Thought that I would share my recent experience of going through consular processing in Montreal. A lot of my comments are applicable only to Canadians (e.g. getting police certificate). Hope this info helps... it's not very organized but wanted to get it all down. I am not a lawyer and none of this should be considered legal advice. It is only my personal experience. If you're just starting on consular processing, I suggest you do a lot of research on the various documents required. My lawyers didn't seem to know much about it, causing a number of delays. As a result of the delays, I had to extend my H1B to cover the span of a couple weeks where I would have been out of status. Cost me $1000. Very frustrating. Anyhow, I am very relieved that I've finally got my green card, as my company has been through a series of layoffs. It has been a very stressful experience and I'm glad it's over!
=============================================
I-140: filed with consular processing option: April 2003, approved August 2003 (filed through Dallas)
Consular processing: Started September 2003, in early January 2004 received notice that an appointment at the US consulate in Montreal was scheduled for Feb 17th.
Green Card: Received "Welcome notice" two weeks later, received actual green card March 8 2004 (FAST!!!)
=Suggestions=================================
After the I-140 is approved, the time to getting to the interview stage should only be 4-5 months, as long as you have all the necessary documents ready. There are a few "must haves" that you need to have ready for consular processing:
==1== passport must be valid for 6 months AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW. So if your interview is expected to be 8 months away, your passport needs to be valid for at least 14 months from the current date. Current processing of Canadian passports by mail for expats (no express processing available from outside the country) takes about 3 weeks.
==2== birth certificate. This has to be the LONG FORM and not the SHORT FORM/card. I sent in the original. If it's a copy, it must be notarized.
==3== Canadian police certificate. This one is complicated. There are two types of police certificates: name-check based, and fingerprint-based. The name check can be done at certain RCMP/commissionaire offices in Canada. I went to the one in Toronto. The service is ONLY available to residents of Canada. You must tell them that you need it for immigration to the US. I believe they will not provide the service if you indicate that you are already resident in the US. For identification, a passport and birth certificate are sufficient. A US driver's license would be a bad idea as it indicates you're already in the US. You need to provide a Canadian mailing address for the results. You do not need to schedule an appointment. The RCMP/Commisionnaires office is in downtown Toronto. Call 416-363-9072 for details of location, cost of fingerprinting, and office hours. They can also direct you to other offices in Canada which provide the service (not very many). About 7 days after the appointment, they will send you a yellow sheet of paper that contains your picture (taken digitally during your visit) and a statement that no criminal records match your name. I have heard that US immigration prefers the fingerprint-based record check over the name check, but I used the name check and had no problem at all.
As of last year, fingerprint-based criminal records checks take over 5 months because of a huge backlog. These are done by the RCMP in Ottawa (phone #: 613-998-6362). They are hard to get in touch with. They typically take 3+ days to return calls indicating the status of fingerprint checks. The fingerprints can be taken by the Austin Police department downtown, and the fingerprint form + other information needs to be mailed to the RCMP in Ottawa. For instructions, see: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/crimrec/finger_e.htm. The criminal record check is valid for 6 months from the time the results are received. It is important to start this as early as possible. I mailed my forms in July, and got the results in December. I ended up having to travel to Canada to get the name-based check done, because my consular processing was being held up. I recommend getting fingerprinted as soon as you file your I-140. This could save you a trip back to Canada to get the name-based check done.
==4== Medical certificate. This must be done by an INS-certified physician in Canada. It can't be done in the US. Stupid but true. You can always get this done at the last minute before the interview (you bring the results with you, and don't need to mail them earlier during the consular processing). But I suggest getting it done beforehand if you happen to be visiting Canada. I think the results are good for 3 months. I did my medical exam in Toronto (same-day service at http://www.panelphysicians.com/index.htm) the day before my green card interview in Montreal. I don't recommend this due to the tight timing and additional stress. You need to have a record of your immunizations. The relevant immunizations are tetanus/diptheria, and MMR (mumps+measles+rubella). If you never had chicken-pox, you should also get that one. I told the physician that I had chicken-pox during childhood, and that was enough. For the others, you need a record. If you can't get the records from your childhood/family physician, then you need to be re-immunized. This can be done by your doctor in the US, just make sure that he gives you a record of it that you can present to the INS-certified medical examiner back in Canada. It's tough to fail the medical unless you have some serious communicable illness such as HIV. They will draw blood and give you a quick physical, and take a chest X-ray which you must bring to the green card interview at the Montreal US consulate. The cost of my medical exam was $185.
==5== photos
You must bring identical photos to both your medical exam and to the green card interview itself. You should have a total of 5 pictures just to be safe. Normal US passport photos are not acceptable. They must be 3/4 view (with head turned) complying with US immigration requirements which are very strict. They will measure the photos, and if they are too big or incorrect position, they will be rejected. The guy has been doing them for years for US immigration. Costs about $20 for 5. You can also get them done at costco, for a little less. Check the photo yourself with a ruler. See specifications at http://www.usvisanews.com/uscisphotospec.html.
==========================
The interview: the US consulate in Montreal is at 1155 St. Alexandre Street. Just across the street is hotel LaTour Centre-Ville. It's a reasonably priced hotel (got a suite in low-season/winter for $55US/night). And you want to be close by to the consulate, because you should arrive early. Regardless of your appointment-time, they see you in order of appearance. At 7:30AM, there was virtually no lineup. 10 minutes later, there were 50 people behind me. No electronics are allowed inside (cell-phones, electronic car remotes, etc). If you have something like this, they will take it and you have to reclaim it on the way out. Don't bring a laptop or cellphone. No need to dress up. After clearing security, you wait downstairs and take the elevator up to the 19th floor where interviews and visa processing is done. You should get an initial ticket at booth (19?) straight off the elevator. Mine was "C1", the second person was "C2", etc. Non-immigrant visas start with a different letter and are processed in separate lines. Basically wait for your number. At the first window, they check that you have all the required documents (medical exam results in a sealed envelope), and a current letter of employment. They did not ask for W2s/tax returns for the past 3 years as I had heard before, but it's a good idea to have these just in case. At the second window, they do the actual interview, and about 45 minutes later they call you to pickup the immigrant visa package in a sealed envelope.
============================
Crossing the border: I drove to the US border (Plattsburgh crossing - take highway 15 south, about 45 minutes from downtown Montreal) to get my passport stamped. You give them the immigrant visa package and passport at the border check, and go inside the building, waiting until they call your name. They fingerprint you and finally stamp your passport with I-151 (temporary evidence of permanent residency). If you decide to get the stamp at the customs at Dorval/Trudeau airport instead, make sure you show up a couple of hours early to make sure you don't miss your flight.
=============================================
I-140: filed with consular processing option: April 2003, approved August 2003 (filed through Dallas)
Consular processing: Started September 2003, in early January 2004 received notice that an appointment at the US consulate in Montreal was scheduled for Feb 17th.
Green Card: Received "Welcome notice" two weeks later, received actual green card March 8 2004 (FAST!!!)
=Suggestions=================================
After the I-140 is approved, the time to getting to the interview stage should only be 4-5 months, as long as you have all the necessary documents ready. There are a few "must haves" that you need to have ready for consular processing:
==1== passport must be valid for 6 months AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW. So if your interview is expected to be 8 months away, your passport needs to be valid for at least 14 months from the current date. Current processing of Canadian passports by mail for expats (no express processing available from outside the country) takes about 3 weeks.
==2== birth certificate. This has to be the LONG FORM and not the SHORT FORM/card. I sent in the original. If it's a copy, it must be notarized.
==3== Canadian police certificate. This one is complicated. There are two types of police certificates: name-check based, and fingerprint-based. The name check can be done at certain RCMP/commissionaire offices in Canada. I went to the one in Toronto. The service is ONLY available to residents of Canada. You must tell them that you need it for immigration to the US. I believe they will not provide the service if you indicate that you are already resident in the US. For identification, a passport and birth certificate are sufficient. A US driver's license would be a bad idea as it indicates you're already in the US. You need to provide a Canadian mailing address for the results. You do not need to schedule an appointment. The RCMP/Commisionnaires office is in downtown Toronto. Call 416-363-9072 for details of location, cost of fingerprinting, and office hours. They can also direct you to other offices in Canada which provide the service (not very many). About 7 days after the appointment, they will send you a yellow sheet of paper that contains your picture (taken digitally during your visit) and a statement that no criminal records match your name. I have heard that US immigration prefers the fingerprint-based record check over the name check, but I used the name check and had no problem at all.
As of last year, fingerprint-based criminal records checks take over 5 months because of a huge backlog. These are done by the RCMP in Ottawa (phone #: 613-998-6362). They are hard to get in touch with. They typically take 3+ days to return calls indicating the status of fingerprint checks. The fingerprints can be taken by the Austin Police department downtown, and the fingerprint form + other information needs to be mailed to the RCMP in Ottawa. For instructions, see: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/crimrec/finger_e.htm. The criminal record check is valid for 6 months from the time the results are received. It is important to start this as early as possible. I mailed my forms in July, and got the results in December. I ended up having to travel to Canada to get the name-based check done, because my consular processing was being held up. I recommend getting fingerprinted as soon as you file your I-140. This could save you a trip back to Canada to get the name-based check done.
==4== Medical certificate. This must be done by an INS-certified physician in Canada. It can't be done in the US. Stupid but true. You can always get this done at the last minute before the interview (you bring the results with you, and don't need to mail them earlier during the consular processing). But I suggest getting it done beforehand if you happen to be visiting Canada. I think the results are good for 3 months. I did my medical exam in Toronto (same-day service at http://www.panelphysicians.com/index.htm) the day before my green card interview in Montreal. I don't recommend this due to the tight timing and additional stress. You need to have a record of your immunizations. The relevant immunizations are tetanus/diptheria, and MMR (mumps+measles+rubella). If you never had chicken-pox, you should also get that one. I told the physician that I had chicken-pox during childhood, and that was enough. For the others, you need a record. If you can't get the records from your childhood/family physician, then you need to be re-immunized. This can be done by your doctor in the US, just make sure that he gives you a record of it that you can present to the INS-certified medical examiner back in Canada. It's tough to fail the medical unless you have some serious communicable illness such as HIV. They will draw blood and give you a quick physical, and take a chest X-ray which you must bring to the green card interview at the Montreal US consulate. The cost of my medical exam was $185.
==5== photos
You must bring identical photos to both your medical exam and to the green card interview itself. You should have a total of 5 pictures just to be safe. Normal US passport photos are not acceptable. They must be 3/4 view (with head turned) complying with US immigration requirements which are very strict. They will measure the photos, and if they are too big or incorrect position, they will be rejected. The guy has been doing them for years for US immigration. Costs about $20 for 5. You can also get them done at costco, for a little less. Check the photo yourself with a ruler. See specifications at http://www.usvisanews.com/uscisphotospec.html.
==========================
The interview: the US consulate in Montreal is at 1155 St. Alexandre Street. Just across the street is hotel LaTour Centre-Ville. It's a reasonably priced hotel (got a suite in low-season/winter for $55US/night). And you want to be close by to the consulate, because you should arrive early. Regardless of your appointment-time, they see you in order of appearance. At 7:30AM, there was virtually no lineup. 10 minutes later, there were 50 people behind me. No electronics are allowed inside (cell-phones, electronic car remotes, etc). If you have something like this, they will take it and you have to reclaim it on the way out. Don't bring a laptop or cellphone. No need to dress up. After clearing security, you wait downstairs and take the elevator up to the 19th floor where interviews and visa processing is done. You should get an initial ticket at booth (19?) straight off the elevator. Mine was "C1", the second person was "C2", etc. Non-immigrant visas start with a different letter and are processed in separate lines. Basically wait for your number. At the first window, they check that you have all the required documents (medical exam results in a sealed envelope), and a current letter of employment. They did not ask for W2s/tax returns for the past 3 years as I had heard before, but it's a good idea to have these just in case. At the second window, they do the actual interview, and about 45 minutes later they call you to pickup the immigrant visa package in a sealed envelope.
============================
Crossing the border: I drove to the US border (Plattsburgh crossing - take highway 15 south, about 45 minutes from downtown Montreal) to get my passport stamped. You give them the immigrant visa package and passport at the border check, and go inside the building, waiting until they call your name. They fingerprint you and finally stamp your passport with I-151 (temporary evidence of permanent residency). If you decide to get the stamp at the customs at Dorval/Trudeau airport instead, make sure you show up a couple of hours early to make sure you don't miss your flight.