Nairobi Embassy Thread!

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

Hello my fellow Nairobi Embassy-ers!

After 5 months and 3 weeks, my fiance and I have FINALLY received our NOA2 today! SOOO happy!! I have been reading this thread for a few weeks now, just waiting to be able to write this message and ask my questions. So here I go!

-Is is possible to get a medical exam with just the case number from the NVC, before the packet reach the embassy? or do we have to wait?

-What documentation is needed for the I-134 form? just 2 or 3 of the most recent paychecks and a letter from the employer? what did you use?

-My mom is going to be our co-sponsor, do we both fill out the same paper work? did any of you use a co-sponsor? Was it it any trouble at the embassy?

That's all I can think of for now. Thank you all very much in advance for your help. It's a big confidence booster to know I have a whole thread of people who have been through all of this successfully before me!

[katie & sifa 25]

Welcome Kefa and Sarah! Good luck at the embassy!

1. I'm not sure about the medical exam - when Sifa did it he had all of his paperwork and an interview date already lined up. Maybe someone else will have some advice here.

2. I went to the interview with Sifa & for the I-134 I brought my tax return for 2008, a letter from my employer, 6 months of paycheck stubs and 6 months of bank statements showing my checks being direct deposits. Probably overkill but they looked over everything.

3. Didn't use a cosponsor...hopefully someone here has experience at Nairobi with this. I think your mom would fill out the I-134 as well but I wouldn't swear to it - there may be a different form.

Good luck and always feel free to ask questions!

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

1. I'm not sure about the medical exam - when Sifa did it he had all of his paperwork and an interview date already lined up. Maybe someone else will have some advice here.

Here where you say, "all of his paperwork", what exactly does that mean? From my understanding, we just print all the papers we need off the embassy website? Or am I completely off on this one?

Thanks very much for your response/help!

[katie & sifa 25]

Here where you say, "all of his paperwork", what exactly does that mean? From my understanding, we just print all the papers we need off the embassy website? Or am I completely off on this one?

Thanks very much for your response/help!

Sifa actually got packet 3 in the mail really quickly after we got notice that the petition had been approved. From what I've read here they either aren't mailing stuff out anymore (our interview was about a year ago, so they may have changed this policy) or at least a lot of people here haven't gotten the packet through the mail. But yeah, if you've been told that you can print them off the website then I'm sure it's the same stuff!

Where does your fiance live? If he's close to Mombasa or Nairobi the medical exam doesn't take too awful long. Sifa scheduled his and went in the next day. He lived really close to Mombasa though so it wasn't a big deal to go in. I think it's worse if you have to travel from out of Kenya or have a long trip to get to one of the major cities (I can't remember if Kisumu has a clinic or not...)

Edited February 22, 2011 by katie & sifa

[AnnieMugaya 3]

Sifa actually got packet 3 in the mail really quickly after we got notice that the petition had been approved. From what I've read here they either aren't mailing stuff out anymore (our interview was about a year ago, so they may have changed this policy) or at least a lot of people here haven't gotten the packet through the mail. But yeah, if you've been told that you can print them off the website then I'm sure it's the same stuff!

Where does your fiance live? If he's close to Mombasa or Nairobi the medical exam doesn't take too awful long. Sifa scheduled his and went in the next day. He lived really close to Mombasa though so it wasn't a big deal to go in. I think it's worse if you have to travel from out of Kenya or have a long trip to get to one of the major cities (I can't remember if Kisumu has a clinic or not...)

Yeah, once NVC forwards the case to Nairobi, the Embassy will send you an email with an interview date. The process definitely keeps changing but that is what happened for us only 3 months ago. The email has an interview date and specifically says that nothing will be mailed out via post. The email is the only confirmation you will receive and the forms can be filled out on the website.

Also, Kisumu doesn't have a clinic, although that would have been VERY nice and convenient if they did!! Jack had to go to Nairobi for 3 nights which was a total pain. Kepha will be able to do as Sifa did, and just complete the exam in one day and report back for results on the following day. It will hopefully be a breeze! Good luck!

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

Just wanted to make sure I was on the right track, thanks for the reassurance!

My fiance lives in Mombasa, so it's good hear that it won't take too long to get the Medical exam out of the way.

[katie & sifa 25]

Just wanted to make sure I was on the right track, thanks for the reassurance!

My fiance lives in Mombasa, so it's good hear that it won't take too long to get the Medical exam out of the way.

Cool! Sifa had nothing but nice things to say about Dr. Patel & his staff. He lived in Kwale while we were doing all the visa stuff, so not too far to come over on the ferry.

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

Cool! Sifa had nothing but nice things to say about Dr. Patel & his staff. He lived in Kwale while we were doing all the visa stuff, so not too far to come over on the ferry.

This makes me very happy to hear. I think he's a little scared, seeing how up until now people haven't been to nice or helpful. I'll make sure to tell him.

The ferry! - I miss Mombasa! How did Sifa do with his 1st winter? I'm scared my Coastal man, will be less than happy with the cold.

[katie & sifa 25]

This makes me very happy to hear. I think he's a little scared, seeing how up until now people haven't been to nice or helpful. I'll make sure to tell him.

The ferry! - I miss Mombasa! How did Sifa do with his 1st winter? I'm scared my Coastal man, will be less than happy with the cold.

He's originally from Nairobi (well, born in Nyahururu but grew up in Nairobi, and we met while we were both living in a small town close to Kericho) so he's used to it being a little cooler than the coast...still. Last winter he was SO COLD! And we live in Texas! Haha. He got here February 24 last year and many were the days I would get home from work to find him with the heat running, several pairs of sweatpants, sweaters, hat, scarf etc on IN our apartment, haha. This winter was a little better, maybe because he got to ease into it a little more instead of coming from Kwale to below freezing in a few days span! It's an adjustment, but he's gotten used to it I think.

[AnnieMugaya 3]

Haha that's hilarious! Poor guys! Jack did really well and Kisumu is always hot! He had to get used to sleeping in sweat pants and socks after sleeping in only shorts for the first 25 years of his life, but he seems to be fine now! If he went to Texas he would probably be sweating to death! It was like 35 or 40 here the other day and Jack was convinced that it was the same temperature as you would find in kisumu on an early morning. Whaaat? Haha these days he is back to sleeping in just shorts. He's adjusted pretty well I think, too!

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

Well I guess all this waiting with be in Kefa's favor, we'll get back to the midwest in time for spring and he can slowly adjust to the cold!

How long did it take your case to get to the NVC Katie? Do you remember? I've been following Andrea's journey, (just praying we'll be as fast as her's) and it seems things have slowed down. I called again this morning Andrea, our case is still not in the NVC system. Ok, it's not that bad! It's only been a week - But after all the USCIS waiting and everyone saying how fast it is after the NOA2, I had hopes of FLYING thru the rest of the process. Honestly, time seems to be going the slowest since we got approved. Any advise on how to distract myself!?

Hope you all are having a great day! Thanks for the advise!

[katie & sifa 25]

Well I guess all this waiting with be in Kefa's favor, we'll get back to the midwest in time for spring and he can slowly adjust to the cold!

How long did it take your case to get to the NVC Katie? Do you remember? I've been following Andrea's journey, (just praying we'll be as fast as her's) and it seems things have slowed down. I called again this morning Andrea, our case is still not in the NVC system. Ok, it's not that bad! It's only been a week - But after all the USCIS waiting and everyone saying how fast it is after the NOA2, I had hopes of FLYING thru the rest of the process. Honestly, time seems to be going the slowest since we got approved. Any advise on how to distract myself!?

Hope you all are having a great day! Thanks for the advise!

We had some major snafus with our NOA2, so everything seemed to fly by after we were approved because we didn't even KNOW we'd been approved until the embassy received the file, ha. We now know that our NOA2 date was 10/20/09 and Sifa received packet 3 via the regular Kenyan post on 11/7/09, so it must have moved fairly quickly from USCIS to NVC to the consulate. Still, that's about two and a half weeks from approval until the embassy received it.

Just know it will be over soon! I think some of the time I was most anxious and time seemed to move most slowly was after Sifa already had the visa in hand but hadn't moved here yet. We chose to have him fly to the US about 6 weeks after he got the visa (and I was with him for the interview, so 6 weeks in comparison to the rest of the time we had to spend apart should have seemed like nothing!) but I was SO READY for him to be here. I was really just not able to focus or do anything for that 6 week period, ha. Time DRAGGED! Both of us regretted our decision not to buy an earlier ticket, but we had good reasons for our choice. Anyway...I understand! Not too much longer to go though!

[AnnieMugaya 3]

Sarah- if you have the time, call NVC again late tonight right before they close. Ours was logged in in the morning and they said it was just showing up that night. Good news is that I really think they will still have it sent out to Nairobi by Friday. One more week and Nairobi should have your case. It's really not too far away. Just keep focusing on everything you will do when you get to Kenya in March, and all the fun things you will do with Kepha once he gets to the states!

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

Thanks for encouragement ladies! It helps to talk to people who really understand what you are going thru. Now it's time for me to suck it up and focus on the good stuff! Only 16 days until I head to Kenya!

Katie - that's a crazy story! I bet you guys couldn't believe it huh?

Andrea- I'm going to keep the faith that you are right and it will head to Nairob by the end of the week!

[katie & sifa 25]

Thanks for encouragement ladies! It helps to talk to people who really understand what you are going thru. Now it's time for me to suck it up and focus on the good stuff! Only 16 days until I head to Kenya!

Katie - that's a crazy story! I bet you guys couldn't believe it huh?

Andrea- I'm going to keep the faith that you are right and it will head to Nairob by the end of the week!

Yeah, when packet 3 showed up we were both shocked! Plus the initial stage went much faster than we'd anticipated, and I pretty much stopped coming to VJ for a while because reading everyone else worrying about timelines and stuff just freaked me out, so I had no idea that at the time VSC was moving at light speed!

I'm sure your file will get there soon & everything will go quickly!

Jealous that you'll be in Kenya in 16 days! Just heading to Mombasa or any other exciting plans while you're there?