Immigration Interview

Phew, it's done!!! I completed my immigration interview and my visa was approved! So much has happened since my last post. Last Monday Jonathan and I drove up to Montreal. The next afternoon we walked to the building where I had my medical exam. For the two-and-a-half hours that I was in the office, most of that time was spent sitting in the waiting room. The exam was much less scary than I thought it would be (quite a bit less intense than the medical exam Jonathan and I had to have when we first got to Korea). I just had to do a quick visit with the doctor, get chest x-rays, and see the nurse, which included getting weighed, measured, having a quick eye exam, getting a blood test, and getting a flu shot (required for all people immigrating into the U.S. apparently). All of those things could have been done in about 45 minutes, but I had to go back to the waiting area between each thing. Finally I was allowed to leave, though, and it was quite relieving to have that all over with, especially the blood test.

That evening we drove to Ottawa and stayed with my older sister, Becky, who lives there. We had a great time visiting with her and seeing some things in Ottawa that we hadn't seen before, including going to a maple syrup farm! Fun! Friday the three of us zipped back to Montreal to pick up my medical results and do a bit of tourist stuff (a whole story in itself - we had quite a crazy day!) before coming back to Ottawa for the weekend. Sunday Jonathan and I drove back to Montreal and that evening I did just a little bit of freaking out about my interview. I spent about an hour looking through all the papers that I had printed out to bring to the interview with me, and reading the interview advice on the U.S. immigration website. Finally I went to bed and dreamed some pretty crazy dreams.

Monday morning we were up bright and early, checked out of our hotel, took our stuff to leave in our car in underground parking, and walked to the U.S. consulate. Jonathan had to wait outside since he had a backpack (a no-no to bring inside the building, even though I saw quite a few ladies with large purses and diaper bags once inside...). Jonathan found a warm lobby to sit in across the street, and I went inside the building. Guess what I did for most of the two-and-a-half hours I was inside the consulate? Yep, that's right, sit and wait. When my number was called, I went to a booth and gave the lady the papers she asked for (not nearly as many as I was told to print out and bring). Then I sat and waited for more than an hour before my number was called again for the interview. The lady I talked to there asked me only a few questions (where Jonathan lived, what he did, his major, how we met, and when our wedding was). Then after typing for a couple minutes and handing me back my original birth certificate and our original marriage certificate, she told me my visa was approved and I was free to go. Wow, I was so surprised that that was all there was to the interview! Happily I left to join Jonathan outside.

We did a quick walking-tour of Vieux Montreal (Old Montreal) and the Vieux Port (Old Port) area before heading back to our car and leaving downtown. Jonathan dropped me off at the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport and we said goodbye until I get my passport back with my U.S. visa stamped in it. I'm now waiting in the airport for my flight west to BC to visit my family for a few weeks. All in all, everything worked out great and I'm so happy it's over and we're nearing the end of this whole immigration process!