manipura

Congratulations!! When did you start this process?!! I have seen you posted on some of my other issues...Thank you! I am trying to get an idea of how long it takes for Canadians...I wish you all the best!

My fiance and I did all the paperwork and whatnot for the original petition last February. We mailed it off on February 29, 2012. From the date we mailed our initial package to the day of my interview was ten days shy of one year.

Also, I brought an additional copy of everything that I had already submitted, mostly just to ease my anxious mind! I didn't want there to be any risk of additional delays if something had somehow gone missing or been misplaced between the time I submitted my packet three forms and the date of my interview. I also brought the two additional passport photos for the same reason, if anything had been misplaced or overlooked on their end, I wanted to be prepared for it. Of course, everything went smoothly and they didn't ask to see any copies of those things and they didn't need the extra passport photos that I brought either. I don't think that you're required to bring them again, but if it would ease your mind to know that you've got copies of everything 'just in case' then I'd say bring them.

Also, regarding your quick interview date...maybe you lucked out and got an opening when someone had cancelled? I know when I first looked at interview dates (when I was impatiently waiting for my packet four letter) I was pleased to see that there was one date available within 4-6 weeks and when I looked again a couple days later there were TWO dates in that time frame. However, when I received my letter about a week or so later (the end of October) and was authorized to make my appointment, the next available date was mid-February.

Good evening !

The consulate sent me the email today that said I could schedule the interview and when I logged onto their site I had one ... Tuesday March 26th at 9:00am !!! 33 days away !!! I thought I had read that Montreal takes a lot longer than that to schedule appointments.

I am hoping to get some hotel recommendations if anyone has them. I tried searching on the site for the keywords Montreal and Hotel but am not having any luck. I would like something within walking distance if it's not too expensive. I live in Ontario, about 10 hours away so will drive on Monday and sleep there the night before my appointment.

Thanks to anyone who can give me a decent referral.

Cheers !

Rachel

Hello! I was in Montreal earlier this week for my interview and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Select at 99 Viger Avenue West. I had no problem walking to the Consulate from there and as far as hotels go, I thought it was just fine. The price was decent, the staff was friendly and there is parking as well. You have to pay for the parking, of course, but I liked that it was a heated parking garage. Since you can't bring electronics (phone etc) into the Consulate I was a little concerned about where I would leave my phone and my iPad because I didn't want them sitting for several hours in the freezing cold car, the heated parking however made that a non-issue.

The hotel does offer luggage storage but the guy at the desk told me that usually the manager of the hotel prefers to lock any electronics or computers into the safe in the office to be certain that they are secure and that there wouldn't be a manager on duty yet if I was checking out very early. That's when he told me that the parking area was heated and the cold wouldn't be an issue.

I quite liked that the hotel was only one block from the closest Starbucks though I realize this may not be as important to most folks as it is to me! There is a Tim Horton's even closer than the Starbucks if that's more your thing. The food that I had from the hotel was rather tasty and overall it was a good experience.

Oh, another thing that may or may not matter: When I poked through the little "Welcome To The Hotel" book that all hotel rooms have, I was rather pleased to see that when the hotel was being built they consulted with a Feng Shui expert and made some alterations to ensure that there was a good flow of positive energy in the design of the hotel. Again, maybe not something that matters to most people, but I like that sort of thing

That's right.

I came from Hamilton yesterday, stayed the night in a hotel and rocked the interview this morning.

I'm at the train station in Montreal right now waiting to head home.

Not Ottawa, Montreal.

And yes, K1's are only dealt with at the Vancouver or Montreal locations. As far as I know the Embassy in Toronto doesn't handle any immigration stuff at all.

Sorry everyone I am trying to learn how to navigate this site. It's a wee confusing!! It was a I-129F Petition we filed along with all the other stuff..G325 etc. We can't even get out of the gate!! There was nothing missing in our documents!! doesn't say "missing information" ...just "Classification sought" hmmmm

Where did your fiancée send the initial petition? And was it sent back from that same location, or did the office that received it send it to another office who then sent it back to your fiancée?

Hello there!

I too am trying to figure out exactly what documents I need from my fiance for my interview. According to the Appointment Checklist on Montreal's website, a photocopy of the IRS transcript is sufficient. Since I tend to worry about...oh, everything, I am planning on bringing the original but also having a photocopy as well. I'm applying for a K1 and that was the information on the Fiance Checklist, I'm not sure if it would be different for different visas though. Have you looked at the checklists on Montreal's website?

Also, we have the same interview date in Montreal

I had my medical in Toronto today and everything went smoothly as far as I could tell. Now I'm counting the days until February 19!

Good luck figuring everything out, it's almost over!

Thank you everyone for your kind words and thoughts. This whole process is so frustrating sometimes but each day is one step closer to getting us where we want to be

PS Even though I have only posted recently and only a handful of times, VisaJourney has been an incredibly helpful resource and I am more than grateful for the wealth of information provided. Thanks to everyone who makes it what it is.

When I got to my interview, they didn't ask me for any of the forms that were previously submitted in Package 3, so you definitely want to make sure it's all there prior.

And yes, of course, make sure to send everything they're asking for. But if you're having trouble with DS230 not printing, you can also submit DS260 electronically and print a confirmation of that. I think those instructions are old Pocheros, because mine and (what will be in her e-mail) says bring either DS230 filled out, or confirmation of electronic submission of DS260. I just filled out 230 instead.

Edit://

e. Form DS-230 part I or Confirmation Page of the electronic Form DS-260

I did the first one because I don't like the whole idea of electronically submitting it, if I had the other option for DS160, I would have.. But had to file electronically. Then again, I never officially got a package 3 :/

Thank you everyone for the replies, I think I have everything in order now. DS-230 is still not co-operating with my printer, but I have filled it out manually and will submit it that way. The other road block I stumbled over was the question of what a Passport Book Number was. An online search was not overly helpful as I found information stating it was the same number as my passport number and then other information stating that it was a different number, the number found above the barcode on my passport. I emailed both Passport Canada and the Consulate in Montreal inquiring about where to find my Passport Book Number. The response from Passport Canada was "this is the same number as your passport number" while the response from Montreal was "this is the number above the barcode and is different than your passport number." I opted to side with the Consulate as they are going to be the ones processing my file.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for your helpful replies

I found filling that form out super annoying super annoying. I suggest doing it one sitting because I had issues with retrieval too. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. As for the DS230, when I tried to print mine out it also printed out blank, I opened the document again, made sure that all the information was in fact still there, and printed it again. It worked the second time. Did you try it again? I freaked out about that at first, too. You'll get it to work, don't worry! Make sure you print the confirmation of DS160 out though, and e-mail it to yourself anyways so you always have it. I ended up having to print mine again when mine printed all fuzzy.

@codygrace:

So you did indeed fill out the DS160? The website where I was directed to fill out that form states that K Visa applicants don't have to fill it out but the instructions from Montreal tell me I do. I have also come to learn that there are a few things about the way processing is done in Montreal that is different from other consulates. Maybe this discrepancy is just another instance of Montreal being different?

Breathe IN, breathe OUT

I moved your post to the Canada regional forum; as your question is consulate specific and we want you to get accurate replies.

However, while we wait for other Canadians to assist you, the DS156 cannot be manually filled out, as it generates a bar code that will later be scanned at the Embassy, and that will allow them to add all your information into the systems. If you were having trouble with the form, I suggest you try using a different internet browser.

Thanks for moving me to a more appropriate forum. Also, just to clarify, I got the DS156 and DS156K successfully filled out online, it's the DS230 that is being a pain. As far as I can tell from the instructions at the top of that form, filling that one out manually is okay.

Humorous note (well, not really but I find that laughing at this whole frustrating process is better than crying about it ):I went back to continue filling in the form in question, the DS160 which I have conflicting information on, and the application number that they gave me now cannot be retrieved! Argh. I guess I will just start that form again as well!

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here at VJ, though I have been lurking for several months and gathering up lots of useful information. I am a Canadian citizen in Ontario and my fiance is an American citizen in Houston, TX. VJ is an extremely helpful site and my fiance and I are very glad we have found it. It has helped ease my worries and stress numerous times. However, I now find myself worrying and stressing about yet another step in this whole, wonderful process.

I am currently working on the forms that I will submit as per my Packet 3 instruction letter, the forms which I will soon send to the Consulate in Montreal. The DS-230 was a pain to fill in and print out, as it continued to repeatedly print the inputted information askew and then not at all. That's right, after filling in my information several times, it eventually starting printing a blank page 1 and a page 2 with all of my answers shifted/askew. After much frustration I have decided that I will just manually fill in that form. I have completed the DS-156 (two copies ) and I have completed the DS-156K as well. My question though pertains to the DS-160. One of the items listed on my Packet 3 letter is worded as follows:

4. Confirmation receipt regarding Form DS-160 - one copy, available online at

https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ – MUST PRINT AND SEND COPY CONFIRMATION

However, when I go to that website and I look at the information regarding that form, I see this:

Important Notice: All nonimmigrant visa applicants worldwide must use the online DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form, with the exception of individuals applying for a K visa, who should use the DS-156 and the DS-156K (see the Visa Categories Not Using the DS-160 section below for more information).

I have gone ahead and started the process for this form and I received an Application ID number which I printed out. However, I am unsure of whether I need to complete this whole form now? Why does my Packet 3 letter tell me I need a confirmation receipt regarding this form when the government website tells me that K Visas are not required to use this form? I am not sure what to do now and I am feeling rather frustrated.

I thought that waiting for Vermont to get things together was the frustrating/difficult part and now I find myself looking at this form and getting frustrated all over again, wondering if it's just me, if there's something glaringly obvious that I am missing. If anyone has any insight or information regarding this whole confirmation receipt, it would be very much appreciated.