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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on February 23, 2011: |
deepaandvish
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
I can't believe this process is finally over!
We (hubs and I) got there at 7:15am - for my 8:30 interview - and there were about 8 people ahead of us in line. When the doors opened at 7:30am, the security guard made all the people ahead of us with backpacks and larger bags leave the line and get rid of their bags! Thank god I had read VisaJourney and I knew to bring my documents in a grocery bag with no extraneous things! The security guards weren't mean but they were firm and actually, a bit nicer than airport security is. (and WAY nicer than US border patrol guards are!)
When you get in and go through security, you are told to go downstairs by the elevator to wait. We didn't get letter cards like most other people who have posted reviews of Montreal! But when the elevator guy came down, he asked all the people with x-rays to come upstairs with him. I didn't realize we even needed to bring our x-rays, but I was glad I did. Even though there were about 3 other people in front of me, when the elevator doors opened from the back, I was the first one out so I ended up being at the front of the line so I apologize to all the people I inadvertently butted in front of! I know we all spent forever waiting for this moment, so butting sucks but I swear it was an accident!
The lady on the 19th floor asked us to go to this counter one by one, where we showed our appointment letters and passports and I got a piece of paper that said C-1. I have no idea what this means!! But we had to sit in the waiting area and as soon as I sat down, I was called to this other window. Here, I had to submit my electronic fingerprints and hand over some of my documents. Then I was asked to sit again, and then I was called again. But when they call you over the speaker, they do it in French and English and it's hard to hear!! Luckily, another girl from VisaJourney heard them call my name/number and let me know and she totally saved my butt! Thank you so much, CanadiaGirl from Windsor!
At the second counter, a man (not as nice as some here have described the interviewers) took my documents one by one and asked me questions, and I was confused about whether this was the actual interview! But it wasn't. He just made a note of my responses and took all the documents I was supposed to bring. I went and sat again, and then was called for my interview.
Although I applied for a CR-1 visa and my husband was not required to attend the interview with me, he came from the US for moral support and during the interview, the interviewer (very nice!) asked me if I was on my own and I said "No, my husband is here with me" and he said "Oh, then why don't you ask him to join us?" and I thought I was screwed. I thought we were going to get quizzed on how well we knew each other or something (very well) but I expected the interview to be with just me and be a breeze! Anyway, it was fine, my husband came and he asked us literally 3 or 4 questions, and that was it. He then said "Your biometric data is still coming in, but based on what I see now, I can approve you for a green card" which SHOULD have been a wonderful moment!! But I was freaked out about what my biometric data was going to say! Was I too short to be American? Born in the wrong city?? This is what several days of no sleep does to you. Anyway, that was it, he gave me (us) the Welcome to the United States letter, I didn't cry although I expected to (again, no sleep) and we were off! The longest part was literally waiting for the elevator to take us up, it took 30 min. Other than that, everything went so fast, I hardly had time to process it.
So here is what I've learned:
- If you've filed electronically, bring all the originals they've asked for in the appointment letter AND copies of everything. You actually need them. You might also want to bring the documents asked for in the MTL consulate overview which I think is available from the consulate website - it was a longer list than what my appointment letter asked for, but it's better to bring more than you need. And copies! Can't stress this enough!
- If you've already paid the $404, bring your receipt in case this does not show up on their computers (it did in my case)
- Bring your x-ray - I still don't know why since no one looked at it and I still have it, but x-ray people did get to go in first
- Bring ONLY what you absolutely need and nothing more. I had literally 3 things in my pocket - lip balm, an inhaler and my hotel keycard! In my grocery bag, I only had the plastic folder where all my originals and copies were and my gigantic x-ray (why they can't shrink them down to normal size is beyond me) and that was it
- Don't bring any big bags, backpacks or large purses. Less is truly more!
- Listen carefully to the announcements on the PA system since they are hard to hear! OR sit beside another VisaJourney person with great hearing like I did with CanadiaGirl from Windsor!! Such a lucky break!
Lastly, I just wanted to say that I have been a long time lurker on VisaJourney but haven't posted anything. It has been a HUGE help to see what other people have been saying, about the entire experience as well as the interview process in particular. Thank you all so much for taking the time to post on this site, it's such a great resource and when I saw all those people with backpacks being asked to leave the line at the US Consulate, all I could think of "they should've been reading VisaJourney!". Thanks especially to CanadiaGirl from Windsor and her upstate NY husband, it was a pleasure to meet you and I wish you all the best when you move to the US! Can't believe we finally made it!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #7191