Consulate Review: Vancouver, Canada
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
January 19, 2015 |
| Embassy Review : |
Our trip to the consulate went quite well. The security was as tight as expected, and there was a lot of waiting and a couple slightly confusing bits in the process, but the actual interview was quick and straightforward. We got approved. It all took under two hours.
Details below! Note that I'm the petitioner, and accompanied my fiancée to the interview, so this is from my perspective.
Security and Getting Inside
We arrived 15-20 minutes before the appointment time. Although the appointment letter said not to bring guests, they had no problem letting me in since I'm the fiancé. Outside, there was an initial security check where they poked through our documents and my wallet, and asked if we had any items on the (sizable) prohibited list. Since they also sent the list in advance, we'd left everything but the essentials at the hotel, so there was no trouble there. It sounded like they can store small items (cell phones, keys) for you, but we didn't bring them anyway. Note that they don't even allow sealed envelopes, aside from those required for the interview (i.e., the medical results).
After that we lined up outside, then were soon let in for the second round of security. This was similar to airport security, with a metal detector and X-ray machine. No body scanners or pat-downs, and we didn't have to take our shoes off, so it was arguably a bit more pleasant. They also flipped through our documents and such again. It was all pretty thorough, but the people were generally polite.
Processing and Waiting
For the K-1 visa, they sent us directly upstairs to the interview area with instructions to go to counter B. At the counter, you flip a switch that apparently lets them know you're there. Someone checked us in, but said they had to finish a few more cases before they could take ours, so we sat down to wait for a while. Each period of waiting felt pretty long, but it was hard to judge since there's no clock and we had no entertainment. I might recommend bringing a book or something. Eventually, they called us over to take our paperwork--basically everything from the list in packet 3. My fiancée didn't have a photocopy of her birth certificate (only the original), but they made a copy for us.
One note here--although the packet said an I-134 isn't necessarily required, I filled one out and brought a decent amount of supporting documents (employer letter, paystubs, three years of tax returns). They took all these, so it certainly didn't hurt. I overheard another person get approved without an I-134, but I'd rather be safe.
After that, they gave us a number so we could wait for the actual interview. Here's the confusing part: There's a display that will indicate when your number is ready, as well as what counter to go to. For some reason, every number will get called for counter 1, but there is no counter 1. Apparently, this is just how the system works. A lot of people waiting were thrown off by this. For now, at least, you're supposed to ignore counter 1 and wait until you get called again for a real counter.
Another slight hiccup happened because my fiancée had lived in the US when she was younger. They called us back over to counter B and asked her to fill out a form officially surrendering her previous resident status. However, she'd already done this, and they just hadn't asked about the specifics at first. She gave them copies of her records proving this, and there weren't any more questions about it. So if you're in that situation, you may want to mention this up front, and bring the documentation with you.
The Interview
After another long wait, they eventually called us over to a real counter for the interview. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to participate directly, but the interviewer asked me to join. Most questions were directed at my fiancée, but he asked me the stuff about myself. The interview was very smooth and straightforward, generally just questions about where we live and work, how we met, if we've met each other's parents, etc. Some of these were already covered in our forms, so it's possible he was making sure our stories were straight, but it definitely didn't feel like a test or anything. This only took about five minutes, and we were approved immediately afterward. He didn't ask for any additional relationship evidence.
Everyone was really friendly through this process, and the worst part was just the waiting and anticipation--when we actually made it to the counter, everything was pretty easy. All in all, it wasn't bad at all. |
| Rating : |
Good |
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ver 5.0