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Successful DV-2010 Interview in MONTREAL!

ffxgy

Registered Users (C)
Hello All,

In my opinion, this forum is one of the best discussion groups for those going through the DV lottery visa process journey. I have found this forum as a comfort in times when I stressed over the many stages of the DV lottery process. It is only fitting that I give back and share my interview experience with everyone.

First off, I was originally scheduled for an interview at the US consulate in Nov 2009. However, because one of my documents wasn’t ready to be presented at the interview, I decided to reschedule. From reading other threads, it was probably better for me to go to the interview and not post-pone. Since I became current early, I decided it would be ok to reschedule. I did not receive a new interview date until Mar 2010 for a date of May 2010. You can imagine how anxious I was during that 6 month period to receive a new interview date. Thankfully, this forum eased some of my anxiety. Some advice I’d like to give to those thinking about rescheduling, is to only do so under extreme circumstances and take into consideration how much time is remaining before Sep 30th nears. It also depends on what consulate you are going through. I went through Montreal, and it was a very busy consulate with a lot of cases, hence the 6 month wait for a new interview date.

My interview was scheduled at 8am at the Montreal Consulate. This consulate is located downtown Montreal and is very accessible by public transportation. I actually made sure I knew where it was the day before my interview so I wasn’t late.

I arrived around 730am where a lot of other people lined up outside the Consulate to get in. At 8am, I went through security where they screened us. You will need to present your appointment letter to security in order to get inside. They had a checklist with my name on it and they were expecting me but to avoid any difficulty don’t forget your appointment letter. Make sure and bring only what is necessary for the interview. No electronics were allowed inside i.e. cellphones, pdas, laptops etc. No oversized bags were allowed. I did see some people bring in a large shopping bag to hold their x-rays. I did find out that you can bring a book in with you to read. This was probably a good idea as there is a lot of waiting you will be doing during the interview process.

Once through the screening process, we were sent to a large waiting room where we had to line up at a booth to register. They asked me again for my appointment letter and gave me a number. They told me to wait for my number to be called and organize my documents. About 930am, I was called to another window where I went through all my documents with a clerk. Here is what they asked for: Passport, birth certificate, police certificate, high school diploma, university diploma, job offer letter, medical report, photo. The clerk did not ask me for any Bank Statements or Investments Accounts although I did bring this along with me. Because I already was under an H1 work permit, perhaps the job offer letter was sufficient. Also, x-rays were not asked to be looked at. The clerk then went over some information filled out on my DSP122 and DS230 form. The clerk also asked me what US address I would like my green card mailed to. After that I was told to go to another window to pay the $775 fee. I was then asked for thumb and finger scans. Finally, the clerk told me to go back to the waiting room to be called for my interview. At 1115am I was called to a private booth for the interview. The interview took less than 10 minutes. I was extremely nervous, but I found the interview officer to be very kind. In fact, I think she was purposely being friendly to put me at ease. She then asked me to take a solemn oath to tell the truth. After that she asked me a series of questions. Here were the questions she asked me:
Where were you born?
When did you leave Trinidad?
Have you lived in another country other that US, Canada, or Trinidad?
Have you been arrested in another country?
How did you get your job in the US?
What is your university degree?
You are currently in the US under a H1 visa?
Finally after all that she said to me, “Welcome to the US. Since you are under a work permit in the US, you can pickup the visa after 3pm.” Later on in the afternoon, I returned to the consulate to pick up my visa placed in my passport. I was also given a packet and told not open it but to hand to the immigration officer at the US port of entry. They also told me that I didn't need to show my x-rays at the POE and to keep them in my personal medical files.

The next day, I went to the Montreal airport and I proceeded to go through US Customs and Immigration. The immigration officer took my H1 visa out of my passport. He then told me to hand my passport and the unopened packet to a clerk. I was then told to wait and have a seat. An immigration officer then called me to an office. She asked me one question. You were born in Trinidad? I was then asked for 2 signatures. She then took finger prints. After that she stamped my visa as admitted and told me my green card would be mailed in 3-6 months to my US address. The whole process probably took about 20 minutes. It would have probably been longer had there been a lot of people in the waiting area.

Now I am just waiting for my green card to arrive in the mail. I wish everyone good luck in their DV lottery process.
 
Congratulations to my fellow Trinidadian...good luck in the US.
One question and I hope it's not too personal..... did u go to Canada on the Skilled worker program and how long have you been there? Reason I'm asking is that I'm in the process of applying for the skilled worker program but I'm not sure how practical/easy it will be to pursue the DV lottery if I migrate there. Congratulations again!
 
Congrats for your successful interview and arriving safely in the US. I hope you receive your GC in good time.
 
Hello Ffxgy,
You're the right person who can provide me with valuable information, since I won the DV2011 lottery and I'm a 2005 landed PR resident from Montreal (recently I've been granted Canadian citizenship). So your replies will be highly appreciated.
1 st congratulations, and way to go. Plus thank you for providing such a detailed feedback about your interview experience.

Just wondering, How much you paid from A to Z... (including medical analysis)?
Were you able to validate your visa just by going to Trudeau Airport? I mean without flying to US territory?
Which police certificates are required? RCMP or Local SPVM? And does it take long time to be issued on an average basis?

Thanks a bunch for any reply.
 
Congratulations to my fellow Trinidadian...good luck in the US.
One question and I hope it's not too personal..... did u go to Canada on the Skilled worker program and how long have you been there? Reason I'm asking is that I'm in the process of applying for the skilled worker program but I'm not sure how practical/easy it will be to pursue the DV lottery if I migrate there. Congratulations again!

Hi Sonibago,

I had Canadian citizenship and was born in Trinidad. I was in the US with a work permit before going through the DV lottery process. Because I resided in Canada prior, I was able to go the consular processing route in Canada. I also could have went the AOS route so I've been told. Have you won the DV-2011 lottery? Where do you currently reside? You shouldn't have a problem pursuing the DV lottery no matter where you reside as long as you meet all the eligibility requirements (i.e. Elligible country of nativity, High school diploma or work experience). If you move to Canada under the skilled worker program and establish residency there, you could probably pursue consular processing in Canada. If you remain where you are, you would have to do consular processing at the closest US consular office nearest you issuing immigrant visas. Here is a link of all the US Visa issuing posts. travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciprocity/reciprocity_4418.html I hope this helps.
 
Hello Ffxgy,
You're the right person who can provide me with valuable information, since I won the DV2011 lottery and I'm a 2005 landed PR resident from Montreal (recently I've been granted Canadian citizenship). So your replies will be highly appreciated.
1 st congratulations, and way to go. Plus thank you for providing such a detailed feedback about your interview experience.

Just wondering, How much you paid from A to Z... (including medical analysis)?
Were you able to validate your visa just by going to Trudeau Airport? I mean without flying to US territory?
Which police certificates are required? RCMP or Local SPVM? And does it take long time to be issued on an average basis?

Thanks a bunch for any reply.

Medical analysis was performed in Toronto and cost $275 CDN. Check this link: "panelphysicians.com". I think they have an office in Montreal too. I received my report in 2 days. Make sure you have all your vacinations or vaccination records prepared ahead of your examination appointment and you should be able to pick it up after 2 days.

I obtained the RCMP police certificate. Cost was $40. Check this link: "commissionaires.ca". They have offices all over Canada. They took about 7 business days to process and mail the report. You could probably go to your local police office and ask them to issue a police certificate so long as it notes that Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) or the national criminal records repository was searched. Don't forget you also need to obtain police certificates for any other countries you resided in after you were 16 years and older.

I was told by the US consulate that medical examinations and police certificate are valid up to 1 year from when they were performed. I wouldn't obtain these document until you were current for your interview.

The payment for processing the visa at the US consulate was $775 USD.

Yes, I validated my visa by going through the Montreal Airport because I was returning to the US to work. You could go through any Port of Entry to validate your visa. If you don't want to fly to the US and since you live in Montreal, you could drive across the border between Quebec and New York/Vermont to activate your visa and then return back to Montreal. Keep in mind, you do need to maintain your permanent resident status and should not be outside the US for more than 12 months.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
 
Thank you for sharing valuable information. I hope this will be helpful to everyone. All the best to everyone who have applied!
 
Thank you a bunch. Very accurate answers, and I like that.
Did you also pay $375 before attending Visa interview?

Are you referring to the $775 paid to the US consulate? The $775 was paid on the day of my interview right after I registered and signed in at the consulate.
 
Separate $375 is paid to DoS ONLY by the ppl who do AoS in US.
They have to send that before their USCIS intvws to DoS.

for CP $775 (400+375) is paid at the embassy on your intvw date.
 
Hi ffxgy,
I have a question if you don't mind! currently I'm in Montreal with student visa, I came from middle east (2010ASxxxx)! I was wondering the Montreal cousular will make an interview for me here, or I should flight back home which is really far. Do you have any information regard of this! I arrived here in December 2008.
Thanks in advance.
 
Hi ffxgy,
I have a question if you don't mind! currently I'm in Montreal with student visa, I came from middle east (2010ASxxxx)! I was wondering the Montreal cousular will make an interview for me here, or I should flight back home which is really far. Do you have any information regard of this! I arrived here in December 2008.
Thanks in advance.

Are you still legally resident in Canada. How long is the validity of your visa? You have to make sure that before, during and after your CN becomes current you have a valid visa in your passport in order to attend interview.
 
Are you still legally resident in Canada. How long is the validity of your visa? You have to make sure that before, during and after your CN becomes current you have a valid visa in your passport in order to attend interview.

Thanks for your prompt respond, actually, I have a valid student resident permit till May 2011! I can stay here up to that month legally, however if I go out I have to get new entry visa, except the US that I can go and back without getting entry visa! Actually I've sent an official letter to the KCC and told them that I'm here and it's much more better for me to do CP in Canada, rather than flight back at the middle of semester! I hope they accept it and schedule here! BTW thanks for your respond.
 
Thank you guys (Ffxgy and NuvF).
Very pleased by all the answers I got.

Separate $375 is paid to DoS ONLY by the ppl who do AoS in US.
They have to send that before their USCIS intvws to DoS.

for CP $775 (400+375) is paid at the embassy on your intvw date.
 
Thanks for your prompt respond, actually, I have a valid student resident permit till May 2011! I can stay here up to that month legally, however if I go out I have to get new entry visa, except the US that I can go and back without getting entry visa! Actually I've sent an official letter to the KCC and told them that I'm here and it's much more better for me to do CP in Canada, rather than flight back at the middle of semester! I hope they accept it and schedule here! BTW thanks for your respond.

Then you are fine to go ahead and do the CP in Cananda.
 
Hi Ammeck09
Congratulations on your successful visa interview.
Depends also on how busy is Montreal's US consulate (and it is), I think since we do have close CNs (except 1 year interval) that I'll should be expecting a visa interview scheduled on May 2011, provided that I go ahead with my application.

Then you are fine to go ahead and do the CP in Cananda.
 
ffxgy, how often do you cross the Canadian border with H1B? Do US border guards require client letter every time you cross into US via US-Canada border?
 
ffxgy, how often do you cross the Canadian border with H1B? Do US border guards require client letter every time you cross into US via US-Canada border?

Your H1-B visa is a multiple entry visa and should be stamped "multiple entry" which allows a person to travel in and out of USA for any number of times, within the specified visa validity. You do not need a sponsor letter every time you re-enter the US unless you are applying for the 3 year extension.
 
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Hi ffxgy
Congratulations on your winning and receiving GC!
First of all, I would like to thank you for providing such a detailed and valuable interview experience.

Currently I received a winning letter from KCC. I am a student in Canada and I can legally stay here till Dec 2011. I believe by April or May 2011 my CN will be current and will be schedule for interview at Montreal. Now my question is:
I am married and my spouse is back home and I am trying to bring her here soon but I am not sure whether she will be issued visa or not. If she able to come down here than I can schedule my interview place at Montreal otherwise there is a problem. As mentioned at DOS website that both husband and wife must be present during interview.

Should I select Montreal for the CP city? OR my home country. But I don't want to go back during my exam period around April-May 2011.
Should I wait until my wife's Canada visa result i.e end of June 2010? It will again delay of sending my documents to KCC.


Thank you for your reply
Regards
 
Hi ffxgy
Congratulations on your winning and receiving GC!
First of all, I would like to thank you for providing such a detailed and valuable interview experience.

Currently I received a winning letter from KCC. I am a student in Canada and I can legally stay here till Dec 2011. I believe by April or May 2011 my CN will be current and will be schedule for interview at Montreal. Now my question is:
I am married and my spouse is back home and I am trying to bring her here soon but I am not sure whether she will be issued visa or not. If she able to come down here than I can schedule my interview place at Montreal otherwise there is a problem. As mentioned at DOS website that both husband and wife must be present during interview.

Should I select Montreal for the CP city? OR my home country. But I don't want to go back during my exam period around April-May 2011.
Should I wait until my wife's Canada visa result i.e end of June 2010? It will again delay of sending my documents to KCC.


Thank you for your reply
Regards

I would wait until your wife is granted a decision for a visa to visit Canada. In the grand scheme of things, June 2010 is not a longtime to wait. Don't be in such a rush to send in your documents to KCC. Since you won't be current until April/May 2011, there is plenty of time for KCC to process your documents. It should take KCC under a month to get you in their system once they receive all the document. Make sure you take the time to complete the forms accurately and have someone read through them before you submit to KCC. I've seen in this forum cases where some information wasn't filled out correctly and then it becomes a hassle dealing with KCC to fix it. You should be fine if you submit forms to KCC in July or even August. There is no due date to submit your forms to KCC, but you do want them to have you in their system a couple of months before your case becomes current. Good luck.
 
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