Feedback on EB3 Interview in Montreal

[FERBOS 11]

Hello everyone,

As everyone at VJ were so helpful to me during my own immigration journey, I wanted to share my experience at the interview. I did the consular processing in Montreal for a worker's visa (EB3).  The whole process lasted a few years from the start but I was already working in the US under a L visa. Once it expired, I had to leave and work from Canada. But the whole process took longer than anticipated, a whole one year which I lived out of the US. Anyways, the interview was yesterday (August 31). 

I arrived at 8 am (scheduled for 9 am) and the guards at entrance were very polite. I didn't have any bags, or cell phone, and they were very happy we didn't carry any extras. There was actually a couple outside the embassy taking photo albums, papers, all kind of stuff out of a backpack and they looked so disorganized. 

So we went upstairs through the elevator, took a seat, we were #7. In 10 minutes we were asked to go to booth #3 so the 1st officer would check our documents; she checked all originals, and took our fingerprints. All looked good. At 8:30 am we were done on the 1st screening. 

At 9:10 am we were asked into booth #9 for the actual interview. The CO was extremely nice and asked the standard questions:

- who is petitioning you?

- how long have you been working there?

- what is your job? what do you do?

- how much experience you have before this job?

- which countries have you been in the past 5 years?

- how long you stayed in the US on trips before your work permit? (I have been to some concerts and camping, just for a few days at a time)

- what is the occupation of my spouse? (the CO was very impressed with the reply, the work was at the UN)

 

All in all, less than 10 minutes. I signed a paper which stated that I have to work for my petitioner once I enter the USA. Then the CO said it all looked good and the case was approved. Unfortunately they had a bug in the system and their system was unresponsive for the last 24 hours, and if the CO was not able to push it through on that day, my application would fall on September, and therefore I would have to wait until October - the September Bulletin was not "current". I told the CO to please try it today, because my son (first grade) needed to be at school asap. 

The CO was very nice and affirmed it would take care of the case personally but that situation was out of their hands.

 

So I was imagining the visa coming only in October and I actually had no place to stay as my house is in the USA (I was living in short term rental places and family during the past year). I actually prayed to the Gods of the Internet and Cyber-systems to make their system work out. At 4:30 pm same day, the CO called me on my cell phone to let me know they were able to push it through and wanted to call me and tranquilize me so i didn't have to worry over the long weekend.

 

I was so happy to hear! I thanked her so much that I felt embarrassed. Nonetheless, my actual visa is coming in a few days, and I feel very certain about this decision to immigrate to the US. Everyone has been very nice. The long waiting time is just some necessary red tape (too much fraud and terrorist treats and the good people pay the price) but I hope everyone's cases go well.

 

Thanks to everyone who helped me ease my mind in times of hopelessness.