Consulate Review: Montreal, Canada
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
July 25, 2017 |
| Embassy Review : |
This review is a bit long-winded, but I want to demonstrate how important it is to be prepared, dot all your "i's" and cross all your "t's."
I am Canadian and my wife is USC/Canadian. She moved from Ontario to Orlando, Florida in April, 2017 in order to comply with the domicile rule. Back in November, 2016 when I had to select my 2017 vacation period, I calculated (guessed / hoped) I would be through the immigration process by June. So I chose four weeks starting May 24.
I loaded up a U-Haul trailer and drove my wife from NIagara Falls to Orlando in April, 2017. I spent a couple of days with her. looked at some houses and returned to Ontario, leaving her in an AirBnB house while she got ourselves established in Florida.
In late May, I resigned from my job (playing with fire, I know), loaded up a second U-Haul trailer, our dog, my two aquarium and the fish (three of the 20 or so didn't survive, sadly) and headed to the border. I declared my intentions at the border at Niagara Falls, N.Y. The customs officer accepted the fact I had to return to Canada for my interview as my de-facto guarantee I would indeed be returning to Canada. At this stage, we had already received the NOA2.
My wife was depressed being without me in Florida. It broke our hearts to see each other on the opposite ends of our cellphone maps.
A couple of days after I arrived in Orlando, I got the notification our file had progressed from USCIS to the State Department. I was instructed, among other things, to get my police check and medical. I had neglected to get my police check before leaving Canada but fortunately my local police accepted on-line orders. They mailed my certificate to my home address in Niagara Falls, at which point it was forwarded to my Orlando address by the post office. As for my medical, I had no choice but to return to Canada.
After submitting all of my paperwork electronically to the State Department, and eventually having it accepted, I set up an appointment with Dr. Lyndon Mascerenas up in Toronto. I booked a one-day return flight from Orlando to Toronto. I left Orlando early in the morning and flew to Toronto. I went to the clinic at St. Clair and Bathurst, had a quick exam. I went downstairs for my X-ray and across the street for my blood work.
Then I went back to the airport and returned to Orlando that evening.
My interview was in Montreal on Friday, July 21, 2017. We left Orlando the morning before. The spouse isn't required to attend, but I noticed her signature was carelessly inconsistent on various documents (passports, income tax returns, immigration forms, etc). So I thought it wise to have her with me, just in case. We were on a budget, so we stayed at the Motel Montreal on Highway 20 in suburban Lile Perrot. The motel is right across the street from AMT station on the Hudson Line. The plan was for my wife to stay for a night and myself for five nights. If the issuance of my visa took any longer, I would stay with my mother-in-law back in Ontario (you can dispense with the jokes; I adore my mother-law and she adores me). My wife had a return ticket to Orlando for Friday night. I only bought a one-way ticket.
We woke up early on Friday morning and made it our mission to arrive in Montreal with time to spare. After a quick visit to Tim Horton's for breakfast, we caught a 7am train and arrived at McGill subway station (where the Eaton Center is located) just after 8. We rented a locker for C$1 for the day (thank you, previous consulate reviewers!). From previous reviews, we knew better than to arrive any earlier than our appointed time.
I made a point to wear my nicest suit. Which isn't saying much because like most working-class blokes, I own only one all purpose suit for weddings, funerals and court dates.
I had a bit of a hitch getting in because the "receptionist" on the ground floor was under the impression I had not set up my courier service. I did. The problem is, when I "registered" my appointment date and courier services (specifically to the Adelaide Street post office in Toronto), it returned a date of July 21, 2020. TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY! Anyway, we got past all that and she gave me my laminated card with number.
We went down a flight of stairs to get the elevator, which only went to the 19th floor.
At the top of the laminated card, it stressed your documents must be in a specific order or you would be sent back to your seat until you got it done right. I finally got called up to see the clerk (you see a clerk, then later the consular officer with whom you plead your case). When I got called up to the window, the clerk was requesting my various documents that didn't even resemble the sequence in which I was ordered to assemble them.
I was requested to return to my seat where I remained for another hour or so. Finally the big moment arrived! I got called up to another window. As previous reviewers have noted, the consular officer was very genial. She asked me how my wife and I met. How long we have been together. When she returned to the U.S.A. The officer was sympathetic when I told her my wife had been in Florida since April. I told her that, due to my vacation time, I had the luxury of of having been together with my wife for the past two months. I made it clear I was still collecting a paycheck from Canada.
After a few more routine questions (have I ever been turned away at the border, have I ever been arrested, etc.), she told me she was pleased to approve my visa application. WOO HOO!
The news got even better. The Consular Officer said they have started a new system: instead of sending new immigrants to the border with an envelope containing reams of paperwork, information would now be transmitted electronically to the port of entry. The catch is, they had to know when and where the immigrant intended to enter. Since my wife was set to leave that Friday evening, I asked if I could leave with her. The lead time was not enough to get me out tonight, but she did say I could leave on Monday.
As a Plan B, I asked if I could make my way to Niagara Falls, Ontario that night, walk across the border and board an Amtrak train back to Orlando. I knew there was an early-morning train (around 4am) that went to New York City, where a connecting train to Miami (stopping in Orlando) departed. She looked up the itinerary on Amtrak.com and said, "Sure! We can do that!"
I was instructed to return to the consulate at 3pm to pick up my passport. My wife and I parted ways at that point. She made her way to Dorval Airport and flew back to Orlando that evening. I went to Central Station caught a train to Toronto and eventually made my way to Niagara Falls. After an hour at the border, the immigration officer sent me on my way. Instead of taking the train, I took a flight out of Buffalo as I found a non-stop JetBlue fare for C$350 as opposed to an Amtrak fare of US$350. You do the math.
I brought five pounds of paperwork to the interview but ended up needing very little of it. I brought my wife to the interview, which ended up not being necessary. Still better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Or her.
Good luck to everyone still coming through the system. Follow the rules. Don't lie. And you'll be fine.
I don't know what other consulates and embassies are like, but they actually treat you like a human being up in Montreal.
My only complaint with the consulate was that children were allowed to run uncontrolled and unrestrained around the consulate waiting room. When you are trying to concentrate on the task at hand, and are being interviewed (and trying to listen to your interviewer), it's a distraction you can do without. The waiting room should be declared a Quiet Zone (a la Amtrak or AMT). |
| Rating : |
Good |
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ver 5.0