IR1 / CR1 - Montreal Timeline to Interview

[AB2CO 1]

We haven't heard anything...

Me neither . . . at this point I'm assuming that Montreal has fallen behind even further and I won't see a December appointment.

How it can end up taking them 3 months to get through the June case completes is beyond me!!!!

[kaya541 1]

How it can end up taking them 3 months to get through the June case completes is beyond me!!!!

I was saying the same thing about an hour ago and so I just sent a request to Washington State Senator Patty Murray asking for help or information. Let's see if it does any good....I think an explanation is the least someone can do.

[CanuckChick 7]

I was saying the same thing about an hour ago and so I just sent a request to Washington State Senator Patty Murray asking for help or information. Let's see if it does any good....I think an explanation is the least someone can do.

Good for you - it'll be great to see Montreal become more responsive. It's cruel to keep married people and families apart for so long. It would be so good if other consulates would help with redistributing the workload.

[Heather&Matt 0]

I was saying the same thing about an hour ago and so I just sent a request to Washington State Senator Patty Murray asking for help or information. Let's see if it does any good....I think an explanation is the least someone can do.

Let us know if this helps with speeding up the process. My husband's uncle knows someone in Congress (I think thats what it is, I'm not up on my American political terms yet) and said he would contact him if it would help us speed things along.

[Jill & Jeff 3]

I was saying the same thing about an hour ago and so I just sent a request to Washington State Senator Patty Murray asking for help or information. Let's see if it does any good....I think an explanation is the least someone can do.

Good Luck! I hope that sometimes comes of it. I'm still shocked that it seems to have taken Montreal 3 months to get through one month. Not to mention it just pushes the rest of us back another month . I really really hope that things will get better.

J-

[Martine&Dana 0]

Let us know if this helps with speeding up the process. My husband's uncle knows someone in Congress (I think thats what it is, I'm not up on my American political terms yet) and said he would contact him if it would help us speed things along.

Hi my husband is in contact with his congressman since end of sept, and they can't help speed up the process. He explain to him all our story and explain to him that I need a surgery, I'm waiting for 1 year and 1/2 in Montreal to have it. I also have to decline to job offer because I don't have any paper. So for us it didn't help at all. They only things they say it's I will have my interview soon.... If I look in the spreadsheet, there's only 4 couples in front of us waiting for interview...so I guess they are right...maybe soon...

[Jeremy&Kathy 4]

I just posted a review of our Nov. 12 interview in Montreal.

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=71686

If you don't want to read the whole thing, here's a summary:

Dr. Sieden delayed my wife's medical results because of a chest x-ray abnormality, so we had to run around Toronto and get a CT scan. It turned out to be fine but without the results in time for the interview we are now stuck waiting for Montreal to process their huge backlog of mail before they can recieve the results, which could take weeks. DO YOUR MEDICAL EXAM EARLY! Better yet, get your own doctor to do a chest x-ray a year ahead, when you first apply. Then you can make sure this won't happen to you!

All else was straightforward. It was TOTALLY UNNECESSARY for us to go early at 6:30am as other people suggested. Maybe it was a slow day. We could have slept a bit more!

Jeremy

[Jill & Jeff 3]

I just posted a review of our Nov. 12 interview in Montreal.

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=71686

If you don't want to read the whole thing, here's a summary:

Dr. Sieden delayed my wife's medical results because of a chest x-ray abnormality, so we had to run around Toronto and get a CT scan. It turned out to be fine but without the results in time for the interview we are now stuck waiting for Montreal to process their huge backlog of mail before they can recieve the results, which could take weeks. DO YOUR MEDICAL EXAM EARLY! Better yet, get your own doctor to do a chest x-ray a year ahead, when you first apply. Then you can make sure this won't happen to you!

All else was straightforward. It was TOTALLY UNNECESSARY for us to go early at 6:30am as other people suggested. Maybe it was a slow day. We could have slept a bit more!

Jeremy

I'm sorry that the medical portion went so bad for you. Here's to hoping that they clear the mail backlog as soon as possible to speed up your process. Thanks for the advice regarding the medical. I'm trying to do things ahead of time for my husband as well. I've had him in to our doctor down here in the States to get all of his immunizations updated, titer tests, and whatever else he may needs. Now I think I'll bother him to get a chest x-ray ahead of time as well.

Good luck to you!

J-

[OBX 51]

I just posted a review of our Nov. 12 interview in Montreal.

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=71686

If you don't want to read the whole thing, here's a summary:

Dr. Sieden delayed my wife's medical results because of a chest x-ray abnormality, so we had to run around Toronto and get a CT scan. It turned out to be fine but without the results in time for the interview we are now stuck waiting for Montreal to process their huge backlog of mail before they can recieve the results, which could take weeks. DO YOUR MEDICAL EXAM EARLY! Better yet, get your own doctor to do a chest x-ray a year ahead, when you first apply. Then you can make sure this won't happen to you!

All else was straightforward. It was TOTALLY UNNECESSARY for us to go early at 6:30am as other people suggested. Maybe it was a slow day. We could have slept a bit more!

Jeremy

Excellent review. Sorry you are delayed because of the medical issue. Hope Montreal gets in gear and your wait is not too long. Good luck!

Edited November 19, 2010 by OBX

[Jeremy&Kathy 4]

Wow, crazy update to our story. I would add this to my review but I can't find a way to edit it. Anyone know if there's a way?

Yesterday Kathy got her medical results and immediately shipped them DHL to the Montreal Consulate. Today we saw through the DHL tracking that it was delivered in the morning.

During the interview last Friday, the staff member who collected our papers told us that when we mail in the medical results, it could take weeks for them to process the backlog of mail and get to it. We pleaded and begged him to tell us how we could possible speed this up. He eventually told us that we could address our correspondence to "IV Unit Supervisor" and it would increase our chances of getting processed more quickly.

So, not only did we address the DHL package directly to the IV Unit Supervisor, we also emailed the consulate at montreal-iv-dv@state.gov and faxed them as well at two different fax numbers we tracked down: 514-398-0973 and 514-398-9748. The fax/email was a single page with large bold letters "PLEASE PRIORITIZE: URGENT: TRAVEL PENDING" addressed to the IV Unit Supervior. I briefly explained our situation that we are now separated and my wife is stuck in Toronto staying with friends, and we have paid our son's school fees and he is missing classes. I creatively begged and pleaded in various ways and asked them to do their best to prioritize our case, which was missing only the medical results and was otherwise approved.

2 hours later, after sending the faxes and email, I get a call from a 514 number. It's the IV Unit Supervisor named Scott with a french Canadian accent. He is very irate with me and asking why he has this letter on his desk with the huge bold font. I suppose I went a bit overboard... due to the volume of their mail I figured it was the only way to get their attention... and it worked! But man... I was shaking at the end of this 10 minute phone call.

I explained to him that we were told by the staff member at our interview that we should address our correspondence to him, in order to increase our chance of getting our processing sped up. He demanded to know which staff member it was, and when I didn't know his name he grunted and complained about how his staff need to be taught what they are and aren't allowed to tell people. He went on to complain to me about how people are told they shouldn't make travel arrangements but they do it anyways. It was hard to get a word in edgewise... I got the feeling that my letter blew his top and he just started venting all his personal frustrations built up over the past year. It was kind of humorous to witness, actually!

He asked me why I paid for my son's school when there are no guarantees of when a visa will be issued. I told him that we had no choice because one of the pieces of evidence they specifically ask for is proof that children are registered for school. When I said this, his demeanor changed significantly. He said that he could understand that, and then paused and tripped on his words, trying to remain tough and strict, but understanding. He then repeated about 8 times in different words that he couldn't guarantee any specific date but he would do his best to give priority to our case.

He started complaining again... this time about seemingly random things, as though he wasn't quite finished venting. He talked about how so many people contact their congressmen because of the delays, and how difficult it is to deal with that on top of everything else. I couldn't help but feel for the guy. It must be a crappy job. Eventually I had to interrupt him and apologize for taking more of his time than I had originally intended. The conversation ended on a good note.

We have no guarantees but I think our efforts may have worked. Crossing our fingers now... anyhow, I hope this story is helpful to others who come after!!

Jeremy

[CaliforniaGuy 2]

It's the IV Unit Supervisor named Scott with a french Canadian accent.

I hope everything works out for you very very quickly. I have been to Montreal several times and I know I'm going to get harassed with this comment but here it goes,, most of the French Canadians don't like people who speak in English, I am not saying this is what happened in this case but when you wrote French Canadian I just remembered the things that had happened to me while I was there.

[OBX 51]

Wow Jeremy that is quite the update. I have a feeling you may be getting some action soon. I'm sure supervisor Scott had a "chat" with his staff after your call!

[Jeremy&Kathy 4]

I hope you're right, OBX! CaliforniaGuy you might be right... although it would seem very strange for an anti-English french guy to work for the U.S. consulate! He was a U.S. citizen himself, he mentioned during the call. I have worked with French Canadians over the years and they do tend to be a bit arrogant, but I always thought that was just cultural and not discriminatory.

Jeremy

[Flames9_RN 358]

There are pockets of French communities in the USA. Yep I bet he gets a lot of calls of congressmen,lol And I'm sure like many other govt agencies he is short staffed!!

[Martine&Dana 0]

Less then 5 minutes ago I received an email from NVC, I will have the best xmas ever..... My interview is dec 22th @ 9am.... What can you ask better for the holiday. Can beleive it, we are almost done