Interview Review

[ben2 0]

Alright, so my fiancee had her interview 2 weeks ago. Was only asked 3 questions:

How/where did you meet?

What's his occupation?

What restaurant is the wedding gonna be in?

The 3rd one was really weird, hadn't read on VisaJourney anybody asked this before. She just replied we don't know yet about the restaurant, and the interviewer said OK, will get your visa in a week.

The whole interview was in Russian as she doesn't speak much english, so for people still thinking which language to interview in, i would say go for the one you're most comfortable speaking in.

Wasn't asked to show any pictures/e-mails/phone records, but then we did send a bunch of engagement celebration pictures with the initial packet.

She was also interviewed by the male consul, and our case was really easy, no prior marriages, about the same age, so that might explain the quick interview.

The visa was sent 2 days later by DHL with pickup at Moscow Office, initially when my fiancee called DHL they didn't know about office pickup, but when she went to the office to get the waybill the person she spoke with was more knowledgeable and told her to put the office address on the waybill for in office pickup.

That's all I can think of currently, feel free to ask any questions you might have about the process.

[mox 298]

Hey thanks for the interview info! Glad it went faster than Sasha's!

So when is she coming over?

[Jason-Sasha 1]

Congratulations! Time to update that timeline, Ben.

[eekee 182]

Alright, so my fiancee had her interview 2 weeks ago. Was only asked 3 questions:

How/where did you meet?

What's his occupation?

What restaurant is the wedding gonna be in?

The 3rd one was really weird, hadn't read on VisaJourney anybody asked this before. She just replied we don't know yet about the restaurant, and the interviewer said OK, will get your visa in a week.

The whole interview was in Russian as she doesn't speak much english, so for people still thinking which language to interview in, i would say go for the one you're most comfortable speaking in.

Wasn't asked to show any pictures/e-mails/phone records, but then we did send a bunch of engagement celebration pictures with the initial packet.

She was also interviewed by the male consul, and our case was really easy, no prior marriages, about the same age, so that might explain the quick interview.

The visa was sent 2 days later by DHL with pickup at Moscow Office, initially when my fiancee called DHL they didn't know about office pickup, but when she went to the office to get the waybill the person she spoke with was more knowledgeable and told her to put the office address on the waybill for in office pickup.

That's all I can think of currently, feel free to ask any questions you might have about the process.

I think everyone will hope that they will get your officer instead of the one sasha got! congratulations!

[ben2 0]

Hey thanks for the interview info! Glad it went faster than Sasha's!

So when is she coming over?

Thanks.

She's arriving on March 2nd, I'm actually going to Russia tomorrow to help her pack, etc. so will be flying in together with her, will post POE review when get back.

[ben2 0]

Congratulations! Time to update that timeline, Ben.

Thanks, done

It actually took like 5 min to remember how to do that, last update was 3 month ago...

[Don E 0]

Congratulations to you and your fiancee!!!

[slim 1,525]

Great news and thanks for sharing. Now comes the fun part!

Good luck on the rest of your Visa Journey.

[ben2 0]

Update - POE review

We left Moscow Sunday afternoon. The airport there, the only 1 i was ever at, where after x-raying your suitcases/carry on luggage they make you open them and check all your stuff by hand.

After arriving to JFK, the first thing is the passport control. We were directed to the visitor's lane by the Delta crew. The line there moves really slow. We went in the leftmost lane, which was a big mistake. All the people on the wheelchairs / old people who have trouble walking, they direct them to the leftmost lane to the front, so besides the reg people in the line you have to wait till they pass as well. So after being among the first people in the general line till we arrived at the window we were among the last.

At the window the officer looked at her passport, took the packet from the embassy, unsealed it, started looking through the stuff, and then his facial expression changed. The whole time before he was very friendly, smiled, but when he started looking through the packet, he took out one paper from there, i couldn't really see what it was at first, pointed to a line on it and the dialogue was approximately as follows:

Him: It says it was issued in 2006, when did you meet?

Me: 2007, we first spoke on the phone in Feb and then met in person in April.

Him, in a very accusing tone: How can that be? It says it was issued in 2006

I, kinda nervous at that point: Dunno, but we met in 2007

Him: How did you meet?

Without waiting for me to answer called in another lady officer, who was probably his supervisor, showed him the paper

She: That's a copy where is the original?

He, looking through all papers from sealed envelope: There is no original here, turning towards me: Where is the original?

I'm: Huh? What original?

The supervisor lady to him:, OK, it's fine, that's a K1, waive them through, put a 90 day stamp.

He: I don't do that, they have to go to the secondary.

At that point I manage to take a look at the paper he was looking at which had 2006 on it, and noticed that it says that my fiancee's passport was issued in 2006 and valid till 2011

I point it out to the officer; he's like, ok, it's fine.

He then takes the passport and all the documents from the envelope and tells us to go with him into the secondary, where he gives the passport with the documents to the officer in the room, tells us to take a sit and leaves. We wait for about half an hours till they get to our case, didn't ask us any more questions, took the embassy documents, stamped the EAD into my fiancee's passport, and that was it.

[shikarnov 7]

That guy sounds like a real jerk. How can you work at Passport Control and make a mistake like that? What a moron...

But, I do have a couple questions, if I may...

1: What paperwork did passport control want/need? Shouldn't it be as simple as showing the passport with the visa affixed?

2: You were able to go through the line with your fiancee? Every time I've flown into JFK, there have been separate lines/stations for USCs/Residents and Alien visitors at Customs... How'd this work for you?

Thanks ... And Congratulations

Z

[ben2 0]

That guy sounds like a real jerk. How can you work at Passport Control and make a mistake like that? What a moron...

But, I do have a couple questions, if I may...

1: What paperwork did passport control want/need? Shouldn't it be as simple as showing the passport with the visa affixed?

2: You were able to go through the line with your fiancee? Every time I've flown into JFK, there have been separate lines/stations for USCs/Residents and Alien visitors at Customs... How'd this work for you?

Thanks ... And Congratulations

Z

Thanks, yeah, either he was either ignorant or trying to confuse us to check if we were genuine. Prob the first.

To answer your questions:

1. They need the passport + the sealed brown envelope from the embassy, which is mailed together with the visa and the passport after the interview.

2. Yes, i went with her in the visitors like no prob, I was processed first, the officer just stamped admitted stamp into my passport. Looking back, I could have prob walked with her in the citizens line no prob as well, would have taken much less time. The only reason i went to visitors is cause of delta representative who directed us there. That guy was kinda clueless as well, told us people with the packet don't need I94. I knew better though, as the instructions say only permanent residents (people with green card) don't need it and filled it out on the plane before. That's actually the paper they stamped the EAD on.

[mox 298]

Congrats ben2! Sorry to hear about the near-heart-attack-inducing situation, but glad it all ended well.

@shikarnov: At any POE, all you have to do is go up to an officer and ask which line you can both stand together in. I've only seen a single post where the couple wasn't allowed to stand together. I don't remember the circumstances.

[ben2 0]

Congrats ben2! Sorry to hear about the near-heart-attack-inducing situation, but glad it all ended well.

@shikarnov: At any POE, all you have to do is go up to an officer and ask which line you can both stand together in. I've only seen a single post where the couple wasn't allowed to stand together. I don't remember the circumstances.

Thanks Now it's on to getting social security #, getting married and applying for AOS...

[slim 1,525]

Yeah, now on to the fun of waiting in more lines, dealing with more morons... etc., etc., etc.