Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
|
| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
May 22, 2015 |
| Embassy Review : |
IR-1/CR-1 - Approved
REVIEW SUMMARY
- Showed up at 6:20 AM, first in line outside consulate
- Turned away at 7:30 AM, told to return at 9:00 AM for 9:30 AM interview time
- Returned at 9:00 AM, entered consulate to wait in foyer for 5 minutes
- Was asked for name, appointment time and passport - was given laminated number card
- Went through security
- Proceeded to elevator - no one waiting, no guard or attendant. Pushed the button myself.
- Took elevator to top floor, only 4 people on elevator at the time
- Sat in middle section of chairs with other immigrant visa applicants at 9:10 AM
- Number called at 10:45 AM for document collection
- Collected: Passport, passport photos, medical results, interview letter, original birth certificate, original marriage certificate, original police certificates (Canada and UK), sponsor and joint sponsor's I-864s, sponsor's 2014 tax return, joint sponsor's request for 2014 tax extension, joint sponsor's 2013 tax returns and digital finger prints
- Phone number and addresses confirmed with me
- Confirmed that Loomis is set up with me (no document collected although it was available)
- Was given domestic violence pamphlet and returned to waiting room at 11:00 AM
- Number called at 11:50 AM for final interview
- Requested to read oath aloud, give digital finger print
- Asked the following questions, gave as short but honest answers as possible:
- Have you read the domestic abuse pamphlet? - Yes
- Where did you meet? - Online
- When you met in real life, where was that? -
- What year was that in? - 2013
- When were you married? - August 8th, 2014
- What does your wife do for work? - She's unemployed
- What is ? - That's her old job, she was
- Does your wife live in the US? - Yes
- What do you do for work? - I work as
- Your joint sponser is ? - Yes
- He's your wife's father? - Yes
- His address is this? - Yes
- Does your wife live with her father? - Yes
- Her address is this? - Yes
- Have you ever been denied entry to the US? - No
- Have you ever stayed longer than you were supposed to in the US? - No
- So when you and your wife would see each other before you got married, you would just go back forth visiting? - Yes, just back and forth
- On what visa did you enter the UK? - I entered on a British passport I have because my mother was born in Scotland.
- Did you live in the UK? - No
- How long were you there? - 17.5 months
- So you lived in the UK? - I never had a permanent address there and was always intending to return to Canada. I considered myself just travelling.
- *Skeptical look* ... OK.
- Does your wife live in the US? - Yes
- Have you ever been arrested? - No
- Have you ever lived anywhere outside of the US, Canada or the UK? - No
- Have you ever visited anywhere outside the US, Canada or the UK? - No
- Have you ever been arrested anywhere outside the US, Canada or the UK? - No
- Does your wife live in the US? - Yes
- OK, we're going to be approving your visa today. Welcome to the United States. Read this letter. When your visa is ready for pick-up at your local center, you will be contacted by Loomis.
- Received back original birth certificate and marriage certificate and welcome letter
- No documents requested, no proof of domicile or evidence of relationship requested
And there you have it! That's what happened to me. What follows is a very, very detailed walkthrough of my consulate experience. It is very long, but it could potentially shed some light on questions one may have. Thank you for your patience.
DETAILED WALKTHROUGH/REVIEW
OK, Mrs. and I showed up to the consulate at about 6:00 AM (a 15 minute metro ride from the Residence Inn on Lincoln Avenue [slightly cheaper than the Marriott closer to the consulate, has been a nice stay]) and found no line-up, so we went to the Starbucks located on the corner of Rue St-Alexandre (the street you line up on) and Boul René-Lévesque (just keep walking past the consulate towards René-Lévesque and you can't miss it - just have to cross the street). At 6:00 AM the Starbucks was relatively empty, and there's a bathroom to the left of the counter should you need it. We returned to the line at 6:20 AM and were still the only ones there. A few minutes later, around 6:25 AM, another couple lined up behind us (fellow VJers, never caught their usernames), followed by another woman behind them at about 6:45 AM (also a VJer!). Over the course of the next half hour, people slowly trickled into Rue St-Alexandre and joined our queue, bringing its ranks to about 10 people/groups strong. At 7:15, however, what seemed like droves of people started arriving - at least a dozen more.
At 7:30 AM, on the dot, two security guards came out with stanchions (poles) and set them up around the line that had already formed. I got excited and greeted one with a 'Good Morning' and got a bit of a chilly, 'Yeah, hey' kind of response. After they went back inside, a young woman came out with a clipboard and asked me my name and my appointment time. When I told her, she frowned, apologized, and told me that I couldn't yet line up and had to come back at 9:00 AM. She was very kind and even seemed sad for us that we had been waiting. It seemed that there were several people, including us first three VJers, who were turned away at the door and told to return half an hour before our designated appointment time. Mrs. and I went to the nearby Tim Horton's (right at René Lévesque, down a few blocks) for a change of scenery. We waited here until 8:30 AM, walked back to the consulate to see if anyone was still in line (there was no one), and retreated once more to the Starbucks to warm up and wait until 9:00 AM.
At 9:00 AM there was still no line outside the consulate. We tried the door and found a small group of people inside the foyer (a small line of 3, if I recall correctly) whom I joined as per the directions of the security officer. OK, this part was confusing for me and I wasn't sure if I was in the right place or not, but was corrected by the security officer when I tried moving to another spot (the other end of the line as I couldn't tell which was the back). A few other people started to line up outside again, and when one tried the door the security officer told them to stay lined up outside and they would be called in. To be honest, the security officers were likely the most negative human interaction involved in my entire consulate experience yesterday, but they weren't even that bad. They were gruff, rude, pushy and loud, but otherwise fine. I suggest taking a breath here and trying your best to not be too intimidated by them. Just follow their instructions and they should otherwise leave you alone. And if you accidentally do something you're not supposed to, such as cut the line like I did, they'll probably just correct you. They just won't be exactly cuddly about it.
Within a few minutes, the young woman with a clipboard from earlier came into the foyer, asked me my name, appointment time, if I had signed up with a courier, and to see my passport. She did not ask to see my Loomis confirmation letter, just asked if I had signed up. She then gave me a laminated card with a number on it, and something akin to the following: "Please wait for your number to be called by the clerk and have the following documents ready immediately: passport(s), 2 pictures, interview letter(s), medical report." I was instructed to go through the door on the other side foyer (up some stairs), proceed through security, follow the stairs down and then take the elevator up to the top floor. Security was a breeze and very much like airport security but more relaxed. I was asked to empty my pockets, place all of my belongings in a bin, take off my belt or any watches and then walk through a metal detector. I only had my four binders with my documents in them and a belt. Nothing else. I believe this security guard appreciated this and was a lot friendlier than the previous ones. I then collected my belongings and proceeded down the stairs to the elevator.
The elevator sat at the far end of the room at the bottom of the stairs. There was no one in this room save for the four of us that had just exited security. I pressed the button for the elevator myself and waited. There's no guard or attendant at the elevator and there was no one waiting at this point, you just press the button and go up. You get in the elevator and press number 19. I believe it says VISAS above it. There are only 4 buttons to choose from and they were all labelled. The elevator opens up on the opposite side from the one you enter.
Once at the top, the elevator lets you out into a large white room with many chairs to the left and a wall to the right adorned with a banner with the consulate's Facebook link. Straight ahead you can see the beginning of a hallway to the right (windows 6 to 12 are along this hallway, along with men's and women's bathrooms), and a set of windows marked 1 to 5 along a wall parallel to the banner wall. The chairs are divided into three sections with signs hanging above them (I did not notice these at all at first), one for Non-Immigrant, Student, Work and other visas, another for Immigrant visas, and another whose sign I never got to read. I believe this section is either for US Citizen consulate business or just to pay fees (there is a sign above some windows opposite section 3 of the chairs that says 'Cashier').
There was no one to greet me once off of the elevator and I was quite confused as to where to go. The other three people on the elevator with me headed for a line up along the far wall to the left, behind the chairs, so I lined up with them. I actually made sure I was first off of the elevator, but due to my confusion at what to do, I was the last one to join the line up! This line wrapped behind sections 1 and 2 of the chairs and started in front of the wall with windows 1 to 5 along it. After several minutes standing, I realized I was the only one in the line up with a laminated card in my hand, and everyone else with them was sitting in section 2 (this is when I noticed the signs) so I joined them. An officer who was roaming the room answering questions, mostly from non-immigrant visa applicants, later confirmed I was in the right place.
Here is where 90% of my experience took place. It was 9:10 AM by the time I was out of the elevator and my number was not called (over a PA system, "Number xx to window xx") until 10:45 AM or so. Do not expect the numbers to be called in sequential order - this is not the case. I was number 31 and heard many numbers called that would normally come after mine. There was a gentleman who was number 19 who believed groups of numbers were given to each agent, and if you were unlucky enough to have your number given to a slower or busier agent, you had a longer wait. He said it felt as though he had lost the lottery (though he ended his day with an approval!). For me, the time really flew by, probably because I was so intent on trying to relax. I kept thinking of my wife telling me to 'feel my feet' whenever I got nervous and it seemed to work. I would focus on keeping my feet on the floor, feeling grounded and just being 'in the moment' - I was just sitting in a chair. All I had to do to get what we've worked so hard for was sit and wait a little while longer, and if things went as bad as they could, it would just be some more work and we'd figure it out and get through that too.
Once I was called up the first time, at 10:45 AM, I proceeded to window 11 as instructed and was greeted by a very pleasant woman. She said hello, asked me how I was, and asked for my laminated number card (or maybe I just gave it to her, I don't remember). She then asked for everything that was printed on the number card, my: Canadian passport, medical results (they didn't want the CD with the x-ray on it), 2 passport style pictures, and my interview letter (I read in SuzieQTpi's review, who was there at the same time as me, that she was never asked for her interview letter, to illustrate further inconsistencies in the process). I handed them under the glass, she took them, looked at them, opened the medical results, looked at them, consulted her computer a few times, and then asked for the originals of my birth certificate, marriage certificate, and my police certificates (I had two, a Canadian and a UK one) took my finger prints using an electronic scanner to the right of the window. She made some notes and then asked to see the I-864 Affidavit of Support and the sponsor's 2014 tax return. I told her we have a joint sponsor who filed a tax extension for 2014, so I gave her the extension form and the joint sponsor's 2013 tax return (we didn't have tax transcripts). Mrs. had filled out a new I-864 because she filled out the original before tax season, but I only handed over the old one after reading that user Steven&Alice was greeted unfavourably when they said they had an updated one. This seemed to be fine! This was all she asked for. No DS-260, no Loomis registration email, no photocopies of anything. After document collection, the woman behind the window asked me to confirm some basic information such as addresses and phone numbers. However, she prompted me with the addresses and phone numbers, saying, 'Is your sponsor's phone number xxx-xxx-xxxx?' and same with all the addresses, which I found odd considering you're trying to prove you're legitimate and know these things on your own. Also, my mailing address is different than my residential address and she was only concerned with my mailing address. After all of this, she said she needed to make a scan of my UK police certificate (which is odd because we submitted one to NVC) and a couple of other things, gave me a copy of the domestic abuse pamphlet which she wrote my number (31) on, and told me to go back to the waiting area and wait for my number to be called again. Before I left the window, I asked her if the next time I got called would be for my final interview and she smiled and said yes!
Back to the waiting room I went! I sat back down and waited until around 11:50 AM before I was called to window 7. There were very few people left in the room during this wait, maybe a dozen or so, and the numbers were starting to be called sequentially. I saw a few people leave who had clearly gotten approved (including one person who left with a very audible 'woohoo!') which bolstered my spirits, but also saw at least one woman leave who was not approved and it was heart breaking. I just kept 'feeling my feet', breathing and telling myself that we were prepared and I knew the answer to any question anyone could ask about myself, my wife or our relationship. Just keep breathing.
Finally, 11:50 AM, number 31 to window 7. I walked down the hall and up to the window which was set much further back than the others I had seen and greeted the officer behind the glass. He slid a paper with the oath on it under the glass and asked me to read it aloud and then place my hand (four fingers) on the electronic fingerprint scanner. The questions began:
- Have you read the domestic abuse pamphlet? - Yes
- Where did you meet? - Online
- When you met in real life, where was that? -
- What year was that in? - 2013
- When were you married? - August 8th, 2014
- What does your wife do for work? - She's unemployed
- What is ? - That's her old job, she was
- Does your wife live in the US? - Yes
- What do you do for work? - I work as
- Your joint sponser is ? - Yes
- He's your wife's father? - Yes
- His address is this? - Yes
- Does your wife live with her father? - Yes
- Her address is this? - Yes
- Have you ever been denied entry to the US? - No
- Have you ever stayed longer than you were supposed to in the US? - No
- So when you and your wife would see each other before you got married, you would just go back forth visiting? - Yes, just back and forth
- On what visa did you enter the UK? - I entered on a British passport I have because my mother was born in Scotland.
- Did you live in the UK? - No
- How long were you there? - 17.5 months
- So you lived in the UK? - I never had a permanent address there and was always intending to return to Canada. I considered myself just travelling.
- *Skeptical look* ... OK.
- Does your wife live in the US? - Yes
- Have you ever been arrested? - No
- Have you ever lived anywhere outside of the US, Canada or the UK? - No
- Have you ever visited anywhere outside the US, Canada or the UK? - No
- Have you ever been arrested anywhere outside the US, Canada or the UK? - No
- Does your wife live in the US? - Yes
- OK, we're going to be approving your visa today. Welcome to the United States. Read this letter. When your visa is ready for pick-up at your local center, you will be contacted by Loomis.
And I think that's it. That's all I can remember, at least. It took about 15 minutes tops. He gave me back my original birth and marriage certificates but kept my police certificates. It was incredibly stressful and I was doing my best not to shake! No matter how much I psyched myself up, it's still just quite intimidating and my interviewer was not the friendliest, quite dry and he seemed incredibly bored with the whole process. I thanked him, wished him a good day and headed for the elevator! Went back out the way I came and met my wife in the middle of the street between the consulate and Starbucks. We hugged, kissed and cried a little before being on our merry, little way. Woohoo!
A few notes on my interview - no documents were asked for, no proof of domicile, no evidence of relationship, nothing. I kept my answers as short yet honest as possible and tried to avoid giving him extra information he didn't ask for. The fact that my wife was visiting me in Canada, how long she's been visiting, how many times I visited her or she visited me never came up. I assume that at least some of this information is available to them, but it was never asked of me.
Overall, my experience was pleasant but full of unexpected change ups and a lot of waiting. However, 3 hours of waiting in order to live in the same place as my wife, so we can finally start our lives? It felt like nothing. The shortest part of this whole process yet the most stressful. The majority of the personnel I dealt with were kind, and even the ones who weren't were tolerable at worst. Four stars, would consulate again, but will hopefully never, ever have to.
Thanks VJ! |
| Rating : |
Good |
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ver 5.0