RG4CANUSA

I was approved yesterday! Woohoo! Thanks to everyone to helped us through this experience.

After 543 days, the interview was a breeze. Here’s a detailed recap, in the hopes that it will help some of you:

• At 8:45 we arrived at the consulate. We were one hour early, on purpose, to avoid any setbacks, relax a little bit and see what others were doing. There was already a big line of people waiting to get inside. And my appointment was at 9:45, so we bought a coffee and breakfast at the Second Cup across the street. We sat down and waited until 9:35 to get in line. People there were all waiting for 9:00 and 9:15 (they were late for their interviews), as well as for 9:30 and 9:45.
  • I recommend getting in line as soon as possible. The reason why is that you enter the consulate based on your appointment time and who is there first. For instance, there may be six people with appointments at 9:30, so you’ll want to be the first one in line for that group, so you can get in first, get interviewed first, and leave first. I've read before that security will give you trouble, but we encountered friendly security people and they seemed to realize they were running late, so they were okay with this. The more you know...  

• At 10:35 I was allowed inside by security. I went through a very light version of airpot security. Shoes don’t have to come off, just pockets, metals and coat. They just asked me to turn off my cell phone and directed me to a lockbox where I placed my phone. I then locked the box myself, grabbed the key and placed it in my pocket. Then, I took the elevator up to the first floor and got in line for window 6, which had the person in front of me from the line downstairs.
  • The lockbox is the size of a PO box. It can fit a several phones, watches, keys, etc. so don’t be afraid that it’s too small.

• At 10:40 I walked to window 6 and a nice lady took my passport and 2 photos. She gave me a ticket number and asked me to sit down until the number was called.
  • There were 32 people ahead of me (I heard the security person on the phone) and there were 12 booths (but some were not available).
  • Yes, they are busy!

• At 11:40 my number was called on the screen and I walked up to window 7. A nice man asked for my original documents and translations:
  • Birth certificate and translation,
  • Marriage certificate,
  • Police certificate from Canada,
  • Police certificate from my home country and translation.
  • He confirmed my home address and phone number. Gave me the pamphlet about domestic violence to read. Gave me back my two passport photos. And asked me to wait some more.

• At 12:30 my number was called again on the screen and I walked up to window 2. A lovely lady asked me to tell her about my spouse and asked a few questions:
  • Do you swear or affirm that everything in your application is true? Then place your right hand on the fingerprint scanner.
  • Tell me about your spouse
  • Where did you meet? When?
  • When did you get married?
  • What brought you to Canada? (I was born abroad)
  • What do you do for a living? Will you continue doing this? What does your spouse do for a living?
  • Where do you intend to live, once you move to the USA?
  • Do you have any questions about the pamphlet?
  • Then she said everything looked great with my application and intended to approve it today. She gave me a paper to track my passport and said I should have it back within 2-3 weeks (but from this forum, it seems they return it faster).

• At 12:35 I left the consulate, kissed my spouse and we walked back to the hotel. I called all family and friends to tell them the good news.

We’re now back home and starting our packing! Thanks again to all our friends from VisaJourney, you've been great ❤️