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.
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.