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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on March 7, 2018: |
D and T
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I took the train from Toronto and stayed at the Hotel Bonaventure, which is across the street from Gare Central and can be accessed from the station either via Le Passage (through the underground mall) or at street level. Handy! The room was quite nice, very clean with comfy beds and the service was polite and quick. As to be expected, room service was pricey but the food was good. I was very nervous so I treated myself to an $8 Corona, however I took a pass on watching a $19 movie!!
I was the first to arrive at the consulate around 7-ish for my 7:30 am appointment, only to find that it opens at 8:00, heh. Soon, there was a healthy line up of people behind me.
They opened the doors, first making us line up at the opposite side of the doors than we started out, then allowed us in one at a time. I met the lady at the podium, who asked for my DS160 confirmation and my passport, then she gave me the laminated sheet with the instructions on how to order your documents.
Coat, scarf, wallet and document folder in airport-type trays to be xrayed; then walk through the metal detector and hold up your arms to be wanded. You hand over your phone in exchange for a ticket to retrieve it when you leave.
Next, downstairs to a waiting area where you can arrange your documents, approximately like this: Proof of payment; passport and passport photos; colour scan of your passport bio page; medical envelope; birth certificate; police clearance; divorce certificates for both; petitioner's letter of intent; and the I-134 and supporting documents. We had tax returns going back a few years but they only kept my fiance's 2017 W2 (he didn't receive a copy of the return in time for the interview) and his 2016 tax return. They also kept all the other supporting documents such as letter of employment, pay stubs, letter from bank etc.
I think that's everything, but I might have forgotten something so don't quote me.
(Note: I brought a thick folder with all kinds of documents that I was not asked for: i.e. evidence of relationship (photos, the receipt for my engagement ring; some selected text chats and Skype and FT logs; also things like proof of my petitioner's status and domicile but was not asked for any of it. But...better safe than sorry.)
Next, an officer directs you onto the elevator and wishes you well as the doors close.  Upstairs to the 19th floor where you take a seat until they call your number, which doesn't take long. You report to the designated window, where a very kind and personable lady takes your documents one at a time, confirms your address and your petitioner's address, gives you back your xray disc and your DS3025 (vaccination sheet) then takes your fingerprints. She had the patience of a saint with me, as, for some reason, I had to make numerous attempts to place my fingers on the reader properly.
Then you take a seat until the CO is ready to see you. This seemed to take very little time, maybe ten or fifteen minutes? Maybe not even that long? I chatted with another VJer while I was there so the time passed quickly.
Next, I was called to window 8, where a kind, warm and smiling lady engaged me in what, as others have said, seems like pleasant small-talk as she inputs information into the computer. Her questions were simple: When did you meet; how did you meet; when did you meet in person; who visited whom that first visit; what was my longest stay in the US; how many marriages you have both had. Then you must swear your oath and give a set of your fingerprints once more.
With warm congratulations and a big smile, she presented me the pink paper saying "Welcome to the US" with follow-up instructions, as well as the paper with the instructions for receiving your passport with visa by Canada Post.
After a nine-month wait, it's difficult to adequately express my relief.
Consulate staff are kind, professional and efficient, helping to make a tense and nerve-wracking experience as painless as possible.
In conclusion, I think I was in and out of there in half an hour or so? Having a coffee and donut at Timmie's by 8:30-ish and back on the train to Toronto by 11:00 am.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #23383