skaratso

So we got the text messages and emails that they received the forms on 12/14. Today they cashed the check. The NOA1 notices can’t be far behind.

I received my re-entry permit today. I will be abroad for another year. My document expires in 2019. I was curious what people's experiences were returning to the United States using a re-entry permit. I can't find anything about it other than that I "might" be interrogated or I "might" be denied re-entry. Does anyone have any actual stories, good, bad or indifferent?

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My Interview happened on Sept. 6th. in Montreal Canada.  I had read other reviews which were very helpful. I had to pick up my Medical package from Medysis the day of my interview. Medysis opens around 6:50am. If you have to pick up your medical the day of your interview, GO EARLY! By the time I walked to the consulate from Medysis, it was approx. 7:15 and there were already people lined up.

ENTRANCE
You will wait in line outside until a guard comes out and asks everyone to have the "interview appt. letter" and passport ready. You enter the entrance of the building, and wait for a person at a podium to enter details of your passport and interview information into the system, places a sticker on your passport and directs you to the security area. They also give you a plasticised paper, asking you to sort out your documents in a certain order when you get upstairs. This will have a number on it. I was number 10.  PLEASE NOTE- it doesn't really matter what time your interview time is, it is basically first come first serve.  So GO EARLY!!

SECURITY
***Please note: no food or drinks are allowed. No electronics are allowed. If you bring your phone- they will give you a ticket stub to pick it up later.

Your items go through x-ray. I forgot I had a USB stick and a small mini power bank in my purse. They just wanted to know what it was, but allowed me to keep it.

Once through security, you go downstairs to the elevator. If you have forgotten to bring passport sized photos with you, there is a little photo booth that charges $10 for the two photos you have to submit. Alternatively, if you remember to get photos the day before, there is a Pharma Prix (Shopper's Drug Mart) at the corner of St. Catherine Street and St. Alexandre (near the consulate) where you can get passport photos.

You go up the elevator to floor 19 (the only floor you are allowed to go to) and then enter a large room filled with chairs.  There are bathrooms, and two vending machines (very sparse).  If you are diabetic, I believe you can bring in food.  I had food and the security guard asked if I was diabetic (which I am not) So I expect you would be allowed as the 'food' upstairs is junk food in a vending machine.

Then you wait.......and arrange your papers.
This is what they asked us for:

DOCUMENT LIST
1- Passport (remember to take a photocopy of the biographic page- it does not have to be in colour)

2. Medical package (do not open this package) Also, if you are wondering, you get to keep your x-ray on CD, and a copy of your immunization records. I believe you will need this further down the road but cannot comment on when yet.

3. Long Form Birth certificate (and make a copy as well). I have heard others on here not have their long form certificate and it was accepted, but if you need your long form, you can order it online through service canada (https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-or-replace-ontario-birth-certificate)

4. Petitioners Affidavit of Support- for K1 Fiance Visa this is the I-134. You also need the petitioners most recent Taxes, and I believe you need the W2 as well. I submitted it, but I am not sure i had to have it.

5. Police Records check. In Canada, I have had to have several police records checks for my work in healthcare. I have always had a physical seal imprinted on my certificates. This is the first time I ordered one when it was available online. It did not have a physical seal. I thought this might be an issue. It was not.

6. Petitioners Intent letter. VERY IMPORTANT- this letter must be dated within 30 days of your interview date.

7. Two passport photos (U.S. sized photos, are different than Canadian)

8. Appt. letter with proof of payment- this will be the printed appointment letter, it will say the fee was paid. This is all I needed. If you haven't paid your fee online, you can pay in person at the cashier's window in that large room. You can do this once you have been called up to see your paperwork. I do not believe this delays you during the day. The person before me had to do this, and he was still on time to being called for his interview before me.

Please keep in mind, this is the paperwork they asked for that day, but you still should have all of your paperwork that is required in Packet 3/4. They may ask for all of it. But they did not the day of my interview.

So, you wait to be called. As number 10, I waited about 1 hour 15 minutes for my turn. My interview time was 7:30 which is the earliest. The first people in line I believe were done the whole process in and hour and a half. My whole process as being # 10, from start to finish was 2 hours. So the earlier you go, the less time it will take. When I left at 09:30, there were people with #35 seated who had appt. times at 09:00. Just to give you a reference of how many people are interviewed. And I don't know how many after I left.

CALLED TO FIRST WINDOW
Once you are called to a Window (#1-5) they are very friendly, ask you for your paperwork, confirm details etc. If you forgot to get photocopies, they will allow you to have them, BUT, you have to pay $1 each. You will have to go to the cashiers Window, pay for the photocopies, grab the receipt, and then go back to the window you were at. So don't waste time, Bring photocopies! They will ask you questions like if you have ever been in trouble with the law, if you have every been married etc. They also take your digital fingerprints. This process took less than 10 minutes.

Then you wait again......

Windows 6-12 are the interview windows. Some people were being called to window #19- and were called by name. Still can't figure out what people did when they were there.  You do see people coming out of the interview area with big smiles on their faces which is really nice to see.

INTERVIEW WINDOW
I was called to window 7. This is where the interview happens. You stand there for about 5 minutes, being asked questions. You don't even realize the interview was happening.
Questions I got asked:

A. Have you ever been married
B. Have you ever had trouble with the law (this does not include parking tickets, speeding tickets, littering tickets etc.)
C. Have you ever lived outside of Canada
D. What does your fiancee do for a living
E. Where does your fiancee live
F. Does your fiancee live along
G. How did you and your fiancee meet ( I told them we met in 2003)
H. What happened from 2003 until now
I. Have I signed up for the courier to return my passport

Then the officer said "Well the interview just happened" and proceeded to ask me to swear in, using my fingerprints while I decree that everything in my application was truthful etc.  She give me paperwork (pink and white sheet) with instructions on how to get my passport, expected arrival time etc. And some other documentation. And that was it. I had to ask if I was approved, I was, but I needed to hear those words.

Very anticlimactic but thrilled that it was that easy.

A few comments I had head from other people in the waiting area- some people were worried that they would be asked about when their wedding was, what point of entry they were going to use, the date they were entering the U.S. I d not know if anyone got asked these questions. I was prepared with EVERYTHING. I am glad I didn't have to use everything I had, but I didn't leave anything to chance.

I was an excellent experience, and I wish you all the best! (search for my Medical in Montreal Review)
 

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancee had her interview in Montreal on September 6 and she passed! Her visa was granted, so now all we have to do is wait for her passport to be sent back to her. She's back home now, getting ready to move here at the end of the month. Now on to the next steps in the process, getting married and applying for AOS/EAD/AP.

My fiancée had her medical examination yesterday (Tuesday, August 30). We decided that we would spend a week and a half in Montreal and get the medical examination done and do the interview a week later, since she is from Alberta. It wasn't too hard to find the medical office. It is in a tall building in Downtown Montreal. The clinic is on the 11th floor. There was an underground parking garage at Place Ville Marie which is a 15 minute walk from the medical office. Don't bother to try and find a place to park on the street, lol.
 
We walked in and checked in with the receptionist. Ashlee was given forms to fill out, including medical history. You must have your passport with you, as well as the interview letter AND a copy of the Packet IV e-mail. They will take photocopies of all those documents. You also have to give them 5 passport photos and your vaccination history. Ashlee had all her vaccines beforehand, but if you don't have them all they will give you the ones you need (at extra cost).
 
The nurse brought us into a room where she took vital signs and drew the blood for the blood tests and also gave Ashlee a container for a urine sample. The nurse was very nice and noticed at once how nervous Ashlee was. She was very reassuring and let me join her in the room while she drew the blood. After that Ashlee was directed to the bathrooms for her urine sample and then when that was finished she was called back for her chest x-ray.
 
Then we waited a little bit until the doctor was ready for her. I was not allowed to join her for the medical examination portion, but Ashlee said it went very well. Ashlee has Bipolar disorder which has been well controlled for 5 years. She brought copies of her medical records from her primary care physician's office but the doctor was not interested in looking at them, telling Ashlee that she could tell that her Bipolar was under control and not to worry about it.
 
After that was done, Ashlee was asked to pay $435.21 (Canadian dollars), and we were told that we could pick up the results as early as this Friday (3 business days). Plan on spending an hour and a half to two hours.

We were in a similar position because it took awhile to receive my fiancé's military records.  We went back and forth about whether we should submit Packet 3 without them.  He finally called an office in Ottawa, who told him that there were over 30 people ahead of him whose records still needed to be processed.  He explained that it was urgent because we were going in for our visa interview, and they promised he would have the records within a week.  Once we heard that, we were comfortable submitting Packet 3.  We got the records in time and had no trouble at our interview.

You dont need all those items before sending packet 3.  You need all those items before interview.  Send the packet asap. 

I agree that it would be okay to submit now.... I plan on submitting packet 3 when my status switches to ready, even though I don't technically have his updated letter of intent to marry (since we need to wait to know when our interview is to ensure its dated within 30 days of it).  As long as you know you will have it in time, I think that's the important part.

Not a great idea, whats the big hurry to go although you have family there (CBP will think)
its an hornets nest right now , very unsafe, but its home and rightfully you can but you may
be held up with renewed vetting. You should wait until you are  naturalized the way things
are looking

Once she emails the packet 3 requested items, she will receive a return email with packet 4 instructions.  We waited only 12 hours for our packet 4 return email.

In packet 4, your fiance will be given instructions on how to schedule your interview and medical exam.  We were able to schedule our interview as soon as 3 weeks, and as far away as 6 weeks.

Hopefully this gives you a time-frame on submitting packet 3 and when your fiance will have her long form birth certificate and police certificate in-hand.

I'm not sure which city in Canada your fiance is from.  My fiance was able to get her police certificate same day, after about a 20 min wait.  She is from Vancouver BC and received her police certificate from the RMCP in Coquitlam.

  
 

The address for the NVC case status checker is:
 
ceac.state.gov

So they weren't kidding when they said things would move quickly at the NVC stage.
 
We received notice that the case was received by the NVC on 6/16/17, and on 6/19/17 I checked CEAC and it said case was "Ready" in Montreal.
 
So time to get Packet 3 done.

It took four weeks from NOA2 to receive our case number from the NVC.

The address for the NVC case status checker is:
 
ceac.state.gov