Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
December 12, 2012 |
| Embassy Review : |
The other reviews here got us plenty prepared for what to expect on the day we had our K1 Visa interview. Some of the points I'm bringing up are just reiterations of what other people have said before, but trust me, it is worth mentioning again.
We stayed at the Phillips Hotel and Suites, which is within very close walking distance of both the US Consulate (also called US Embassy, they're one and the same so don't freak out, there's only one building and it's easy to find) and Medisys. Medisys is one of the locations that someone can get their required Medical done, and they offer either to ship the results to you for a $50 fee or you can pick them up yourself for free. They open at 7AM on weekdays normally, so we decided to save a bit of money and pick up the documents before heading over to the consulate. Leaving the hotel at 6:30AM, brisk walk to Medisys takes about 15 minutes, then with papers acquired, turned right back around for another 15 minute walk to the Consulate. The consulate itself is less than five minutes from Phillips Hotel.
Everyone saying to get in line early is right on the money. Getting there by 7AM usually means you're one of the first 5-10 people. The line may or may not build up depending on the day but most people show up after 7:30. ONLY BRING ESSENTIALS. Passport, payment (if needed), all your documents in zippable folders or binders. No purses, no electronic car keys, no phones, no tablets, no gaming devices, no backpacks, no briefcases, seriously just don't bring anything that you don't need at the consulate. A woman with a normal-sized purse was turned away immediately for it.
The entrance to the consulate is not on the main road but on the side road in a little alcove. The street goes uphill, and with the way the doors open when they finally started letting people people, we had to stand at a higher point that than the alcove. Save yourself a little time and get people to line up the right way if possible, just makes things easier.
They let people in one person/couple/group at a time starting around 7:30. They will ask for your appointment letter and your passport (I was the petitioner and they didn't even ask me for my passport or any kind of ID). You'll then get let into the second room where you actually get your items and self scanned. Once the scan is clear, you'll go to your left and down some stairs. Hang a right at the bottom of the stairs and you'll be in the waiting area for the elevator. Here there are some pay phones and a booth that will take passport-style photos of you for $10. Take chairs as close to the elevator as possible, and keep your eye on the hallway where you just came from. The moment you see a security guard coming your way, stand up and get in front of the elevator. He'll tell you what floor to go to and where to go when you get there (he indicated there's normally someone directing you where to go once you're there but in our case there was no one at all).
When the elevator opens, get to the back left of it. Once you get to the floor, immediately hang a sharp u-turn to the left and walk towards the windows. You'll see some window booths to your left (I believe they're numbered 14-18). If you're the first people up there, likely no one will be at a window yet but check to see. Then you'll get called up one person/group/couple at a time, give them your appointment letter and passport and you'll be issued a ticket (we were C-3).
Once you have your ticket, head to the waiting area with the chairs. If you can't show up first thing in the morning, it's a good idea to bring a book or some magazines with you to pass the time. We didn't even get a chance to sit down as the moment we were issued our number, we were called to a window.
This first window is where they take the documents they need from you. For us, they took my fiancee's passport, her appointment letter, her medical (gave the disc and xrays back to us), the affidavit of support with evidence, the original birth certificate with translation (plus a photocopy), the original police certificate with translation, DS-160 confirmation page, and one or two other things I can't remember. They also take fingerprints at this time.
Went back to the seats to wait for the number to be called again for the actual interview. This took us only about 10 minutes since we were very early in the queue, but it can ramp up pretty quickly. By the time we went to the second window for the interview, there were about 30 people still waiting in the first section for their first window call.
The woman who interviewed us didn't take any more papers or info except asking who we both were, and where we lived. She made sure I was the US petitioner, and asked us both to raise our hands and swear oath. She forgot to tell us to put them down before typing again. She began to ask us how the relationship started and then said we could put our hands down. Fiancee and I high-five'd to be silly, made the interview feel a bit more at ease after that. We went through how and where we met, and all the relationship stuff within the first year of dating, as well as when we applied for the K1.
She typed up stuff for a few more minutes while my lady and I had some chitchat. After the wave of typing, we hear "congratulations, your visa has been approved, here's your instructions, you should get the passport back with the Visa in it within two weeks."
Have a good day and welcome to the USA! We go back to the hotel by 9AM, so being there early definitely pays off. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0