montreal interview

[decocker 7,198]

our experience at the consulate in montreal was status quo, we lined up early, got through security, got called up to windows, sat, more windows, paid, sat some more. nothing out of the ordinary to report, up until the interview itself:

i noticed that there was a letter (from NVC) on top of our file that had my CREDIT REPORT and a bulleted section indicating factors of "possible fraud". one of these factors being that i had received my divorce in october and filed the 129f petition in november. then i noticed a listing of all my prior addresses (from the past 10+ years) with tons of what appeared to be random names (i believe that these were names of other people who had been associated with these places i had formally rented). i was trying to read as much as i could, upside down, without the lady behind the glass noticing.

the woman was very nice, went through all the papers and asked why i had filed for the fiance petition so soon after my divorce. i answered that my exhusband and i had been separated for over a year prior to that and she seemed satisfied with my answer. this wasn't a question i was expecting, i was thinking more along the line of proving that me and orfee's relationship was legitimate, not proving that i had nothing more to do with my ex - but anyway.

then our interviewer began sifting through my credit report and asked about how much debt i had and why i hadn't paid all my debts. i explained that most were associated with my exhusband (one of the many reasons he is my EX) and that i didn't feel any rush to pay for his doings. she agreed and smiled. again, i was perplexed - as everything i had read on vj said credit doesn't come into play concerning the affidavit of support. i was really kicking myself, thinking maybe i should have gotten a cosigner even though i make well above the 125% poverty mark for a family of three.

then came the list of addresses and names. the lady read off the name of my ex and if i recognized the name, i answered yes, that is my ex. then she read another name i had never heard of. and then another. and then another. each time she would repeat the name and i would insist i had no idea who those people were. who knows the people who rent a spot once you've left?

the lady hardly asked us any questions about the two of us, that i can remember. she said she had come to help montreal with the backlog and she was retired and had never seen such a printout from the NVC accompanying interview paperwork. she said her last day was friday and she would make sure our case was finished before she left. she verified with orfee that she could get in touch with him for any additional information if need be and that he didn't live far from montreal (15 minutes).

she said everything looked ok and we should have his passport and visa OR hear something from the consulate by monday. of course, this is not at all what you want to hear after waiting so long for an interview. however, she seemed to believe that everything would be fine and approved - i'm going to go with that verdict till monday and hope we're not in for another bout of waiting.

i'm wondering if anyone else (specifically canadian - not a high fraud country by any means) has had their credit report and such pulled. it just seemed odd to me, although it did clarify why our case took so long to get from NVC to montreal. i suppose we were placed under administrative review at that point and never even knew it

good luck to everyone still waiting for an interview!

[Veronik 19]

Wow, that sounds pretty crazy! I can't believe they would have all this information, especially about places you've rented before! Gosh, I hope you hear something Monday, keep us posted, ok?

Damn, I just can't believe they would give you a hard time with all that!

[Chickaflick 0]

Snap! I shouldn't have read this BEFORE my interview... eek! I guess you just got the short straw at the NVC! Sorry you had to go through that- it must have scared the socks off you!!

[Udella&Wiz 325]

They pulled your credit report and you didn't provide it? How bizarre that they were asking you questions about it.

My first guess would be that your name is very common or has enough matches with folks who may be questionable or have questionable dealings with something.

Glad it turned out ok in the end.

[jken 2]

wow i thought all that was important was the petitioners income etc.,? Why would this happen to the benficiary? Got me worried now cause i am in a similar situtation with my x...o god.....here we go...4 years since seperated and he still haunts me! I filed bankruptcy...its not finished. there is no way i could have paid all we owed on my own and he's just a druggie and loser. Please any info guys?

[JeannieL 44]

jken....I believe that she is the petitioner. As she mentioned a co sponsor.

[decocker 7,198]

wow i thought all that was important was the petitioners income etc.,? Why would this happen to the benficiary? Got me worried now cause i am in a similar situtation with my x...o god.....here we go...4 years since seperated and he still haunts me! I filed bankruptcy...its not finished. there is no way i could have paid all we owed on my own and he's just a druggie and loser. Please any info guys?

i'm the petitioner. the interviewer didn't think my credit would be an issue, as i meet the income requirements. haha, my ex is a loser and druggie too! this is where my confusion comes in, the things they were supposed to be clearing me on - ability to marry and current income - they didn't seem concerned with: instead she spent most of the time on my credit. which in total, we're talking less than 10,000 bucks. in this current economic environment - that isn't a great deal of money, plus its all over eight years old ; )

anyway, my fingers are crossed till we get his passport, with the visa inside ; )

[decocker 7,198]

They pulled your credit report and you didn't provide it? How bizarre that they were asking you questions about it.

My first guess would be that your name is very common or has enough matches with folks who may be questionable or have questionable dealings with something.

Glad it turned out ok in the end.

i know, i thought it odd as well. the interviewer said, i don't think any of this matters..but if you want this you'll have to answer some 'embarrassing' questions. i wasn't embarrassed, but if it doesn't matter - why do they need to know?

[Tater&Bugger 3]

What an experience! I send my best wishes, I hope you hear good news by Monday. At least its not TOO long a wait. Sounds like the same woman I had, just by the way you were quoting what she said. I found she would ask questions but purposely state the answer in the question but incorrectly haha so I'd answer correcting her... but it all sounds familiar except in a different situation.

I have been told by several resources that Canada does have a pretty big problem with identity fraud, not just our citizens, just with all the various people and residents here combined. I have even seen it because I used to work for an international airline and one of my many duties was fraud prevention and almost every day someone was trying to use someone else's identity. Some are smart and easy to catch but some know how to do it just right. Hopefully there aren't any issues related to you personally in your case.

[decocker 7,198]

What an experience! I send my best wishes, I hope you hear good news by Monday. At least its not TOO long a wait. Sounds like the same woman I had, just by the way you were quoting what she said. I found she would ask questions but purposely state the answer in the question but incorrectly haha so I'd answer correcting her... but it all sounds familiar except in a different situation.

I have been told by several resources that Canada does have a pretty big problem with identity fraud, not just our citizens, just with all the various people and residents here combined. I have even seen it because I used to work for an international airline and one of my many duties was fraud prevention and almost every day someone was trying to use someone else's identity. Some are smart and easy to catch but some know how to do it just right. Hopefully there aren't any issues related to you personally in your case.

thanks, i hope this wait is a short one - comparatively.

i'm the usc, and she didn't question orfee on his identity at all

i'm clueless, just hoping to have his visa soon!

[Tater&Bugger 3]

thanks, i hope this wait is a short one - comparatively.

i'm the usc, and she didn't question orfee on his identity at all

i'm clueless, just hoping to have his visa soon!

My fiance (USC) was with me and she asked him more questions it seemed. I felt like she was 'addressing' him even for the general ones but I answered anyways because after all, it is MY interview haha.

[decocker 7,198]

My fiance (USC) was with me and she asked him more questions it seemed. I felt like she was 'addressing' him even for the general ones but I answered anyways because after all, it is MY interview haha.

same here. i wonder how they conduct the interview if the usc isn't present? ; )

[Darnell 8,478]

oh - that credit report shows 'current co-mingled finances' with you and the ex.

You might have 'cleared that up' after finalizing the divorce. Many people do this, some don't.

When things like this are 'not un-mingled' - it is a sign of fraud, ie - you and ex still 'have a life' together. Doesn't matter any other facts, as the credit report still shows 'stuff' , evidence of co-mingled life together, even after the divorce. I think yer 'explanations' on interview day were adequate, but I'm not that VO, don't know the 'totality of yer casefile'. Is good, really, that you were there to explain all - imagine how yer fiance would have handled these issues, without you there?

Hope it all turns out OK for your fiance!

For now, you can call DoS Hotline (# in my profile), get a DoS human, inquire about casefile status. Do that once a day until you hear those magic words 'visa approved'.

Good Luck !

Edited August 27, 2010 by Darnell

[decocker 7,198]

oh - that credit report shows 'current co-mingled finances' with you and the ex.

You might have 'cleared that up' after finalizing the divorce. Many people do this, some don't.

When things like this are 'not un-mingled' - it is a sign of fraud, ie - you and ex still 'have a life' together. Doesn't matter any other facts, as the credit report still shows 'stuff' , evidence of co-mingled life together, even after the divorce. I think yer 'explanations' on interview day were adequate, but I'm not that VO, don't know the 'totality of yer casefile'. Is good, really, that you were there to explain all - imagine how yer fiance would have handled these issues, without you there?

Hope it all turns out OK for your fiance!

For now, you can call DoS Hotline (# in my profile), get a DoS human, inquire about casefile status. Do that once a day until you hear those magic words 'visa approved'.

Good Luck !

thanks darnell, i didn't think about the credit report showing a link to my ex, only my finances...i guess cause of the obvious - my divorce decree! but, yeah i see what you're saying now..

i paid 400 bucks to get divorced, i had no lawyer and it was uncontested. the state of virginia requires a year separation and that's the only requirement. as far as the bad accounts are concerned - they're all seven+ years old and i was under the impression they'd be dropping off my credit report soon (it is only around $7,000 tops). honestly considering i take care of my son without any ASSistance from my ex - repairing my credit is something that i can only do a bit at a time (which is what i told the interviewer and she seemed to understand).

my fiance said the same thing, good thing i was there. it was more like MY interview than his or ours ; )

thanks for your comment darnell - i know you know your stuff!

[FireKari 4]

same here. i wonder how they conduct the interview if the usc isn't present? ; )

My interview was about 10 mins, if that, they asked 5 questions about him and I, and about 12 questions about the game we met in.

Said congrats and gave me my welcome letter.