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| Vancouver, Canada |  Review on August 16, 2010: |
soon2batexan
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
The Vancouver staff are awesome! They're very organized and helpful, as are the staff at Woking Medical. My Fiance and I arrived at the consulate about 12:35 and were told to return in 10 min (my appointment was at 1pm), so we sat on the steps of the plaza next door and enjoyed some sunshine. Security goes through all your things and will open any sealed envelopes, so just make sure anything you're bringing in can be opened relatively easily (the exception being the medical results, which are stamped by the clinic advising the Consulate not to open them). After being escorted to the 20th floor and waiting for a few minutes, We were called to window B just after 1, where we dropped off our documentation and chatted briefly with the gentleman collecting all the info. He advised us to return to the clinic (results are ready at 1:30) to pick up the results of medical, and told us to expect to be called for biometrics about 1:45.
This is where some may find it handy to park near the Consulate. If you walk quickly, you can return to the clinic in 10-12 minutes but keep in mind Burrard can get crowded and there are a number of intersections to cross. Round-trip, we made it back to the Consulate by 1:45 and that included waiting about 5 min at the clinic. The clinic has a sign posted asking for clients to wait to be called, but if your interview is same day you might want to just walk up and ask one of the ladies there. That's what I did after waiting a few moments. They're familiar with this process and are very friendly.
Because the Consulate had already taken my passport, I showed my interview letter at the door and my Fiance showed his US passport. Again, we were escorted up to the 20th floor and my fingerprints were taken around 2-ish. From there, we sat and waited. There were 3 other K-1 interviews that afternoon. The first started at 3pm, and my Fiance and I were last in line at 3:50. The Vice Consular was wonderful to deal with! Very friendly, knowledgeable, and really made us feel like he was here to help. The interview itself, while nerve-wracking for me, was thankfully quite anti-climactic. The Vice Consular complimented us for a thorough, organized document package, asked me how my Fiance and I met, asked a couple of questions of him regarding his work, and mostly just explained what they typically look for when issuing a Fiance Visa and told us about the work they do there. He asked me to swear an oath, and also what I plan to do for work upon entering the U.S. Then he congratulated us and told me he'd be pleased to issue me a visa. Everyone we dealt with there was terrific and friendly - top notch all the way! Following the interview we were asked to go back to window 1 where I provided my Xpresspost envelope for mailing. My Fiance and I ended up leaving the Consulate about 4:15. Having not eaten since breakfast, we were glad to have a happy end to a long day and a chance to eat dinner and celebrate!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #6486