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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on October 9, 2023: |
PeaceBridge
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-5 Visa
My visa interview prep works benefited tremendously from fellow reviewers here. So I want to pool my recent experience as a give back.
Another motivation to retell the experience here is because my case is IR5 visa (applied as parents of a US citizen), which is not a common case reviewed here. So, I hope it might benefit people in the same category.
TIME & DATE
- It was a Friday in Sep 2023.
- My appointment time was at 11:15 am. I was actually the last one in the whole morning.
- When I was there, it was not busy and not crowded at all. Felt like a slow, lazy morning.
- Only one officer at one window doing the doc collection, only one interviewer at one window conducting all interviews.
THE PLACE
1. Every worker, security staff included, were so well-mannered, welcoming and polite. Typical Canadian business/customer service treatments.
2. The entrance hall on the ground floor is small but has a heavy security presence. The lockers are at the wall. An elevator takes you to the 1st floor.
3. The main room is on the 1st floor. The place is clean, bright and comfortable, not too big, not too small, just like any government offices handling in-person applications: with chairs and counter windows. The street side is a big window overlooking the busy commercial street outside. Most people there were on their own. No one talks, no one laughs, no one speaks to you, you don't speak to anyone else. It was so quiet that you can feel everyone's anxiety and nervousness. There was never any consular staff appearing in the public area, just a security personnel sitting there.
4. There are ten windows (counters). Each window is about 6 ft x 4 ft, with a high partition separating one another. There is no chair, all standing, except one window. Windows 1-5 are more private. Windows 6-10 are less private, facing the waiting chairs.
4. There is a washroom for men and another for women. A drinking machine is on the side.
5. A large TV screen displays the number and window (counter) to go to with a loud beep sound. They also called through the PA system when I was there.
TIME STAMP
1. My appointment time was 11:15am.
2. I entered the building at 10:50am.
3. I settled in the 1st floor waiting room at about 11am. My number tag was XXX. There were only 10-12 people waiting. (At that time, the number before me was busy submitting docs). I was the last one. No one came after me.
4. After 25 mins waiting, at 11:25am I was called to submit docs. It took about 7-10 mins. Then I went back waiting.
5. When I finished submitting docs, I was last in line of 11 people to be interviewed. That's around 11:35am.
6. The interviews continued, each lasted about 5 mins, never long. There was usually a 3-4 mins interval before calling for another interviewee.
7. I waited for another 1 hr 15 mins. I was the only one in the room when it was my turn to be interviewed at around 12:45pm. Out of the building at 12:55pm.
8. Total time spent in the Consular was a solid 2 hrs.
AT THE ENTRANCE
- The entrance hall was empty, no line-up, no other candidates
- A woman guard asked for my passport (and only). She checked me out of her list (She has the list of all the ppl to come that day). Then she gave me back the passport with number tags in duplicate
- Then the airport-style security check by another security guy. No pad-down.
- I can keep my wallet and binder of docs. Placed the cell phone in a small security box (locker), size 4 in x 4 in x 8 in, kept the key of it.
- Take the elevator to the 1st floor.
STEP 1-COLLECTION DOCS
The officer was a friendly gentleman. He conducted the session proficiently and efficiently, no comments, no jokes, no small talks: just doing his job asking for documents one by one, and information.
1. First, he asked for my passport and took one of the number tags. He asked me to keep the remaining number tag.
2. Then he asked for my birth certificate, petitioner's birth certificate, my marriage certificate, and the Canadian police certificate. He checked his computer screen often and at the same time put some remarks on a sticky and put one on each of the docs
3. Then he left his seat, went into the office and came back with a pair of printouts (very likely the medical exam report), and the original of the police certificate sent directly to them by my previous country. Again he put a sticky with remarks on each of the docs.
4. Then he confirmed with me my address and my cell phone number, and petitioner's address and cell phone number. (he read them out, then I confirmed)
5. He asked for one photo. He scanned it, and gave it back to me right away.
6. He asked me where I would live in the future in the US. I told him petitioner's address.
7. Then he took my fingerprints (left 4-fingers, right 4-fingers, two-thumbs together)
8. Then he asked me to wait again in the room.
9. In total it took about 7-10 mins.
STEP 2-THE INTERVIEW
The officer was a cheerful young woman, very personable.
1. To start, she asked me to take an oath that everything I say is true.
2. Then she took my fingerprints (left 4-fingers, right 4-fingers, two-thumbs together)
3. Followed by Questions: (asked in a routine, rapid-fire and continuous manner)
- Who is the petitioner? (my child)
- Have you been arrested in any country? (no)
- Do you have any criminal record? (no)
- Have you lived in any other countries other than Canada and your previous country? (no)
- How many times have you been to the US? (many times)
- What was your longest stay in the US? (xx weeks)
- Have you overstayed or been denied entry into the US? (No)
- What was your highest education attained? (College)
- Where do you intend to live in the US? (city+state)
- What did you do for a living? (job title)
4. Then she told me my application is ok. Returned me the two birth certificates and the marriage certificate. And handed out an instruction sheet on how to track the mailing of the passport.
5. In total it lasted less than 5 mins.
Note: the officer did not ask for any other additional document. It is expected that they will ask for petitioner's tax return and W2, etc. But it did not happen to me.
WHEN I LEFT THE CONSULAR
- Visa granted
- Got tracking number on following Tuesday
- Passport ready for pickup on Wednesday
Thank you VJ community. Your sharing here took the mystery away from the visa interview. i was able to visualize the place and the process through your selfish-less experience sharing. Good luck to fellow interviewees-to-be.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #32575