Annie

Finally. Does anyone know of a hotel within walking distance of the US Consulate?
Also, how long do these interviews generally take and what kind of questions do they
ask? I'd appreciate any help anyone can give. Our interview (K-1) is next week and I
haven't even gotten the written notice from Montreal yet, just confirmation of that
date over the phone. Go figure. I'm in Ottawa so it's not that big a deal, but what
do folks do who have to travel a whole lot further with only a couple of days notice?

Dj

I stayed at the Travelodge on Boulevard Rene-Levesque, the consulate is on the corner
of Boulevard Rene-Levesque and Rue St. Alexandre (I am not 100% certain of that
second street, it is definitely on Boulevard Rene-Levesque and I'm about 95% certain
it's official address is on Rue St. Alexandre, you should know this from any material
you received from them).

I believe I paid about $70 for a tiny (and I mean tiny) room. The room worked for
just the one night, but again it was the smallest hotel room I've ever stayed in. Its
also about a 5 minute walk from the consulate.

There is a hotel right across the street I believe, it is not a chain hotel (at least
I don't think so), and I'm not sure about its prices....someone else here might be
able to assist you with that one.

DJ

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Druyan

The interview for me was a joke

I tried to get there early but they wouldn't let anyone in before 2pm. There was only
one other person there for a K1 and probably 3 more for other reasons.

I sat down for 20mins or so then was called to a window and passed in all my
paperwork, she told me to pay for it so I did and then went back to the window with
the receipt. The lady also asked me how we met, what he did, etc. Some really quick
short answer questions.

When that was done I went back to the waiting room and sat down for 45mins to an
hour. Bring something to do.

I was finally called for the interview. A little tiny room with another wicket. The
interviewer is on one side of the glass and you on the other. She asked me how we
met, how long we'd known each other, what he did, and that was about it. Then "I'm
going to approve your application". I swear I wasn't in the room longer than 3mins.

We had a very straightfoward case. No previous anything All in all I was worried
about nothing. I wouldn't even bother to dress up much. Just wear some nice buisness
causal clothes. I wore a suit

Good luck & don't worry about it.

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Annie

Thanks to you and DJ for the info. I hope it goes as well for us as it did for you.
I'm still waiting for the letter that officially states the interview time. I called
the Consolate again yesterday, sat on hold for an hour and then got disconnected
abruptly at 4:30. I wouldn't mind the long distance bill so much if I had actually
gotten to speak with someone. The appointment is supposed to be on Wednesday a.m. at
8:30, but without that letter or at the very least a second confirmation over the
phone I don't know want to make a hotel reservation, not to mention that I don't even
know what the fee will be (I heard it was going up, I'm not certain when). How much
additional information is included in the interview package?

Druyan wrote:
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[usenetquote2]> > Finally. Does anyone know of a hotel within walking distance of the US Consulate?[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > Also, how long do these interviews generally take and what kind of questions do[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > they ask? I'd appreciate any help anyone can give. Our interview (K-1) is next[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > week and I haven't even gotten the written notice from Montreal yet, just[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > confirmation of that date over the phone. Go figure. I'm in Ottawa so it's not[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > that big a deal, but what do folks do who have to travel a whole lot further with[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > only a couple of days notice?[/usenetquote2]

Druyan

Keep calling until you get the answers you need. They will ask to see your interview
letter when you go through security.

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[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > The interview for me was a joke [/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > I tried to get there early but they wouldn't let anyone in before 2pm. There was[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > only one other person there for a K1 and probably 3 more for[/usenetquote2]
other
[usenetquote2]> > reasons.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > I sat down for 20mins or so then was called to a window and passed in[/usenetquote2]
all my
[usenetquote2]> > paperwork, she told me to pay for it so I did and then went back to the window[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > with the receipt. The lady also asked me how we met, what he[/usenetquote2]
did,
[usenetquote2]> > etc. Some really quick short answer questions.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > When that was done I went back to the waiting room and sat down for[/usenetquote2]
45mins
[usenetquote2]> > to an hour. Bring something to do.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > I was finally called for the interview. A little tiny room with another wicket.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > The interviewer is on one side of the glass and you on the[/usenetquote2]
other.
[usenetquote2]> > She asked me how we met, how long we'd known each other, what he did,[/usenetquote2]
and
[usenetquote2]> > that was about it. Then "I'm going to approve your application". I[/usenetquote2]
swear I
[usenetquote2]> > wasn't in the room longer than 3mins.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > We had a very straightfoward case. No previous anything All in all[/usenetquote2]
I
[usenetquote2]> > was worried about nothing. I wouldn't even bother to dress up much.[/usenetquote2]
Just
[usenetquote2]> > wear some nice buisness causal clothes. I wore a suit [/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > Good luck & don't worry about it.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]

[usenetquote2]> > > Finally. Does anyone know of a hotel within walking distance of the[/usenetquote2]
US
[usenetquote2]> > > Consulate? Also, how long do these interviews generally take and what kind of[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > > questions do they ask? I'd appreciate any help anyone can[/usenetquote2]
give.
[usenetquote2]> > > Our interview (K-1) is next week and I haven't even gotten the written notice[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > > from Montreal yet, just confirmation of that date over the phone. Go figure.[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > > I'm in Ottawa so it's not that big a deal, but[/usenetquote2]
what
[usenetquote2]> > > do folks do who have to travel a whole lot further with only a couple[/usenetquote2]
of
[usenetquote2]> > > days notice?[/usenetquote2]

Jo H

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This is probably moot since I've just seen this today and you said your interview
was this week but this might be of some use for others. I posted this info a year
ago. You can always make a reservation and then cancel it if you don't get the
right date to be in Montreal.

Closest to embassy, right directly across the street, the prices quoted here were
from one year ago when my husband and I went for our interview:

La Tour Centre-Ville 400 Rene-Levesque boulevard west 1-800-361-2790, (514) 866-8861
$82 Cdn plus tax $15 parking per night $2 lodging tax per night Doesn't have two
double beds in a room but has two twin-size beds, or one double bed and a pullout
couch Indoor pool, a sauna and a fitness center Rooms have kitchenette with
refrigerator, toaster, & coffee maker, can get microwave if want
http://www.pagemontreal.qc.ca/cgi-bi...a_Tour_Centre-
Ville,*hotels

We found it very adequate, beds were twin and kinda small but, heck we were only
there for one night, thank heaven. It was in December just before Christmas and
the air was VERY dry in the hotel. I kept getting static shocked. Other than
that, it was a pretty decent place to stay. There is a Chinese restaurant on the
bottom floor on one side of the hotel entrance. The food was very nice. And there
is a breakfast/ lunch/coffee-type shop on the other side of the hotel entrance.
We had a small breakfast there.

I made the reservation a couple of weeks ahead of time once I had a date for the
interview. Our interview was at 10:00, if I remember correctly, and, no, they
don't let anyone in until that time. We stood out there in a long line in some
pretty cold, brisk wind. But I made friends with the people around me. It seemed
like I was the only one who was smiling and wanting to be talkative even though I
was as anxious as everyone else.

We lived in the southeastern part of Ohio at the time (now we are in the
southwestern part) so it was a two-day trip for us. Driving by car was the
cheaper method to go for us. And, wouldn't you know, we got in the middle of a
HUGE blizzard-like snowstorm from before Erie, Pennsylvania to just before
Buffalo, New York where we finally gave up the crawl and settled in for the
night at a hotel. We had expected to get at least halfway across Buffalo that
first day.

Because of the storm, 6-8 inches of snow, we decided to cross over to Canada
where they KNOW how to handle snow, <g>, instead of going across the interstate
of New York where they were still having lake-effect snows falling on them the
next morning.

Anyway, I've written enough in this note so I won't go into detail about the
interview except to say that we were out of there by noon and able to start on
our way home. Didn't have to stay over for another night at all and we were
quite pleased, exhilerated. We drove through to Scarborough and had a
celebration dinner at a Hungarian restaurant in Markham when we found out the
Greek restaurant that we had our first dinner together at wasn't in operation
anymore. Then on to London to stay over for the night. The Howard Johnson on
Wellington Rd. right off the 401 was excellently run by a Chinese family. It was
first class.

Jo

"If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is
anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if
you cannot do anything, then also there is no need to worry." --His holiness the
Dalai Lama