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| Montreal, Canada |  Review on April 8, 2009: |
barbarian81
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My wife had her CR-1 visa interview in Montreal on March 30, 2009. Here is an overview.
6.45am - My wife and I arrived outside the embassy. We were the first ones. A few others started showing up closer to 7.
7.30am - Guard opened door and we walked through to security. It's pretty much like airport security, nothing new. The guard clipped our passports & interview letter together, with a letter on top (we got 'A', the people after us got 'B', and so on). Then he asked us to go downstairs and wait for another guard to take us up to the 19th floor.
7.45am - Another guard came down in the elevator, took our clipped documents (passport, interview letter, etc) and took us up to the 19th floor. There, he asked us to sit in the waiting area.
8.15am - My wife's name was called on the intercom to appear at window 12. We both went there. The lady there took my wife's medical report and passport pics, then asked us to verify the addresses on our DS-230. She also asked us when we got married and a couple other basic questions. She asked me if I had a copy of my most recent (2008) tax returns, which I did. So I handed that in. She did not take my wife's chest x-ray copy. Then, back to the waiting area.
8.30am - My wife's name was called again to go to window 12. Again, we both went. This time, they took her finger prints. Back to the waiting area afterwards.
9.20am - My wife was called in to window 7 for her final interview. It was a small room, and we both went inside. The officer was a very nice lady, who greeted us with a smile. I asked the officer if I can attend the interview, and she said I can, as long as my wife doesn't object to it. So I stayed there. She first returned all our original docs we submitted to the NVC a few months ago (birth cert, marriage cert, etc). Then, the officer asked my wife some basic questions like the following: how did you meet, when did you get married, what do you do in Canada, have you ever been to the U.S., what will you do once you move to the U.S., etc. Pretty basic stuff. Then, the officer asked me what I did for a living and if my wife will be covered under my current health insurance. After several basic questions like these, the officer said the golden words: "Everything is in order, so I'm gonna go ahead and approve your visa". She proceeded by giving us a few other instructions about when to expect the passport back in the mail, what to do when crossing the border, etc. She also told us we should expect my wife's SSN and Green Card to arrive by mail, but warned it may take up to 2 months.
9.45am - Left the embassy with a big smile on our faces.
Overall, it was a very simple process. So for those who have an interview coming up, relax, don't be too nervous, and enjoy your time in Montreal. The interview process will be a blur by the time it's over.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #4201