Nairobi Embassy Thread!

[Demmy 6]

Please guys, anyone who has gone through the Nairobi embassy, can you please assist me with this: The name on my birth certificate is written as 'Khavere' but on my passport its 'Kavere'. This means one letter is missing. This is actually my middle name. Do you think it will be grounds for visa denial. Can i change my passport now to reflect the same spelling as the birth certificate, we have already filed for a K1 visa. I am worried that during the interview this may come up. My fiance thinks we can use the letter 'K' for my middle name and just stick with my first and surname. Please help.

[katie & sifa 25]

Please guys, anyone who has gone through the Nairobi embassy, can you please assist me with this: The name on my birth certificate is written as 'Khavere' but on my passport its 'Kavere'. This means one letter is missing. This is actually my middle name. Do you think it will be grounds for visa denial. Can i change my passport now to reflect the same spelling as the birth certificate, we have already filed for a K1 visa. I am worried that during the interview this may come up. My fiance thinks we can use the letter 'K' for my middle name and just stick with my first and surname. Please help.

Hi there. I doubt it will make a difference. Sifa has different names on EVERY document it seems like. We used the names they put on his passport for everything regarding the visa and subsequent green card etc. This is a different set of names than what's on his birth certificate. Hasn't been a problem. We did list the names on the birth certificate in the "other names used" section of the application. Hasn't been a problem at any point!

[Nyosh 5]

Please guys, anyone who has gone through the Nairobi embassy, can you please assist me with this: The name on my birth certificate is written as 'Khavere' but on my passport its 'Kavere'. This means one letter is missing. This is actually my middle name. Do you think it will be grounds for visa denial. Can i change my passport now to reflect the same spelling as the birth certificate, we have already filed for a K1 visa. I am worried that during the interview this may come up. My fiance thinks we can use the letter 'K' for my middle name and just stick with my first and surname. Please help.

Hey Demmy,

My birth certificate did not have my first and last names, only my middle names and I did not have any problems. What I did, was swear an affidavit, which I was not asked for either. You can have an affidavit and explain the that the two names refer to the same person. Good luck.

[kwoodskasujja 0]

Hello all. So let me explain our situation. My husband is Ugandan we married on Jan 27 2012. Then I went back to the states at which point we started

Working on visa things. Currently we just received news that our case

Has been closed and are waiting on an interview date.

Our case was closed on Dec 6th 2012. Anyone know what I should expect

As far as how long to wait?? Some people on here talk about scheduling the interview themselves.

Does this apply for me?? The NVC told me they will schedule it and email me with the interview date.

Any information, advise ect would be greatly appreciated.

Kelly

[Ben and Jill 37]

Hello all. So let me explain our situation. My husband is Ugandan we married on Jan 27 2012. Then I went back to the states at which point we started

Working on visa things. Currently we just received news that our case

Has been closed and are waiting on an interview date.

Our case was closed on Dec 6th 2012. Anyone know what I should expect

As far as how long to wait?? Some people on here talk about scheduling the interview themselves.

Does this apply for me?? The NVC told me they will schedule it and email me with the interview date.

Any information, advise ect would be greatly appreciated.

Kelly

Hi Kelly, you are not able to schedule the interview yourself...that only applies to K-1 Visas. Your interview can only be scheduled through the NVC. I am not sure how long the wait is for CR-1. You can call the NVC and ask. If you have any questions, you can ask others on VJ from Kenya who have recently gone thru the CR-1 process. BC-Neo (his profile is here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/user/118325-bc-neo/) may be able to provide some insight as he and his wife recently went through the CR-1 process. Also, Jay and Maureen's profile (here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/user/114719-jay-and-maureen/) has a lot of information in the "Our Story" section of the profile located on the left hand side of the screen. I hope this helps you Happy holidays! Good luck and stay blessed. ~Jill

Edited December 27, 2012 by Ben and Jill

[taatabunny 1]

Happy holidays to you all

Just wanted to break the silence So, in the process of getting acquainted with my new home and switching from British English (in Kenya, we call it the Queen's language) to American English...I've learnt from my fiancé that the word 'thrice' does not exist in American English...you say 'three times' and the pronunciation of 'squirrels' is so different from Kenyan pronunciation

Haha....Many words like rubbish (trash), torch (flashlight), lorry (truck), cheque (check) etc. are not applicable in the American vocabulary. Also, it took me time to pronounce the silent 't' in words like 'water' hence had lots of trouble asking for water at restaurants, hahaha!!!

Enjoy the weather. First winter, right?

Happy New year to you all.

[Wakey86 12]

Happy holidays to you all

Just wanted to break the silence So, in the process of getting acquainted with my new home and switching from British English (in Kenya, we call it the Queen's language) to American English...I've learnt from my fiancé that the word 'thrice' does not exist in American English...you say 'three times' and the pronunciation of 'squirrels' is so different from Kenyan pronunciation

Ha ha!!!! I feel you girl!!! The first time I used the word "thrice" Tim looked at me almost in dismay,like wth? I couldn't believe he didn't know what the word "thrice" meant,lol!!! Even Lionel Ritchie's song goes "Once,twice,three times a lady...." go figure

It's also weird how he doesn't necessarily think about the articles 'a' and 'an'-it's like 'whatever!!!' And it's not just him,his sisters too. Now that i'm paying closer attention, many Americans speak this way. Example "a apple". Seriously...

'queue' is simply 'line' to them. 'Boot' is 'trunk'. 'Dust bin' is 'trash can'. 'Supermarket' is 'store'. They don't say 'serviettes', they say 'napkins'. OMG!!!! So much to get used to!!!

Oh and before I forget,they don't really differentiate "you're" and "your". I think I might teach English part time,lol

[loveyourlife 2]

Hi everyone, My husband, David and I are still waiting for our NOA2 (praying for it to arrive soon) but I am trying keep busy preparing for the NVC stage and the embassy. Can you all tell me if I have to submit our original or certified documents (marriage certificate, David's police certificate, and David's birth certificate) at the NVC stage or just take them to the interview in Nairobi? I have read two different answers to this question so I need to find out for sure. I need David to send me the original documents ASAP if they need to be sent in at the NVC stage. Happy New Year to all!

[loveyourlife 2]

Also, does he need to send the signed DS-230 to me to send in with the NVC packets or does he take it to the embassy as well?

Thanks. I know I am being overly anxious about this but I just want to be prepared so there are no hold ups on our end.

Thanks in advance.

[Aya820 33]

Hi everyone, My husband, David and I are still waiting for our NOA2 (praying for it to arrive soon) but I am trying keep busy preparing for the NVC stage and the embassy. Can you all tell me if I have to submit our original or certified documents (marriage certificate, David's police certificate, and David's birth certificate) at the NVC stage or just take them to the interview in Nairobi? I have read two different answers to this question so I need to find out for sure. I need David to send me the original documents ASAP if they need to be sent in at the NVC stage. Happy New Year to all!

You should submit original documents DEPT OF STATE WEBSITE. You will also submit with the originals a photocopy or certified copy of everything. Either he can fill out and mail to NVC the DS-230 and original documents/copies or he can send them to you to mail.

Also, does he need to send the signed DS-230 to me to send in with the NVC packets or does he take it to the embassy as well?

Thanks. I know I am being overly anxious about this but I just want to be prepared so there are no hold ups on our end.

Thanks in advance.

See my answer above. However, if he mails them to you to send, he should only sign Part I and don't put a date on it. You put the date before sending to NVC. Don't forget to send an original and 1 copy of everything to NVC. Hope this helps.

[katie & sifa 25]

Ha ha!!!! I feel you girl!!! The first time I used the word "thrice" Tim looked at me almost in dismay,like wth? I couldn't believe he didn't know what the word "thrice" meant,lol!!! Even Lionel Ritchie's song goes "Once,twice,three times a lady...." go figure

It's also weird how he doesn't necessarily think about the articles 'a' and 'an'-it's like 'whatever!!!' And it's not just him,his sisters too. Now that i'm paying closer attention, many Americans speak this way. Example "a apple". Seriously...

'queue' is simply 'line' to them. 'Boot' is 'trunk'. 'Dust bin' is 'trash can'. 'Supermarket' is 'store'. They don't say 'serviettes', they say 'napkins'. OMG!!!! So much to get used to!!!

Oh and before I forget,they don't really differentiate "you're" and "your". I think I might teach English part time,lol

To be fair, some of these things even bother some Americans - the your/you're thing is a particular pet peeve of mine.

I remember when I lived in Kenya I could never get used to calling napkins serviettes, ever, and people always looked at me funny. Also I remember once (I taught several subjects there, but English to 8th grade was one) and we were talking about synonyms, and one of the words was angry, so after the students came up with a few, I said "what about mad?" and then we had a lengthy discussion about how mad did not mean the same thing in British English as American English, haha.

[loveyourlife 2]

You should submit original documents DEPT OF STATE WEBSITE. You will also submit with the originals a photocopy or certified copy of everything. Either he can fill out and mail to NVC the DS-230 and original documents/copies or he can send them to you to mail.

Thanks for your help! I will get him to put the documents in the mail to me this week.

[Ben and Jill 37]

Just checking in with everyone...how is everybody doing? Ben and I are wonderful I can't believe it's 2013 already.

Some words of wisdom for those still going through the process...always stay positive; stay focused on the outcome; get to know The Nairobi Embassy (this thread should do that); be neat and organized with all your paperwork; and enjoy what you have now even if you are apart. I really miss certain aspects of our relationship when we were apart - believe it or not - it was "that good" and "that wonderful"! Cherish every single day...you will be together soon and then you will start a whole new chapter in your life. It's a stressful process; I know that. If you let it, it can really wreak havoc on you, your health, etc. Don't let that happen. Be strong and stick together. Grow within your relationship and talk about what you will do when you are together. Friday night was supposed to be pizza and movie night - ummmm, well, that never happened! LOL Ben isn't crazy about CHEESE...omggggggg! So, everytime I get together with friends and they ask what I want to eat.............PIZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, lolololol.

Be strong, stay focused, and we are all here to help along the way. Just ask. You can do it...you will make it through and live a happy and beautiful fairy tale (without the pizza, haha) Much love and shine on everyone, xo. ~Jill

[afoyoswa 178]

Just checking in with everyone...how is everybody doing? Ben and I are wonderful I can't believe it's 2013 already.

...

Ben isn't crazy about CHEESE...omggggggg! So, everytime I get together with friends and they ask what I want to eat.............PIZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, lolololol.

Good to hear from you, Jill! And I hear you about the cheese! Aaron is quite willing to eat cheese and pizza for that matter, fortunately, but he still can't understand what the fuss is all about. He thinks eating plain cheese is just the same as eating butter. But he puts up with it, just like I'm eating a lot more white rice than I ever have, just because he so strongly prefers it to brown (which we do eat sometimes anyway).

I haven't been around much lately because WE GOT MARRIED! Everything went so well. Things were tough and very stressful at times (especially with my family), but it made me feel so much closer to him to see how kind and gentle and supportive he was in the middle of all the craziness (and hopefully, vice versa!). Now we are putting the finishing touches on the AOS package, he is starting school next week, and we are talking about future timing for babies, a larger place to live, travel, etc. and generally enjoying each other immensely. I love going home every night. We've been joking about that Maroon 5 "Daylight" song and all the angst in it about how OH NO!!! the couple is going to be apart for a WHOLE DAY and not see each other until evening, but it kind of feels like that right now as silly as it is. SOOOO great having him here.

And the obligatory gratuitous photo (okay, 2!):

Hope everyone still in the embassy phase is hanging in there!

[Ben and Jill 37]

Hi Joy First, I can't see the photos you attached from work ( ) but I will see them when I get home, lol. I know they are lovely! I saw one of your wedding pictures in your profile pics. Beautiful!

LOL about the white rice If there's a pizza pie and a bowl of rice, my husband goes for the rice Ummmm, NOT me, I'll grab the pizza! A lot of Africans just don't like cheese; it's not uncommon - they're just crazy, lol.

I'm glad everything is going so well for you and Aaron. Isn't it wonderful having them home?! I STILL fly outta work like a bat outta hec to get home! I am not surprised to hear about how supportive, kind, and gentle Aaron is ~ there are no words to describe a man from Africa ~ they are truly a rare breed (I'm smiling).

Family... I totally understand...I had a private ceremony and didn't invite a single one of them ~ only my daughter was there and a few close friends who were supportive (14 people total including me and Ben). Everyone else can hit the road! Do yourself a huge favor...don't even give them a second thought and don't allow them to invade your life, mind or heart. Stay blessed with your beautiful and humble man. XOXOXOXOXO.

Edited February 5, 2013 by Ben and Jill