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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on July 3, 2008: |
Mike & Deb
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Hi Everybody I just wanted to put up a post for all that might be a little stressed out over their upcoming interview in Montreal and pay it forward for all of the help that everyones wonderful posts have helped me. Lol..........good thing I wasn't stressed right??????? Right...........lol.
But truthfully it was one of THE easiest things I have ever been through!!!! The thing is that most of us compare this to the horrors that so many of us have been through with the CBO's at the Canadian Airports(Particulary Pearson) don't we????? I know I did!!! But when speaking with my lawyer one week prior to my interview he reminded me that these are Consulate people that will interview you and not Custom Officers........two different breeds trust me!!!
All of which resulted in just ordinary people really that look at your stuff more logistically than anything else and that the interview isn't really about you in particular but about the relationship that you and your fiancee have.
So with all that being said, this is what to expect!!!!!
The doors opened up about 7:30 AM so be there about 7ish to get as far up front as you can get. Your door pass is your interview letter that came with your package. One of the security guards looks at it and then asks you to step inside and wait at the top of 4 stairs in front of a line. Then one of the guards inside another set of tinted doors opens it up and tells you to come in and to give him your Passport and empty your pockets into a tray and to put your documents into another tray. And then you go thru a scanner just like at the airport. Oh and by the way if you have a remote on your car key they will take it and give you a claim check # to pick it up after!!! Lol.......wouldn't want to blow the place up right?????
If all is in order with your Passport then they give you back all of your stuff and give you a designated letter of the alphabet to take with you and ask you to go down a flight of stairs to the basement and you will sit in one of the chairs beside a Passport photo booth. Then two officers come and ask letters A-E to come onto an elevator and you all go up to the 19th floor whereupon you see a whole bunch of numbered cashiers windows and you just have a seat anywhere.
Then you will hear a loudspeaker call your letter and the booth you go to. Lol..........then this is where the real fun starts!!!!
Then gentleman who will take your info is very friendly but if I have to give THE most important advise it would be to memorize where the pertinant documents(Birth Cert., Police record, photos etc.) are in your package for he just LOVED the fact that I instantly gave him what he asked for one by one. When he is done asking you for your documents he tells you to have a seat out in the waiting room and you will be called soon. If they like what you have presented them then you are called to give left and right hand fingerprints and thumbprints then you are given a slip of paper to take to a cashier and give your $131 fee. She will give you a receipt which you will keep to give to the interviewer. I had to wait about 1/2 hour after payment before my name was called so don't panic with the wait..........all is well or you would not have gotten this far trust me.
Then I got the magic call to go to Room 7.......lol. It is just a cashiers window like all the rest but in a small room with a closed door. The woman who interviewed me was just THE friendliest person who greeted me with a BIG smile so just relax and be yourself.......lol, hopefully that is naturally nice and friendly?????? She scans one of your thumbs to prove that you are who was thumbprinted before......wouldn't want a ringer right??? Then she asks you to raise your right hand and swear to the truth the whole truth etc.
And true to what I was told, all of the questions were about Deb and myself.........how did you meet; have you set a date yet; what are our common interests; do I have job possibilities, etc....... Lol............all was so informal that I thought she was going to offer me a Starbucks Caffe Latte!!!!!
Then at the end she asked me for the magic signature at the bottom of my DS-156K and then gave me the
BIG congratulations and then explained what I need to do after this stage(AOS and EAD).
So after all of this rambling I just wanted to say relax and be natural BUT.........have your document act together like never before for I was told that if you don't then they aren't quite as nice............lol.
Oh and just a side note??? Don't forget to write down the tracking # of your XpressPost so you can track your Visa. I forgot but sent an E-mail to the consulate....... Montreal-IV-DV@state.gov......and they not only responded within the hour but gave me my tracking # AND my visa will be here this Friday........4 days after the interview!!!!
So I hope no one has fallen asleep during my novel here, lol, but hopefully this sets a lot of minds at ease in prep for that magic day in Montreal.
Oh and.......don't forget about that bottle of Red for celebration right?????
Mike
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #3085