Worried about Montreal Consulate being SLOW...

[furrysquirrel 0]

I've just read through the posts re: Montreal consulate and I'm getting very worried about how long it will take to get an interview date. We submitted our original I-129F petition way back in October (through California SC) and we only got our NOA2 3 weeks ago!! How slow was that?

Anyway, I called the NVC this morning and they said they would likely send out our case to Montreal by the end of this week (the 31st). I'm guessing that means that it will be another 3 to 4 weeks or so before I receive my packet 3 from Montreal. Based on the other posts it looks like a wait time of 2months from the time you send the packet back until the interview date.....

My dilemma is, I've set the wedding date for June3rd (put down deposits and everything)....and now my interview date may not be set in time!!

Question: when I send the packet back, is it a bad idea to include a handwritten note letting them know my situation and asking...merely out of any compassion they might have....to give me the quickest interview date possible?? or will that just annoy them (or perhaps there is nothing they can do to help me??)

Anyone have any thoughts? I'm kind of freaking out about this.

[Fuzzness 2]

I'm now waiting for an interview. We had set a date for June 3rd too but we're most certainly going to move it back. we sort of set a floating date because we just dont know when the wedding will be able to happen until I have that visa in my hands.

[raymaga 25]

A June 3rd wedding will definitely be pushing it. Montreal does seem to take a long time to send out Packet 3 and then schedule an interview.

Is there any way you could go talk to the people at the place where you have booked your wedding and explain the situation to them and ask them if they could apply the deposit you have given them to a later date? Maybe as long as you will still be having your wedding at their establishment and not cancelling completely, they will let you change the date. Just a thought.

Good luck.

[pri 0]

well you can try sending them a letter and asking them its no harm doing that

you can chk my timeline and get a rough idea

Al

[babydoll** 0]

I was worried at first about things going slow.. but it's actually been fairly quick compared to some. We sent out the I129 February 21st.. got NOA1 Feb 24.. NOA2 March 10.. NVC sent it to Montreal March 15 and I just got off the phone with Montreal, they sent my package 3 on March 23rd.. which should be here anytime.

But we also have our wedding scheduled for October 14th so we still have 6+ months. We planned for a year long engagement.

[happyimmigrant 0]

I've just read through the posts re: Montreal consulate and I'm getting very worried about how long it will take to get an interview date. We submitted our original I-129F petition way back in October (through California SC) and we only got our NOA2 3 weeks ago!! How slow was that?

Anyway, I called the NVC this morning and they said they would likely send out our case to Montreal by the end of this week (the 31st). I'm guessing that means that it will be another 3 to 4 weeks or so before I receive my packet 3 from Montreal. Based on the other posts it looks like a wait time of 2months from the time you send the packet back until the interview date.....

My dilemma is, I've set the wedding date for June3rd (put down deposits and everything)....and now my interview date may not be set in time!!

Question: when I send the packet back, is it a bad idea to include a handwritten note letting them know my situation and asking...merely out of any compassion they might have....to give me the quickest interview date possible?? or will that just annoy them (or perhaps there is nothing they can do to help me??)

Anyone have any thoughts? I'm kind of freaking out about this.

I'm in the same situation - ours is set for June 10, although if Montreal keeps up at the same rate of 8-9 weeks from Packet 3 submission, I should be getting my interview around the third week of May. Doesn't leave a whole lot of time to move and finish wedding planning, but...at least I'll be there.

I have doubts you will have your interview in time for a June 3rd wedding. If Montreal receives your submission at the end of the week as NVC told you, you should be receiving your packet 3 around April 14th. If you turn it around the same day, at their current rates, the earliest interview date you would see is June 9th, and it would realistically be a week or two later than that.

I did do the same thing as you are proposing, however. In my packet 3 submission, I sent a cover letter:

Please find enclosed my completed checklist, along with my completed DS-230 (part I) form.

If it is at all possible, I would greatly appreciate any expediting of the interview date that you may be able to provide. I would also welcome the opportunity to utilize any cancelled interview date that may become available.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Don't know if it will do any good or not, but it can't hurt to ask, and if you don't ask, you don't get. Right?

[furrysquirrel 0]

gsmaclean...that's a good idea, offering to take any cancelled interview appts. I'll let them know that I'd be willing to fly in from Toronto (where I live) at any time within a day's notice to fill in a cancelled interview opening. hopefully that will work -- i know it's a govmt agency but hopefully someone there is capable of even small doses of compassion??

thanks for the responses!

[calidreamer80 0]

This is exactly why I scrapped my Aug 5th wedding. We're just going to have a civil ceremony whenever I get there. It's just too much pressure to have a wedding when Montreal (and csc) is moving at a snails pace. It's very frustrating.

[Cassie 8]

The only time I have seen Montreal accommodate a "please fulfill my request for an expedited interview date" request was for someone whose fiance was due to be deployed to the Middle East. I myself sent a request for a specific date (so my pregnant sis in law could make it to my wedding) and was ignored.

FWIW, Montreal only started "slowing down" again when the DCF procedures came into being, so they have more a case load to deal with now. For a while there (before my interview in 2004) they were taking up to 4 months to get everything done for a K-1, and then it sped up to 1.5-2 months, and perhaps now it's settling back to the previous 3-4 months.

Methinks you will get your packet 3 within a couple of days from them receiving your case, they're pretty prompt with that part, it's the waiting for the appointment date, and then the wait for the appointment itself that will probably take a bit of time. But we can console ourselves with the fact that Montreal is one of the best consulates to be dealing with, compared to others.

[Fuzzness 2]

The only time I have seen Montreal accommodate a "please fulfill my request for an expedited interview date" request was for someone whose fiance was due to be deployed to the Middle East. I myself sent a request for a specific date (so my pregnant sis in law could make it to my wedding) and was ignored.

FWIW, Montreal only started "slowing down" again when the DCF procedures came into being, so they have more a case load to deal with now. For a while there (before my interview in 2004) they were taking up to 4 months to get everything done for a K-1, and then it sped up to 1.5-2 months, and perhaps now it's settling back to the previous 3-4 months.

Methinks you will get your packet 3 within a couple of days from them receiving your case, they're pretty prompt with that part, it's the waiting for the appointment date, and then the wait for the appointment itself that will probably take a bit of time. But we can console ourselves with the fact that Montreal is one of the best consulates to be dealing with, compared to others.

You mean they'll ignore my request to expedite the date because Karen can only come on a specific week? (which is in two weeks and i still dont have a date)

[silverbutterfly228 0]

i'd be freaking out about that too. you might not get deposits back. Your really going to be coming close to your date! this is why i am having two weddings. One is quick civil ceremony and a year or two later when i can go to places to check out to plan accordingly. It's hard to plan a wedding around this process. Maybe it's why they give 6 months of entry time so you can plan for a late wedding without it interfering with your interview. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully you make it. I would talk to the places you put a deposit down on and see if u can move it back. saver to ask than to play it like you will amke it and find out the interview is after june 3rd.

[Peggy 1]

The only time I have seen Montreal accommodate a "please fulfill my request for an expedited interview date" request was for someone whose fiance was due to be deployed to the Middle East. I myself sent a request for a specific date (so my pregnant sis in law could make it to my wedding) and was ignored.

FWIW, Montreal only started "slowing down" again when the DCF procedures came into being, so they have more a case load to deal with now. For a while there (before my interview in 2004) they were taking up to 4 months to get everything done for a K-1, and then it sped up to 1.5-2 months, and perhaps now it's settling back to the previous 3-4 months.

Methinks you will get your packet 3 within a couple of days from them receiving your case, they're pretty prompt with that part, it's the waiting for the appointment date, and then the wait for the appointment itself that will probably take a bit of time. But we can console ourselves with the fact that Montreal is one of the best consulates to be dealing with, compared to others.

You mean they'll ignore my request to expedite the date because Karen can only come on a specific week? (which is in two weeks and i still dont have a date)

I really cant see them expediting cases either unless its a real emergency like Cassie has said.

Sorry to say but I dont think your going to be getting an interview date within two weeks if you were not already told about it. I could be wrong, thats just MO.

Why did you tell them to expedite it Joel?

So that Karen could go to the interview with you?

I dont think that their going to think that is a good enough reason to speed up your interview. In Montreal the finace is not required to attend the interview.

I hope you get it when you asked, but just dont get your hopes up to high about it.

[Fuzzness 2]

The only time I have seen Montreal accommodate a "please fulfill my request for an expedited interview date" request was for someone whose fiance was due to be deployed to the Middle East. I myself sent a request for a specific date (so my pregnant sis in law could make it to my wedding) and was ignored.

FWIW, Montreal only started "slowing down" again when the DCF procedures came into being, so they have more a case load to deal with now. For a while there (before my interview in 2004) they were taking up to 4 months to get everything done for a K-1, and then it sped up to 1.5-2 months, and perhaps now it's settling back to the previous 3-4 months.

Methinks you will get your packet 3 within a couple of days from them receiving your case, they're pretty prompt with that part, it's the waiting for the appointment date, and then the wait for the appointment itself that will probably take a bit of time. But we can console ourselves with the fact that Montreal is one of the best consulates to be dealing with, compared to others.

You mean they'll ignore my request to expedite the date because Karen can only come on a specific week? (which is in two weeks and i still dont have a date)

I really cant see them expediting cases either unless its a real emergency like Cassie has said.

Sorry to say but I dont think your going to be getting an interview date within two weeks if you were not already told about it. I could be wrong, thats just MO.

Why did you tell them to expedite it Joel?

So that Karen could go to the interview with you?

I dont think that their going to think that is a good enough reason to speed up your interview. In Montreal the finace is not required to attend the interview.

I hope you get it when you asked, but just dont get your hopes up to high about it.

I'm not keeping my hopes up/ I have accepted that I will be going to Montreal all by myself. Scary prospect for me. When i get my date I will ask them though. Can't hurt to try I guess.

[silverbutterfly228 0]

The only time I have seen Montreal accommodate a "please fulfill my request for an expedited interview date" request was for someone whose fiance was due to be deployed to the Middle East. I myself sent a request for a specific date (so my pregnant sis in law could make it to my wedding) and was ignored.

FWIW, Montreal only started "slowing down" again when the DCF procedures came into being, so they have more a case load to deal with now. For a while there (before my interview in 2004) they were taking up to 4 months to get everything done for a K-1, and then it sped up to 1.5-2 months, and perhaps now it's settling back to the previous 3-4 months.

Methinks you will get your packet 3 within a couple of days from them receiving your case, they're pretty prompt with that part, it's the waiting for the appointment date, and then the wait for the appointment itself that will probably take a bit of time. But we can console ourselves with the fact that Montreal is one of the best consulates to be dealing with, compared to others.

You mean they'll ignore my request to expedite the date because Karen can only come on a specific week? (which is in two weeks and i still dont have a date)

I really cant see them expediting cases either unless its a real emergency like Cassie has said.

Sorry to say but I dont think your going to be getting an interview date within two weeks if you were not already told about it. I could be wrong, thats just MO.

Why did you tell them to expedite it Joel?

So that Karen could go to the interview with you?

I dont think that their going to think that is a good enough reason to speed up your interview. In Montreal the finace is not required to attend the interview.

I hope you get it when you asked, but just dont get your hopes up to high about it.

I'm not keeping my hopes up/ I have accepted that I will be going to Montreal all by myself. Scary prospect for me. When i get my date I will ask them though. Can't hurt to try I guess.

I'm probably going to montreal by myself too Scary to me too. i get to worry about interview (when i get it) AND worry about traveling there by myself. i might not make it. lol

[Fuzzness 2]

I'm probably going to montreal by myself too Scary to me too. i get to worry about interview (when i get it) AND worry about traveling there by myself. i might not make it. lol

Getting there is no problem, I'm flying Canjet for the first time. its once i get there. a new airport and city