Fencesitter said:
We're dying to know what was asked in the interview....but I'm sure at this point you have a lot of other stuff on your mind!
Hi All,
Well, I will try and go through our interview experience now, before all the memories fade away...
I hired an interpreter for my wife, so after we all got into the Consulate, she told us that when our number will be called on trhe screen, all three of us must go in, and from there the VO will lead the interview. There were very many people inside, the room was packed, and she told us that we might wait for several hours untill our turn will come. Surprisingly after only 40 minutes I saw our number on the screen, I checked three times, before telling them, it is us, so we went inside the interview cabin, where there was a lady VO. She decided that she would interview me first (I was surpised by trhat as well, but it was ok with me), so my wife was asked to leave the cabin.
My interview lasted about 10-12 minutes.
She asked me about:
- My children custody arrangements with my ex wife (probably just a confirmation, as this information was detailed in the immigration papers)
- How often does my son come home, as he is in University in another city (Hamilton)
- My future plans with my wife, to which I said that if she is granted visa, we have both thought in detail, what to do once she lands in Canada, and I also mentioned that I have plans if she is not granted visa and she asked "What will you do ?", and I said that I will appeal her decision in Canada.
- If I met her son and the circumstances and if we spent time together, and the answer was yes, with all the necessary details.
- Communication between us, how do we communicate, how often and by what means, as she knew that my wife speaks broken English, and at the end she added that she would ask my wife a few questions in English, to see how she understands and answers them, just to check my wife's English skills.
- Education compatibility between us.
- Wheather accomodation for my wife in Canada.
I answered with many details to all her questions and with much self confidence, and by this I wanted to answer some of their unasked questions, specially for my wife.
After that I was invited out and my wife was called in.
Her interview lasted about 20 minutes.
She was asked about:
- If she knows that I have two children.
- Custody arrangements for my children.
- If I live with anybody at home.
- My son's school, and where and how often does he come home.
- If she applied before for immigration to Canada.
- If my wife is pregnant now.
- What will she do after she lands in Canada.
- Why her son and her father did not attend our wedding party.
- She was showed a picture from our wedding party and was asked who were the persons in picture.
- How we communicate, and how our communication improved over time, after our first meeting in HK, last year in Jan.
- How is the weather in my town where I live, and if she could accomodate to the climate change.
- She was asked to confirm that her son will not accompany her in Canada, for now, as her son is in her ex-husband custody.
- How soon can she come to Canada, and if she can come before July 17, and of course, she said Yes to that.
So after she was done, my wife came out all smiling, I asked if she passed, she said yes, and the tranlsator lady congratulated us.
She was told that she has to come back next week, most probably on Tuesday, June 26, to get her visa, but was advised to check her e-mail every day, as the VO will communicate to her the details.
The VO gave back to my wife all the additional papers we provided as proof of our relationship, so she had her hands full of papers and photos, and she was so excited that she half of the papers fall down on the floor.
However, the VO officer kept the copy of the health insurance policy I bought for my wife in Ontario, the bank branch manager letter stating that we have an account in both names, with secured funds and the updated IMM forms and some of the papers my wife brought regarding her son custody arrangements and support.
The questions were the standard ones, nothing out of the ordinary, and tailored to our case.
The VO officer was very profficient in conducting the interview.
So in the evening, I bought her plane ticket for July 12.
And then, yesterday in the evening my wife was checking her e-mail, and there was one, stating, and here comes the twist, that her visa assesment needs further evaluation which should be completed in no more than three months, that she might need to redo the medicals and to not buy any plane ticket yet.
So we both were very dissapointed by this. Anyway, I was lucky enough that I bought that plane ticket with Cancellation Insurance, so I will get my money back. However, I was thinking to not cancell it yet, what if that assesment gets done until July 5, let's say ? So I am thinking cancelling the flight on July 10, just 2 days before the flight. Maybe we are lucky.
Meanwhile she would check her e-mail daily.
So tomorrow, she goes back to China and I fly back to Canada. So the wait is almost over, but with still a small degree of uncertainty.
Hope this helps any interested party on this forum.
