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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on April 9, 2025: |
SMK 89
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-5 Visa
Interview was 9:30am Wed. April 5, 2025. IR5 for both parents.
My parents said the process was very efficient, and smooth sailing. They were out by 10:04 AM, so they were basically in for only 30 minutes total! From the other reviews below, it sounds like today was much faster than usual. Not sure if they are just more efficient or if today wasn't super busy.
My parents arrived at 9:15am but were asked to come back in 10 minutes because there were a lot of people. They went into the Shopper across the road because it was very cold out today. Once they came back, they were able to start the process. They checked the passports against their appointment list. They gave my parents a slip of paper with a number on it (one for both, not one each, I think they had them psyched up for the interview thankfully), then they went through security. They had to turn off their phones and put it into a locker. My mom was able to keep her smaller purse and then the file folders they had with them for the evidence they needed today. After security you go up one floor in an elevator to a large waiting room with plastic chairs and a counter with windows that they serve you at.
They give you a yellow laminated care with a list that said something like, “Please make sure you have these documents”:
• 1 Photo – which they scanned in and returned to us
• Marriage Certificate
• Divorce Certificate if applicable
• Applicant’s Passport
• Police certificates (any country you have lived in for 6+ months, they are valid for 2 years)
• Affidavit of Support – but they did not look at it or ask for it at any time
• Petitioner Birth Certificate
My parents sat in the chairs for just a few minutes and then their number was displayed on the TV monitor showing which counter to go to. The officer asked for each original document one at a time and reviewed it, then gave it back. The interview-prep instructions tell you to making photocopies of everything but then at the interview they specifically said they were going to do it themselves and just wanted the originals. When she was done, she asked them to sit down again and wait again to be called up for fingerprinting and the interview.
A few minutes later, they were called up again for the fingerprinting and the interview (again as a couple). The officer was pleasant. There was the oath, and he essentially just asked them to confirm the information:
• Why are you here today?
• Your daughter is the petitioner and her name is ###, correct? She works at #### company, correct? When you move to the U.S., you will be moving in with her and living at ######### address, correct?
• Since you completed the DS-260, have you traveled to the U.S. more? My parents have, Montreal is notorious for taking months to book the interviews so they visited me in the U.S. post completing the DS-260 for Christmas. So essentially that trip wasn't listed on their DS-260 (because it was in the future) So my parents just said that and the officer said ok, no problem.
And that was basically it! He said congratulations, welcome to the United States, you have been approved.
He gave them a sheet with the AIS website / next steps (i..e, where to track your Visa issuance status and tracking) and said it will take 1-1.5 weeks for the visa/your passport to get back to you.
Later the same day, around 4-hours after they left the interview, we checked CEAC and the status had already been updated to ISSUED for both of them.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #33624