Montreal interview...Visa....denied....hmmm pending...

[Darryl 0]

Sorry it’s a little late but here it is….our interview experience on June 1st in Montreal.

We drove from Toronto to Montreal on Thursday and got to our hotel around 3:30pm, we had a decent hotel – The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth on Rene Levesque. It was not too bad and about a 5 minute walk to the Consulate. We ventured out Thursday night to get our bearings and to find out exactly where it was etc.

Friday morning we left the hotel around 7:00am, stopped by Tim Hortons for a quick bagel and off we went to the Consulate. Got there at about 7:25a and there were already about 5 people lined up for the non-immigrant Visas and no one in line for the immigrant visas. So we got into the immigrant visa line and were quickly ushered through security/metal detectors etc by a very nice polite young female security officer. She gave us a little white square with a letter and number on it and told us to keep it until we got upstairs. She told us to proceed down the stairs and to wait in the waiting room until we were brought up to the 19th floor. When we got downstairs there were about 15 people waiting.

Around 7:45a the same security official came downstairs and asked for the immigrant visa applicants to follow her into the elevator, there were two other guys, the security officer, myself, and my wife (so we were basically 2nd in line). We got up to the 19th floor and were directed into a room off to the right where we were to go to the counter hand in our number along with our passport and documents etc. We went to the counter and were greeted by a very friendly and polite lady who took our number, asked for each documents which we had organized perfectly which she commented on not only our organization but also our the amount of documentation and how prepared we were. She took all the docs and gave us a slip to bring to the cashier so we could pay the fee. She advised us to return after we paid with the receipt and drop it off to her. So we did, paid $380US, brought the receipt back and were told to go wait in the waiting room until we were called.

At about 8:40a the guy in front of us was called into room D8, he came out about 10 minutes later with a huge smile on his face and gave the thumbs up…a successful interview! He took the elevator down and was done. 10 minutes later we were called to the same room and were met by a very friendly man behind a glass window. He said good morning and welcomed us etc, asked us how the process has been going and if it had taken more time than we’d expected etc. We replied back saying we were held up a bit by the Adam Walsh stuff but for the most part were just happy to hopefully be in the final leg etc. He was pleasant and really didn’t ask us many questions – basically where do we both work, what were our positions, etc. He didn’t ask anything at all about when we met, our history, or really anything about our relationship at all. Didn’t ask to see any of the documentation we brought (photos, joint apartment lease, bank records, etc). Things were going great….and then….He says that basically because we are both living and working in Canada and have no “US income” we are denied. He was super nice about it and said he used to be able to make the judgment call and just approve us but couldn’t do that anymore and that the rest of our application is absolutely perfect. He said that even though our joint annual income is over 10 times the minimum poverty level required it didn’t matter. He told us that the only way we could be approved is if we got a co-sponsor who had the required “US income” or if either of us had an employment offer in US dollars. He kind of shook his head at the process and basically apologized for it being so dumb that obviously we can’t get US employment until we are legally allowed to work in the US….but can’t be legal until we get a job in the US…it’s a catch 22.

Obviously our hearts sunk to our feet….all this year and half of effort, expense, and all for what…a BS loophole that obviously doesn’t have any bearing on our case as we’re both very educated, employable, and have earning potential far beyond what is required…We were extremely deflated.

Finally I recalled the I-864 and how you could declare your assets to offset the income level – so I mentioned it to him and he kind of perked up and said that definitely if we had financial assets that met the requirements we could provide proof of that and we’d be approved. So we were pretty happy…our petition just went from basically “denied” to “pending approval” So we asked him what dollar amount we needed etc and he typed up a letter stating what we needed to prove etc and gave it to us. We asked if we could provide account print outs and bring them back that day and he said we could and bring it to the Consulate and it would take about 7-10 business days to be reviewed and approved. So we rushed back to the hotel got all our accounts online and printed out all balances etc, copied them all and put them in an envelope and high-tailed it back to the Consulate. They took our docs at the front door and signed them in etc and we were done.

So now we wait...and hope to god that everything from here on in is smooth. I really think the guy felt genuinely bad that he had to follow the bureaucracy and deny us when it obviously shouldn’t have applied to us, but he had to do his job and we understood that. So now we’re in a spot where we’ve met the conditions he’d asked for and submitted the documentation to back it up and now we just wait….

So not the climactic ending to a horribly long and anxious process we were hoping for with the big rubber stamp saying “approved” did not happen…it was more of a lackluster hmmm….I guess we wait another 2 weeks to see if we’re good to go….so wait...wait…wait…we go…

A couple of observations…

The interview process is insanely overdone. To come all the way from Toronto (5 hour drive there and 5 hours back – 2 nights in a hotel, etc) is insane. We basically go through security, drop off our docs, pay the fee, and talk to the official for 10 minutes. All of this in my mind could be done via correspondence. The medical was never even opened from what I could see…they didn’t even want my X-rays. I lugged them all over the place and they never came out of the envelope. We were never questioned or asked to prove our relationship or any of that….I really don’t know what the purpose of the interview was.

People DON’T listen. Applicants are grown adults who can’t listen. Can’t read, and can’t follow simple instructions. Everyone talks about how rude or unhelpful the immigration officials are….if I worked there I’d be exactly the same way. People who are applying for immigrant visas were lined up directly behind the sign that said “non-immigrant visas” if you don’t know what kind of visa you are applying for….go home and read up. When the official says “go to the right” people instinctively turn left… There was this woman there who was wondering aimlessly all over the place – she’d go to one of the officials and ask where to go – they would tell her nicely where to go and point her in the right direction…she’d go the opposite direction. They told her to go to window 13 and she goes to the elevator…listen!!! If you have language issues – bring an interpreter. If you want to minimize the “attitude” you get from them….listen….read…observe…follow instructions!!! I can’t stress this enough. It was amazing watching these people do exactly the opposite of what they were told.

Take it easy….be patient…treat the immigration folks with respect. This one is self explanatory….I saw people there who strutted around like they were the most important people in the world and that the immigration people “owed” them something. This attitude will get you no where. Be polite, patient, and respectful and they will do the same to you.

Well guys that’s our story. Unfortunately it’s a work-in-progress instead of a completion, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed and let you all know when we get some good news!

Darryl

[Colin Wilson 0]

Sorry it's a little late but here it is….our interview experience on June 1st in Montreal.

We drove from Toronto to Montreal on Thursday and got to our hotel around 3:30pm, we had a decent hotel – The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth on Rene Levesque. It was not too bad and about a 5 minute walk to the Consulate. We ventured out Thursday night to get our bearings and to find out exactly where it was etc.

Friday morning we left the hotel around 7:00am, stopped by Tim Hortons for a quick bagel and off we went to the Consulate. Got there at about 7:25a and there were already about 5 people lined up for the non-immigrant Visas and no one in line for the immigrant visas. So we got into the immigrant visa line and were quickly ushered through security/metal detectors etc by a very nice polite young female security officer. She gave us a little white square with a letter and number on it and told us to keep it until we got upstairs. She told us to proceed down the stairs and to wait in the waiting room until we were brought up to the 19th floor. When we got downstairs there were about 15 people waiting.

Around 7:45a the same security official came downstairs and asked for the immigrant visa applicants to follow her into the elevator, there were two other guys, the security officer, myself, and my wife (so we were basically 2nd in line). We got up to the 19th floor and were directed into a room off to the right where we were to go to the counter hand in our number along with our passport and documents etc. We went to the counter and were greeted by a very friendly and polite lady who took our number, asked for each documents which we had organized perfectly which she commented on not only our organization but also our the amount of documentation and how prepared we were. She took all the docs and gave us a slip to bring to the cashier so we could pay the fee. She advised us to return after we paid with the receipt and drop it off to her. So we did, paid $380US, brought the receipt back and were told to go wait in the waiting room until we were called.

At about 8:40a the guy in front of us was called into room D8, he came out about 10 minutes later with a huge smile on his face and gave the thumbs up…a successful interview! He took the elevator down and was done. 10 minutes later we were called to the same room and were met by a very friendly man behind a glass window. He said good morning and welcomed us etc, asked us how the process has been going and if it had taken more time than we'd expected etc. We replied back saying we were held up a bit by the Adam Walsh stuff but for the most part were just happy to hopefully be in the final leg etc. He was pleasant and really didn't ask us many questions – basically where do we both work, what were our positions, etc. He didn't ask anything at all about when we met, our history, or really anything about our relationship at all. Didn't ask to see any of the documentation we brought (photos, joint apartment lease, bank records, etc). Things were going great….and then….He says that basically because we are both living and working in Canada and have no "US income" we are denied. He was super nice about it and said he used to be able to make the judgment call and just approve us but couldn't do that anymore and that the rest of our application is absolutely perfect. He said that even though our joint annual income is over 10 times the minimum poverty level required it didn't matter. He told us that the only way we could be approved is if we got a co-sponsor who had the required "US income" or if either of us had an employment offer in US dollars. He kind of shook his head at the process and basically apologized for it being so dumb that obviously we can't get US employment until we are legally allowed to work in the US….but can't be legal until we get a job in the US…it's a catch 22.

Obviously our hearts sunk to our feet….all this year and half of effort, expense, and all for what…a BS loophole that obviously doesn't have any bearing on our case as we're both very educated, employable, and have earning potential far beyond what is required…We were extremely deflated.

Finally I recalled the I-864 and how you could declare your assets to offset the income level – so I mentioned it to him and he kind of perked up and said that definitely if we had financial assets that met the requirements we could provide proof of that and we'd be approved. So we were pretty happy…our petition just went from basically "denied" to "pending approval" So we asked him what dollar amount we needed etc and he typed up a letter stating what we needed to prove etc and gave it to us. We asked if we could provide account print outs and bring them back that day and he said we could and bring it to the Consulate and it would take about 7-10 business days to be reviewed and approved. So we rushed back to the hotel got all our accounts online and printed out all balances etc, copied them all and put them in an envelope and high-tailed it back to the Consulate. They took our docs at the front door and signed them in etc and we were done.

So now we wait...and hope to god that everything from here on in is smooth. I really think the guy felt genuinely bad that he had to follow the bureaucracy and deny us when it obviously shouldn't have applied to us, but he had to do his job and we understood that. So now we're in a spot where we've met the conditions he'd asked for and submitted the documentation to back it up and now we just wait….

So not the climactic ending to a horribly long and anxious process we were hoping for with the big rubber stamp saying "approved" did not happen…it was more of a lackluster hmmm….I guess we wait another 2 weeks to see if we're good to go….so wait...wait…wait…we go…

A couple of observations…

The interview process is insanely overdone. To come all the way from Toronto (5 hour drive there and 5 hours back – 2 nights in a hotel, etc) is insane. We basically go through security, drop off our docs, pay the fee, and talk to the official for 10 minutes. All of this in my mind could be done via correspondence. The medical was never even opened from what I could see…they didn't even want my X-rays. I lugged them all over the place and they never came out of the envelope. We were never questioned or asked to prove our relationship or any of that….I really don't know what the purpose of the interview was.

People DON'T listen. Applicants are grown adults who can't listen. Can't read, and can't follow simple instructions. Everyone talks about how rude or unhelpful the immigration officials are….if I worked there I'd be exactly the same way. People who are applying for immigrant visas were lined up directly behind the sign that said "non-immigrant visas" if you don't know what kind of visa you are applying for….go home and read up. When the official says "go to the right" people instinctively turn left… There was this woman there who was wondering aimlessly all over the place – she'd go to one of the officials and ask where to go – they would tell her nicely where to go and point her in the right direction…she'd go the opposite direction. They told her to go to window 13 and she goes to the elevator…listen!!! If you have language issues – bring an interpreter. If you want to minimize the "attitude" you get from them….listen….read…observe…follow instructions!!! I can't stress this enough. It was amazing watching these people do exactly the opposite of what they were told.

Take it easy….be patient…treat the immigration folks with respect. This one is self explanatory….I saw people there who strutted around like they were the most important people in the world and that the immigration people "owed" them something. This attitude will get you no where. Be polite, patient, and respectful and they will do the same to you.

Well guys that's our story. Unfortunately it's a work-in-progress instead of a completion, but we'll keep our fingers crossed and let you all know when we get some good news!

Darryl

What !!

I am speechless!!!!

I am so sorry you had to go thru that experience.. my God the hi's & lows of this process

are huge swings.

I am sure this will be an experience we all will look back on " soon " with our Green Cards sitting nicely

in our wallets.

Our Prayers go out to you wishing you a quick resolution to this setback.

Regards

Colin & Anne

[Darryl 0]

Thanks Colin we hope so too!

Darryl

[Tracy 0]

I'm sooooo sorry to hear that Darryl!!!

That was my biggest fear was domicle that is why i went to the US first and found a job and used my dad as a co-sponser. I was so fearful of that happening.

I truely hope that they approve you on assets and that this will finally come to an end for you!!! I wish you all the best and let us know what happens!!!

[umngmc 0]

Hi Darryl....

We're in the exact same problem as you than..... My wife and I have only Canadian based income and very little USA income. She was going to move back to Texas once we got approved. It's hard to look for a job in Texas and inerview with companies when you're not actually there!! Duh..... WHAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF DCF FILING IF THE USA CITIZEN LIVES IN THE FOREIGN COUNTRY!!!!!

Anyhow, what is the dollar amount of financial assets necessary? I'm glad you posted this, cuz now I have to go print out all of our balances from our bank accounts in the States. Will they accept an account in my name that is in USD?

My wife's parents are retired so I'm not sure if they would even meet the co-sponsor requirement. What a pain in the *(&

Thanks for this info Darryl,

Matt

Sorry it’s a little late but here it is….our interview experience on June 1st in Montreal.

We drove from Toronto to Montreal on Thursday and got to our hotel around 3:30pm, we had a decent hotel – The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth on Rene Levesque. It was not too bad and about a 5 minute walk to the Consulate. We ventured out Thursday night to get our bearings and to find out exactly where it was etc.

Friday morning we left the hotel around 7:00am, stopped by Tim Hortons for a quick bagel and off we went to the Consulate. Got there at about 7:25a and there were already about 5 people lined up for the non-immigrant Visas and no one in line for the immigrant visas. So we got into the immigrant visa line and were quickly ushered through security/metal detectors etc by a very nice polite young female security officer. She gave us a little white square with a letter and number on it and told us to keep it until we got upstairs. She told us to proceed down the stairs and to wait in the waiting room until we were brought up to the 19th floor. When we got downstairs there were about 15 people waiting.

Around 7:45a the same security official came downstairs and asked for the immigrant visa applicants to follow her into the elevator, there were two other guys, the security officer, myself, and my wife (so we were basically 2nd in line). We got up to the 19th floor and were directed into a room off to the right where we were to go to the counter hand in our number along with our passport and documents etc. We went to the counter and were greeted by a very friendly and polite lady who took our number, asked for each documents which we had organized perfectly which she commented on not only our organization but also our the amount of documentation and how prepared we were. She took all the docs and gave us a slip to bring to the cashier so we could pay the fee. She advised us to return after we paid with the receipt and drop it off to her. So we did, paid $380US, brought the receipt back and were told to go wait in the waiting room until we were called.

At about 8:40a the guy in front of us was called into room D8, he came out about 10 minutes later with a huge smile on his face and gave the thumbs up…a successful interview! He took the elevator down and was done. 10 minutes later we were called to the same room and were met by a very friendly man behind a glass window. He said good morning and welcomed us etc, asked us how the process has been going and if it had taken more time than we’d expected etc. We replied back saying we were held up a bit by the Adam Walsh stuff but for the most part were just happy to hopefully be in the final leg etc. He was pleasant and really didn’t ask us many questions – basically where do we both work, what were our positions, etc. He didn’t ask anything at all about when we met, our history, or really anything about our relationship at all. Didn’t ask to see any of the documentation we brought (photos, joint apartment lease, bank records, etc). Things were going great….and then….He says that basically because we are both living and working in Canada and have no “US income” we are denied. He was super nice about it and said he used to be able to make the judgment call and just approve us but couldn’t do that anymore and that the rest of our application is absolutely perfect. He said that even though our joint annual income is over 10 times the minimum poverty level required it didn’t matter. He told us that the only way we could be approved is if we got a co-sponsor who had the required “US income” or if either of us had an employment offer in US dollars. He kind of shook his head at the process and basically apologized for it being so dumb that obviously we can’t get US employment until we are legally allowed to work in the US….but can’t be legal until we get a job in the US…it’s a catch 22.

Obviously our hearts sunk to our feet….all this year and half of effort, expense, and all for what…a BS loophole that obviously doesn’t have any bearing on our case as we’re both very educated, employable, and have earning potential far beyond what is required…We were extremely deflated.

Finally I recalled the I-864 and how you could declare your assets to offset the income level – so I mentioned it to him and he kind of perked up and said that definitely if we had financial assets that met the requirements we could provide proof of that and we’d be approved. So we were pretty happy…our petition just went from basically “denied” to “pending approval” So we asked him what dollar amount we needed etc and he typed up a letter stating what we needed to prove etc and gave it to us. We asked if we could provide account print outs and bring them back that day and he said we could and bring it to the Consulate and it would take about 7-10 business days to be reviewed and approved. So we rushed back to the hotel got all our accounts online and printed out all balances etc, copied them all and put them in an envelope and high-tailed it back to the Consulate. They took our docs at the front door and signed them in etc and we were done.

So now we wait...and hope to god that everything from here on in is smooth. I really think the guy felt genuinely bad that he had to follow the bureaucracy and deny us when it obviously shouldn’t have applied to us, but he had to do his job and we understood that. So now we’re in a spot where we’ve met the conditions he’d asked for and submitted the documentation to back it up and now we just wait….

So not the climactic ending to a horribly long and anxious process we were hoping for with the big rubber stamp saying “approved” did not happen…it was more of a lackluster hmmm….I guess we wait another 2 weeks to see if we’re good to go….so wait...wait…wait…we go…

A couple of observations…

The interview process is insanely overdone. To come all the way from Toronto (5 hour drive there and 5 hours back – 2 nights in a hotel, etc) is insane. We basically go through security, drop off our docs, pay the fee, and talk to the official for 10 minutes. All of this in my mind could be done via correspondence. The medical was never even opened from what I could see…they didn’t even want my X-rays. I lugged them all over the place and they never came out of the envelope. We were never questioned or asked to prove our relationship or any of that….I really don’t know what the purpose of the interview was.

People DON’T listen. Applicants are grown adults who can’t listen. Can’t read, and can’t follow simple instructions. Everyone talks about how rude or unhelpful the immigration officials are….if I worked there I’d be exactly the same way. People who are applying for immigrant visas were lined up directly behind the sign that said “non-immigrant visas” if you don’t know what kind of visa you are applying for….go home and read up. When the official says “go to the right” people instinctively turn left… There was this woman there who was wondering aimlessly all over the place – she’d go to one of the officials and ask where to go – they would tell her nicely where to go and point her in the right direction…she’d go the opposite direction. They told her to go to window 13 and she goes to the elevator…listen!!! If you have language issues – bring an interpreter. If you want to minimize the “attitude” you get from them….listen….read…observe…follow instructions!!! I can’t stress this enough. It was amazing watching these people do exactly the opposite of what they were told.

Take it easy….be patient…treat the immigration folks with respect. This one is self explanatory….I saw people there who strutted around like they were the most important people in the world and that the immigration people “owed” them something. This attitude will get you no where. Be polite, patient, and respectful and they will do the same to you.

Well guys that’s our story. Unfortunately it’s a work-in-progress instead of a completion, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed and let you all know when we get some good news!

Darryl

[Darryl 0]

Well I've called Montreal today (11 days since we submitted the extra documentation) and they say our file hasn't been touched since June 1st. I asked how long this should take as I'm kind of stuck without my passport - she said about 2 weeks. So I asked if I should call back on Monday and she said no - call back this Friday....so Friday it is.

I really hope everything is now fine and we're good to go....if for some reason they need more than what we've given and it'll take another 2-3 weeks, I'm toast. Ineed to travel for work and right now thanks to the passport regulations I'm stuck here in Canada and can't fly to the US (where all of my accounts are).

I'll let you all know what happens on Friday - I hope it's good news!

Darryl

[briccasart 0]

Good luck! I'm sure it'll all work out for you. There is no way they will deny your application when you clearly have ties to the US.

[MaydayDas 1]

wow unbelievable ......hope you get your visa soon

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Well I've called Montreal today (11 days since we submitted the extra documentation) and they say our file hasn't been touched since June 1st. I asked how long this should take as I'm kind of stuck without my passport - she said about 2 weeks. So I asked if I should call back on Monday and she said no - call back this Friday....so Friday it is.

I really hope everything is now fine and we're good to go....if for some reason they need more than what we've given and it'll take another 2-3 weeks, I'm toast. Ineed to travel for work and right now thanks to the passport regulations I'm stuck here in Canada and can't fly to the US (where all of my accounts are).

I'll let you all know what happens on Friday - I hope it's good news!

Darryl

I was wondering about you - hope it gets resolved this Friday - sending good vibes!!!!

L.

[Colin Wilson 0]

Well I've called Montreal today (11 days since we submitted the extra documentation) and they say our file hasn't been touched since June 1st. I asked how long this should take as I'm kind of stuck without my passport - she said about 2 weeks. So I asked if I should call back on Monday and she said no - call back this Friday....so Friday it is.

I really hope everything is now fine and we're good to go....if for some reason they need more than what we've given and it'll take another 2-3 weeks, I'm toast. Ineed to travel for work and right now thanks to the passport regulations I'm stuck here in Canada and can't fly to the US (where all of my accounts are).

I'll let you all know what happens on Friday - I hope it's good news!

Darryl

Well Guys .. I have had a brief setback.. !!!!!!

They will not consider any Canadian Pensions or for that fact any Canadian Assets... only American income and American assests..

" Every one take note!!!"

My pension income alone would be six times The I864P Poverty level... and I explained to them I would have it sent to me in the US as I checked with the Pension Company and they do that ..

and I have a lot of Canadian assets trust me...

but the interviewer said sorry That I would Need a USC sponcer that would fill out the I864

I would not need to interview again just send it ( The Co-sponcers I 864 paper work) into Montreal with my Passport and they would send my accepted visa 10 days Later..

So I have arranged for a co sponcer.. waiting for it to arrive now..

Grrrrrr

P.S I saw Mat There in line and he was still waiting when I left ..

Colin

[Darryl 0]

Colin,

Sorry to hear you got the same bullcrap I did. This process is mind-boggling. I called Montreal today (as they told me to do) and they STILL HAVEN"T LOOKED AT MY FILE!!! I was ready to explode. After 5 minutes of sparring with the operator I had her go look for my file and the documents we hand delivered the day of our interview. She came back and "hey here they are" apparently the guy who interviewed us and handled our case no longer works in that unit and our file was sitting on his desk for the last 2 weeks....AWESOME. Where else could this kind of stuff happen???

Anyways I asked her to please expedite it as much as she could as I am unable to travel etc and am really in a bind with my new job if this doesn't come through right away. I told her that we had submitted all the req'd documents but if she needed anything else please let me know so we can provide it. She asked for my job offer letter because even though I have a written letter (signed and dated) from our interviewer saying we just needed to provide assets - "they generally need either a job offer or a co-sponsor regardless" Good f'ing grief....why is nothing as it seems??

So now I goto my company and say I need the offer letter....well they won't release that until I have my green card...I explained the situation and that this was just a formality that they needed something to say I have a job lined up etc etc....my HR guy said "he'd see what he can do"....arrrggghhh why is nothing simple???? You have to thread this needle of approval ever so perfectly for everything to come together properly...if you do one thing out of place the whole house of cards collapses.

I am really at my witts end....This whole process has been a perfect example of "the run around" each person I talk to conflicts with all the others - either no one knows what they're talking about or everyone knows and just loves to watch people run around in circles. Either way it sucks. I am so sick of this BS process and I'm equally as sick of being treated like ####### by everyone who is supposed to be helpful.

Darryl

[umngmc 0]

Hi Darryl

WOW, I am speechless...... Hopefully someone will come to their senses soon and get this all sorted out for you. I empathize with your situation and Colin. I hope the best for you both. I am working on a posting of my experience on June 13, 2007.

Cheers,

Matt

Colin,

Sorry to hear you got the same bullcrap I did. This process is mind-boggling. I called Montreal today (as they told me to do) and they STILL HAVEN"T LOOKED AT MY FILE!!! I was ready to explode. After 5 minutes of sparring with the operator I had her go look for my file and the documents we hand delivered the day of our interview. She came back and "hey here they are" apparently the guy who interviewed us and handled our case no longer works in that unit and our file was sitting on his desk for the last 2 weeks....AWESOME. Where else could this kind of stuff happen???

Anyways I asked her to please expedite it as much as she could as I am unable to travel etc and am really in a bind with my new job if this doesn't come through right away. I told her that we had submitted all the req'd documents but if she needed anything else please let me know so we can provide it. She asked for my job offer letter because even though I have a written letter (signed and dated) from our interviewer saying we just needed to provide assets - "they generally need either a job offer or a co-sponsor regardless" Good f'ing grief....why is nothing as it seems??

So now I goto my company and say I need the offer letter....well they won't release that until I have my green card...I explained the situation and that this was just a formality that they needed something to say I have a job lined up etc etc....my HR guy said "he'd see what he can do"....arrrggghhh why is nothing simple???? You have to thread this needle of approval ever so perfectly for everything to come together properly...if you do one thing out of place the whole house of cards collapses.

I am really at my witts end....This whole process has been a perfect example of "the run around" each person I talk to conflicts with all the others - either no one knows what they're talking about or everyone knows and just loves to watch people run around in circles. Either way it sucks. I am so sick of this BS process and I'm equally as sick of being treated like ####### by everyone who is supposed to be helpful.

Darryl

[Lance27 19]

I know what you mean about them not being helpful at all. I called today to inquire about an interview date and I got a rude reply saying "I already gave you a timeframe in reply to your email you sent last week" and hung up... WOW.. what If i didnt get that email and it went straight to my junk mail folder? Unbelievable.

I hope the next person who gets your file does a better job and sends out your visa ASAP.

Colin,

Sorry to hear you got the same bullcrap I did. This process is mind-boggling. I called Montreal today (as they told me to do) and they STILL HAVEN"T LOOKED AT MY FILE!!! I was ready to explode. After 5 minutes of sparring with the operator I had her go look for my file and the documents we hand delivered the day of our interview. She came back and "hey here they are" apparently the guy who interviewed us and handled our case no longer works in that unit and our file was sitting on his desk for the last 2 weeks....AWESOME. Where else could this kind of stuff happen???

Anyways I asked her to please expedite it as much as she could as I am unable to travel etc and am really in a bind with my new job if this doesn't come through right away. I told her that we had submitted all the req'd documents but if she needed anything else please let me know so we can provide it. She asked for my job offer letter because even though I have a written letter (signed and dated) from our interviewer saying we just needed to provide assets - "they generally need either a job offer or a co-sponsor regardless" Good f'ing grief....why is nothing as it seems??

So now I goto my company and say I need the offer letter....well they won't release that until I have my green card...I explained the situation and that this was just a formality that they needed something to say I have a job lined up etc etc....my HR guy said "he'd see what he can do"....arrrggghhh why is nothing simple???? You have to thread this needle of approval ever so perfectly for everything to come together properly...if you do one thing out of place the whole house of cards collapses.

I am really at my witts end....This whole process has been a perfect example of "the run around" each person I talk to conflicts with all the others - either no one knows what they're talking about or everyone knows and just loves to watch people run around in circles. Either way it sucks. I am so sick of this BS process and I'm equally as sick of being treated like ####### by everyone who is supposed to be helpful.

Darryl

Edited June 15, 2007 by Lance27

[Darryl 0]

Lance,

I know it's daunting but keep on them. They have a publicly posted phne number - you have the right to call and get the status. You've paid your fees and are entitled to know what is going on. Don't call every day, but I'd call on the 15-16th of each month and be direct with them as to when you'll get your interview booked. Seems like the ones who push the hardest get their interviews the quickest. No point in calling during the month though - interviews are booked/scheduled on the 15th so if it hasn't been booked by the 15-16-17th it's not going to happen for another month unfortunately (I base this in my readings here and my own experience).

Darryl

[Darryl 0]

Well it looks to be nearing an end.....

I faxed Montreal yesterday with a somewhat direct letter saying my company is being tough with giving me an offer letter as it is contingent on my visa being approved and that I have a signed letter given to us during our interview by our interviewer saying we had to meet ONE of the conditions listed. We submitted the docs listing our assets and that met/exceeded ONE of the conditions asked for and in turn we should have no further requirements. I was polite but forceful telling them that we've met their conditions and that in our opinion we've met their conditions and should be a rubber stamp away from getting our Visa.

So anyways I faxed that to them and called at exactly 2pm, got right through, talked to a nice guy who said our Visa was approved and being printed that day. I asked him to verify just in case I didn't hear/understand him 100% correctly and he verified that "yes - it is fully approved and being printed today, it will be mailed out in the next day or so and you should receive it by the end of the week"

I was pretty ecstatic (and cautiously optimistic)....so who knows...I sincerely hope the guy is right and we're almost out of the water...

Fingers crossed....

Darryl