How long do interviews last?

[toby]

I am getting a sales job from one of the approved interpreter companies in Hong Kong.   They have said -- among a number of things intended to convince me to hire an interpreter -- that an interview can last two hours

Can an interview last so long?

[canadianwoman]

My husband was called in for his interview at 8:00 am, and we left at about 10:30. Of course, a lot of the time was spent waiting, but we would have had to have the interpreter with us the whole time.
I think the actual interview time was about 30 minutes for him, then about 20 minutes for me, then about 15 minutes for him again.

[jiyamano]

My husband was called in for his interview at 8:00 am, and we left at about 10:30. Of course, a lot of the time was spent waiting, but we would have had to have the interpreter with us the whole time.
I think the actual interview time was about 30 minutes for him, then about 20 minutes for me, then about 15 minutes for him again.

so they interview both the sponsor and spouse??? 

I thought it was only for the sponsor's spouse :S

[canadianwoman]

I was there, so the visa officer called me in. They don't ask for the sponsor to be there, though I have heard of a few cases where they did insist on interviewing both, usually by phone for the sponsor.
I was visiting my husband in Nigeria when he got the letter about the interview, so we both went to Ghana for it, and I naturally went to wait for him at the embassy. My advice: don't go with your spouse to the embassy. Of course you want to support them, but I think we would have been better off if I had not been there. I doubt the VO would have insisted on me coming in from the hotel.

[nylalisa]

Hi Canadianwoman,

Can you elaborate why you give the advice not to attend the interview with your spouse. As mine is being interviewed at the end of March and I am thinking of going all the way to India for it. I thought that it is not only support to your spouse but shows committment in the relationship to travel to be there for it. My view is that it would be seen as favourable in the eyes of a VO. Your input would be great on this, because I am on the fence about going.

[Dadu]

Since we`re talking about interviews, are they done in ENGLISH/FRENCH or in the local language???
thanks!

[canadianwoman]

Can you elaborate why you give the advice not to attend the interview with your spouse. As mine is being interviewed at the end of March and I am thinking of going all the way to India for it. I thought that it is not only support to your spouse but shows committment in the relationship to travel to be there for it. My view is that it would be seen as favourable in the eyes of a VO.

I agree that if the sponsor goes to the embassy with his or her spouse for the interview, it shows support, and committment to the relationship. It also proves that the two of you are together, because the embassy staff can see that. The visa officer in my case questioned whether I was in Nigeria with my husband - she seemed to think I was just traveling around there by myself. The judge at the appeal hearing seemed to think that too. So at least for the interview we were clearly together.

But: if both spouses are interviewed, there is more chance that something will go wrong. You are adding one more nervous person to the mix. If both are there, the VO can ask the same questions and compare the answers - even if only a couple of answers are not the same, this can be grounds for a refusal. If the spouse is not there, and the VO doesn't phone them (and they usually don't), then this problem area is completely eliminated.

We hired a lawyer for the appeal, and she also thought that if I had not gone to the interview, things would have been better.

[nylalisa]

Very interesting take.... and I compltely understand what you are saying. I have to think long and hard about this. That is my worry that they will ask us both something so stupid and it wont match and some digbat is gonna get the wrong idea.

[rjessome]

This is an interesting conversation.

However, in toby's case, he lives with his wife in her home country and I think it would show very poorly if he didn't accompany her to the interview.  It would not speak well to the genuineness of the relationship considering they live together.  My opinion.

Unfortunatly, dealing with Accra is a whole other ball game.  The wonkiest stuff seems to happen there and all the "rules" are backwards.

toby, to answer your original question, interviews take as long as it takes to satisfy the visa officer (good or bad).  It could be 15 minutes or 2 hours.  It's completely up to the visa officer.  My husband's interview was 1 hour.  He says it flew by and he was surprised when he checked the time on his way out.  I couldn't be with him for it (he was only given 6 days notice) but I would have if I had had the chance.

[canadianwoman]

Since we`re talking about interviews, are they done in ENGLISH/FRENCH or in the local language???
thanks!

You specify what language you want the interview to be in - English or French. If you want the local language, you will probably have to bring an interpreter. The visa officer will probably know the official language of the country, but maybe not very well.

[toby]

Thanks,  everyone.

I have finally got off the fence, and we will bring an interpreter to the interview.

I received a reply email from the Consulate in Hong Kong saying that if my wife is not "fluent" in English, the Officer might not be able to finish the interview, which would not be good for our chances of getting the visa.  So, as many have been advising, we'll bring an translator for insurance.

My wife thinks it's a waste of money, and her friends who have had similar interviews all report that the visa officer was kind and patient.  But none of her friends went through the Canadian consulate in Hong Kong, so I don't  want to rely too much on their advice.

And if the interview were to go badly as a result of not having an interpreter, and we had then to mount an appeal, probably with a lawyer's help, that would be much more expensive.

 Man -- I hate depending so much on the will of bureaucrats!!  My sister says it is some sort of nasty cosmic joke, placing me under so many bureaucratic thumbs, I who believe fervently that government should be kept as small as possible.  Enough, I say!!  Uncle!