Silver_mani Posted November 8, 2013 Report Posted November 8, 2013 Hello all, I want to share my visa stamping experience in Calgary, Canada on 26th March, 2012. I was there with a couple of my friends who came for stamping as well, We are F1 - H1B (Change of status), two of us working in EVC and one in EC model. I will share my experience here (EVC), Day one (Travel to Calgary): I bought my one way ticket from Expedia, I would suggest getting one-way ticket, as you are not sure what happens. I agree it may cost you more, but not more than what you pay, if you have to re-schedule your ticket. My flight was at 4:00 PM on Sunday, and landed there at 10:30PM local time, you will be asked to fill an immigration form in the flight and take it to an immigration officer, as i mentioned I would stay for 6 days, I was re-directed to another officer, who asked me to show my interview confirmation letter and then stamped my passport. Stay: We were staying at HI Hostels, which I wont recommend if you have not stayed in any hostel in your life-time. But It is good to stay for one night before the Interview as it is only a few blocks (5 minutes walk) from US Consulate. You can get a shuttle from airport for $15 to the downtown or you can get a cab for $35 and the room per day will cost you $28, which you can reserve online. Interview Day: Our interview's were half an hour apart from each. So I am going to give my interview details here. My intervew was at 9:00AM, I started at 8:15 and went a cafe next to Consulate and had a bagel and coffee and was at Consulate at 8:30 AM which is located in Rock mount plaza (Intersection of Macleod trail and 7th avenue). You cannot carry a bag, cell phone or keys to the interview, if you have to carry a bag or some thing which is not allowed into Consulate, you can rent a locker at the stores (Photocopy) in the plaza for $5 and leave them in there. There was an initial security screening and then the lady who will be sitting there will asked me for the type of visa I was there for and documents related to the Visa, In my case I have submitted: 1. I 797, 2. Passport, 3. LCA and I 129, 4. Paystubs (Last 6 months), W2's Last two years. 5. Employer letter, 6. Employer agreement, 7. Employer letter to the consulate. 8. Client letter (which I did not submit here). She took all the documents and bundled them and lebeled my passport with my details, gave those to me and asked me to sit. After a few minutes a security personnel came and called the names whose documents were ready (Around 10 people), He then guided all of us to 10th floor in the same building and where there was second security screening and once it was done, I was given a token and asked to wait till my number is displayed. I had to wait for 20-25 minutes to see my number for the first time, Once my nuber was displayed, I went to associated counter which was on the display, The lady in the counter asked me to pass my documents, verified them and told me to wait for my token to be displayed for the second time. For the second time it took little bit longer, around 30 minutes (They have not yet started any interview's yet). Afer a wait of 30 minutes, my token was displayed for second time and this time, I took a oath, that I am aware of everything on my file is true. And I have been ten printed at this point (4+4+2). Again was aked to sit. And have wait for my final call for the interview. So all the interview's were started at 10:00 AM. After about 20 minutes of wait my token was displayed for the third time. Window # 4 Me: Good morning. VO: Good morning. VO: What do you do? Me: Said my role here. VO: What company do you work for? Me: ABC Corp. VO: How long have you been working there? Me: X Years. VO: Did you work on OPT? Me: Yes, for the same company ABC Corp. VO: Can I see you OPT card? Me: Then I realized, I forgot my OPT card, but luckily had a photocopy, which I passed on to VO. VO: What happened to the card? Me: I forgot to bring. After taking a look at all the documents (Pay stubs, W2's and bank statements), VO passed me all my documents exept keeping I 797 and Passport. At this point I though, I got my visa, But.... VO: Do you work at client location? Me: Yes. VO: Do you have anything from client? Me: Yes, I do and passed on the client letter. (Which I had from my client with all the necessary information addressing Employee-Employer relationship and with the details of the company I work for). VO: Can I see your Client ID/Badge? Me: I don't have any client ID, But I get in using my company ID, Which I passed on to the VO. Gave everything back exept I 797 and Passport. VO: How do you report to your employer? Comference calls? and what about performance reviews? Me: Yes, through conference calls, and passed on my Timesheets, Weekly status reports and Quarterly performance reviews for last 12 months. VO: Whom do you report to? Me: My manager at ABC Corp. I think she googled my manager's name at this point, which I could guess from her typing. VO: So you did Master's in XXX? Me: No, In YYY and from a well reputed University. Gave all the documents back exept I 797 and Passport and said your Visa is approved, you can collect it on Wednesday or Thursday. By 12:00 noon all of our interviews were done, and most of them who attended for the interview that day got approved. We had our lunch at Maharaja Indian restaurant, which is located next to the consulate. Passport: We received an email from loomis the next day (Tuesday) evening around 4:50 PM (Once you receive an email from loomis, it will be ready for your pickup, don't bother about the status to be changed to "Ready to pickup", Loomis at Calgary will be open till 7:00 PM and If you stay in Downtown Calgary, it will cost you around $35 to and fro in a cab). I booked my return ticket (Which was not expensive, again from expedia) on Wednesday at 12:15 PM, Before going to airport, I picked up my passport form Loomis which is on the way to the Airport. In Airport: Flying from Canada, you don't have to go through the Immigration check in US port of entry, But It will be done at Canadian airports, I have filled my I-94 (My I 94 was taken, when I left US) and customs form and went to an immigration officer, I was asked what do you do and I mentioned my role on H1B document and I was through the immigration and landed in the states on Wednesday evening. I would recomend to carry all the documents, You never know what VO is going to ask you for. Places where I eat (take it or leave it): Maharaja Indian restaurant (Above average)Next to Consulate (Mac leod trail). Mango Shiva (Indian-Western) Good and expensive. Stephens avenue, where you can find most of the restaurants and 10 minutes walk from HI Hostels. Royal Indian cuising (Above average) 3rd avenue, 15 minutes walk from HI Hostels. Falafel King (Good) Stephens avenue. If you are a foodie, there are a lot of restaurants you can try on Stephens avenue. Please post If you have questions, I will be happy to provide you the information I know. **Please do not conclude or assume anything from this post, It is solely my experience.** Good Luck! Hey Friends, First of all, I want to thank all fellow forum members for their valuable inputs and suggestions which made me very well prepared for the day of my life. Also, helped me to save some money. My Appointment was on 26th Aug at 9:30 am. I flew into Calgary on Aug 25th. Stayed in Super 8 motel which, to my surprise, is not bad at all. They picked me up from the airport. This hotel is close to both the consulate and Loomis. Also, there are lots of food options around. Calgary is a beautiful city and you can plan a trip around to the Rocky mountains. On the day, I got chance to partner with one another individual and we took a cab together to the Consulate. We started around 7:30 am and reached the embassy by 7:50 am. I spent sometime at nearby Starbucks and went in for security around 9:00 am. Avoid cellphones and bags. I had to trash my bag though its 12'' wide. Almost after 40 minutes in queue (there were few people came in for US passports, they get priority than VISA), I reached to the document checking counter where a women validated my application and arranged passport, I797 and DS160 form.After this, we were taken by the security personal to the 10th floor of the building where the embassy actually is. After one more thorough security check in the 10th floor, you will be assigned a token number and allowed inside the consulate office. There are around 10 counters serving different purposes only two for the Non-immigrant VISA interviews. Almost immediately after entering the office, I was called to submit the earlier arranged documents. DS160 form was validated and I saw the person stamping PIMS Cleared on my DS 160 form. Then I was called upon for tenprints. After this, all I had to do was to wait and stare at the VISA interview counter watching people before me taking up with VO. Finally around 11 am, I was called by the VO and below are the Questions he asked me. He is an elderly person and greeted with a pleasant smile. VO: Hello...How are you? Me; I am good...How are you? VO: Good..So when did you get your first H1? Me: XXX 20XX VO: Are you with the same employer still? Me: No I switched to a different company and the latest H1 is with a different employer. VO: Do you have continuous employment? Ever been on bench Me: No VO: What degree do you have? Me: Bachelors in EEE (expanded) VO: Is this new employer paying you as agreed? Me: Yes VO: So...what do you do for this employer.. Me: I work as ....for Employer XXX at client YYY, city zzzz VO: Since when you are working for this client? Me: Jan VO: I am approving your VISA. Please collect your documents from Loomis and handed me over the flyer with details of Loomis. Me: Thank you sir. Confidence is the key...Good luck folks.... H1B Visa Approved @ Calgary on 09/03 Thanks a lot for the forum and its members who shared valuable information. I am working on EVVC model. Here are the questions from the officer -- 1. What's your masters degree and from which Univ? 2. Did you get admission from any other universities? 3. Why did you choose this univ ? 4. How did you know this employer? 5. What's your job role and responsibilities ? 6. How long you've been working with this employer? Your visa is approved. If you face any problems with your employer, contact to the details given in the booklet. All the best guys !! Posted 12 September 2013 - 03:32 PM My visa interview experience: Location: Calgary, Canada Date: Aug 22, 2013 Appointment Time: 8AM Arrived Consulate at: 7AM (The office building where consulate is located does not open until 7AM here..so if you go early you need to wait outside or in your vehicle) Initial Procedures: 1)Security check: Dont take anything with you other than the document folder..Laptops, Cell phones, Large handbags etc...are not allowed. If you take them, its a mess. You are not supposed to leave them unattended as well. No lockers. They are very strict about it. So just make sure you go only with your folder and probably small purse or wallet. 2) Appointment confirmation: A lady asked for my passport, DS-160 and I-797 to confirm my identity and validate my appointment. 3) Guard took me to 10th floor where there was another security check and they gave me a token/slip indicating my slot number. I sat in the waiting room until my number is displayed on the hoarding over there. 4)Upon my turn, went to the window where a lady asked to handover my Passport, I-797. Question 1: What type of visa you are applying for? Me: H1-B Question 2: Have you applied for any other US visa before? Me: Yes. F1 Question 3: Where was that interview done? Me: India. She asked me to go and wait and the number will be displayed two more times again. 2nd time: Went to another window where the lady asked for my finger prints. 3rd Time: This is the main interview. Visa Officer Description: Old guy( abt 50-55 yrs old) VO: Hello Me: Gud mrg sir He was going through my I-797 and DS-160 which they initially took before the interview... VO: So, you have took the same path of Masters,CPT,OPT and H1-B? Me: Yes Sir. VO: Which university you got your Masters from? Me: Told him VO: What is the end client? Me: Told him VO: So, does your emplyer pay you correctly without any issues? Me: Yes sir. No issues. VO: Why did you come here for stamping instead of going to your home country? Me: (Got tensed here)..I said "My work schedule right now is busy and cannot afford for a long leave inorder to go to India. So took a short leave and came here instead". VO: Then, you could have got it stamped whenever you would go, right? Me: Yes Sir. But, I took one week leave for tourism to Canada, Thereby getting it here. I am not satisfied with my answer.But that's the best one I could give at that time. He took a long pause typing something in his system.....(I was getting very nervous) Then, he took a small brochure and handed it over to me. I got scared for a moment think it to be a 221G. But, he immediately said to go through it later for my knowledge on civil rights if we have any issues with employers. That relieved me a bit. Finally, he said "Your visa is approved" and you can pick your passport from loomis by providing the waybill number which will be sent to my email in 2-4 business days. He gave me a paper that described this procedure. Me: Thank You Sir. Picked my passport from Loomis next day evening around 6PM (It is open until 7PM in Calgary). I did not receive any way bill number by then, but they will give you if you can show them your ID and Reference ID(which will be on our visa appointment ). Note: Customs/port of entry will be done in Canada airports itself while returning back instead of US. Also, note that your I-94 white slip will be taken at the airport. I panicked thinking that I lost it somewhere, but later figured out that I-94 records are now made online. You can retrieve the e-copy of I-94 from the following CBP website and retain it for your records. https://i94.cbp.dhs....94/request.html Good Luck, Thanks,
littlestar Posted November 8, 2013 Report Posted November 8, 2013 Littlestar: GM Officer VO: GM Littlestar..who is your employer and where is it located LS: **** VO: Visa is Approved LS: F U
Balapam Posted November 8, 2013 Report Posted November 8, 2013 Littlestar: GM Officer VO: GM Littlestar..who is your employer and where is it located LS: **** VO: Visa is Approved LS: F U FT na mama...needi....
Balapam Posted November 8, 2013 Report Posted November 8, 2013 Littlestar: GM Officer VO: GM Littlestar..who is your employer and where is it located LS: **** VO: Visa is Approved LS: F U Ne enkamma.......FU na ......idi choodaledu ......:)
SUbba LIngam Posted November 8, 2013 Report Posted November 8, 2013 Littlestar: GM Officer VO: GM Littlestar..who is your employer and where is it located LS: **** VO: Visa is Approved LS: F U did he accept your offer ? sCo_^Y
littlestar Posted November 9, 2013 Report Posted November 9, 2013 Ne enkamma.......FU na ......idi choodaledu ...... :) ledu maam..contracting for Prime Vendor...em adagale vadu..feb lo vellina le..long back..
littlestar Posted November 9, 2013 Report Posted November 9, 2013 did he accept your offer ? sCo_^Y YES. SHE Did
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