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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on January 7, 2016: |
Taliuslh
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I (the sponsor) accompanied my fiance to Montreal for her interview. We stayed at the Le Square Phillips Hotel and Suites (highly recommended), which is less than a four minute walk from the US Consulate.
Security:
Her appointment time was for 0740, and we got to the door around 20 minutes before her scheduled appointment, to find a line of people outside the door waiting to be let in. The security checks to get into the building were one at a time, and seemed slow for a lot of people, though we were through in less than 2 minutes. (FYI, have your DS-160 and Passport in hand when you are at this point.) The no backpack and cellphone rules are strongly enforced; you will be turned away (even small backpack-like purses). We saw that a couple coming through with an infant were allowed to keep the diaper bag with them.
Waiting:
After security, we were ushered down stairs to a small waiting room, and then proceeded up an elevator to the main waiting room. If you didn't bring your passport-type photos with you, there is a working photo booth here that will take them for $10 CAD; no change machine. We were given a number to be called by, it seemed to be for those there for K-1/3 visas. All other visas were a separate waiting line. We were given #5, which was around a 40 minute wait; #1 was called at exactly 0800.
Interview Part 1:
The first part of the interview was strictly verification of paperwork. I as the sponsor was allowed to be present at this point. The whole process, including fingerprints, took less than 10 minutes. Have your paperwork well organized, so that you don't have to search for it. A monthly division folder will help with that. And paperclips. Lots of paperclips. At this point your passport and birth certificate will be taken. (They will accept the short form of the birth certificate, but prefer the long). We were sent back to the waiting area after this.
Interview Part 2:
About 5 minutes after the paperwork was verified, my fiancee was called for her final interview. I as the sponsor was not able to accompany. The interview began with taking an oath, providing verbal confirmation that the information you're giving is to the truthful and accurate to the best of your knowledge. The simple interview questions took less than three minutes, with those common questions we're used to answering at this point: How did you meet, how long have you known each other, how long have you been together, when did you first physically meet, how long have been engaged, where does your fiance live and what do they do, etc. The interviewer handed back her birth certificate, and informed her that she would have to wait two weeks to get her passport back, with the approved visa inside. At this point they congratulated her, and informed her with her visa that she would receive a packet explaining how to cross at her port of entry and what to expect. Of note, her interviewer had a good sense of humor, not intimidating in any way, made her feel comfortable, and actually had a lot of friends that had met in similar ways that we had.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #18678