Montreal Consulate Review (K1)(August 2017)

[Peot 161]

Let me first preface this by saying this is more of a "how-to" or a list of my experiences than a review.

As these usually go, I will go through travel, experience, wait, interview (documents needed), and so forth. Skip to the section you're most interested in. 

 

• Travel (To and From Airport to Downtown)

Getting around Montreal can be fairly confusing, especially if you aren't used to cities of this size or if you've never read a word of French in your life. Almost all street signs are exclusively French, and all wording on buses and trains is exclusively French. With this in mind, keep a keen ear and listen for the street names in announcements to get an idea of where you are and how far you've traveled.

 

Step 1: Getting from the airport to ANYWHERE can be expensive. The cheapest option will be a 3 (or more) day pass on an STM L'Occasionnelle card. 3 day pass is only $18 and works for buses and trains in the Metro. A cab ride downtown is around $50 one-way. See what I mean? At the airport, follow Sortie (exit) signs until you see the front doors. Look for signs that say "747" with arrows. Follow them until you either go to the info booth or the digital self-serve STM kiosks to print out your card. Yes there are English options on the STM machines.

 

Step 2: Walk outside and go as far right as you can at the airport's front sidewalk, again following the 747 signs. You'll likely see a long lineup with people holding bags waiting for or getting on a bus. Make sure it says 747 and hop on! Your card works here. The pink bus line is MUCH faster than the green bus line as the green line usually has a huge line of people waiting. You'll see what I mean when you get there. Either way though, it will take you to your next stop......
Note: Even if you are forced to take a cab, simply take the cab to the subway station below. It will still be cheaper to get a ticket there and use it for the week.

 

Step 3: The next stop is Lionel-Groulx. Pronounced (roughly) like Li-yon-al Grow. You'll walk inside, down an escalator, and hop on the subway going towards your place of stay. Look at the subway map and try to figure out which station is closest to your hotel / airbnb / hovel, and go in that direction. To get downtown, hop on the Honoré-Beaugrand platform. Again, listen for your stops or count them out as you go by as it can be hard to hear the announcements, especially if you are a non-native speaker of French.

Note: The closest station to the consulate is the McGill station which is only 4 stops away from Lionel-Groulx!

 

Step 4: The consulate is located at 1155 Rue St-Alexandre. The door looks like an unassuming door on the side of the building, but it is the only door directly on St-Alexandre. It has a US consulate logo on top of it.

Walking here to and from most hotels and places downtown (especially since you're now an expert in getting around the metro) is a piece of cake. 5 min walk to McGill station. 20 min walk from Peel station.

 

Step 5: On your return trip, go back to Lionel-Groulx via Angrignon platform. Once at Lionel-Groulx, walk to the street and head to the corner of Atwater and Delisle. You'll see a bus stop marked "#61334". It will also say 747. Wait for the bus that has "P.E.Trudeau" printed on the digital screen and you'll also likely see more people with baggage waiting. This will take you all the way back to the airport.

 

• Inside the Consulate

Step 1: A guard will greet you at the door. About one foot inside the door is a small podium where they will confirm your appointment, check your passport and appointment letter, and they'll give you a laminated number as well as a list of documents they need. You are then told to proceed to security which is right in front of you.
 

Step 2: Security is similar to the airport security. Take off any jewelry, metal objects, belt, empty pockets, jackets, etc.. They will ask you to turn your phone off and take it from you. You can keep everything else. They will hand you a very small ticket with a number on it. Keep this safe or you won't get your phone back!

Note: While at the appointment I saw many women with rather LARGE handbags and purses. Likely they would also let you in with a carry bag luggage that you might fit under the seat on an airplane.

 

Step 3: Head down a flight of stairs and then across a hall. To your left will be a photo booth that does passport photos for $10 if you need to retake them. The elevator is at the end of the hall and only has two buttons: RC and 19. Hit 19.

 

Step 4: You'll enter a waiting room. For me, about 15 people or so were waiting in the "immigrant visa" section. Sit down and (again, for me) 10 minutes pass and they'll call your number that you received earlier up. In these 10 minutes you should gather the required documents from their list and put them in order. Not necessarily in the order they say, but as long as you have them all together you'll be fine. See REQUIRED DOCUMENTS below!

 

Step 5: At the window, they will ask for the documents they had you gather, in no particular order. In fact, it seemed as though the person behind the window was remembering them as they went. They will prepare a file for you, and get you to take your fingerprints on a digital scanner. You're then told to wait until your number is once again called. This person was very friendly and understanding. She explained what I did and did not need to hand in.

 

Step 6: For me, an hour passed before my number was again called. I went down a hall and into a more private booth with a window. I was asked very basic questions such as "When was the first time you met?" "When did you start a relationship?" "How often do you visit?". She also thumbed briefly through the Affidavit of Support (I-134) and that was it. She handed back all originals. Again, see required documents below for what she did and did not take. I can't tell you enough how friendly (and happy) the person doing the interview was. She said she loved hearing about the "love stories". 

 

Step 7: I was informed that the application was approved, was handed a letter saying "Welcome to America", as well as a link to the "ais.usvisa-info.com" site where you paid the MRV fee, and was told Canada Post would email me a tracking number in 5 days. This tracking number can also be found on that link.

 

• Required Documents

Do not use this as a bona fide list! This was from MY personal experience and yours may differ. Always follow the Packet 4 instructions!
DO NOT EXPECT / ASSUME THIS TO BE THE SAME FOR YOU.

 

Documents I was asked for on the letter given to me:

1. Passport + Bio page copy
2. Divorce Decrees (original only)**
3. Fiance statement of intent
4. PROOF OF PAYMENT (this is not listed on Packet 4, but is mentioned when you pay!)
5. Affidavit(s) of support
6. Medical sealed exam
7. Long-form birth certificate + copy
8. Police certificate
9. 2 color photos (again, they do have a booth downstairs if these weren't accepted or were lost or forgotten)
    

**Note: Divorce decree was not mentioned on their form but both the first and second person I saw mentioned previous marriages and I had the decree ready.

 

Documents I was NOT asked for (These did not even appear on their list at the consulate)

1. CEAC confirmation page of DS-160
2. Proof of US domicile
3. Proof of petitioner status
4. Any previously submitted info on the I-129F including photos, relationship evidence, old passport stamps, I-94, relationship history (seriously none of it!)

 

I was handed back originals (including divorce decree) after the interview.

[Lemonslice 4,947]

Félicitations on the approval (+ your Lionel-Groulx pronunciation!)

[Marzena & Stephen 544]

@Peot thank you for sharing! Congrats!!!! 

[Peot 161]

28 minutes ago, Lemonslice said:

Félicitations on the approval (+ your Lionel-Groulx pronunciation!)

Haha that pronunciation is the best I could do! .... ROLL YOUR R's of course  

[broppy 204]

Excellent write-up. But why mess with Lionel-Groulx and the metro? Bus 747 runs right past the consulate on Blvd René-Lévesque. If you're staying anywhere close to the consulate (I used the Mariott a block away), it's a lot easier to take the bus all the way.

[Peot 161]

21 minutes ago, broppy said:

Excellent write-up. But why mess with Lionel-Groulx and the metro? Bus 747 runs right past the consulate on Blvd René-Lévesque. If you're staying anywhere close to the consulate (I used the Mariott a block away), it's a lot easier to take the bus all the way.

..... For the same reason I wouldn't take a bus around New York City or London England?

Because the bus smells like diesel, it's hot, you have to wait in traffic, and it takes 100 hours to get to the consulate? Not to mention if you want to go anywhere else in the city, you're stuck transferring and waiting ages for your proper bus to arrive. I may be exaggerating a bit there.... but not much.

 

The only way it's easier (in my opinion) is that you don't have to walk a few feet to the subway platform. But yes, you CAN literally sit on the bus all the way to the consulate if you so choose (and get on the green line). It certainly wouldn't be my first option when a city has a rail system!

 

The pass you get works on the subway for no extra cost, and that takes a mere few minutes at most to travel within a block of the consulate, or anywhere else you want to go for that matter, so why mess with the bus??

Edited August 25, 2017 by Peot

[broppy 204]

38 minutes ago, Peot said:

Because the bus smells like diesel, it's hot, you have to wait in traffic, and it takes 100 hours to get to the consulate?

I did the trip in January - "hot" was a plus. And it's only around 40 mins from YUL to the consulate. 

38 minutes ago, Peot said:

The only way it's easier (in my opinion) is that you don't have to walk a few feet to the subway platform. But yes, you CAN literally sit on the bus all the way to the consulate if you so choose (and get on the green line). It certainly wouldn't be my first option when a city has a rail system!

For non-frenchies in a strange city, it's a lot less hassle to get off the plane and take just one bus to your destination. I'm pretty adventurous and rode tubes/trams/subways/metros all over europe, but when google suggests taking bus 747 all the way from airport to consulate, who am I to argue?

38 minutes ago, Peot said:

The pass you get works on the subway for no extra cost, and that takes a mere few minutes at most to travel within a block of the consulate, or anywhere else you want to go for that matter, so why mess with the bus??

If you want to explore the city some, then yes, of course take your time and enjoy the transit options. If all you want to do is a quick trip from YUL to consulate and back again, the bus is easier.

[cdagevil 37]

A beautiful read! Thank you so much. My fiancee and I are currently waiting for our NVC # in order to make the appointment with medical. 

I imagine you need this # to make the medical appointment yes?

 

Also I was wondering if you could tell me how long it took your from NVC # to interview.

 

Thanks so much!!

[Sam2134 25]

Hello Folks,

 

I have my CR1 Interview scheduled in November and was wondering if my wife (petitioner, US citizen) can accompany me into the embassy for the interview?

 

Thanks!

[cdagevil 37]

1 hour ago, Sam2134 said:

Hello Folks,

 

I have my CR1 Interview scheduled in November and was wondering if my wife (petitioner, US citizen) can accompany me into the embassy for the interview?

 

Thanks!

Yep absolutely! She will need to bring her passport for identification

[Sam2134 25]

18 minutes ago, cdagevil said:

Yep absolutely! She will need to bring her passport for identification

Thanks a lot for your quick response

[TS_123 9]

Sorry, but why is the US location stated as 1155 Rue St-Alexandre? Isn't it 315 Place d’Youville, Suite 500?

[broppy 204]

52 minutes ago, TS_123 said:

Sorry, but why is the US location stated as 1155 Rue St-Alexandre? Isn't it 315 Place d’Youville, Suite 500?

Place d'Youville is their mailing address (it's a UPS store). Their physical office is on rue St-Alexandre. 

[nanaaalex 49]

On 8/24/2017 at 11:56 PM, broppy said:

Excellent write-up. But why mess with Lionel-Groulx and the metro? Bus 747 runs right past the consulate on Blvd René-Lévesque. If you're staying anywhere close to the consulate (I used the Mariott a block away), it's a lot easier to take the bus all the way.

I agree!