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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on October 9, 2014: |
raid456
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My interview was at the end of September 2014. I went to Montreal alone as my wife (US Cit) lives in California. The interview was for 10 and I showed up at 930. I was out of there by 11:30.
Megabus does some excellent service from Toronto / Kingston to Montreal. And it drops you off at the bus station which is 10 min walk from the consulate. I took the bus from Kingston in the morning and took it back in the afternoon.
People make the interview into a really big deal. It really isn't. I understand it can be a bit anxiety inducing but if you follow all their instructions, there's no way they should deny you for an IR-1 visa. You've already been pre-checked multiple times and the interview is just a formality.
Here are a few things I recommend:
1. Bring ORIGINAL copies of all the documents they ask for. Chances are they probably won't need a lot of the stuff you bring...but if you submitted any scans of documents, bring them. It's that easy.
2. There are bathrooms on the top floor where the interview happens. Not sure why a couple of people have mentioned that they do not.
3. If you forget to bring 2 passport pictures, they have a photo-machine before you get on the elevator that does that. I didn't use the machine but I overheard someone saying that it's $10. That said, take care of these pics beforehand. You have so much time to do so. Plus, you never know that the machine may be broken the day you show up for your interview.
4. The interview is 5-10 minutes. Nothing complicated. They basically review your file. "where does your wife live" "how did you meet her" "Where does she work" etc. Nothing difficult.
5. Do not bring anything other than your documents, your wallet, keys, phone. They don't have any place to hold anything larger. If you have a bag, they'll direct you to a store around the corner that will store your luggage for a charge (I think $10/bag). They will let you take your wallet with you but will keep keys/phone at the security desk. They keep them in small cubby holes the size of a shoe box per person. You retrieve the goods as you leave.
I think that's about it. Nothing rocket science about this part of the process. In fact, it's the most basic, self-explanatory part of the process. Good luck and don't sweat it too much.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15376