Planning your life around Montreal

[CutienPurg 0]

Things to plan for when dealing with Montreal..........

~Plan for a 6 month wait between them receiving your file and your interview, provided you send DS-230 and checklist back immediately.

~Plan to never get a straight answer when calling or emailing.

~Plan to be resonded to rudely when calling or emailing.

~Plan for mailing of your approved visa to occur on the Friday following you inteview.

~Plan on Montreal interpreting and implementing DOS policy the way they want to even if it varies from another consulate IN THE SAME COUNTRY.

~ Plan on Montreal demanding that you will use THEIR FORMS even though any competant 3rd grader could make copies as well as what they provide.

~Plan to have at least one emotional breakdown........per week..... after week 8 of waiting.

Now of course these events will not always occur but Im a firm believer( after having gotten this far in the process) in planning for the worst while hoping for the best.

feel free to add your own......

[Allie 5]

How true. So far we've experienced most of what you say in this process They are as rude and non caring at Montreal as USCIS personnell are on that check status # they have listed.

Must be part of the job qualifications in order to work at those places

Another thing would be:

Brush up on your classical music listening because you get to hear lots when you do call

[piosenka 0]

This makes me want to cry right now as my stuff is being sent to Montreal as we speak I'm still thinking about trying to transfer to Vancouver though...

[Melyssa 0]

Things to plan for when dealing with Montreal..........

~Plan for a 6 month wait between them receiving your file and your interview, provided you send DS-230 and checklist back immediately.

~Plan to never get a straight answer when calling or emailing.

~Plan to be resonded to rudely when calling or emailing.

~Plan for mailing of your approved visa to occur on the Friday following you inteview.

~Plan on Montreal interpreting and implementing DOS policy the way they want to even if it varies from another consulate IN THE SAME COUNTRY.

~ Plan on Montreal demanding that you will use THEIR FORMS even though any competant 3rd grader could make copies as well as what they provide.

~Plan to have at least one emotional breakdown........per week..... after week 8 of waiting.

Now of course these events will not always occur but Im a firm believer( after having gotten this far in the process) in planning for the worst while hoping for the best.

feel free to add your own......

WOW almost a whole year for you. Thanks for the warnings. Maybe they are just overworked; sure sounds like it! Maybe Canada should get another Consulate to do interviews so they're not just issued in Montreal and Vancouver. I guess people who live in Saskatchewan have to travel pretty far either way right now just to get their interviews!

[piosenka 0]

Winnipeg would be convenient! Although I know nothing about Winnipeg, so it may or may not be a good thing

[Jersey Girl 2]

Yes, Montreal means an interminably long wait and all kinds of trials. But once you're there, it's a magical, romantic place, so plan to enjoy the shopping, museums, smoked meat, and wine!

[Sharon 1]

Yes, Montreal means an interminably long wait and all kinds of trials. But once you're there, it's a magical, romantic place, so plan to enjoy the shopping, museums, smoked meat, and wine!

And poutine! Do not forget the POUTINE!! Oh...and St. Viateur bagels and and and The Biodome and Notre Dame Basilica!

And Old Montreal and the Old Port and ohhhhhhhh I miss Montreal SOOOOOOOO much! I lived there all of my life....

I do honestly understand everyone's disppointment with the Montreal Consulate though, and yes, they are over-worked because the wait times there weren't always as long as they are now.

Keep the faith, peeps!

[CutienPurg 0]

I do honestly understand everyone's disappointment with the Montreal Consulate though, and yes, they are over-worked because the wait times there weren't always as long as they are now.

Keep the faith, peeps!

I think the biggest part of my frustration with them was that they didn't do what they said they would. If we had been given an honest accurate estimation up front........ya know something to plan around ........but when they say 2-4 months and then take 6, well that's not acceptable. When there are guidelines laid out for them to follow regarding policies, I expect them to follow them, but they disregard them as it suites them.

WE are expected to play by the rules even when they are wrong.

WE are expected to patient and fair.

WE are expected to behave with the utmost respect. Do they?

WE are chastised for calling or emailing too frequently when all we're looking for is a straight answer. WE have to jump through all of their hoops because they hold the golden ticket

.......but aren't we the ones who pay their salaries? Do they not owe us something in the area of doing their jobs properly?

I compared Montreal time-lines to other consulates around the world...........I compared them in depth .......and Montreal is in fact NOT the busiest consulate in the world , far from it. The Phillipines comes to mind and they process up to 3x the number of visas as Montreal yet do it with far greater efficiency.

Anyway......

The original intent of this thread was to gather the misconceptions into one place and maybe set them straight. Sort of like a guide to Montreal. Like I said, if we had a worse case scenario to plan for all the while hoping for the best, maybe it could help aleviate some of the angst.

If we plan for 6 months...

If we expect the visa to be mailed the Friday following the interview...

If we know that right or wrong, the Montreal consulate has their own way of doing things...

If we know we should only call or email every xxxx number of days to avoid being chastised..

If we know the information we receive when calling or emailing may not be accurate...

...maybe it can make this process that is difficult enough little easier to experience.

........and Jersey.......I have a sneaking suspicion that you could find the romance in city bus. It's just your way. A romatic soul you definately are!!!

[Jersey Girl 2]

........and Jersey.......I have a sneaking suspicion that you could find the romance in city bus.

That's not a bad idea and I'll tell you why. If we spend our time obsessing about Montreal and government bureaucracy, we'll have wasted time in our lives that we'll never get back.

Montreal is just one hurdle. There are plenty more to come. So if we don't learn to go with the flow and find the good, we'll be miserable. I agree, none of this is fair or makes sense. And you're right, we jump through hoops and give them exactly what they ask for and still get screwed.

But time is non renewable resource. We only get a certain number of days. So decide: how do I want to spend my days? Now, go invent a good time for yourself and be happy no matter what!

[derekkj 0]

And poutine! Do not forget the POUTINE!! Oh...and St. Viateur bagels and and and The Biodome and Notre Dame Basilica!

And Old Montreal and the Old Port and ohhhhhhhh I miss Montreal SOOOOOOOO much! I lived there all of my life....

I do honestly understand everyone's disppointment with the Montreal Consulate though, and yes, they are over-worked because the wait times there weren't always as long as they are now.

Keep the faith, peeps!

I think Derek would kill for some good poutine right about now!

As a New Yorker, I can't imagine Montreal bagels being as good as what I get when I go back home. But after over a decade of crappy DC bagels, I am willing to at least try!

[misa 2]

I really feel for those who had/have to go through Montreal. I know I am extremely fortunate that I didn't. Even when I was going through the transfer I got misinformation from the Montreal consulate over the phone. They only acted on the transfer when someone at the Vancouver consulate personally emailed them and cc'd me to initiate the transfer.

If you can by any means possible transfer to Vancouver, do it!

[Cassie 8]

I really feel for those who had/have to go through Montreal. I know I am extremely fortunate that I didn't. Even when I was going through the transfer I got misinformation from the Montreal consulate over the phone. They only acted on the transfer when someone at the Vancouver consulate personally emailed them and cc'd me to initiate the transfer.

If you can by any means possible transfer to Vancouver, do it!

All I can say is that I never had any trouble with Montreal. It's hard for me to sit quiet and not respond to threads like this, but I guess it's a case of different experiences for different people.

[derekkj 0]

All I can say is that I never had any trouble with Montreal. It's hard for me to sit quiet and not respond to threads like this, but I guess it's a case of different experiences for different people.

Derek and I had no trouble with Montreal either. But that was over a year ago and I guess things have obviously changed! Vermont is apparently taking longer as well. And while I am glad we went through we we did, I feel horrible that things are taking even longer for those following us.

I am just hoping that we can get Derek's 751 filed before the fees go up for that. Then we will be done with USCIS for 10 years. Unless he decides to go for citizenship. But we will cross *that* bridge when we come to it.

[misa 2]

Maybe they had better staff before?

[CutienPurg 0]

I took them on their word and got burned. Others will be taking them on their word and if I can save one person from getting burned then I will. I cant go back and change things for us but Im going to hopefully allow someone else to learn from our experience. If that's obsessive then so-be-it. I wish Jersey I would have used your experience as a learning tool but I didnt and I could kick myself. Our situations may not be the norm but they are definately the possibility, one I didnt think would happen to us. I dont feel Im wasting my time in the least using my energy to inform people of what could happen. I truly believe that everyday you spend learning something new is day not wasted.......I believe the same holds true when you can share what you learn.

To be honest .......Im not even unhappy......my husband's interview is in 18 days.....what's to be unhappy about. If the tone of my post implied that, then bad bad me---UGH on the typed word. It was more a " hey, just so ya know .....Im not saying this will happen but know it could and be prepared".

ANYway.......

poutine!! yes beloved poutine......now THATS something to obsess about!!!!