll be fine. There will also more than likely already be people lined up no matter how early you go, but that helps. I had to stop at Medisys, which was literally 2 minutes from my hotel, to pick up my medical results beforehand and they let me in right away even though I'd gotten there a bit before 7, which is technically when they open. It was a a quick walk down to the consulate, so I got there a little after 7, and I was 5th in line behind a mother and daughter, a family, a very well-dressed couple, and a father and son. By the time they started letting people in, the line had gotten pretty long and it hadn't let up any by the time I left. They came out to set up the barricades, a woman instructed us to have our DS-160 (or appointment letter) and passport ready, and they called us in one by one to go through security. I was given the "Applicant #2" card.

The security guards weren't overly unfriendly when I first went in, but their moods seemed to go downhill pretty rapidly in the short time that I was upstairs. There were a lot of people in line with bags, ranging from small purses to larger totes and book bags, and I wanted to go up to every single one of them to say "get rid of it while you still can!" I didn't see what, if any, kind of hassle they were given, but the people with small handbags got through security and upstairs with them. I still wouldn't bother, but I was surprised to see them upstairs. The people with bigger bags, though -- wooooo boy. As I was leaving, I heard one of the security guards yelling at someone and telling them "no bags! I don't know why this is so hard to understand! Get rid of it! No! Bags!" And do not forget any of your documents, downstairs or otherwise, because they do not take kindly to having to take you back down in the elevator to get them. The woman directing people upstairs got a guard to hold the elevator for me when I was done, which was met with a sharp "did you forget your documents too?" His mood changed when I told him I was finished and leaving, but the woman I was in the elevator with was treated pretty rudely, had her documents shoved at her, and was told that she "shouldn't have forgot them in the first place". I got a bit confused about which door to use to leave because people were still coming in through security and when I asked to make sure I wouldn't be getting in the way, the same guard sarcastically said "that's right, ma'am, saaaaaame way you came in." I definitely understand how important the job they do is, and I'm sure it gets incredibly tedious when you have to deal with the same things every day, but I thought it was important to mention all of this just in case someone going through in the future is the type to get flustered by that sort of thing. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I think it's worth preparing for.

Anyway, I got through security and went downstairs to where the elevator was. Taking advice of everyone who came before me, I made sure to sit right next to the elevator. I'm beginning to think it was bizarro day or something, though, because when the time came to go up, a guard came through a closed door with an exit sign over it, just around the corner from the elevator, and called for 8 people to go up with him. Knowing I had an early number, I made a dash for the door and managed to go up on the first trip. We were taken to a standard bank of elevators and brought up that way, no turning around to face the opposite set of doors, taken through what looked like a reception area, and in to wait. It's possible the regular elevator wasn't working, but keep an eye out just in case this is how they're doing things now. A woman told those with numbers to sit in the center seats and those without to go stand in line, and I'd hardly sat down before I was called to window 2. Very glad I got on that first elevator. I was midway through handing in my documents before #1 was even called. She asked for my passport, scan of the biographical page, the two pictures, my medical results, proof I'd already paid for the interview, the letter of intent, my birth certificate and a copy (she said "oh, you don't have the long form one". It was, but she'd gotten confused because my father's name wasn't on it. She apologized, faked slapped her cheek and said "wake up!", and we both laughed a bit), just the original of the police certificate, the affidavit of support, and my fiancé's 2015 tax return. I told her I had his 1099s (instead of W2s, because he's considered self-employed) and his last 6 pay stubs and she took all of it. When she asked if he was an American citizen I told her I had a photocopy of his birth certificate and she took that too. She asked me a few questions, patiently waited until I figured out how to use the fingerprint scanner, gave me the domestic violence pamphlet, told me to relax while I waited to be called and wished me luck. Definitely organize your documents! I had mine tabbed and she seemed to appreciate it.

I sat back down and waited around 15 minutes to be called. Even though I had #2, I was interviewed first and was very happy to see the young guy everyone talks about waiting behind the glass at window 8. He asked how I was, I said I was fine and asked him the same, and he smiled and said "I love Wednesdays!" At first I thought he was being sarcastic because of how busy it was, but he said "oh no, it's always busy because we're always understaffed, but I LOVE Wednesdays!" I asked him why and he said "K1 visas!" I laughed and said "ah yes, the hopes and dreams of people in love" and he replied "AND they're the easiest ones we do!" He made me swear the oath and them rapid-fired the "first marriage for you both? When did you last see him? Where does he live?" questions. When I answered the last one, he smiled and said "Pittsburgh! Is he a Steelers fan?" I laughed and said "HUGE" (understatement), and he did a little shoulder shimmy and went "oh, I'm excited now!" He told me he's a Seahawks fan because he's from Portland, but that he was in Pittsburgh one of the years the Steelers won the Super Bowl and he's kind of a fan because of their fans. He didn't even ask what we do or how we met, just handed me the paper about tracking and shipping and said "Approved! You'll get it in around 8 days". I went "...just like that, huh?" He said "yep, have a great day!" and that was that. I think there was a woman doing K1 interviews in the next cubicle over, but I wasn't upstairs long enough to be sure. It was probably around 7:45 when we went in, I was upstairs by 8, and out by 8:30. I may have been the first one out, period.

It really, really, REALLY is the easiest part, to the point that it does almost feel anti-climactic after all of the months of waiting and obsessing and panicking. I'm incredibly relieved it's over, though, and now I'm heading home to finish packing. Sorry this got so long, but I wanted to be thorough and I'm also staring down a (now) 5 hour wait at the train station followed by an 11 hour train trip on about 4 hours of sleep. Plus I can only play Pokemon Go for so long.

I've already started refreshing the site to see if my status has been updated. Any ideas on how long that's been taking with the whole purolator debacle?

congrats

thanks for the review

i will ask my wife not to take her big backpack and cell phone

can she take a small bag ?

[samack 79]

For your status update, it usually takes about.. 3 days or so? It'll go into administrative processing first and then will say issued when it's being mailed to you. After that you'll have to wait for purolator to e-mail you where to pick it up.

Congrats on passing! Everyone said it's the easiest part, and it really is as long as you're prepared for it! The people there always seem to appreciate when you have it organised (I had tabs on mine too, colour coordinated as well) and can keep up with them.

Thanks! The waiting game begins again. At least this one isn't nearly as long. I guess it's a good thing, in a way, because it slows you down a bit and makes you realize there are still things to do before you leave.

congrats

thanks for the review

i will ask my wife not to take her big backpack and cell phone

can she take a small bag ?

Like I said, they did seem to be letting people with small handbags through. Small as in 'mostly only big enough for a wallet and phone'. I'd really advise against it unless it's absolutely necessary, though, because if they don't want to let you in with it you have no choice but to get out of line and take it somewhere else. They won't store it and they don't make exceptions. They'll at least hold on to your phone until you're done, but a bag that they consider to be too big will get you a "come back when you don't have it". I had a pocket at the front of my binder where I put my hotel key cards and my credit card so I could get coffee afterwards. I figured that if anything happened to that binder, the things in the pocket would be the least of my worries.

[brentos 53]

My interview was scheduled for this morning at 7:45. I'd walked down to the consulate from my hotel (one of the McGill residences - La Citadelle. Affordable and very convenient) to get an idea of where it was since I didn't plan on bringing my phone. Like others have said, the door can be tricky to find depending on how you approach the building, but if you look for the eagle above the door you'll be fine. There will also more than likely already be people lined up no matter how early you go, but that helps. I had to stop at Medisys, which was literally 2 minutes from my hotel, to pick up my medical results beforehand and they let me in right away even though I'd gotten there a bit before 7, which is technically when they open. It was a a quick walk down to the consulate, so I got there a little after 7, and I was 5th in line behind a mother and daughter, a family, a very well-dressed couple, and a father and son. By the time they started letting people in, the line had gotten pretty long and it hadn't let up any by the time I left. They came out to set up the barricades, a woman instructed us to have our DS-160 (or appointment letter) and passport ready, and they called us in one by one to go through security. I was given the "Applicant #2" card.

The security guards weren't overly unfriendly when I first went in, but their moods seemed to go downhill pretty rapidly in the short time that I was upstairs. There were a lot of people in line with bags, ranging from small purses to larger totes and book bags, and I wanted to go up to every single one of them to say "get rid of it while you still can!" I didn't see what, if any, kind of hassle they were given, but the people with small handbags got through security and upstairs with them. I still wouldn't bother, but I was surprised to see them upstairs. The people with bigger bags, though -- wooooo boy. As I was leaving, I heard one of the security guards yelling at someone and telling them "no bags! I don't know why this is so hard to understand! Get rid of it! No! Bags!" And do not forget any of your documents, downstairs or otherwise, because they do not take kindly to having to take you back down in the elevator to get them. The woman directing people upstairs got a guard to hold the elevator for me when I was done, which was met with a sharp "did you forget your documents too?" His mood changed when I told him I was finished and leaving, but the woman I was in the elevator with was treated pretty rudely, had her documents shoved at her, and was told that she "shouldn't have forgot them in the first place". I got a bit confused about which door to use to leave because people were still coming in through security and when I asked to make sure I wouldn't be getting in the way, the same guard sarcastically said "that's right, ma'am, saaaaaame way you came in." I definitely understand how important the job they do is, and I'm sure it gets incredibly tedious when you have to deal with the same things every day, but I thought it was important to mention all of this just in case someone going through in the future is the type to get flustered by that sort of thing. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I think it's worth preparing for.

Anyway, I got through security and went downstairs to where the elevator was. Taking advice of everyone who came before me, I made sure to sit right next to the elevator. I'm beginning to think it was bizarro day or something, though, because when the time came to go up, a guard came through a closed door with an exit sign over it, just around the corner from the elevator, and called for 8 people to go up with him. Knowing I had an early number, I made a dash for the door and managed to go up on the first trip. We were taken to a standard bank of elevators and brought up that way, no turning around to face the opposite set of doors, taken through what looked like a reception area, and in to wait. It's possible the regular elevator wasn't working, but keep an eye out just in case this is how they're doing things now. A woman told those with numbers to sit in the center seats and those without to go stand in line, and I'd hardly sat down before I was called to window 2. Very glad I got on that first elevator. I was midway through handing in my documents before #1 was even called. She asked for my passport, scan of the biographical page, the two pictures, my medical results, proof I'd already paid for the interview, the letter of intent, my birth certificate and a copy (she said "oh, you don't have the long form one". It was, but she'd gotten confused because my father's name wasn't on it. She apologized, faked slapped her cheek and said "wake up!", and we both laughed a bit), just the original of the police certificate, the affidavit of support, and my fiancé's 2015 tax return. I told her I had his 1099s (instead of W2s, because he's considered self-employed) and his last 6 pay stubs and she took all of it. When she asked if he was an American citizen I told her I had a photocopy of his birth certificate and she took that too. She asked me a few questions, patiently waited until I figured out how to use the fingerprint scanner, gave me the domestic violence pamphlet, told me to relax while I waited to be called and wished me luck. Definitely organize your documents! I had mine tabbed and she seemed to appreciate it.

I sat back down and waited around 15 minutes to be called. Even though I had #2, I was interviewed first and was very happy to see the young guy everyone talks about waiting behind the glass at window 8. He asked how I was, I said I was fine and asked him the same, and he smiled and said "I love Wednesdays!" At first I thought he was being sarcastic because of how busy it was, but he said "oh no, it's always busy because we're always understaffed, but I LOVE Wednesdays!" I asked him why and he said "K1 visas!" I laughed and said "ah yes, the hopes and dreams of people in love" and he replied "AND they're the easiest ones we do!" He made me swear the oath and them rapid-fired the "first marriage for you both? When did you last see him? Where does he live?" questions. When I answered the last one, he smiled and said "Pittsburgh! Is he a Steelers fan?" I laughed and said "HUGE" (understatement), and he did a little shoulder shimmy and went "oh, I'm excited now!" He told me he's a Seahawks fan because he's from Portland, but that he was in Pittsburgh one of the years the Steelers won the Super Bowl and he's kind of a fan because of their fans. He didn't even ask what we do or how we met, just handed me the paper about tracking and shipping and said "Approved! You'll get it in around 8 days". I went "...just like that, huh?" He said "yep, have a great day!" and that was that. I think there was a woman doing K1 interviews in the next cubicle over, but I wasn't upstairs long enough to be sure. It was probably around 7:45 when we went in, I was upstairs by 8, and out by 8:30. I may have been the first one out, period.

It really, really, REALLY is the easiest part, to the point that it does almost feel anti-climactic after all of the months of waiting and obsessing and panicking. I'm incredibly relieved it's over, though, and now I'm heading home to finish packing. Sorry this got so long, but I wanted to be thorough and I'm also staring down a (now) 5 hour wait at the train station followed by an 11 hour train trip on about 4 hours of sleep. Plus I can only play Pokemon Go for so long.

I've already started refreshing the site to see if my status has been updated. Any ideas on how long that's been taking with the whole purolator debacle?

Awesome you had an easy interview.

Sounds like the normal elevator might be broken or something. Normally from security you go through a door on the left, down a set of stairs and then into a waiting room that has an elevator (one single one). When you get in the elevator only has like 3 buttons, the floor you are on, the floor for the upstairs waiting room and another one that is locked out. When I was there (my interview was in January 2016 a little later in the day, I think 10:30 and they were strict then so I only went right before) and they set you down and too the elevator on your own. And I was a CR-1 so little different but similar. Wonder what happened to the elevator.

One thing I remember the waiting room has such a nice view. Wish you were allowed your phone...I so wanted a picture.

Congrats on the approval. Hopefully you don't have any issues with Purolator. Not sure how that is affecting anything. Looked on their site and it has a notice about their service guarantees being suspended. Find that funny as people are paying for a service but since they are too busy, they are currently not honoring it. If anything it should only add a little bit of time.

[mikeandkristina 6]

Congrats!

[tkelt 11]

Congrats!!! The guards were pretty .... not friendly when I was there too and I definitely got flustered, especially after reading multiple reviews about how nice they were

[kris1915 8]

Congrtaulations! I must say, the consulate experience sounds so confusing - I hope it isn't that bad when I am there is person. Now onwards with life for you!

[samack 79]

Awesome you had an easy interview.

Sounds like the normal elevator might be broken or something. Normally from security you go through a door on the left, down a set of stairs and then into a waiting room that has an elevator (one single one). When you get in the elevator only has like 3 buttons, the floor you are on, the floor for the upstairs waiting room and another one that is locked out. When I was there (my interview was in January 2016 a little later in the day, I think 10:30 and they were strict then so I only went right before) and they set you down and too the elevator on your own. And I was a CR-1 so little different but similar. Wonder what happened to the elevator.

One thing I remember the waiting room has such a nice view. Wish you were allowed your phone...I so wanted a picture.

Congrats on the approval. Hopefully you don't have any issues with Purolator. Not sure how that is affecting anything. Looked on their site and it has a notice about their service guarantees being suspended. Find that funny as people are paying for a service but since they are too busy, they are currently not honoring it. If anything it should only add a little bit of time.

Thanks! I'm assuming it's because it was broken, but there were no signs or anything to suggest that. I'm pretty sure my eyes got really big, though, and my brain just went into "adapt! Adapt! Adapt!" mode. It was a nice view upstairs, and the whole thing kind of reminded me of the building where all of my classes were during grad school in Toronto. The other thing I forgot to mention was that I noticed one of the upstairs vending machines was out of order and the other had a sign that said it was out of water. I don't know how often people actually use those machines, or if they'll be fixed any time soon, but I guess it's another thing to note.

The whole Purolator thing means that I have to drive to Moncton (I'm hoping it's Moncton, anyway. I'm in New Brunswick and the two other options, St. John and Fredericton, are even further away)' which is about 4 hours from here. I'd like to be refunded the money I paid for delivery. It's only $20, but it's kind of the principle of the thing at this point. My fiancé said we could just drive there when he comes to pick me up, but the fact that you only have 5 business days means that isn't an option so I'm figuring it out in advance so I'm ready to go whenever it's available.

Congrats!

Thank you!

Congrats!!! The guards were pretty .... not friendly when I was there too and I definitely got flustered, especially after reading multiple reviews about how nice they were

Thanks! And thank you for the well-wishes the morning of. I saw your post right before I left for the consulate and it helped calm me down a bit. I definitely wanted to mention the guards because I know what kind of impact that sort of thing can have on people who are already nervous. I really don't expect them to coddle anyone, but people are usually there for things that are going to have a huge impact on their lives. There are going to be nerves and the stress levels are off the charts as it is. Fortunately the people upstairs are much nicer.

Congrtaulations! I must say, the consulate experience sounds so confusing - I hope it isn't that bad when I am there is person. Now onwards with life for you!

Thanks! I think it ends up sounding more confusing than it is, and it probably doesn't help that things that are usually always the same (like the elevator) were different that day. Honestly, by the time you get to that point you'll be so familiar with the required documents and the process that you'll feel like a bit of a pro when you're waiting in line and seeing other people who obviously haven't done any research about how things go. Just pay attention to what's happening around you and have your things well organized. I found that the most stressful part of both the medical and the interview was how fast it all went, because they're so used to doing the same thing day after day that its all become routine to them. Having everything organized will go a long way toward making that part easier, though, because you'll be able to keep up with them. I felt like I was fumbling a bit to find the tabs for certain documents and joked "you think you have everything organized, but..." and the woman at the first window said "you DO have everything organized! I'm impressed!" They want to be done with your appointment as quickly as you do, so it's easy to help each other accomplish that.