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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on September 23, 2024: |
MountainPeaks
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I had a great experience at the Montreal consulate. I'll try to be as thorough as I can in this review for anyone who's feeling anxious about their upcoming appointment.
A warning for anyone driving into the city, google maps had me getting there with an hour to spare, but because of traffic accidents and construction delays along the way I made it there exactly at my appointment time.
There is a paid parking lot behind the consulate with flat rate parking (cash only iirc) There is street parking in the neighbouring streets but some of them seem to be permit only, and they do monitor and ticket there.
There isn't any outward facing signage for the consulate, but you will see people lining up outside the glass doors next to the RBC. The security guard will come out and call out appointment times 10-15 minutes ahead. In my case, I got there right as they were calling the next batch, so I told him my appointment time and name, and he let me in. Once you enter the building, you will be asked for your passport so they can check you in. They will hand it back to you along with a small yellow card which lists the documents they will need to have ready for the next step, and a number to track your place in the queue. There is an airport style scanner and metal detector, and you will be asked to power off your cellphone and place it into a locker.
Going up one floor on the escalator, there's a large open room full of seating with booths for the document officers running along the walls. There are bathrooms as well as water fountains here, so you can make yourself comfortable. It took close to an hour before my number was called, so I recommend bringing a book to pass the time.
The first booth you go to is just interested in making sure your documents are in order. They will have your case printed out in a folder with things like the ds-160 already there. They will ask some simple questions that you have already answered in previous paperwork. Make sure you know your fiancés address and phone number, since they will verbally confirm that with you.
I was surprised by how little they actually asked for. The first person who checked me in and asked for my documents only wanted:
-Proof of appointment payment
-My Passport, passport bio page copy and two passport style photos
-Beneficiary original birth certificate and copy
-Original police clearance
-I-134, only the most recent year of IRS tax returns, other supporting financial documents.
You may be asked for more paperwork if it's applicable in your case (divorce records, court records etc)
They took my fingerprints and I was given an IMBRA pamphlet on resources for domestic violence to read and told to wait to be called back up for the interview portion. This took another 45 minutes.
My interviewer was very friendly and congratulated me on my engagement. I took a verbal oath as well as another set of fingerprints.
I was only asked a few questions, and these were asked in a very casual manner.
-Have you read the pamphlet on domestic violence?
-How did you meet?
-When did you get engaged?
-What does your fiancée do for work?
-Where is the wedding going to be?
I wasn't asked to see any evidence of relationship documents, proof of domicile or any of the other pages I had printed out.
She said congratulations, it's all done, and was given a page which tells you how to track the visa in the mail.
In closing, all the employees at the consulate that I encountered were nice and polite. I was definitely over prepared, and the interview portion itself seemed like it was just a formality. Just make sure you have all the documents required of you.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #33393