bkbk8

Also, looks like Islamabad processed it quicker than Montreal would do, you may want to consider processing it there. Wish I had done mine at my country of birth when they automatically assigned it there (waiting time was less than 2 months) vs. Montreal 5+ months. Unfortunately, for personal reasons my spouse couldn't make it so we got stuck with Montreal.

7 minutes ago, Shenn110 said:

They scheduled it to the wrong consulate. What to do now :S

Was in the same situation. My experience after contact NVC for help was that to email asknvc@state.gov with the below details:

Subject line: Case # - Full name - Request title

Body of email:

You can mention that you are requesting to move your petition to the specific location (you submit proof establishing your eligibility to be precessed for an immigrant visa in Canada (i.e.:  PR/CA Citizen passport)

Info to include:

• full name
• DOB
• Case #
• Petitioner name
• Provide a current address for the Principal application in Canada

If I recall it took them 1-2 weeks to process the request (this was back in May 2018). Please make sure you contact NVC in case they've updated their process and do not solely depend on my experience above. 

2 hours ago, GottaLoveCalif said:

Hey BkBk8...hopefully you will get your visa very soon. I have heard of this many times that you are told you are approved and then you receive DS5535 in email. I have also heard that in such cases they clear the applicant very quickly and issue the visa so hopefully you will hear the good news soon. I am just curious, are working in the U.S. ? if so, have you been waiting for the visa in Canada for like 20 days? that's a long time!

Thank you for the note. I currently live and work in Canada while awaiting for the visa to be issued.

18 hours ago, Daniel2014 said:

Does this form DS-5535 only for selected applicants or for everyone? Hope everything goes well...

Some parts of the DS-5535 are now part of the DS260 form (i.e. Social Media details, etc.) however, I am not sure if its for selected candidates. So far, it appears that I've only been asked for such details even though I was handed the Welcome to the US green letter and the Officer mentioned it should not take more than 3 weeks.

13 minutes ago, BurBur said:

I see. Hope it will work out for you quickly. I'm just curious do you know if they request this form because they want the social media information?

I believe so. But the form also requests details from the past 15 years vs what's on the DS260 (~5 years of details)

18 hours ago, BurBur said:

Hi @bkbk8, was your interview on 7/2? Did it go well? Have the CEAC status changed? Any reason you can think of why you haven't received your passport yet? 

It went well, got the verbal approval and Green letter "Welcome to US", I detailed my experience in one of the recent posts.

Status remains under AP but I received an email yesterday "Form DS-5535, Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants" so plan on replying back.

17 minutes ago, vRace said:

 

 

Please share your experience with crossing over the Border/POE with the sealed package the 1st time.

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Haven't received my passports yet but plan on flying in. Will keep you posted when I do. 

Hi all, here's an update on my case:

As you may know, I was not able to attend my initial interview in April, was able to finally reschedule for July 2nd (

• - Interview scheduled for 7.30AM
• - Lined up at the embassy by 6.45 and was #2 in line
• - They started letting people in by 7.35AM
• - Front person checks your passports and immigrant visa interview confirmation
• - You are let in, through security check, similar to airport security check (my phone was stored and checked in with them until I left the consulate) - no bagpacks, no food, no drinks, etc. 
• - You are escorted down to the 'basement' where you are handed your number with instructions to organize your documents in a specific order (here's what I remember)
  • Passport
  • photos
  • Medical
  • Birth Certificate and translation
  • Marriage Certificate
  • Police certificate(s)
  • Income Tax Return (however they never asked for it)
• You wait until the room is filled with enough people, then take an elevator to the 19th floor to the interview area
• You are seated until your number is called, first window person asks for the original documents above and for me they asked for a recent Job Offer
• Once all documents are provided, fingerprints are taken, address is verified, and then you are seated again
• I waited another 15-20mins until we were called in for the actual interview 
• Interview lasted 10-15mins (my case was complicated so it took longer than usual) - started with an oath, signed letter that I'll be working for the employer once I land, etc.
• Questions asked for my EB2 case:
  • Who's your petitioner?
  • What is your role title (was not asked for role description)?
  • What is your salary?
  • Location of your work
  • Countries you visited in the past 5 years
  • Your highest education - and majors for both bachelors and masters
  • What university (both masters and bachelors)
  • Talk to me about the countries you lived in since 16 years old - and under what visa (i.e. student/F1 visa in US, etc.)
  • What was the last time you were in the States, date you left, etc.
• Wife was then interviewed, similar questions
• Both were given the green paper slip (approval) - passports were taken and they mentioned they'll be provided back to us in two weeks

Wish you all the best. Be patient, even though Montreal is slow in processing employment based applications, it will all be good! Once your I-140 is approved, your 'technically' only attending the consulate as a formality.

10 minutes ago, HH2018 said:

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share with you some tips about my interview (EB-2) that I just did recently. It might be useful for those who are preparing for their interviews.

1. My appointment was at 8 am. So, I arrived about 7:20 am and was No. 6 in the queue. I finished my interview around 10:30 am. So probably, you need to go earlier if you want to be among the first applicants.

2. You are not allowed to have your cell phone or laptop. So you need to leave them at the hotel or your car.

3. You will receive a check list and you will be asked to arrange your documents according to that checklist (Passport, two Photos, original birth certificates, original marriage certificate, Police Certificate, recent tax return documents,…etc). I was very worried as I did not have the tax return documents with me. But fortunately, they did not ask about it. Probably, it depends on the type of your application. However, it might be wise to have it with you just in case.

4. Then you will be called for one of the windows where they check and receive all your original documents. You will be asked about your address in US (where they will send your green Card). So, you need to tell them the exact address that you have provided earlier in your application.

5. Then, I waited approximately another one and half hour until they called my number for the interview. My interview went very well and was quick. I have provided a job offer so maybe that is why they did not many questions. I was told then that your application is approved and you will receive your passport with visa within 2 weeks. But I think they usually sent it within a week.

6. Until I left, they had 18 immigration applications. So this explains the long waiting time they have to schedule interviews.

Good luck everyone with your interviews. I hope this helps.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience @HH2018 and congratulations on getting your application approved.

Could you delve more into the job offer:

1) Did they ask for it or did you just include in the list of documents?

2) What was the format of the letter? Was it the full offer letter you receive usually when you first get accepted to work or was it just a one letter template outlining your role, title, responsibilities, location, salary, etc.? (I ask because I currently work for my company (3+ years) and they are only offering me a one-letter employment letter saying that I have a job when I return, with the above details) not the full Job Offer letter you usually receive when you first get accepted.

Sorry for the long post but appreciate your help and hopefully everyone benefits from this.

9 minutes ago, leopard11 said:

Anyone successfully change the interview date earlier? There is no slot available when log on!

nope, no slots. been trying since Apr 16  check your private message inbox

15 hours ago, Baylor said:

Normally its about a months away but all depends on whats available on your type of visa. I found it in early April for end of April. There were only two slots available when I saw mine, end of April and same say a week earlier.

Again, people who were applying for K visa were booked their spots before me but their dates were only available for May. You may be looking at June right now. 

Thanks for the reply. I'm on the hunt for over 2 weeks now. Hope your interview went well. 

1 minute ago, Baylor said:

Hi there,

Yes I was able to finally. I had to check literally everyday MULTIPLE times. Its frustrating but it is what it is. I suggest you keep looking patiently until you find something (it took me about 6 weeks...hopefully you will be luckier). Also, found out that different types of visas have different slots.

Wishing you all the best !

Thanks for the quick reply. Glad you were able to finally secure a date. May I ask how far the appointment was from the date you were able to secure one? (E.g. if you were able to view the calendar on March 10, was calendar date availability for next month April or was it further out?)

Also, I know it's different every month based on availability and other factors but did you get multiple dates available or was it just one date and time slot?

Hi @Baylor

I'm also in the same boat, couldn't attend my EB2 immigrant interview, was asked to reschedule via the AIS green website but been checking everyday, there hasn't been any available appointments. 

Could you update us if you were able to secure an appointment finally through the site?

Hi all- I've been struggling with getting my interview date rescheduled. After contacting the Visa call center, Montreal Embassy and NVC several times, their only response is to let the interview date pass with a "no show", once it passes, only then I can call back in to get another date. I find this abnormal!

Did someone go through the rescheduling process or know of anyone who went through it recently with Montreal Consulate? It does not seem logical for me to miss my interview date (when it can be re-assigned to someone else who is in need)! 

Any advice is highly appreciated!☹️

Hi all. Good news. Got my interview date April 15th. Unfortunately I'll be on mandatory business trip and won't be able to attend. Checking to see if I can reschedule or just cancel my international trip.

On 2/26/2019 at 7:49 PM, bkbk8 said:

Hi all, as I prepare for the interview, can someone tell me the format of the offer letter? Does it have to be this several pages of offer letter that we received when I first accepted this role or can it be an employment letter stating title, name, salary, job tasks, etc. And that I will still have this role upon my return?

 

If someone has a format please let me know.

Hi all,

Can anyone shed some light to the format of the job offer letter requirement? @vnca @kapen @Shaki @ascb

Hi all, as I prepare for the interview, can someone tell me the format of the offer letter? Does it have to be this several pages of offer letter that we received when I first accepted this role or can it be an employment letter stating title, name, salary, job tasks, etc. And that I will still have this role upon my return?

If someone has a format please let me know.

13 minutes ago, leopard11 said:

Has anyone in this Forum who have case completed in Dec 2018 or Jan 2019 received the interview date yet?

My CC date is early Dec 2018, hoping to hear by end of Feb or early March for an April 2019 date. If not, my estimate would be an interview in May (based on @AshleyJill Nov CC was scheduled for March, unless it's one-off situation)

Here is everyone's timeline from what I gathered with some missing details:

Name                   Category       CC Date           Interview Date
PhilCanUSRN        EB2               7-May                 16-Nov
Deztiny                   EB2              21-May                26-Nov
CanMon                 EB2                 26-Jul                19-Jan
Ratri                        EB2                 6-Aug                5-Feb
vnca                        EB3                20-Aug                15-Feb
Kapen                     EB3                 17-Sep                 12-Mar
adison                    EB3                 20-Sep                 20-Mar
Shaki                      EB2                 10-Oct                3rd week of March
ascb                       EB2                 11-Oct                 Early March
dskar                      EB2                 18-Oct                      ?
Mr Jingles               ?                    18-Oct                       22-Mar
AshleyJill               EB3                  6-Nov                      22-Mar
bkbk8                      EB2                   7-Dec                   Waiting
GCM                       EB3                  11-Dec                   Waiting
Mo85                      EB2                 Waiting                 Waiting

Hi all- congratulations to everyone who received their interview dates. So happy to see this! For some reason the post notification emails were going to my spam and haven't seen all the updates.

Here is my update: after going back and forth with NVC on about over 5 Checklists of documents that I already sent, my CC is finally Dec 7 (delayed since June '18) (EB-2). 

Also, according to @AshleyJill CC on Nov 6th and interview date in March and if I understand this correctly, I along with @mo85 may possibly get notified soon for an interview in April or May instead of the ~6months timeline we've been noticing (could be June).

5 minutes ago, TexasForeverYall said:

Hi Everyone,

 

I had my interview yesterday.  Everyone at the US Consulate was super nice.  Interview was so short and I was approved verbally but unfortunately due to the retrogression I did not get my visa yet.  They gave me my passport back and said I have to watch for the visa bulletin and as soon as my priority date becomes current, to send the passport back and they will process it and courier the visa out to me.

 

God bless you all and best of luck with your interviews!!!!!!

Congratulations!!! So happy to hear that it went smooth for you!

Did you meet other EB2 folks there? Can you share the questions they asked you or any docs they requested?

18 minutes ago, TexasForeverYall said:

Hi  Canadianeh!  I REALLY HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT!  However I also found this...

 

9. At what point do I need to be concerned that my priority date has retrogressed or is not current?

Please note that in addition to having a priority date that is current, you must also be otherwise ready to proceed to a step in the process that requires the priority date to be current. This ONLY occurs in the final stages of the green card process (i.e., the fact that priority dates are not current will not keep your employer from filing a labor certification or immigrant visa petition on your behalf).

 

However, if your priority date is not current, you cannot proceed with filing an I-485 application for adjustment of status or applying at a U.S. Embassy/Consulate for an immigrant visa based on an approved immigrant visa petition.***

 

I believe that is us!  I am speaking with my immigration consultant in a few hours... I will let you all know what he says...

Hi there,

Given my personal experience, I can clearly understand what @Canadianeh! is explaining, although I am confused, the reason being is that the # of GCs available per fiscal year applies to both AOS folks and CP; I am really curious to what your lawyer will say. I hope it only applies to AOS folks and not us (I used to work in the U.S., left to activate my current PR card, now been in Canada over 4 months jobless waiting for my interview :(

Also, almost every year in Aug - Sept, the priority dates for EB2 mainly gets retrogressed regardless of country of origin (you can refer https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html years 2017, 2016 and so on) and then it returns to Current the following month or so.

Please keep us posted!

4 minutes ago, Canadianeh! said:

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share the great news that my Immigrant Visa appointment has been scheduled.  My total wait time from cc to assignment of interview date was 109 days.  Has anyone else heard yet?  I put in an additional request to have the case expedited so I’m not sure if that is what pushed it through or if this was simply it’s natural course.  I hope you all get similar news soon.  Keep the faith!

That is awesome news! Congratulations!!

Do you mind sharing when your interview date is?

Also, if it's not too personal, can you share the high level reason(s) for the expedite request?  Unfortunately I left the USA and living in Canada and I'm on unpaid leave for the past 2 months and unable to work remotely for the company until I get my Visa appointment scheduled. So I'm out of a job technically and just afraid it will take longer to get an appointment than expected.

I'm in the same boat- my EB-2 application is about to be fully processed at the NVC and will be sent to Montreal soon. 

wow, 70 days and still no appointment interview scheduled!? Did you email or inquire with the Consulate about this?

I've seen other non employment based applicants (immigrant visas) processed in less than 30 days.

Hope someone else in the same situations can provide us with an update.

Please keep us posted.

20 hours ago, pepestru said:

I'm currently going through the process in Singapore. Our interview is scheduled for April 17.

 

Once they have entered your I-140 in their system you will get a notification to pay for the DS-260. I found entering the DS-260 quite easy but the systems tends to "time-out" so make sure you save regularly to prevent having to enter data again.

Thanks for the advise. Would appreciate if you can keep me posted with your process and interview feedback. I wish you all the best! Good luck!