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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on May 11, 2006: |
andru
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Well we did it!
My visa was approved on April 19th in Montreal. I thought I would share my experience.
The consulate itself is located on the corner of Rue St-Alexandre and Blvd. Rene Levesque. The actual entrance is on Rue St-Alexandre (for the consular office only). I have attached photos at the bottom of this post to help so you can recognize the building and know exactly where to go =).
If you chose to stay at the Hotel La-Tour (I would highly recommend staying here - at least for the first night), you only have to walk outside the front door and across the street to reach the consulate. Cab rides from the airport to the city centre are capped at $35 minus tip (Hotel La-Tour is located in the city centre). Also - two blocks up the street (Blvd. Rene Levesque) is a Tim Hortens, so you can easily get a decent cup of coffee and a bagel before the interview.
The Consulate has its own entrance to the building, directly inside this first entrance is security. It resembles that of a small airport - x-ray machine, metal detector, and numerous guards. No guns that I could see - and not very intimidating at all. Make sure you bring your letter requesting an interview and present it to the guards. The first set of doors open at 7:30 am. However, after clearing security you must wait in an area in the lower part of the building with an elevator. The guards will not take you to the 19th floor where all the action is until 8:00am. Make sure you have your letter requesting an interview as well as your passport ready to present to the guards.
I decided to wait until 7:50 and it worked out well. I was the only one clearing security at that time and was able to get a seat at the FRONT of the waiting room. This is important as you want to be the FIRST person on the large elevator. It opens from the back, and therefore you will be the first person out. Many people wait for you to enter presuming the doors will open from the front.
A few notes about the initial waiting room:
-There is no bathroom.
-There is a photo booth in case you don't have passport pictures ($4 in change).
-Remember to wait at the FRONT of the waiting room, and when the guard says you may enter the elevator, get near the back doors (it is a very large elevator).
When you get off the elevator on the 19th floor, turn left around the corner and look for WINDOW 14. When I went through, the majority of those on the elevator ran towards a back window. In the panic, I got a bit confused and almost followed but then the officer came out and clarified. People wishing to obtain travel visas are to wait at another window around the corner, so just wait at window 14 and don’t get panicked that others are lining up in front of another window.
The blind will remain down on window 14 for a little while, they start processing the travel visas first. When it opens, you will be asked for your letter requesting an interview. After inspecting the letter, you will be issued a number. Mine was C1. The people getting travel visas were issued numbers starting with A (i.e. A1, A2...). After getting your number, go and wait in the waiting area in front of the screen hanging from the ceiling. The numbers will appear here.
If you have to use the bathroom, you probably have about 10-20 minutes before they will start calling the "C" numbers. When they call your number there will also be a window number which you are to go to. You will have to go to the opposite side of the building from window 14. It’s down a small hallway. When you arrive there they will begin requesting paperwork.
I bought a small, plastic file-folder to organize all of the paperwork. Bring copies of everything. They requested my DS156 and DS156K forms, Affidavit of support, letter from my fiancé saying she was still willing to marry me (signed) – to this I stapled pictures of us together as well as receipts from the engagement ring and our wedding rings (as proof of engagement), passport, medical envelope, and birth certificate. I was fairly nervous at this point because there were complications getting my long form birth certificate (I just had the short form). I brought along a baptismal certificate and my parents wedding certificate just in case, but the guy said it shouldn’t be a problem as my application was very well put together and everything else was in order. He also saw that I had a Canada Post X-Press envelope and requested it.
After taking all of my paperwork, I was given a slip of paper and told to run back to window 14 and pay my 100$ visa issuance fee, and then return with the receipt and leave it in the window slot. I paid and returned and left the receipt and went back to the waiting room. About 5-10 minutes later I was called again into the “interview room”. You’re still separated by glass and speak through speakers, however it is closed door.
The officer took my fingerprints, and as they were being scanned I immediately noticed a yellow post-it note marking a page in my application. I was a bit worried at first, but when he turned to it I saw it was just the pictures I had provided as “evidence of engagement”. The picture he had marked was one of my fiancé and I at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville NC. He said it looked really familiar and he and a co-worker wanted to know the name. We had a brief chat about the Southern States, and I cracked a few jokes. He was very good natured. The only other question he asked me was how we met. He seemed very interested in my story and was always smiling. It felt more like a conversation that an interview! Then he got me to sign my DS150 forms, asked if I had any questions and thanked me for my patience and for having a well organized application. He said that he would try to get my visa printed later that afternoon and mailed out in the morning.
I was out within an hour and a half and spent the rest of the day exploring Old Montreal and the downtown core. =)
I hope this guide helps some of you!
Best of luck,
-Andrew & Cammie
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #563