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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on October 23, 2019: |
CanadaCat
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
It's been a week since my interview. I know a lot of folks have anxiety over this stage of the process (myself included) so I felt compelled to come on here and write a review. Reading other people's reviews helped relieve some of my pre-interview jitters so I hope my review can spread some positive vibes.
My interview time was 7:30 am. I arrived at 7 am and was 6th in line outside the consulate. (The line looked longer when I arrived because some people were waiting with their fiances). At 7:30 The began letting us in one by one.
First you will need to show your passport to enter. The person at the front desk will put a sticker on a passport and hand it back to you, along with a laminated sheet listing all the documents you need in a specific order & a number that you will be called by.
Next you will go through security, very similar to airport security. My purse went through an x-ray machine, and I walked through a metal detector. I had my cellphone and portable charger in my purse so they took those out to put in a coat check. I was given a ticket to retrieve my checked items when the interview was finished. I was allowed to keep my medium sized purse with my the whole time. You are not allowed to bring backpacks, suitcases or large bags. All the people working at security were very friendly and even smiling.
Next you go down the stairs into a waiting area by the elevator. I started organizing my documents, but before I could finish we were called over to elevator. There will be plenty of time to organize your documents upstairs.
The waiting area upstairs is pretty big. There are tables and desks to organize your documents, which I found helpful.
Next we were called up to a window to hand in the documents listed on the laminated sheet. This will be very straightforward if you have all the documents you need.
Make sure to make photocopies of your birth certificate, biographical page of your passport & police certificate. They will take the originals and give them back to you at the end of the interview, and keep the photocopies.
While my time at the document window was very quick and straight forward, I noticed it took a lot longer for a few people and saw some anxious facial expressions, but if you have all the necessary documents you should be fine. They will want to confirm the address and phone number for both you & your fiance. I had a change in phone number since submitting my application, so I told them my new number and they updated the info.
I think they asked for the documents in a slightly different order than they were listed on the laminated sheet, but even so I found the list to be very helpful since I had brought a massive folder with lots of extra documents so this helped the process go quickly and I felt more organized with my curated pile of paper.
They will also fingerprint you and hand you a brochure about domestic violence. I don't remember the exact order this happened in.
After you've handed in the required you'll sit and wait to be called for your interview.
The interview will be at a standing at a window with the officer (in plain clothes) on the other side. I was asked to raise my hand and swear an oath. The interviewer was very polite and kind.
She asked me:
What is your fiances name?
How did you meet?
How long ago did you meet?
What does your fiance do?
Have you ever lived in any other countries?
Have you ever been arrested?
What is the longest you've stayed in the US?
Have you ever overstayed a visa?
Have you ever had trouble at the border?
Then she said she had looked over my application and that everything was in order & she was approving my K1 visa. She handed me the bright pink "Welcome to the US" letter. Such a happy moment!
After approving me she wanted to make sure I had read the domestic violence brochure and asked if I had any questions. I was fingerprinted again at this window, but don't remember if it was before or after the interview.
Then I took the elevator back downstairs. I collected my phone and charger from the coat check at security. The whole process was over by 9 am. I called my fiance immediately to tell him the good news and practically skipped down the street with joy.
I found everyone to be polite, kind and helpful. I am very pleased with my experience at the Montreal Consulate.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #27329