My Interview In Vancouver Consulate Experience

[LDora 7]

Late, but might help some people.

This was in July of '07. The nearest doctor I could get my medical exam from was in Vancouver as well, where I was to be headed for my interview -- a whopping 24 hours by bus. Because of scheduling times, I could only get a medical appointment for the day AFTER my Visa interview had already taken place. I called USCIS and told that this was acceptable, but of course they wouldn't be able to issue me my Visa until they had my medical in hand.

I arrived early the morning of my interview, which was at 1:30, and checked into the hostel I was staying at. I was a little nervous about the whole thing, mainly because I'd never been in Vancouver before and was worried about getting lost, so I showed up over an hour early to the consulate, which was actually only about a twenty minute walk from where I was staying. The guards at the door were polite and friendly, but they told me I couldn't wait there for that long, so I wandered off to drink cup after cup of coffee with too much sugar in it.

I came back at 1:00, and they let me in after checking my interview letter. I emptied my pockets and passed through the first scanner, was told which elevator to take, and then went through a second one on my way to the waiting room. I checked in, then sat down to wait with several other men and women.

After chatting for a bit, we began to be called to sit in yet another waiting room, adjacent to the first one. This one was basically a long hall with chairs along one wall, where the other wall was taken up with divided partitions where the interviews were taking place. I remember being surprised it was all out in the open. (I'd been certain they were going to drag me off somewhere where I'd have to demonstrate the secret handshake) I sat there for about a half hour before I was called up.

My interviewer was a very cheerful, friendly guy. He asked me my husband's full name, where we'd met, and how long we'd known each other (at the time about three years). He asked if the age difference was ever a problem (my husband is ten years old than me -- I'm 24), and I told him no, we had the same taste in movies, music, games, etc, lots in common, so we never even thought about it. He asked what our families thought of our relationship, and how I felt about leaving Canada.

When I brought out my evidence, I apologised for only having one real photo of us together (neither of us are really photo people, it never occurs to us to take them) from when I went to visit him late the year before and we went to Disneyworld. The photo was one of the ones they snap of you on a roller coaster, and he had his hands thrown in the air, grinning, while I was shrieking with my eyes squeezed shut. The interviewer started to laugh and said it was certainly the most interesting picture he'd ever been given. He said our lack of photos was fine, since I had over 200 pages of phone records (multiple calls every day), receipts from the hotel we stayed at when he came to visit me, from when I flew down to see him (including our Disney hotel room keys, which had our names and dates on them), and invoices from gifts he'd sent me.

The only thing I'd really been worried about was the fact that about two years ago I'd been denied entry to the US trying to visit my fiance because I didn't have a passport at the time (they weren't then required for Canadians), but the customs officer thought that because I was going to see a person I was romantically involved with, I couldn't prove I wouldn't stay illegally in the country (even though I had a return ticket for a later date.). This turned out to be a non issue. My interviewer just asked how we'd visited each other, and I explained why I'd gotten denied the first time I'd tried, but that I'd gotten in just fine with a passport the next time. He just nodded, and went on asking questions.

The entire thing took less than ten minutes, and he barely looked at most of my evidence. He never quizzed me on my fiance, instead concentrating on questions about our relationship, such as the things we enjoyed doing together, how our trips together had been, and so forth. He smiled at me, and said, "Is this your first time in Vancouver?" and I told him it was. He said, "Well, enjoy it, because you're going to America." I was absolutely thrilled. I believe my words were "Yay!" and "You're so awesome!" and both he and one of the other nearby interviewers burst out laughing. I took my paperwork back to the front desk, where the fellow there told me to return tomorrow with my medical.

My medical was early the next morning, and I returned to the medical office later that afternoon to get my results and bring them back to the consulate. The security guards there remembered me and were friendly as they helped me through. When I brought my paperwork back up to the consulate office, the receptionist was the same man from the previous day. Again, he was very friendly and even remembered my name. I'd expected to have to wait another day for my visa, but he said that if I liked, I was welcome to wait and he'd take my visa back and see if he could get it filled out now. I waited for maybe fifteen minutes before he called me up again, and apologised but said the man who gave his signature was in a meeting, so I'd have to come back tomorrow. No problem, I just thought it was nice of him to try for me.

So I came back the following day to pick up my visa. There was a long line of people already there, so I got in behind them. After about ten minutes, the same set of guards noticed me and the woman came over. She asked if I was here to pick up my visa, and when I showed her my papers, she said, "You don't have to wait in line for that!" (apparently the line is only for interviews and drop-offs, not pickups) and took me to the front. I was so struck by how smiling and friendly all the workers there were. When I emptied my pockets before going in the elevator, the guard there smiled and gave me his congratulations. When I went up to the office, I once again got the receptionist from the previous day. He congratulated me, gave me my visa and instructed me how to use it, and wished me all the best.

Two weeks later, I was on a plane to Florida, and two months after that we had a fairytale wedding at Walt Disney World.

All in all, most of my nervousness was for nothing. The people at the consulate were professional but very nice to me, and I can't thank them enough for making the whole process go so smoothly. I'd been told to be very serious and not try to be chatty for my interview, which I did not, but I feel that if the interviewer him or herself is friendly to you and chats a little, feel free to respond in kind as long as you don't ramble. The first thing I did went I met mine was to smile and say "Morning!" when I came up to the front of his desk, and it went from there.

I don't know of this experience of mine helps anyone, but I thought it time I finally put it up here.

If anyone is interested, I can write up how my medical was handled and how I went through customs went on my way to the states after. I hope it helps some people who are nervous.

[faryan 4]

Thank you so much for your input!

[payxibka 10,044]

moving to consulate forum

[MissStacey 1]

I also interviewed In Vancouver. The experience was relatively painless- the interviewer was very nice and when I told him of my two entry denials, he just giggled and said "it happens often"

[LDora 7]

moving to consulate forum

Whoops. Thanks, payxibka!

[aaaa 0]

Hi

Thanks for your detailed report. I am also extemely nervous, I have been denied entry to the US before as well for the same reasons. If you are still interested in doing it, I am interested in knowing the details of the medical exam. What questiosn they asked, what they examined etc. Also, I only have my vaccination record from public health that has been marked off. I emailed the dr's office and they told me this would be enough, but I am worried about any unnecessary delays- we are planning on being married less than 2 weeks after my interview so I dont want to delay it!! Thanks for any insite to the medical exam.

Kristine

moving to consulate forum

Whoops. Thanks, payxibka!

[Chris Dragon 0]

We did our interview at the Vancouver consulate last Tues. We didn't have such a cool friendly guy, but they weren't mean or anything. Surprisingly, she asked me a couple questions even though my fiance was technically the one being interviewed.

The one big hassle we had was the police report. My fiance got one that did not include her childhood name, which was changed when she was 12 due to her mother re-marrying. I noticed that a couple months ago and had her get a new report to include the missing name, but the RCMP officer told her it wasn't important since she hadn't used it since she was 12. Despite explaining this to the consulate, they insisted on getting a report on that missing name. The first woman said we needed to go back to Winnipeg to do that and they would mail the visa, delaying us by probably close to two weeks! Luckily another guy we spoke to there said we could go to the RCMP in Vancouver to get it done. We got there at 4 and they said come back between 7 and 2. Next day, got there at 10 (after the medical exam), they said they were going to lunch, come back at 1! Came back at 12:45, took over an hour (so we were almost too late to pick up the medical exam results - BTW, don't be late, cause we came back at 2:40 to ask a question and everyone was completely gone), cost $42 instead of $10, and we had to explain to them repeatedly why we were doing it there instead of in Winnipeg. Turns out my fiance's childhood name came up in the search! Luckily her description did not match the description of whoever had the criminal record, so we didn't need fingerprints.

We talked to another person at the consulate who hadn't gotten her birth certificate because she'd moved out of the country as a baby. The US consulate didn't buy that as an excuse and also didn't tell her she could go to the consulate for her country which was virtually across the street from the US consulate to take care of it.

So, the moral is to be very specific on following the consulate's instructions and have everything they ask for exactly right. They don't seem willing to bend any rules and they won't always give you the easiest/fastest solution if you have problems.