My Interview at Montreal on Friday, Apr 13th

[kimmbo 0]

Thanks so much for your review! Have added Kelly Osbourne to my husbands list!..LOL already had the "lady with the black curly hair" before...

it seems like once you get passed them everyone else is very nice...

again Congrats!

[misa 2]

Dear Montreal Consulate,

I'd like to file a formal complaint about 2 security people at the consulate. One is "they lady with the black curly hair" and the other is the lady "that looks like Kelly Osbourne".

[Our Mao 0]

Dear Montreal Consulate,

I'd like to file a formal complaint about 2 security people at the consulate. One is "they lady with the black curly hair" and the other is the lady "that looks like Kelly Osbourne".

Misa.. you're funny! hehehehhe

Yeah, I wanted to go into as much detail as possible when I'm doing my review so others will not make the same errors I did and get yelled at.. hehehhe

So remember,

1. Dont point out your name for them on the list. It's THEIR JOB and NOT YOURS. Doing so will result in you being yelled at.

2. Please take a seat when you're in the basement elevator area. DO NOT stand in front of the elevator or the big booming voice will shout at you to return to your seats!

3. As per Emily, DO NOT HELP the woman to hold the door or you will be yelled at too! hahaha

Mao

[Emancipation 2]

lol.. this is such a sad thread.. (just cause of the reality not the posters).. It's crazy that a service to the public is so terribly staffed.. and that good people trying to help are yelled at.. geepers. But having crossed the border a few times it is true, don't speak or do anything unless asked to - it's just better that way.

I keep reading info on the elevator comments with interest. Our interview was in the pm. Once we made it through initial security we walked directly onto the elevator and pressed the button ourselves, it was just like any other office building.. no one took us up no one said anything. Strangeness.. wonder if we just passed through the ever watching "eye"?

[Flames9_RN 358]

Just a bit morte info on the Staff at Mtl, the ones conducting ther interviews at least and assume the ones doing the general paperwork are Foreign service workers, my wife knows many that work around the world, and in many consulates they are are undermanned and work LONG hours, and most DO NOT get paid overtime. Many are forced to work long hours, many time 6 days a week, but dont get paid for those extyra hours!! Not all that she knows work the Immigration side of the house, and I'm sure it may differ from consulate to consualte. Just another point of view! No excuse for rude security guards though, or anyone for that matter.

[Our Mao 0]

I think the people upstairs are foreign workers. For sure the CO is American. I'd think that the security guards are locals???? I mean, it'll be messed up if the security guards are from the US????

[Allie 5]

I think they should be complained about to whom ever thier supervisors are. As long as there is no feed back about thier ignorant attitudes they'll just continue on unknowingly to the powers that be

[Flames9_RN 358]

The actual workers are what is temed as Foreign Service Workers, they tarvel throughout the USA consulates throughout the world. Not all do Immigration stuff. My wife has 2 aunts that were Foreign service workers. They usually do 2to 3 yr tours abroad, them back to the USA, then off again. One can travel a fair bit, my wife's aunts sure did. The lady that did my interview in Mtl, was fairly new, her last tour was in Senegal i belive.

[CutienPurg 0]

They know they have us in a position where if we react or complain prior to obtaining what we're after. We fear any negative response will put the visa in jeopardy and then after it's received we sort of just move on with our lives and dont bother complaining. That being said , I do not believe all of the employees of a particular consulate/agency take advantage of their position but there are definitely a select few who are offenders. These people who when put in a position of authority or even deemed authority take full advantage of the opportunity.

Flames, I know you like to offer the other side of the picture and I fully appreciate and respect that. However ,I have to take issue with the notion of being overworked and underpaid concept .......not just with this situation but with any. When a persons accepts an offer of employment, there is no secret as to what they will be paid or what will be expected of them during the course of their employment.For the sake of argument let's say there is though..... you accept a job and later on you're required to work more or differently than you expected. None of those employees are forced to continue in the position....they are free like any of us to move on down the road and find more suitable employment. When you work in a position of service wherein you're required to interact with the public in a service position , you may not and do not have the right to use your position to abuse the people you're employed to serve. On the other side of that coin , the public doesn't have the right to abuse you either simply because you're a public servant.

All of my life , my employment has been that of public service and trust me it gets tedious. People mistreat you just because you're there......both customer and superior. I can honestly say I have never uttered the words " I dont get paid enough for this " but I have said " I dont have to accept this " and I moved on.

I truly believe these incidents are not about being overworked or underpaid........they are about the person in the wrong position. They are about the personality of the offender and their lack of character. EVERYONE has a bad day, even a bad week but it seems some of these people are having a bad life and taking out on those who don't deserve it.

<steps off soapbox>

[Flames9_RN 358]

I'm not making an excuse for them, there is no excuse for rudeness.

[CutienPurg 0]

I'm not making an excuse for them, there is no excuse for rudeness.

Oh I know you're not I just like to debate the overworked underpaid theory and you my buddy threw it out there

[derekkj 0]

I think the people upstairs are foreign workers. For sure the CO is American. I'd think that the security guards are locals???? I mean, it'll be messed up if the security guards are from the US????

Well, if the US Consulate in Montreal is anything like the Canadian Embassy in DC, there could be a few layers of security with locals, military and civil servants all mixed in. Unfortunately there are rude people in every job. The ones that work with the public just stick out more.

[Emancipation 2]

Also there is the fact that "some" people who go to the consulate INSIST on bringing large bags and other "non-allowables".. that are CLEARLY spelled out in the instructions. That's gotta grate on an officer's last nerve - telling people over and over again they can't bring in their lap top, cell phones etc. etc.

Again.. not making excuses for being rude and unprofessional in anyway at all, but I understand in some ways what makes them so ready to snap.

When I went for biometrics in Hartford the guard at the front desk almost threw a party cause I presented him with my ID and Biometrics letter immediately upon entering the building (what the instructions said to do).. he threw up his hands and said "oh my SOMEONE who actually reads the information!!!!" and then said "and i bet you didn't bring a cell phone either - cause you READ the instructions".. he was really nice to me and i thought it was pretty funny sarcasim.. but I heard him growl quite rudely to the next person who brought in a cell phone - he told her "you can leave it out on the street for all i care"..

*sigh no justification for sure, but at least it's some explaination.

[CutienPurg 0]

thats funny eman !!!

I can only imagine the "burnout" rate of some careers. There are so many ....too many to list.....jobs i personally would never consider due to the " idiot factor". Sadly, it requires a person to identify when they have reached their personal " had enough" level and too often people dont recognize it.It often times requires that someone else identify the point so that the person in question can be relocated or reassigned.

i personally have a few incidents where I was thanked for following the proper procedure and complimented for being informed. I have also made a point to compliment an employee to their supervisor for doing a good job. Sad i think that the good ones stand out as unusual enough for us to have to comment but I definately believe in rewarding a job well done as much as complaining about a job not well done.

[riblet 0]

Our Mao,

Thank you SO SO much for this review!! There aren't too many CR1 reviews for Montreal, this is just what my husband needs to read tomorrow.

I can not even believe that Michael's interview is in less than 36 hours! It's surreal, after waiting so long.

I'm really glad that in the end everything went well Congrats!!!!