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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on May 6, 2017: |
abstabes
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I'm not sure if my experience is similar to others but it was super low key - expect a positive review! 
My interview was on May 3 at 8:30 AM. I am from Toronto, so I arrived in MTL with my mom (she accompanied me since my fiancé is busy studying for his medical boards so he couldn't fly down to come too) the day before around 8 pm. We got a hotel SUPER close to the consulate called Le Square Phillipe - it was an amazing stay and SO close! I wandered around the night before to see where the consulate entrance was so I wouldn't feel flustered in the morning. When coming from Rue St. Catherine along St. Alexandre, there's a staircase that people have previously said looks like an entrance but isn't - they're right, don't enter! The door for entrance is a bit further along and has a crest over the door with lots of signs of what you can/can't bring in, you can't miss it. There's also a Starbucks across the street so you can wait there if you're early or if you're having a family member wait.
I arrived at the consulate at 8:10 the next morning, thinking I'd be turned away since I was early, like most people have said. With binder of all my documents assembled by my lawyer, plus 100+ pages of evidence that our relationship is bonafide, I asked if I was allowed in and they said yes! She asked for my passport and my appointment letter (the one that has your case number, interview time, etc), and then she gave me a laminated card with instructions for assembling documents and with a #8 on it, and put a sticker on my passport. They had security like the airport (but much, much smaller - this building is very small! I pictured it being huge.) and I had to get waved down with the wand but was easy peasy. Then you take a door down the stairs to the elevator, turn right, and the elevator is right there. They only have ground floor and 19th floor as options so you can't mess up lol.
When I arrived on the 19th floor there was a small waiting room that, on one side, had US citizenship services (not for you) and US immigration (for you). I sat down and looked at my card - the order of my documents was TOTALLY different than what they had listed in P4 and was very different from how my lawyers had arranged it. Make sure you bring proof of payment! I also did not need evidence of domicile for my fiancé. So I used my time (it was 8:15-20) at this point) arranging the documents in the right order. When I sat down they called 7, then 5, then 8 (me!)
At the first window (#2) the lady was super friendly and understood that I was nervous about getting everything together. She asked a bit of info about my fiancé, what his address was and phone number (I totally was stumped on the phone number but she laughed and said "I get it, speed dial!"). I can't remember exactly what she asked for but I think it was as follows: the laminated card, proof of payment, birth certificate and copy, police certificate (no copy), medical (she returned the CD of the X-ray to me and said I could give it to my US doctor), my finance's I-134, my co-sponsor's I-134, a scan of his passport, my passport (I'm a dual citizen but they only wanted the one I submitted my DS160 with). I don't think they wanted anything else, but my DS160 was never asked for. They ten printed me and then I sat down again and was given the #8 on a pamphlet about domestic abuse rights as a marriage visa recipient (the same thing they give you when you file DS160).
A couple other guys were there for fiance visas (#7 and #5 as mentioned before) and I could over hear their interviews at window #8 (sorry guys!). It totally calmed my nerves because I could hear them laughing with the officer and were both granted their visas within minutes. After about 45 minutes they called me up for mine to window #8 (only window #2 was open for part one, and only window #8 was open for part two, so that made sense for the wait). I went to the window, prepared with all my evidence, and she was super friendly and asked me basically "tell me about your fiancé", "what does he do?", "where are you moving"? And then she said "you're advanced so you'll get your visa in probably 1-2 days but it's usually 1-2 weeks. Congratulations!" and she handed me back my birth certificate and a document about tracking my visa delivery. I didn't even OPEN my binder full of evidence!
I left the building and walked to Starbucks, grabbed a celebratory latte with my mom and called my fiancé to share the good news.
All said - SO MUCH EASIER than I expected. Do not sweat this! If you are honest, open, organized and friendly, it will be fine One thing to note, you don't have to dress really nice - everyone was in jeans or sweats, I wore a blazer and shirt and felt super fancy.
Yesterday on May 5 (two days after my interview) my case status on the US DOS was changed from "administrative processing" to "issued" so hopefully I will get it this week! Good luck everyone!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #21768