US Visitor Visa from Canada

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Hi All - Posting my experience from US visitor visa application. I had my interview in Toronto consulate today at 7:45 AM. I reached ~20 min before the interview and parked my car in this lot → https://maps.app.goo.gl/5fycF7F2ma8mHnW29. This parking lot is right opposite to the consulate and is a walk of ~100 meters. When I reached the consulate there was already a queue standing in front of the building. There were 2 queues -

  1. queue to the checkin counter which validated your passport against the appointment date/time.
  2. the queue to get inside the consulate building. We waited for about 40-45 min before our turn for checkin.
    Once the checkin was done - we were inside the main building in the next 5 min. Once you enter the building - the first thing will be a security check (remove jackets, additional layers of clothing, wallet, purse, etc.). After the security check you go through a door to enter a ramp to walk into the interview area. Before entering the interview room - there was a small kiosk/desk at the door where they checked our DS-160 confirmation and Canadian residency proof (I had our PR cards). After this check - you enter the main room ( I am calling it a room because it is indeed a small room and not a hall). In this room there are 3 types of counter.
  • Counter Type 1 - Passport and Canadian residency proof check (again!)
  • Counter Type 2 - Biometrics/Fingerprints
  • Counter Type 3 - Interview

In the interview - we were asked 5 questions. Listing them down below -

  • Q1 - Why do you want to travel to the US?

  • Q2 - What was your last visa in the US?

  • Q3 - When did you move to Canada?

  • Q4 - What do you do in Canada?

  • Q5 (to my wife) - What is your highest education degree?

  • Pro-tip 1- Try to reach 40-45 min before the appointment time. I had reached 20 min before and had to wait for 45-50 min before getting inside the consulate building.

  • Pro-tip 2 - Please be mindful of the weather, temperature of your appointment day. I had my 4 years old son with me and it was bitter cold. Please carry snow pants, snow gloves for your kid(s) (and also for yourself if required) if it is a cold day. Waiting in a queue outside in this cold isn’t fun.

  • Pro-tip 3 - Make sure you remove all electronics (this includes AirPods, watches as well) before entering the consulate building. While standing in the queue both me and my wife realized that we were wearing smart watches and I had to go back to the car to keep them.

  • Pro-tip 4 - No food item or liquid items are allowed inside the consulate. My son had a candy in his jacket pocket and I was asked to throw it away.

  • Pro-tip 5 - There is a washroom inside the consulate. So don’t worry about finding one if you are close to entering the building.

  • Pro-tip 6 - You can apply for a US visitor with an expired PR card. Our PR cards are expired and currently under renewal. However this had no bearing on the visa outcome/process. We were not asked any question on why is our PR card expired.

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