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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on August 23, 2014: |
Ontariowan
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
My experience with the Consulate was quite positive. I had read a lot of reviews here on visajourney.com so I had a good idea what to do.
I took MegaBus from Toronto the night before the interview so I arrived running on very little sleep and a lot of energy drinks. I arrived at the Consulate at about 7 AM so there was no one in line. I lined up but facing the wrong way - line up facing towards the front of the building. Once the security guard opened the door, there is an agent checked me in - she just looked at my interview appointment letter (printed from the appointment confirmation email - this contains your Loomis information). Security is like airport security so be prepared to take off your belt and have them scan your bags. I didn't have anywhere to store my cell phone and they were able to hold it for me. However, the small compartments for holding items are tiny so don't expect them to hold a bag or anything.
After security, you go downstairs and wait by the elevator. I got the chair right beside it. When we were herded into the elevator, the advice given on this site was dead right. Go to the back left, don't turn around. The door opens so you go straight ahead to the lady at the desk. I got appointment slot one. She advised me to take a seat and wait for my number to be called.
The wait wasn't too long and there was another nice lady to help me. This part of the process is gathering the paperwork you bring. Read the reviews and you will be well prepared. Only thing I forgot was to photocopy the identification page of my passport. They will charge you $1 for it and they want payment in US dollars. Even so, the lady at the payment window was nice too. Once she gave me the receipt for the photocopy, I returned to the lady at window #1 and continued. I would suggest if you have a second to turn around and look out the window. The view was great - you can see Mount Royal and the Olympic Stadium. Not bad! Once all the documents were given, I was asked to have a seat and my number would be called. I was chatting with another lady so time passed quickly.
It wasn't long before my number was called and the actual interview began. The lady was very personable and made me feel at ease. Just the normal questions, how did you meet, what does your fiancé do, where will you live, what sort of wedding was planned, etc. I answered honestly (which is always the best policy) and she smiled and was very pleasant. She told me she was going to approve me and I gave a little squeal - she laughed and handed me the Welcome to the United States of America page. After that, I know she gave some pointers on giving myself extra time when I enter the US with my VISA and things like that but my heart was pounding and I just wanted to cheer 
Overall, very positive experience but the users on visajourney.com provided such great information I felt like this was easier than any other part of the whole process. javascript:emoticon('')
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15051