Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
|
| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
March 24, 2012 |
| Embassy Review : |
Visa...APPROVED!
We returned home from Montreal last night and we couldn't be happier. I'll try to be as detailed as possible in my review, since I found the detailed reviews helpful in my preparations.
A bit about our unique situation. I am the USC, my husband is Cdn (born in Ireland). We met almost 7 years ago while we both lived in (basically) border towns. We married almost 6 years ago and I went through the whole Cdn immigration process so I could move up to be with him. We've been living together in Canada for the past 3+ years. (Yes we were married for 2 years before we ever lived together).
We actually DCF'd our I130 back in Aug or Sept 2009 in Toronto (when it was still allowed). That was approved but then we started having second thoughts about leaving Canada so quickly. We decided to get some things done on the house (prepping it for eventual sale) and also to wait for me to get Cdn citizenship. That way, if we ever want to come back, we can, without having to go thru these horrible immigration processes again. Anyways, we got our packet 3 relatively quickly but we took as long as possible sending it back. We eventually made our appt online for March 22 in Montreal.
We arrived the evening before the interview and stayed at the Le Dauphin hotel. It was pretty nice and very conveniently located- 5 min walk to consulate, which we did that night just be sure we knew where we were going the next morning.
We arrived at the consulate the next morning at about 6:50am and we were 2nd in line. Within a few minutes another couple arrived. By the time they opened the doors at 7:30 there were maybe 15 people in line (many were couples). The 1st security guy asked for my husband's appt letter and passport (nothing from me) and compared it to his clipboard. Security was as we expected- we didn't bring anything but our paperwork in an accordian file and some additional files. No bags, no watches, not even my husband's wallet- which made getting through security a bit easier. I'm sure some women who came after us were turned away because they had large purses.
We went downstairs and sat close to the elevator. The woman in front of us has also been on VisaJourney and so she was sitting really close as well. The couple after us also sat right next to us (his brother had been through the process so he knew a lot about it as well).
After awhile, someone came and said we could take the elevator up to the 19th floor. Of course, the 5 of us (me and my husband, the woman first in line, and the couple after us) went right to the back of the elevator and faced the back. When we got to the top, there was a woman standing there asking everyone what kind of visa they were applying for. My husband actually got to this woman first, moving in front of the poor girl who had been in line first. (I told him he was a jerk for this and he claims it was not intentional  - it ended up not mattering anyways). We got a ticket with C1 on it and were directed to the IR waiting area. First in line girl got C2 and I apologized to her. She was going for a K1 visa and was very nice. Ironically enough, the first number called was C2. Serves us right!
A few minutes later we were called into booth 8 and we both met with a very nice woman (African American, perhaps Caribbean descent, I didn't get her name). She swore us in and asked for our paperwork (birth, marriage and police certs). She checked things over and also took my husband's fingerprints. Since we hadn't paid yet, she directed us to the cashier and said she'd call us back when she was ready. We paid our fee, and in the meantime the couple behind us were called in to see her.
So far so good!
First in line girl came back out while we were waiting to be called back in. She was nervous because her fiance hadn't dated his intent to marry letter and of course didn't want that to hold things up. She was called in again, and came back out. She was approved- yay for her!
After we saw the woman at window 8 again to give her our receipt, we were then called in to window 7.
I was so nervous but the guy seemed nice right away. His name was Larry Pixa, maybe early 40's, some grey hair and very friendly. My husband had to confirm his fingerprints again. Maybe this is when we were sworn in too. He first asked how old my husband was. He said "I can look it up right here thru all these papers but can you just tell me?". He also asked if I was the petitioner. He then asked how long we'd been married. We both looked at him blankly, and then at each other. I swear crickets started chirping. DUH! Of all the questions we prepared for, we flaked on the easiest one?!? My husband started stammering something about since 2006. All I could think was, is it 5 years or 6 years? We both started laughing, and so did the interviewer. I kept saying I can't believe we screwed up the easiest question! The interviewer thought it was funny too though, luckily.
He then asked if my husband ever lived in the US, if he ever had trouble with immigration or with crossing the border. He asked how we met- we told him online on Plenty of Fish. We all sort of laughed and he said he's heard that one before and he's heard World of Warcraft a lot too. He asked where we got married and if it was a traditional wedding. He asked how old my husband was when he got married. He asked how long we communicated before we met in person (it was only about a week). He seemed a little stuck on this so I clarified that we only lived about an hour away from each other. I guess maybe if it is a fake marriage, people meet right away without getting to know each other? Not sure about that one.
He asked for our financial papers- the I864. I gave him our packet. Because I live in Canada and have no US sourced income, I planned on qualifying based on our assets. I also had a joint sponsor, in case they denied my I864 for some reason. I had my 2011 tax return and my tax transcripts from the previous three years. I was a bit nervous because I never received my 2011 1099 form from the bank so I knew my tax forms weren't quite complete. He never questioned it though. He flipped thru the I864 and seemed to stop on the part showing $0 USD income. He flipped back to my tax return, circled the amount I claimed as my worldwide income (basically my CDN converted to USD), looked up at a chart on the wall, and then filled in the "For govt use only" section on the front page, indicating that all requirements were met. That was it! I swear he didn't even look at our assets. He didn't seem worried about the fact that my income is Cdn and will not continue after we move.
Then he said to us, "Your paperwork looks GREAT, everything in here is perfect...but..."
He sighed and said, "are you familiar with the concept of domicile?"
um, yes! very familiar! This was the one area we were really worried about. I know Montreal has been really tough on domicile at times.
I pulled out our packet of info re: re-establishing domicile. I had a cover page indicating that I had: a signed lease from my mom, my cdn work contract showing an end date in June, moving quotes, info from a realtor for selling our house in Canada and bank statements from my accts in the States.
He said "OH, you're prepared, I like that! You've done your homework".
He read the cover letter and said, "OK, all I need is this (the lease) because it shows ties to the US. The other stuff is more Cdn based."
He kept the lease and gave us everything else back. Then he said...
"I am approving your visa. Welcome to the United States"
yay!
We were so happy. He explained the last few steps and I asked about crossing the border before we actually move. He said that was perfectly fine and even expected.
And then we were done! We were back in the hotel by 9:20am.
Overall it was a pretty easy experience and people could not have been any nicer!
|
| Rating : |
Very Good |
|
ver 5.0