Waiting in Vancouver
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
As promised here are the details of my interview in Vancouver. I would like to apologize now for how long this posted ended up being. My fiancée tells me I can ramble on at times well I think this is one of those times.
First off I like to say that the whole experience going through Vancouver was excellent.
I left early from my house, as I wasn’t sure how bad traffic would be. It turned out that traffic was just fine so I ended up arriving 45 minutes early for my 10:00am appointment. I wandered around for about 15 minutes and decided to pop my head in the door of the consulate at about 9:30am. The security officer told me to come back in 15 minutes.
I returned at 9:45am and they told me to come in. At the first security check (yes first as there is another one on the 20th floor) I had to give them my passport and interview letter. They went through my folder with all of my paperwork in great detail to make sure I didn’t have anything dangerous. I suggest that people don’t do what I did and have all your evidence for on going relationship in individual zip lock bags as they opened up many of mine. When I was done with security, the one security officer took my passport and put it back in my folder. I asked if she could put it at the front compartment but I guess she didn’t hear me and tossed it in one of the middle ones. I was kind of ticked as I was trying to keep my folder very organized. Anyways I rubbed it off and proceeded up the stairs.
Once you go up the flight of stairs you go through the door and the next security officer asks you what type of Visa you are there for. I told him I was here for a K-1 Visa and he said for me to follow him. We got on the elevator and went up to 20th floor. Once you step out of the elevator you have to go through another security check. The officer asked me for my passport and interview letter so of course now I am fumbling through my folder to see where the other security officer put my passport and letter. I eventually find it (of course muttering to my self the whole time) and hand it to the officer. Once again they search through all of my zip lock bags again (did I mention that zip lock bags weren’t such a great idea ). They then brought me into a room and led down to the little section on the left side of the room where they put the K-1ers.
By this time it is about 10:10am. In total there were 3 of us for K-1 Visas. The first lady was called up at about 10:30am. I was called up at about 10:40am. The officer at the booth asked me for all of my paperwork. It really does help to be organized as she asks for each piece of paper. Once she is finished she hands me some papers and tells me to walk down the hall and at the end to pay the cashier my $100.00 US processing fee and to return to her with my receipt. The last couple was called up at about 10:50am. We were all completed this stage by 11:00am. We sat around talking and what not for the next 45 minutes.
The room they sit you in was very warm and jammed with people. At least the K-1ers get a little section off to the side. If possible I suggest that you dress light with a jacket that you can take off as all of us found it uncomfortably warm.
The first lady was called up at about 11:45am and she was finished with in 5 minutes. She came back with a smile on her face and said it was very simple and that she was approved. I was called up right after her and my interview was very short as well. The officer started with a little chit-chat then started with the interview. The questions were as follows:
1) How did the two of you meet
2) When was the first time you met in person.
3) How often do you visit each other
4) What made you two decided for you to move to the US rather your fiancée to move to Canada
5) How old are her kids
6) What do you do for a living
7) Do you have any pictures of the two of you
That was basically it for the interrogation. After some more chit-chat he said everything looks good and congratulations. He told me that I could return at 2:00pm to pick up my Visa. It was now 11:55am.
You exit out back in the direction that you went to pay the processing fee. Once you go through the door the security officers tell you to take the elevator down to the ground floor. Once I got down to the lobby I went down to the parking level to my car to get my cell phone so that I could call my fiancée at work and tell her the good news. Of course she was very happy and told her co-workers that I got the visa.
I walked down to Gastown to buy my fiancée a Vancouver Canada sweatshirt she had seen on her visit here in May. I walked back to the Consulate and had lunch and watched some of the soccer (football) game at the restaurant across from the Consulate. I returned to the Consulate at 2:00pm and went back through the two security checks and back up to the 20th floor to get my Visa. I was there for only 5 minutes and was called up to the window. The officer explained the details of the Visa (which I already knew because of the wonderful people here on VJ) and handed my passport back to me with the new Visa in it. He also handed me a brown envelope that I am to give to the officer when I enter the US at my POE.
It really was a breeze and I stressed way more about it then I should have. We are very relieved that this part of the process is over. It is now time to start sorting out what has to be done before I leave Canada. At least I still have about 6 weeks to deal with all of that.
We would both like to really thank all of the people of VJ because without all of your advice and information this part of the process would have been very hard. I know we will be seeking more help in the future as we approach the next stages. THANK YOU
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #633
Review on June 10, 2006: