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| Vancouver, Canada |  Review on March 24, 2015: |
JM22
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I just had my interview this morning, and everything went very smoothly. It was great to read other reviews on here to know what to expect, and hopefully more people continue to post from Vancouver!
My appointment was at 9am and I arrived at the consulate at 8:45. There were about 25-30 people waiting in line outside when I got there. They asked for my passport, DS-160, medical packet, and passport photos, and gave me a paper that said 20th floor, window B. Thanks to the info on this site, I only brought my documents and car keys with me, and left my cell phone, purse, and all other items in my car. It did look like they were issuing lockers for smaller items like phones, but anyone who had a bag that was bigger than small purse was directed to leave it at one of the shops across the street.
I then was directed to join the line waiting outside. They let groups of 5 in at a time, and it was nearly an hour by the time I got in to go through security. Once inside, I went through security and they stamped my medical packet to say that it had been inspected. They gave me the option to use the restroom before going upstairs, because there isn't one up there. An office went up the elevator with me, and I was directed to take 2 left turns to get to window B, and then flip the switch on the wall.
When I got there, someone was being helped at the window already, so I just waited until they were finished and did not have to flip the switch. The woman informed me that she had a few to process, took my DS-160 and passport, and asked me to sit down until she called my name. Again, lots more waiting.. She called me back up and asked for all documents: birth certificate and copy, police certificate, photos, letter of intent from my fiancé, and affidavit of support (including supporting documents). I had a letter from my fiancé's employer and a letter from the bank, which is all they required. She actually said she liked it when it was that simple with just those two supporting documents, because lots of people come in with big piles of unnecessary documents.
She asked me a few questions - have I or my fiancé been married before and do either of us have children…and asked if I had lived anywhere else besides Canada for more than 6 months. I answered no to all, and then she assigned me a number. (SIDE NOTE- a woman who was also there for a K1 had gotten denied because she had lived in Guatemala for 8 months, and did not have a police certificate from there.. so make sure if you lived anywhere else other than Canada or the US that you have certificates from there)
Back to more sitting and waiting….Finally I got called up to a window for my interview. The officer asked me to sit down for a moment while she reviewed my documents. She asked some basic questions:
- when did you meet?
- how long have you been engaged?
- have you met each others parents?
- how often do you see each other?
- why do you want to marry your fiancé?
Then she asked if I had any photos.. I did, and provided her with 8 photos and our Save the Date cards which have a photo on them.
She was very friendly and smiled a lot, and it was pretty conversational.
Then she let me know I was approved!! Hooray!!
I was directed back to window B to receive the instructions for what to do next. I was told that I could pick up my packet after 3-5 days from the location I selected, and that I'd get an email when it was ready. The packet will contain my passport and visa, as well as a sealed packet with all of my file documents. You are not supposed to open this, and bring the sealed packet to the border when you cross.
And that was it!! Now I am waiting for my visa, and will head down to Seattle in the next few days javascript:emoticon(' ') javascript:emoticon(' ')
It was a pretty straight forward and relaxed experience thanks to all the great info on this site
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #16463