IR-1/CR-1 Montreal DQ'd private message group goes public

[Tofu 343]

12 minutes ago, Ptitchou said:

Can anyone report as to whether or not the consulate has vending machines for water and/or snacks? I'm concerned about being there for hours without any hydration as medical issues mean I really need to be drinking water every hour and they obviously won't let us bring anything in. 

Hi - no vending machines. I did see a water fountain. 
 

I was in there for approx 1.5 hours if that helps. 

[M Brown 25]

8 hours ago, CGs_Mother said:

Travelling for immigration purposes is essential under Canadian federal law. (Which is why that minister in Quebec was allowed to travel to Peru to settle the affairs of his spouse, and the caucus and party had cleared his travel so he never should have had to resign, but I digress...) If such travel was not allowed, then our friends who have crossed at the land border while the borders have been closed would have been turned back, regardless of status. 

 

Just have your letter with the interview date and such with you at all times. It's possible for you to be stopped along the 401 corridor by the OPP and SQ, since you're driving. Have everything ready - your hotel confirmation (or name and address of the place where you are staying), your dates of travel, your interview confirmation, etc. They just want to make sure you're not going to Montreal for a protest against the lockdown or a gathering of any kind or for non-essential (partying) purposes.  IF on the off chance someone issues you a ticket, you can always fight it and get proof from the Consulate that you were there. 

 

Good luck with your interview! On Inauguration Day no less!!

Thanks for the reply - I feel a bit better about making the trip.  I was going to make it a solo day trip, but my father is going to split the driving with me - no hotels.  There and back same day.  I’ll have my interview letter handy. 

[Prairiegirl3 67]

For those of you who’ve had interviews with joint sponsors.. do they ask for 1040s? I have my spouses 1040s, as we weren’t able to get his tax transcripts at the nvc stage. But now planning for the interview, all I have for  my father in law are his tax transcripts and w2s. No 1040s, 1099s, etc. Is this okay or should I get him to send copies?

 

thanks!

[Hawk Riders 814]

7 hours ago, Lois K said:

As we approach 200 pages...

I have already planned for a thread continuance link! 

Stay tuned...

[KStene22 80]

3 hours ago, Prairiegirl3 said:

For those of you who’ve had interviews with joint sponsors.. do they ask for 1040s? I have my spouses 1040s, as we weren’t able to get his tax transcripts at the nvc stage. But now planning for the interview, all I have for  my father in law are his tax transcripts and w2s. No 1040s, 1099s, etc. Is this okay or should I get him to send copies?

 

thanks!

I might be able to help a little bit with this.  I email the consulate asking if we needed our joint sponsors tax return since we only have his tax transcript.  Here was the reply:

 

Good Morning,

Thank you for your inquiry.

 

We strongly encourage immigrant visa applicants to carefully review the interview preparation instructions available on the website of the Department of State: https://ca.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/Packet4-MTL.pdf

 

The applicant must bring all the originals of his documents, including:

 

-Most recent income tax from petitioner (IRS transcript and W-2).

-Original Birth Certificate

-Original Police Certificate

-Original divorced/death certificate of any previous marriages for applicant and petitioner if applicable

-Most recent petitioner IRS transcript and W-2

-Original Marriage certificate

-Medical Report

-2 Pictures

- Passport

 

We also recommend that the applicant come to the appointment as scheduled and bring whatever documents the applicant has available to the visa interview. A consular officer will review the case and will provide instructions on how to submit any missing documents, through our courier service after the interview. 

 

 

[mam521 2,126]

8 hours ago, Lois K said:

As we approach 200 pages, which I understand is the max for a thread, I'd like for this thread not just peter out, but end with purpose by including a link to the awesome FAQ (and of course a link to the new thread where we'll want to keep talking). We've posted 1800+ times in this thread and the info throughout has been incredibly useful, albeit challenging to search through. That FAQ has been key. For the sake of future VJers who jump to the end of a thread hoping for a summary, I suggest we provide the FAQ. 

@Hawk Riders can probably do like dwheelz does on the monthly forum and create a new, continuation thread. 
 

22 hours ago, Magnolian said:

This is something I have been wondering too. We are planning to live with my mother-in-law who lives in a big house alone until we find a house or an apartment. We are planning to get a letter from her stating that we can live with as long as we like. I have been just wondering it this would be sufficient enough for us to establish domicile. I hope other people here can shed some light on this.

Have your MIL create a proper lease agreement that you guys both sign. There are tons of templates available, just make sure it’s legal for the state you’ll be in. 

[HRubin 67]

Further details from husband's interview today:

 

Appt. was at 8:30 and he was let in by security at precisely that time. He said the staff once he was in the building was very friendly and helpful. 

 

He did bring his phone and security took that and placed it in a locker and gave him a key to keep. 

 

First booth he went to he gave his passport and then he sat back down and waited

 

Second window he did fingerprinting and confirmed the US address and phone number. We did have an updated address since NVC and he brought a mortgage statement to show address. He was then asked for the certified copies of both birth and marriage certificate, and one passport picture. We provided an updated I-864 as our financials had improved since the NVC stage. They took the 2019 transcript, 1040 and W-2 to get scanned in. He was also given the Domestic Abuse Pamphlet and told to go back and take a seat to wait for interview. 

 

Sat for about an hour and was called to third window where he took oath and fingerprints again to certify and then was asked the following questions:

-Where did you meet your spouse?

-What does your spouse do for work and where does she live?

-What college did you go to (He was in US previously on student visa)

-Evidence of student visa - he showed his passport with stamp when he crossed (This part surprised us and we were happy to have some documents on hand to show from his prior visa)

-Asked if he had a medical packet to submit which he told the CO that the medical office had sent results over electronically the day prior. She then did some clicking on her computer and said "oh yep- here it is!" 

-Asked him to summarize what the domestic abuse pamphlet was about 

 

She then told him she was going to accept and approve his application and gave him the Welcome letter and told to expect passport back within 2-3 weeks. 

 

We were very nervous about getting asked to have a joint sponsor or having to prove assets as our tax transcripts that we submitted at the NVC stage did not reflect my current income and did not meet the financial requirements (I was living in Canada for half the year). My current income though (and that reflected in 2019 transcripts) has always been enough to support the AOS. We did prepare by bringing financial evidence to show assets and did have a joint sponsor on standby to submit but thankfully we were not asked any questions regarding that. 

 

His experience was very similar to what others have posted here. We will update the group when we receive tracking info for his passport and border crossing details. 

 

 

 

 

[AnkitShah20 32]

1 hour ago, HRubin said:

Further details from husband's interview today:

 

Appt. was at 8:30 and he was let in by security at precisely that time. He said the staff once he was in the building was very friendly and helpful. 

 

He did bring his phone and security took that and placed it in a locker and gave him a key to keep. 

 

First booth he went to he gave his passport and then he sat back down and waited

 

Second window he did fingerprinting and confirmed the US address and phone number. We did have an updated address since NVC and he brought a mortgage statement to show address. He was then asked for the certified copies of both birth and marriage certificate, and one passport picture. We provided an updated I-864 as our financials had improved since the NVC stage. They took the 2019 transcript, 1040 and W-2 to get scanned in. He was also given the Domestic Abuse Pamphlet and told to go back and take a seat to wait for interview. 

 

Sat for about an hour and was called to third window where he took oath and fingerprints again to certify and then was asked the following questions:

-Where did you meet your spouse?

-What does your spouse do for work and where does she live?

-What college did you go to (He was in US previously on student visa)

-Evidence of student visa - he showed his passport with stamp when he crossed (This part surprised us and we were happy to have some documents on hand to show from his prior visa)

-Asked if he had a medical packet to submit which he told the CO that the medical office had sent results over electronically the day prior. She then did some clicking on her computer and said "oh yep- here it is!" 

-Asked him to summarize what the domestic abuse pamphlet was about 

 

She then told him she was going to accept and approve his application and gave him the Welcome letter and told to expect passport back within 2-3 weeks. 

 

We were very nervous about getting asked to have a joint sponsor or having to prove assets as our tax transcripts that we submitted at the NVC stage did not reflect my current income and did not meet the financial requirements (I was living in Canada for half the year). My current income though (and that reflected in 2019 transcripts) has always been enough to support the AOS. We did prepare by bringing financial evidence to show assets and did have a joint sponsor on standby to submit but thankfully we were not asked any questions regarding that. 

 

His experience was very similar to what others have posted here. We will update the group when we receive tracking info for his passport and border crossing details. 

 

 

 

 

@HRubin Hi - Is birth certificate required of the petitioner or the applicant? Or both? 

[Abhikochar 102]

Fingers crossed for whatever number of IL the Consulate sends for Feb (even if less than previously sent out, which will be) Hoping we find out over the next couple of days. Good luck guys🤞

[Hoffmaya 124]

Details on today's interview Jan-13 at 8:45am:

 

I arrived at 8:40am and the security officer asked for my name and time of interview. He did not ask for the IL since he had a list of individual names and times with him. 

He let me in and I went through security clearance (similar to the airport). I only had a binder for my docs (no bag) and did not bring any cell phone with me.

 

I was asked to use the hand sanitizer dispenser, take the elevator and go to 1st floor - window #6. At the window, an officer only asked for my passport. I gave my passport and was told to seat down and wait for my name to be called.

Please note that the room is Covid friendly and individuals are spaced out accordingly. Masks must be worn at all time (I was never asked to remove it even during the interview). There is one security guard on-site. There are 2 bathrooms, a water fountain and hand sanitizer dispensers. No vending machines.

 

After 15 minutes, I was called to window #3. The other officer took my fingerprints. I was asked to provide the following docs: Original marriage certificate, true-copy of birth certificate along with certified translation, police certificates (from Canada and country of birth along with certified translation),  1 passport photo (which was scanned and returned to me), signed copies of 1040 forms.

The officer did not ask for the following: I-864 (there was no change since last time it was submitted), DS-260 confirmation page, petitioner photocopy of birth certificate or US passport.

Please note that I did not have W2 since my petitioner lives, works and files taxes in Canada. 

The officer confirmed they did receive the report from the medical exam, and gave me the pamphlet to read (domestic violence & sexual assaults and legal rights in the US). I was told to seat down and wait for my name to be called for the interview. 

 

After waiting approx. 1 hour, my name was called to window # 4 for the interview. The officer asked me to take an oath and took my fingerprints again. He asked if I read the pamphlet and wanted me to summarize its content. The following questions were asked:

- Who is the petitioner? What is your spouse's job?

- What do I do for a living?

- Where do we live?

- Where do we intend to move and live in the US?

- Do we intend to keep our current jobs in the US? We actually do as we both work remotely and our companies have US presence. 

- Since the petitioner lives and works in Canada, I was asked to provide info on foreign assets/income? We just went through the US federal tax return and I had the FBAR form with all the details.  

- How and when did I meet my spouse?

- When did we start to live together? 

- Where did we get married? Did we have both families?

 

The officer said everything was in order and he approved my IR-1 visa. He gave me the "Welcome to the USA" letter and another paper with info once your visa is approved (check document status, what to do with tracking number, requesting home delivery).

He kept my passport and 1040 forms and informed me that these will be returned to me in a week or so. He also confirmed that I have until Jun-16, 2021 the latest to activate my permanent residency (6 months from the date of medical exam). He informed that it'll most likely take 1 hour at POE. 

 

The interview lasted about 15 minutes. It was quite straight forward and smooth. The officer was very pleasant and friendly.  

 

Hope this helps. Should you need further info/details, do not hesitate to reach out. I'll update the thread once I receive the tracking info for the passport. I opted for the premium delivery service ($20) via Purolator.  

 

[Stylereveal 38]

4 hours ago, HRubin said:

Further details from husband's interview today:

 

Appt. was at 8:30 and he was let in by security at precisely that time. He said the staff once he was in the building was very friendly and helpful. 

 

He did bring his phone and security took that and placed it in a locker and gave him a key to keep. 

 

First booth he went to he gave his passport and then he sat back down and waited

 

Second window he did fingerprinting and confirmed the US address and phone number. We did have an updated address since NVC and he brought a mortgage statement to show address. He was then asked for the certified copies of both birth and marriage certificate, and one passport picture. We provided an updated I-864 as our financials had improved since the NVC stage. They took the 2019 transcript, 1040 and W-2 to get scanned in. He was also given the Domestic Abuse Pamphlet and told to go back and take a seat to wait for interview. 

 

Sat for about an hour and was called to third window where he took oath and fingerprints again to certify and then was asked the following questions:

-Where did you meet your spouse?

-What does your spouse do for work and where does she live?

-What college did you go to (He was in US previously on student visa)

-Evidence of student visa - he showed his passport with stamp when he crossed (This part surprised us and we were happy to have some documents on hand to show from his prior visa)

-Asked if he had a medical packet to submit which he told the CO that the medical office had sent results over electronically the day prior. She then did some clicking on her computer and said "oh yep- here it is!" 

-Asked him to summarize what the domestic abuse pamphlet was about 

 

She then told him she was going to accept and approve his application and gave him the Welcome letter and told to expect passport back within 2-3 weeks. 

 

We were very nervous about getting asked to have a joint sponsor or having to prove assets as our tax transcripts that we submitted at the NVC stage did not reflect my current income and did not meet the financial requirements (I was living in Canada for half the year). My current income though (and that reflected in 2019 transcripts) has always been enough to support the AOS. We did prepare by bringing financial evidence to show assets and did have a joint sponsor on standby to submit but thankfully we were not asked any questions regarding that. 

 

His experience was very similar to what others have posted here. We will update the group when we receive tracking info for his passport and border crossing details. 

 

 

 

 

I have my husband’s 1040 and W2 I don’t have transcripts for 2019. My husband did his taxes with a tax preparer and got his refund but for some reason it’s not in the system as they told him because of the lock down in the spring it wasn’t entered but they got it. 

[Stylereveal 38]

8 hours ago, Hoffmaya said:

Details on today's interview Jan-13 at 8:45am:

 

I arrived at 8:40am and the security officer asked for my name and time of interview. He did not ask for the IL since he had a list of individual names and times with him. 

He let me in and I went through security clearance (similar to the airport). I only had a binder for my docs (no bag) and did not bring any cell phone with me.

 

I was asked to use the hand sanitizer dispenser, take the elevator and go to 1st floor - window #6. At the window, an officer only asked for my passport. I gave my passport and was told to seat down and wait for my name to be called.

Please note that the room is Covid friendly and individuals are spaced out accordingly. Masks must be worn at all time (I was never asked to remove it even during the interview). There is one security guard on-site. There are 2 bathrooms, a water fountain and hand sanitizer dispensers. No vending machines.

 

After 15 minutes, I was called to window #3. The other officer took my fingerprints. I was asked to provide the following docs: Original marriage certificate, true-copy of birth certificate along with certified translation, police certificates (from Canada and country of birth along with certified translation),  1 passport photo (which was scanned and returned to me), signed copies of 1040 forms.

The officer did not ask for the following: I-864 (there was no change since last time it was submitted), DS-260 confirmation page, petitioner photocopy of birth certificate or US passport.

Please note that I did not have W2 since my petitioner lives, works and files taxes in Canada. 

The officer confirmed they did receive the report from the medical exam, and gave me the pamphlet to read (domestic violence & sexual assaults and legal rights in the US). I was told to seat down and wait for my name to be called for the interview. 

 

After waiting approx. 1 hour, my name was called to window # 4 for the interview. The officer asked me to take an oath and took my fingerprints again. He asked if I read the pamphlet and wanted me to summarize its content. The following questions were asked:

- Who is the petitioner? What is your spouse's job?

- What do I do for a living?

- Where do we live?

- Where do we intend to move and live in the US?

- Do we intend to keep our current jobs in the US? We actually do as we both work remotely and our companies have US presence. 

- Since the petitioner lives and works in Canada, I was asked to provide info on foreign assets/income? We just went through the US federal tax return and I had the FBAR form with all the details.  

- How and when did I meet my spouse?

- When did we start to live together? 

- Where did we get married? Did we have both families?

 

The officer said everything was in order and he approved my IR-1 visa. He gave me the "Welcome to the USA" letter and another paper with info once your visa is approved (check document status, what to do with tracking number, requesting home delivery).

He kept my passport and 1040 forms and informed me that these will be returned to me in a week or so. He also confirmed that I have until Jun-16, 2021 the latest to activate my permanent residency (6 months from the date of medical exam). He informed that it'll most likely take 1 hour at POE. 

 

The interview lasted about 15 minutes. It was quite straight forward and smooth. The officer was very pleasant and friendly.  

 

Hope this helps. Should you need further info/details, do not hesitate to reach out. I'll update the thread once I receive the tracking info for the passport. I opted for the premium delivery service ($20) via Purolator.  

 

When I submitted the 1040 with my I-864 electronically they weren’t signed and it was accepted. So do they want the signed copy?

[HRubin 67]

9 hours ago, AnkitShah20 said:

@HRubin Hi - Is birth certificate required of the petitioner or the applicant? Or both? 

He was just asked for his (applicant)

[Prairiegirl3 67]

11 hours ago, KStene22 said:

I might be able to help a little bit with this.  I email the consulate asking if we needed our joint sponsors tax return since we only have his tax transcript.  Here was the reply:

 

Good Morning,

Thank you for your inquiry.

 

We strongly encourage immigrant visa applicants to carefully review the interview preparation instructions available on the website of the Department of State: https://ca.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/Packet4-MTL.pdf

 

The applicant must bring all the originals of his documents, including:

 

-Most recent income tax from petitioner (IRS transcript and W-2).

-Original Birth Certificate

-Original Police Certificate

-Original divorced/death certificate of any previous marriages for applicant and petitioner if applicable

-Most recent petitioner IRS transcript and W-2

-Original Marriage certificate

-Medical Report

-2 Pictures

- Passport

 

We also recommend that the applicant come to the appointment as scheduled and bring whatever documents the applicant has available to the visa interview. A consular officer will review the case and will provide instructions on how to submit any missing documents, through our courier service after the interview. 

 

 

Okay, so based on this, just the transcripts and w2s are fine for the joint sponsor. 

[mizzem 144]

10 hours ago, Hoffmaya said:

Details on today's interview Jan-13 at 8:45am:

 

I arrived at 8:40am and the security officer asked for my name and time of interview. He did not ask for the IL since he had a list of individual names and times with him. 

He let me in and I went through security clearance (similar to the airport). I only had a binder for my docs (no bag) and did not bring any cell phone with me.

 

I was asked to use the hand sanitizer dispenser, take the elevator and go to 1st floor - window #6. At the window, an officer only asked for my passport. I gave my passport and was told to seat down and wait for my name to be called.

Please note that the room is Covid friendly and individuals are spaced out accordingly. Masks must be worn at all time (I was never asked to remove it even during the interview). There is one security guard on-site. There are 2 bathrooms, a water fountain and hand sanitizer dispensers. No vending machines.

 

After 15 minutes, I was called to window #3. The other officer took my fingerprints. I was asked to provide the following docs: Original marriage certificate, true-copy of birth certificate along with certified translation, police certificates (from Canada and country of birth along with certified translation),  1 passport photo (which was scanned and returned to me), signed copies of 1040 forms.

The officer did not ask for the following: I-864 (there was no change since last time it was submitted), DS-260 confirmation page, petitioner photocopy of birth certificate or US passport.

Please note that I did not have W2 since my petitioner lives, works and files taxes in Canada. 

The officer confirmed they did receive the report from the medical exam, and gave me the pamphlet to read (domestic violence & sexual assaults and legal rights in the US). I was told to seat down and wait for my name to be called for the interview. 

 

After waiting approx. 1 hour, my name was called to window # 4 for the interview. The officer asked me to take an oath and took my fingerprints again. He asked if I read the pamphlet and wanted me to summarize its content. The following questions were asked:

- Who is the petitioner? What is your spouse's job?

- What do I do for a living?

- Where do we live?

- Where do we intend to move and live in the US?

- Do we intend to keep our current jobs in the US? We actually do as we both work remotely and our companies have US presence. 

- Since the petitioner lives and works in Canada, I was asked to provide info on foreign assets/income? We just went through the US federal tax return and I had the FBAR form with all the details.  

- How and when did I meet my spouse?

- When did we start to live together? 

- Where did we get married? Did we have both families?

 

The officer said everything was in order and he approved my IR-1 visa. He gave me the "Welcome to the USA" letter and another paper with info once your visa is approved (check document status, what to do with tracking number, requesting home delivery).

He kept my passport and 1040 forms and informed me that these will be returned to me in a week or so. He also confirmed that I have until Jun-16, 2021 the latest to activate my permanent residency (6 months from the date of medical exam). He informed that it'll most likely take 1 hour at POE. 

 

The interview lasted about 15 minutes. It was quite straight forward and smooth. The officer was very pleasant and friendly.  

 

Hope this helps. Should you need further info/details, do not hesitate to reach out. I'll update the thread once I receive the tracking info for the passport. I opted for the premium delivery service ($20) via Purolator.  

 

Great review..thanks. I have also lived in Canada for many years with my husband (I am petitioner) and would like to know if you have a residence waiting for you in the US and what you told them when they asked where you intend to move and live in the US. We are waiting for the green card approval then we will be purchasing a house there but have been actively working with a realtor in the US for quite a while. Thanks..