Confused about how and when to pay fee for DS160/MRV Fee (Canada, Montreal consulate)

[TimonLovesSkylour 7]

Hi there VJ forum peoples,

 

My fiancée and I have a question about the fee for processing of form DS-160:

 

I have received the Packet 3 letter from the Montreal consulate. I have responded to it as instructed in the packet 3 letter for K1 fiancee visa applicants -- that is, I've supplied the requested documentation:

1. Confirmation receipt with barcode number of the completed Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application DS-160 for me,

2. Scanned copy of the "Packet 3 Checklist for K1 Fiancé(e) Visa Applicants" -- filled out, and signed and dated, and

3. Color-scanned copy of the biographical data page of my valid passport

 

and I understand that at some point I will owe $265 USD to have the form DS-160 processed -- I've seen this referred to in some places online as the MRV Fee.

 

The thing is, I'm really confused about how to go about actually paying this...? Should I be waiting for instructions from the consulate about how to go about doing this, or should I be taking action now to do it?

 

Thank you!

[MeghanK 629]

You can pay this when you're scheduling your interview online or AT your interview at the consulate. I believe it's one of the first things it'll ask for when scheduling your interview online (if it doesn't ask, you are scheduling for the wrong visa) 

[Peot 161]

You cannot schedule an interview without first paying this fee. Paying the fee at the interview isn't an option as an interview appointment won't be created without payment.

 

Instructions on paying will actually come as part of the "Packet 4" email you receive. It will provide a link under a title "Schedule your visa interview appointment", and on that following webpage it will provide options for making the payment.

 

So yeah, wait for the instructions. 🙂 You literally can't proceed without first processing the fee.

 

[TimonLovesSkylour 7]

 

11 hours ago, MeghanK said:

You can pay this when you're scheduling your interview online or AT your interview at the consulate. I believe it's one of the first things it'll ask for when scheduling your interview online (if it doesn't ask, you are scheduling for the wrong visa) 

Yeah, this is what I thought, too, after having looked around a bit more online after posting this thread.. the packet 4 instruction materials available here: https://ca.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/Packet4-MTL.pdf say that "If you have previously paid all fees due to the National Visa Center or on the appointment website, there will be no additional fees to pay on the day of the interview. If you have not paid fees at the NVC or on the CSC website, please be prepared to pay the required fees on the day of your interview." (Under Step 4: Immigrant Visa Fees on page 4, in 'The Day of Your Interview' section.)

 

We were getting confused because some blogs with instructions on how to do the K1 process that we had found very helpful in assembling the I-129F package correctly, and getting our NVC case number, were also saying that we needed to use the US travel docs website to pay the fee, and when you try to do that and go to the Montreal consulate's website, you really can't find anything about where to pay any fees.

 

3 hours ago, Peot said:

You cannot schedule an interview without first paying this fee. Paying the fee at the interview isn't an option as an interview appointment won't be created without payment.

 

Instructions on paying will actually come as part of the "Packet 4" email you receive. It will provide a link under a title "Schedule your visa interview appointment", and on that following webpage it will provide options for making the payment.

 

So yeah, wait for the instructions. 🙂 You literally can't proceed without first processing the fee.

 

So, that's a little confusing since it doesn't jibe with what those packet 4 instructions say. But personal experience is ultimately what counts, not what a PDF on the internet says -- so is this a case of actual practice being different from what's indicated online?

 

And thank you both for the prompt responses! I'm glad that I haven't missed any deadline I wasn't aware of, that's a relief.

[Peot 161]

On 9/7/2018 at 11:00 AM, TimonLovesSkylour said:

So, that's a little confusing since it doesn't jibe with what those packet 4 instructions say. But personal experience is ultimately what counts, not what a PDF on the internet says -- so is this a case of actual practice being different from what's indicated online?

  

And thank you both for the prompt responses! I'm glad that I haven't missed any deadline I wasn't aware of, that's a relief.

When you go to make the appointment online it will wait for confirmation of payment before it schedules anything. I suppose it would be possible to pay the NVC fees early and have them acknowledge the payment later? 

 

The Packet 4 link to schedule an interview is here - you can take a look
https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca/iv/information/iv_services

 

Once you pay, BRING THAT PROOF OF PAYMENT with you to the interview. None of the checklists show this, but it is required. 

[TimonLovesSkylour 7]

On 9/10/2018 at 2:40 PM, Peot said:

When you go to make the appointment online it will wait for confirmation of payment before it schedules anything. I suppose it would be possible to pay the NVC fees early and have them acknowledge the payment later? 

 

The Packet 4 link to schedule an interview is here - you can take a look
https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca/iv/information/iv_services

 

Once you pay, BRING THAT PROOF OF PAYMENT with you to the interview. None of the checklists show this, but it is required. 

Okay, thank you for explaining that, I got it figured out and paid ahead of time, interview scheduled and everything. Sorry I didn't respond here sooner.

 

And thank you very much for the heads-up on bringing proof of payment, very good to know!