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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on December 12, 2021: |
From_CAN_2_US
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Interview experience:
My appointment was at 9:30am. I arrived at the consulate at 9:15 and saw a REALLY long queue of people already gathered there. When I joined the queue they were still calling people with 8:30 appointments, so I knew we had a long wait ahead. There is no shelter for the queue outside, so come prepared for the weather. It happened to be snowing that day and -10 degrees, but I guess that's still better than rain. They let people in one by one, as people from inside left, in the order of their interview slot AND their spot in the queue. I ended up being called in at 11:15.
Once inside, they ask for your ID (I showed my passport), and ask if you are in compliance of all the COVID protocols of the province of Quebec. Then you go through an airport like security. I was carrying a tote bag/ reusable shopping bag with my documents in binders, my inhaler, phone wallet, a cardigan and a sanitary pad. I was wearing a parka, an analog watch and my wedding ring. All of this, except my phone, I was allowed to take with me upstairs. I was asked to put my phone in a locker. Note - No backpacks, laptop bags, even if there is no laptop inside. The lockers are not big enough to hold them and you can't take them upstairs. No electronics of any kind is allowed upstairs, even headphones need to go into the locker.
I took an elevator to the 2nd floor where I was directed to go to window 6. Here you hand in your passport(s) and 2 photos. I gave my old passport explaining that was the passport in the name on my interview letter, and then gave the new passport, explaining it had my name updated to my married name. It was accepted, no hesitation, and I was given a slip with a number on it. I was told to wait for the number to be called on the screen and go to the corresponding window shown.
The waiting room was crowded, almost all seats were taken. People were packed together with no physical distancing. There are water fountains and 2 washrooms (one was out of order that day).
My number was called around 12:15 pm to head to window 8. The person at the window asked me my full name. Then asked who was petitioning me, and asked my husband's full name. Then they asked if this was my first marriage and also my husband's first marriage. They then took my fingerprints (digital). Next, they collected my original birth certificate, our original marriage certificate, and all the original police certificates from the various countries I have lived in since age 16. They didn't ask for any copies acknowledging that they see everything was uploaded on Ceac. My 2 photos were returned (not sure why they need 2 if they just take a copy), given the domestic violence pamphlet to read, and was told to wait for my number to called once again.
Around 1:00pm, I was called to window 3, where my actual interview took place. It lasted about 5-7 minutes. They started by asking my name and then taking the oath. Questions:
1. Who is petitioning me?
2. When did I first meet my husband?
3. Where did I meet him? (On a dating website, when I was living in Singapore)
4. Which dating website? (OKCupid; then some encouragement for me to elaborate, to which I described in brief, our entire courtship)
5. When did you get married?
6. How did you arrange your wedding during the pandemic? (With great difficulty...but then elaborated)
7. Who attended your wedding?
8. What do you do for work? Is that what you intend to do after moving to US?
9. What does your husband do for work?
10. Why were you in Bahrain as a child? (My parents were there from before I was born)
11. Why were your parents in Bahrain?
12. At what age did you leave Bahrain? How long did you live in India?
13. Where did you study in India? (Here we had a short conversation about they had lived in Bangalore for a few years and loved it; how one of their kids was born there.)
14. How long did you live in Singapore?
15. What did you do in Singapore?
16. When did you move to Canada?
17. How did you move to Canada? (Express Entry)
18. In all the countries you have lived in, have you ever been charged with a crime or refused entry?
19. In all the countries you have visited, have you ever been charged with a crime or refused entry?
The interviewer was checking their screen periodically, and at the end of the questioning, I heard them express "oh" after some clicks. My heart stopped, but I guess it was a positive "oh," because immediately after they said, "Your visa has been approved". I couldn't hear anything they said after that in all the excitement in my head, except the words "2 to 4 weeks," as they handed me a piece of paper with instructions about receiving my passport back. No "Welcome to America" paper. They saw me hesitate, so they asked, "any questions?" I said I brought with me a copy of my DS-260 with updates marked up and they told me not to worry about it. So I thanked them and left.
Everyone at the consulate were efficient, courteous and helpful. The queue outside could be better managed by security. There were no clear instructions given, and we had to figure out the plan by observation, and organise ourselves. Luckily all the applicants waiting cooperated with each other.
I was out of the consulate around 1:20, so the entire thing took about 4 hours.
Travel:
I took VIA Rail from Toronto Union Station to Montreal Centrale and return. Departed on the 8:32 train on the day before the interview and returned on the 16:56 train on the day of the interview. The return train (train 69) is somehow nicer than the onward train (train 62). I got lucky, as the trains were on schedule. Train station is a 7 minute walk from the consulate.
Hotel:
I stayed at the Best Western Ville Marie. It was a 6 minute walk from the consulate, 13 minutes from train station. The price was affordable, and it sufficed for a 1-night stay, but if I had to do it again, I would spend $10/$20 more and stay at another place such as the Novotel. Best Western was clean, and staff was quite helpful. The rooms are renovated in the last 5 -7 years, but the HVAC is old. The corridors are old too. I am a light sleeper the noise from traffic on Peel Street kept me up almost the entire night.
Places to Eat:
I had breakfast at Boulangerie Au Pain Dore and lunch at Reuben's Deli and Steakhouse. Both good. Wish I had more time to try more food as the city seemed to have a lot of great places.
Overall, my experience at the consulate itself was a 4.5. I marked a 3, because of the long wait from DQ to interview, and because the consulate is unreachable by phone, and not always responsive by email.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #30499