Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
November 4, 2014 |
| Embassy Review : |
Where do I begin!?
Let's start with the important surprises:
1. Bring $10 cash in the form of a $10 bill - just in case for some unknown reason the agent taking your documents decides your photos don't look recent enough. Mine were less than 6 months old, but apparently I changed my hair length and colour (which I didn't - I have had long highlighted hair for about 2 decades!) and there was no date stamped or written on the back of the photos, so I had to run to the basement floor and use the photo booth to take new photos in the middle of handing in my docs. A bit stressful! I don't know what I would have done if I didn't happen to have a ten with me!
2. Make sure you take recent photos - the lady claimed they asked for "new" photos. That was not written in our instructions as far as I know and I had figured a second copy of the ones they already had, and that I used for my medical would suffice. They were from less than 6 months ago. If possible make sure that your photos have a date stamped on the back - probably not a huge issue for most people but it would help prove how recent the photos are!
3. Even if you don't get an email requesting petitioner's original birth cert, bring it anyway! I got the email and brought it, but the lady after me claimed she didn't get the email the embassy said they sent and was being given a hard time. I am my sure if she was approved or not.
Now the important discoveries hat I was worried about:
A. I had a regional police cert that had the box ticked that I had no matches in the RCMP database, but it wasn't an RCMP police cert. There had been some discussion in the "November 2014 case complete to interview thread" regarding this. Someone had been sent an email by the embassy instructing the beneficiary to obtain a new police cert. The discussion evolved to the point that a lot of us who had obtained only a police cert from our local police stations were worried we might need to drive to the nearest RCMP station or use an official service to get an RCMP cert. I decided that since they had sent me an email but had not asked for a new police cert that I would just hope for he best and not bring one. Almost never a safe assumption in this process. Well it worked out. They never mentioned it at the interview, so I guess I was right. But again, mine although local, did have a box ticked regarding no matches in the RCMP database!
B. My medical was done before the flu shot was available in my province, but my interview was at a date a flu shot would likely be required (Nov 3). I went to a local pharmacy and got the flu shot last week and brought confirmation from the pharmacist that I received it. During the handing in docs part of the embassy visit I wasn't asked about the flu shot so I kept my mouth shut. But I had it with me just in case!
Other noteworthy items:
I. Was not asked for ANY proof of relationship. I had brought Skype calls, photos, the originals of the documents I had sent in with our I-130. We do have two children together though - maybe that is proof enough!
I I . There were food/drink vending machines inside - if you can't last 2-3 hours without food or drink, bring some coins!
I I I. I did not go at 7am. I went ~1 hour before my 10:30 am appointment time and the process took 2&1/2 hours total. That includes the photo debacle and a lot of waiting. About 15 minutes with the document lady and 10 minutes with the interviewer.
So, how it went:
At the YUL airport the day before I bought the 3 day pass from the machine for the 747 bus. There isn't a 2 day pass and the 3 day pass costs less than 2x one way tickets! This bus is at the far end of the lower level of the airport. Follow the signs, then when there are no more signs and you start to doubt if you are going the right way, just keep walking. It is at the far end. You will see kiosks for buying the tickets. Cash, debit, etc should work. If you pay on board on your way back from the city you will need $10 exact change in coins! Be warned. Way easier to just get the 3 day pass at the airport in the first place. $18.
I got an amazing deal on Expedia for flights plus hotel and as a result stayed at the Fairmont. It is stop 5 on the 747 and only 500m (4 minute walk) from the consulate. Plus comfortable rooms and a pool/hot tub for pre-interview de-stressing. Walking distance to a ton of stuff. And the best part, they let me have a ridiculously late check out for no fee. She offered to extend it to 1:30pm and I asked what would happen if I was late, she then extended it to 2 pm! I was able to return to my hotel and relax and call my loved ones after the interview! Great. They also have a grab and go coffee+fruit+pastry in the morning for ~$5, thought I didn't avail of it, the croissants sure looked good!
Arrived at the embassy at 9:35. A line of people were inside waiting for security. All non-immigrant visas, from what I could tell! The guard let me in along with a couple in front of me (non-immigrant visas). A lady only asked to see my loomis confirmation and then crossed my name off on a list she had. I waited for my turn to go through security. No problems - because I followed all of the advice here. Tip: I used a re-usable shopping bag (a lululemon bag is the perfect size for papers!) to carry my file folders and then only had a magazine, my wallet, room key, jacket, hat, gloves (Montreal is COLD). No issues, was sent down the staircase and told to take the elevator to the 19th floor. I was surprised we would be allowed to call the elevator an take it ourselves but we did! I stood in the back left of the elevator even though it was only the couple for the non-immigrant visas with me. They apparently didn't know how it would open. Then when the door opened I bolted out and went straight for the desk. On this point I felt a bit rude because the couple had arrived before me and I was already aware that they weren't in the immigrant visa category, but still I thought to myself this is no time to be chivalrous or a door mat. So I went for it. I definitely felt like I was being rude. Anyway, I got a number. Instead of saying "C_" like C1 or something, it just said "Applicant 18". That sounded horrible to me, but it was already 10am at this point and how was I to know how many people they had seen by that point.
Now the waiting began. Unfortunately there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to who was getting called, from which side (immigrant or non-immigrant), or what! Some people on the non-immigrant side were in a long line and getting seen according to what place in line they were. Others on the non-immigrant side were sitting in chairs like me and had "applicant #X" numbers like me. What I figure is that those were the fiancé visas. Only because most seemed to be couples. There were no couples on my side (immigrant visa waiting side) and actually nobody at all it seemed was ahead of me or after me that had to do the step 1: hand in docs, step 2: have interview. Some people on the non-immigrant side did have this same step by step process. And, there were screens overhead indicating that the agents were serving C4, or E1, or B5, but no screens that said "Applicant #X". They were using the speaker to call for these number types, so you kind of had no idea how far along they were until they called the next one which didn't happen for a long time. Eventually I heard them call applicant 16. The number card tells you to have ready immediately: passport, interview letter, 2 photos, medical envelope. I had a file folder with these items and others all prepped, but had brought a spare folder so I decided to move just these "immediately" required docs into there own folder for easy hand over when called.
After nearly a full hour after I arrived at the 19th floor (10:55 am), I, Applicant 18, was called to window 2. The shelf there is tiny! I had to pile my files and my jacket all on top of one another. The lady who helped me was NOT friendly. In fact she was downright confrontational and rude. After reading reviews about how nice everyone is I was surprised. The guards and everyone had been so nice up until this point. Maybe she was getting hungry for lunch, I don't know. She barely spoke to me, didn't even speak or ask for the documents listed on the applicant number slip. I assumed I was just supposed to know to hand them through the slot. She shuffled, organised stuff, started to scan my photos on their little machine thing, etc. She went to put my photos in my file and noticed they were the same photos they already had on file from late May when I sent in my IV docs. She said "when were these photos taken?! We asked you for recent photos, there's no date stamp, you changed your hair, ...go right now downstairs and take new photos, go now, you can leave your stuff here.." - a bit stressful. I grabbed my wallet and ran. Thank goodness I had a $10 CAD bill. It looks like it might have accepted $5s as an alternative(?) Anyway, I proceeded to take the absolute worst passport photos with the most stressed look on my face ever. Oh well. I ran back and up the elevator, straight back over to window 2. And she was seeing another lady! AND my stuff was gone. Panic. Deep breath. Looked around and saw that the greeting lady had my pile of files and my jacket on her desk. Went and grabbed it and returned to lingering behind the lady at window 2. This is where I overheard the lady being given a hard time about not having the petitioner's birth cert and claiming she didn't receive he email that they had record of sending etc.
Anyway, I got to go up to the window and thought to myself, deep breath, you are fully prepared for this, and you are a nice person, be nice to this lady and she'll probably be nice back. So I apologised for not having recent enough photos and so forth. She smiled and was nice back, she asked for my husband's birth cert which I gladly handed over, she typed, she handed back the X-rays cd, asked my address, husbands address, phone numbers, organised papers and so on, took my fingerprints, and then told me to wait. She didn't need the copy of my husbands birth cert or the copy of my passport, or any copy of any of the 5+lbs of papers I brought!
Including having to run and get new photos this still only took about 15-20 minutes. It was about 11:15 when I sat down again. I didn't read my magazine during this wait. I just tried to calm down and focus and remind myself to only answer the questions being asked.
After about 40 minutes finally I was called to window 7. Which as the other reviews state is like a room with a window at the end. And yes there is a chair in there you can out down your stuff. And the ledge is bigger for resting your files on.
A really nice lady said hi and she asked me to read the oath (not aloud, just to myself) and then took right fingerprints only. (side note, it is just a little computer pad thing you put your fingers on, for anyone wondering!). She then shuffled through my papers looking at stuff. Handed me back my marriage cert, birth cert, and husband's birth cert.
Then she started with:
1. Who is petitioning for you? - reply: my husband (husbands name)
2. How long have you and your husband been married? - I replied since 2012, June, just over 2 years
3. This is the first marriage for both of you? - correct, yes
4. Do you have any children? - yes a 2&1/2 year old boy, and a 7 month old girl
She then flipped through my paperwork. and said
5. Oh I see you had an issue, entering the country? What happened? - I explained what happened (years ago I had to "withdraw my application for admission to the US")
6. Have you entered the country since this happened? - yes probably 100 times, well maybe not 100 - but a lot.
7. Have you had any issues because of it? - I was asked a couple times about it but not in years
8. What does your husband do for a living?
-.....
9. What are you going to do? - ....
10. How long did you live in (other country)? - 4 years
11. What was your reason for being there, were you studying? - my husband was studying ....
12. Who is ....? - my mother-in-law, my husband's mother
13. She is helping you guys out? - yes, I have very generous in-laws 
Paper shuffling, typing, etc etc.
Then she closed my folder and said your visa is approved. She handed me the paper through the window (it is actually 2 sheets of paper stapled) and said, are you in Vancouver still? I said no Ontario (I thought that his was funny since she just went through my file and approved my case) she said Oh, for Ontario it usually takes us 3-5 days to get your passport and visa back. There's information on the delivery on the second sheet. I said I understand I am supposed to go pick it up at te nearest location. She said yes, there is a way if you follow the instructions to have it delivered to your house but it can add an extra day. I said no I will stick with picking it up - we want to travel as soon as possible! This was all through eyes that were welled up with tears. I thanked her and left the booth and had a little moment of tears/celebration/emotion. I came out feeling great and thanked everyone as I left.
All of that probably only took 10 min max! So I was out around 12:05, pretty much exactly 2&1/2 hours total.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
(updated on November 4, 2014) |
| Rating : |
Good |
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ver 5.0