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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on January 16, 2015: |
stev
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
hi everyone - would like to give back to the amazing VJ community that helped me and my fiance through this whole k1 process, so here is my review of Montreal interview experience!
my visa was approved yesterday and i truly could not be happier/more excited! it was a whirlwind of a day but thanks to everyones reviews, it was seamless. my appointment time was at 7:40am and i flew in the night before on teh red eye so I just stayed at the airport until it was time to go downtown. i took the 747 bus which i highly recommend which dropped me off very close to the consulate. i got off on the rene-levesque/union stop #6 and it was only $10 for a 24 hour bus pass which i was able to use back to the airport after. there is nowhere to store your belongings at the consulate so i called in advance and made arrangements with the hotel one block away from the consulate called le square phillips and they just gave me a tag to retrieve my bag after my interview. from the hotel i walked to the consulate and had a little trouble knowing what building/entrance it was since it was dark and at this point i did not have my phone. there is a starbucks directly across the street from the consulate and i was luckily able to ask there and she pointed me directly to where the door was for the consulate - very helpful
i arrived at the consulate entrance at exactly 7 am and i was the first one there but within 2 minutes about 10-15 other showed up and lined up behind me. it was cold so as others suggested, bundle up! the security guard opened the doors at exactly 7:30am and i was allowed into the first door where i gave my appointment confirmation page which had the loomis info and my passport. from that point i went up through the security clearance which was easy as long as you didnt bring any of the items that were restricted (phone, large bag, fob for keys, purse, etc.) after i made it through the security i went down a set of stairs and waited right beside the elevator. once everyone was through security the gentleman sent us all up the elevator to the 19th floor. as others have said, stand near the back of the elevator as those doors open and you can get to the reception faster. i was the first one at reception and they requested to see the copy of the ds-160 and passport (i think) and they give you a number and a list of what to have prepared for the next step. within 5 minutes i was called up to the first counter and the lady working was very friendly! she asked for alot of documentation and it was very fast so be organized! if i can recall correctly, she asked for: ds-160 confirmation, original police clearance, passport and copy of biographics page, 2 passport photos, affidavit of support and the supporting documentation (tax returns), original long form birth certificate and a photo copy, medical results, appointment confirmation email printout, original letter of intent from fiance,she confirmed my current address and my intended address is the US. she then took my finger prints and asked me to have a seat and i would be called up by the officer.
i only had to wait about 10-15 minutes until i was called up by the officer and he was also very nice. he was starting his computer/finger print scanner when i got up to the window so he was just chatting and had me read the oath aloud and then he scanned my fingerprints saying that was my acknowledgement of the oath. at that point he explained the process to me and said he would just confirm some information and type it into his computer as we went. the questions were pretty easy to answer and as long as you have nothing to hide, it was very straightforward. the questions were:
when did you meet your fiance?
where did you meet him?
how often do you see each other?
what are our wedding plans?
what does he do for a living?
after that he jotted down some codes on my file and then he handed me a sheet and said Welcome to the United States and i think i was in shock and just had the hugest smile on my face and said THANK YOU! the whole process was smooth but a lot on the line going into it so it was a huge relief to finally hear the words "your K1 visa has been approved"!! i was out of the consulate by 8:40am and then was able to share the amazing news with my fiance!
my biggest pieces of advice to you to ensure a smooth process would be:
show up at 7am and lineup beside the door to the consulate
be extremely organized and ensure you have ALL documentation you need, i used the packet 4 checklist, the montreal consulate checklist and VJ to compile everything i brought
do not bring personal belongings
i hope this review was helpful - i know its redundant to a lot of other reviews of montreal consulate but i know the days leading up to the interview can be stressful and the more prepared you can be, the better! i wish the best of luck to everyone going through this process and thank you all for your support!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15980