Montreal Consulate EB-2 Interview Wait Time - Part 3

[Mano17 14]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share our full timeline and experience, hoping it helps others who are waiting or going through something similar. This forum has been incredibly supportive, and the updates shared here truly helped us stay calm during the process.

 

Our family’s immigrant visa case was placed under 221(g) and went into Administrative Processing. We received the standard response stating that processing could not be predicted and that the Consulate would contact us once completed.  Thankfully, our case was cleared within 5 weeks, and we received our visa approvals from the Montreal U.S. Consulate.  As I mentioned earlier Montreal Consulate office was very friendly during our Interview process and the AP query is based on individual case by case in our case there was no extra documents requested and Passports held with Visa Officer.  During the interview officer mentioned response all the time it was very positive approach.

 

One of our biggest concerns was our daughter’s eligibility under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)—and we are relieved and grateful to share that her visa was approved under CSPA as well.

 

Yesterday, we crossed the U.S. border, and everything went very smoothly. The CBP officers were professional and reassuring; they informed us that we should be receiving our Green Cards in the mail soon.

 

I updated our Google Sheet. This community has been truly helpful throughout the journey, offering timely information and genuine support. I wanted to give back by sharing our positive outcome and to let others know that even a 221(g) situation can resolve smoothly. Wishing everyone still in the process the very best and speedy approvals. 🙏💙

Edited December 6 by Mano17

[SAHK 9]

8 hours ago, Mano17 said:

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share our full timeline and experience, hoping it helps others who are waiting or going through something similar. This forum has been incredibly supportive, and the updates shared here truly helped us stay calm during the process.

 

Our family’s immigrant visa case was placed under 221(g) and went into Administrative Processing. We received the standard response stating that processing could not be predicted and that the Consulate would contact us once completed.  Thankfully, our case was cleared within 5 weeks, and we received our visa approvals from the Montreal U.S. Consulate.  As I mentioned earlier Montreal Consulate office was very friendly during our Interview process and the AP query is based on individual case by case in our case there was no extra documents requested and Passports held with Visa Officer.  During the interview officer mentioned response all the time it was very positive approach.

 

One of our biggest concerns was our daughter’s eligibility under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)—and we are relieved and grateful to share that her visa was approved under CSPA as well.

 

Yesterday, we crossed the U.S. border, and everything went very smoothly. The CBP officers were professional and reassuring; they informed us that we should be receiving our Green Cards in the mail soon.

 

I updated our Google Sheet. This community has been truly helpful throughout the journey, offering timely information and genuine support. I wanted to give back by sharing our positive outcome and to let others know that even a 221(g) situation can resolve smoothly. Wishing everyone still in the process the very best and speedy approvals. 🙏💙

Congratulations! Do CBP officers put I-551 Stamp on passports when endorsement? as many Canadian return back for some time to finalize their move.

[Mano17 14]

Yes they do stating that we Admitted as Green Card Holder with Date.  From that day we will have 1 Year time permanently move to USA.  While waiting for the Physical Card this stamp allows us to start working Immediately.

[SAHK 9]

2 hours ago, Mano17 said:

Yes they do stating that we Admitted as Green Card Holder with Date.  From that day we will have 1 Year time permanently move to USA.  While waiting for the Physical Card this stamp allows us to start working Immediately.

May I ask, what was Port of Entry?

[Lunguboy 1]

The IV tool says they are now processing cases DQed in October 2024

[kk_canada 1]

2 minutes ago, Lunguboy said:

The IV tool says they are now processing cases DQed in October 2024

Wow, I haven’t seen anyone in any chat or forum mention getting an IL dated October. Mine is in the second half of October and I haven’t gotten anything yet.

Has anyone received one?

[Lunguboy 1]

5 minutes ago, kk_canada said:

Wow, I haven’t seen anyone in any chat or forum mention getting an IL dated October. Mine is in the second half of October and I haven’t gotten anything yet.
 

They are probably in the first few days of October. Im more interested in people who DQed in September. There two people on the spreadsheet with late September dqs who have not received ILs.

[appleblossom 5,548]

On 12/6/2025 at 6:28 PM, Mano17 said:

Yes they do stating that we Admitted as Green Card Holder with Date.  From that day we will have 1 Year time permanently move to USA.  While waiting for the Physical Card this stamp allows us to start working Immediately.

 

It's not a year to permanently move, it's a year that it acts as your temporary green card whilst in the US. You really shouldn't leave it a year to move, that's risking your LPR status. 

[Saphrin 8]

4 hours ago, kk_canada said:

Wow, I haven’t seen anyone in any chat or forum mention getting an IL dated October. Mine is in the second half of October and I haven’t gotten anything yet.

Has anyone received one?

Do you mind sharing your info below? Wanted to make sure its captured correctly in the spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NnYTWRgdQB9gj2SyQjBL3fzz5-OS9FJZQXFXCbSe0Ig/edit?gid=0#gid=0) 

Country of Chargeability

Priority Date

DQ Date

 

 

[mam521 2,823]

On 12/6/2025 at 2:05 PM, SAHK said:

Congratulations! Do CBP officers put I-551 Stamp on passports when endorsement? as many Canadian return back for some time to finalize their move.

Just remember, when you endorse that visa, you become a permanent resident of the US and are then subject to US taxes.  If you sell your home after endorsement, for example, the capital gains are subject to US taxes.  It is advisable to try to close out your affairs and endorse prior to the expiration.  At the very least, seek guidance from a cross border accountant.  

[radanon 0]

Hi all, 

 

I'm a Canadian citizen and I've applied for the EB2 NIW pathway this month with no premium processing. 

 

I've looked on the website and based on current trajectories, it looks like the priority date may become current around Jul 2028. At the moment, given family planning, I don't plan on immigrating until at least Jul 2029. I was wondering whether it would be possible to slightly delay my I140 if my EB2 is accepted around Jul 2028 so that I obtain my Green Card just prior to immigrating to the US in 2029. 

 

Thanks! 

[appleblossom 5,548]

On 12/9/2025 at 10:07 AM, mam521 said:

If you sell your home after endorsement, for example, the capital gains are subject to US taxes

 

But there is a rule if it's been the primary residence, living there 2 years out of the previous 5 before sale - so essentially gives those selling their home 3 years before it's subject to US CGT. 

[appleblossom 5,548]

18 minutes ago, radanon said:

Hi all, 

 

I'm a Canadian citizen and I've applied for the EB2 NIW pathway this month with no premium processing. 

 

I've looked on the website and based on current trajectories, it looks like the priority date may become current around Jul 2028. At the moment, given family planning, I don't plan on immigrating until at least Jul 2029. I was wondering whether it would be possible to slightly delay my I140 if my EB2 is accepted around Jul 2028 so that I obtain my Green Card just prior to immigrating to the US in 2029. 

 

Thanks! 

 

You can't delay the I-140, but you can delay the second stage (the actual visa application) for as long as you need to. You just need to take action at least once a year, but that can be paying a fee, submitting a document, or even just logging in. 

 

And you won't get a green card prior to immigrating, you'll get an immigrant visa. Only once you enter the US on that visa do you then get the green card. 

 

Best of luck. 

[radanon 0]

1 hour ago, appleblossom said:

 

You can't delay the I-140, but you can delay the second stage (the actual visa application) for as long as you need to. You just need to take action at least once a year, but that can be paying a fee, submitting a document, or even just logging in. 

 

And you won't get a green card prior to immigrating, you'll get an immigrant visa. Only once you enter the US on that visa do you then get the green card. 

 

Best of luck. 

 

Appreciate it! Hope to contribute my journey as a data point here in the future

[AJSin1 28]

Hi everyone, here's our entire interview experience. Hope that it helps all of you. I've updated the spreadsheet as well. Thanks to the VJ community for all the support throughout the years.

 

Visa Category - EB1A
Foreign state of Chargeability - Canada

DQ Date - Sep 27, 2023 
Interview Letter Date - Oct 29, 2025
Interview Date - Dec 12, 2025

 

Medical Exam Experience:

Took the exam at Visa Doctor (Dr. Lyndon Mascarenhas) in Toronto on Nov 24. Cost was 420 CAD per person. Bring a debit card/cash if you'd like to avoid the 3% credit card fees. We received confirmation of the results getting submitted on Dec 8. Everything with submitted to the consulate electronically.

 

Interview Experience:

My wife and I arrived the evening before and stayed at Comfort Suites Downtown which is a 6 minute walk from the consulate. Nothing special but gets the job done and had breakfast and coffee starting at 630 AM.

We had our appointment at 750 AM. We arrived at 740 AM. Maybe since we were one of the first ones, there wasn't a line. I've heard people have had to wait outside so please dress appropriately for Montreal cold.

Upon entering the building, the security asked us to come in the door, checked our names, photos and passport, followed by airport style security. There is a tiny locker for phones and smart watches. They also handed us a print out with a checklist for documents. Everyone was professional and nice.

After security, we took the elevator to the main consulate area on floor 1. There were only 2-3 other applicants at this time. There was a table where they asked us to reorganize our documents.

Documents included passports, 2 photos, marriage certificate, birth certificates, police certificates from all countries you've lived in for longer than 6 months. Other civil documents were listed such as death and divorce certificates but they didn't apply to us.

 

First stop:
We went to a desk where someone helped with the initial check of names, visa category, documents and photocopies. They also put all documents in their preferred order and stapled for us as needed. Finally, they gave us a ticket number and asked us to wait for next step. Took 5-10 minutes. 

 

Second stop:
We were called to a window where they did a thorough check of our civil documents, asked questions about full names, current address, phone number, lawyer on file, if we've had previous marriage, kids and name changes.

The woman pulled a giant folder with our entire file so she didn't ask for any supporting documents since they already had everything. They also confirmed the address in the US but we took this as an opportunity to change the US address we had on file since our plans had changed since we first submitted our DS-260. If you plan to do the same, it'll be helpful to bring a piece of paper with the name and full address of the address you want your green card and social security card to get delivered. She asked us if we had changed it online and we said no. She said she can't confirm the change she input will be applied. 

 

Third stop:
Next, we moved to another window right away where we provided our fingerprints. Took about 5 minutes.

 

Final stop:
I've heard people have waited for an hour or so for their final interview but we waited 10 minutes max before we were called to a window around the corner and down the hall for the final interview with a consulate officer. 

Officer was pleasant and told us to not be nervous. My wife is the principal applicant and a very accomplished Canadian athlete (hence the EB1A). He even said to her "It's an honour to meet you ma'am" which I'm sure she really enjoyed. He asked very basic questions around the work we'll be doing in the US, where we've lived for more than 6 months. He spent majority of the time confirming our civil documents. He didn't look at anything else and thanked us for being overprepared. He kept our passports, photos and original police certificates. Returned everything else. Took a total of 15 minutes max.

At the end, the officer said that everything looks good and that he'll approve the visa later in the afternoon. He also provided a print out that included information about tracking the passport delivery.

 

Few more things:
We brought a giant file with every document imaginable but they only cared about passports, photos, police certificates, birth certificates and marriage certificate. However, we're glad that we were overprepared. We had originals and scans in color, and then copies in black and white to make it obvious and quick which was which. Bring one photocopy of every civil document.

Stick to straightforward and concise answers. Just answer with yes or no if asked a yes/no question. At the first window, I  provided more context than I was asked and they told me to just answer their question which threw me off. 

There were no trick questions. Everything revolved around checking your documents and very easy questions. 

We overheard other applicants with the staff and some people did not have some documents with them such as marriage certificates. Be prepared. Review the requirements. Save yourself stress!

And just like that, our nearly 3 year journey concluded. We were in and about in about 40 minutes since we barely had any waiting time.

We love Canada and will probably return one day but I have to say, waiting out in the Montreal winter really made us want to move to warmer temperatures in the US 😀