Nairobi Embassy Thread!

[xthemasterx 0]

She tried to go to pick it up today and the DHL people said that they have not received ANY passports and people have been trying to get them all day long. What a heartache! This has become almost as difficult as the time leading up to her interview. She said she NEEDS to get her passport on Friday because she leaves on Saturday. She can't leave with no passport. She is supposed to be joining me in just over a week. What a pain in my ####! They try to make it easier by doing the DHL thing but it makes it more difficult.

[xthemasterx 0]

Is the embassy open on Friday?

[Ben and Jill 37]

I was SHOCKED when I get let in too, but honestly the all of the security guards were really nice - if you insist, I don't think getting in will be a problem. The lady who interviewed my fiance was the only one who seemed to have a problem with the American citizens in the waiting room, so if nothing else at least you can get in and wait on the shaded, soft benches right outside the waiting room!

Congrats on your NOA2! You'll be here in no time - the process really moves after you receive it. Good Luck with everything!

Thank you so much, Sarah. I will try my best to follow Ben through the doors . I'm going for a visit soon...I leave on April 29th :):). Then I will go back again when he has his interview. At least this visit will be something in between so that's nice. We're going to Mombasa for a few days during that time. I am so excited. Thank you for your well wishes!

[katie & sifa 25]

Is the embassy open on Friday?

Somewhere in the back of my head I have that they are open only half a day (9:00 - 12:00) Fridays (I had aquaintances that worked there when I lived in Kenya...but that's been three years ago.) There aren't any holidays this Friday, either Kenyan or American, so I would think they will be.

[Ben and Jill 37]

Is the embassy open on Friday?

I think so, but I am not 100% sure. I'm sure DHL will receive everything...I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

[katie & sifa 25]

Thank you so much, Sarah. I will try my best to follow Ben through the doors . I'm going for a visit soon...I leave on April 29th :):). Then I will go back again when he has his interview. At least this visit will be something in between so that's nice. We're going to Mombasa for a few days during that time. I am so excited. Thank you for your well wishes!

Awesome! Have fun. I am jealous

[Ben and Jill 37]

Awesome! Have fun. I am jealous

Thank you, Katie! I'm looking so, so forward. It would be great if we could get the interview scheduled this time around, but I think that would be a tremendous act of God, LOL. Regardless, it's all good and things are moving along.

[shefellfromheaven 18]

I think the embassy works Monday - Thursday.

Edited April 14, 2011 by shefellfromheaven

[skk526 0]

Congratulations to the approved interviews! Glad to hear good things are coming from the embassy. I leave for kenya on april 20. Unfortunately, my husband and I thought (hopefully) that we would get done with USCIS and NVC by this time and planned this vacation. Things are moving quite slowly but we are just waiting on case closed at NVC. Then will receive an interview date "crossing fingers".

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

She tried to go to pick it up today and the DHL people said that they have not received ANY passports and people have been trying to get them all day long. What a heartache! This has become almost as difficult as the time leading up to her interview. She said she NEEDS to get her passport on Friday because she leaves on Saturday. She can't leave with no passport. She is supposed to be joining me in just over a week. What a pain in my ####! They try to make it easier by doing the DHL thing but it makes it more difficult.

I was worried this would be the case when they decided to send it through DHL. boo. Did she finally get it? Or where did she contact to find out information? I really hope they can get this process working better - on the new website it says you can track your visa, however you aren't given the information ( a bill number?!) to track it. I'm just confused. Anyone have anymore information?

Hope things worked out in time xthemasterx! Keep us all updated.

[xthemasterx 0]

She did finally get her passport. On Friday she went to DHL 1st thing and they did not have it. She went back to the embassy and they told her she had to go back to DHL because it should be there. She went back and waited FIVE hours before they told her it got sent to the WRONG DHL location. I didn't ask her if she verified the information it it to be correct, so I hope she did because she is almost on her way home already. It would be a bad thing for her to get back to Mauritius and find out something was printed incorrectly! Anyway. Still very relieved. Although she did not have a Waybill number, there is one that is supposed to be listed on the visa website. I am assuming she did not have one because she scheduled her interview in February. Back before the new method went into effect.

[Kefa and Sarah 0]

She did finally get her passport. On Friday she went to DHL 1st thing and they did not have it. She went back to the embassy and they told her she had to go back to DHL because it should be there. She went back and waited FIVE hours before they told her it got sent to the WRONG DHL location. I didn't ask her if she verified the information it it to be correct, so I hope she did because she is almost on her way home already. It would be a bad thing for her to get back to Mauritius and find out something was printed incorrectly! Anyway. Still very relieved. Although she did not have a Waybill number, there is one that is supposed to be listed on the visa website. I am assuming she did not have one because she scheduled her interview in February. Back before the new method went into effect.

VERY happy to hear the news! Hope everything goes smoothly from here on out for you two! I'm gonna go try and find that waybill number!!

[skk526 0]

In 2 days im visiting my husband and today we got CC at NVC. Now we are waiting on an interview date! Im soooo happy

[Adam&Noory 0]

Hi all! My fiance had her K-1 visa interview yesterday (April, 20th) at the US embassy in Nairobi and was APPROVED!!! I just thought i would post a few things on here about it for those interested.

First of all, this embassy is currently undergoing many changes in its system so those with interviews coming up may have a slightly different expiriance than my fiance and I. The 1st major change was the schedualing system for appointments in which applicants no longer call the embassy to schedual interviews. It is all done online through a website or by calling the people running the website. Also, NO interview can be schedualed whatsoever without first paying the visa application fee at either a post bank in Kenya or by something called MPESA which is exclusively for Kenya residents only. This part really sucked for us since my fiance is from Mauritius which is about 2000 miles from Kenya. She had to fly all the way to Nairobi just so she could pay the fee and schedual her interview. Then she had to sit around in a country she had never been to before and wait for her interview. Luckily we were able to get her an interview date within a week of paying the fee.

I will write a full review of the embassy and what happened at the interview on my timeline so feal free to check it out. Just a few pointers on some things here though.

---They DO NOT allow the US citizen petitioner in with their fiance at all. I was able to get past the 1st security checkpoint to an area with a few benches outside a second security entrance but that was all. I have a fealing they will soon change this to where the US citizen is not allowed past the 1st checkpoint as well because it seemed like i was getting in the way a little while others were waiting to go in.

---Even though the appointment letter my fiance got from the schedualing website stated that her interview was on April 19th, it was not. That date was for drop of only. Meaning she just goes in and drops off her application forms then has her interview the fallowing day.

---Prepair to be very patient. My fiance waited about 3 hours just to drop off her documents and about 4 hours for her interview. All the while i was sitting outside on a cold metal bench.

---Bring a smile and good attitude with you. It seemed like they really liked the fact that my fiance and i were so polite and friendly. It may not have helped get the approval but it sure didn't hurt.

---The counsulers are all english speaking Americans and it seemed like they get very upset when they cannot understand the person they are interviewing. So if you don't speek english very well, i suggest having your fiance help you learn a little better or bring an interpreter. My fiance was pretty sure she noticed a few people get denied that did not have an interpreter and did not speak much english at all.

Thats it for now. I will post a long, more descriptive review on the embassy review section of my timeline.

Good luck to you all and may you have a safe and very successfull Visa Journey!

[Ben and Jill 37]

Hi all! My fiance had her K-1 visa interview yesterday (April, 20th) at the US embassy in Nairobi and was APPROVED!!! I just thought i would post a few things on here about it for those interested.

First of all, this embassy is currently undergoing many changes in its system so those with interviews coming up may have a slightly different expiriance than my fiance and I. The 1st major change was the schedualing system for appointments in which applicants no longer call the embassy to schedual interviews. It is all done online through a website or by calling the people running the website. Also, NO interview can be schedualed whatsoever without first paying the visa application fee at either a post bank in Kenya or by something called MPESA which is exclusively for Kenya residents only. This part really sucked for us since my fiance is from Mauritius which is about 2000 miles from Kenya. She had to fly all the way to Nairobi just so she could pay the fee and schedual her interview. Then she had to sit around in a country she had never been to before and wait for her interview. Luckily we were able to get her an interview date within a week of paying the fee.

I will write a full review of the embassy and what happened at the interview on my timeline so feal free to check it out. Just a few pointers on some things here though.

---They DO NOT allow the US citizen petitioner in with their fiance at all. I was able to get past the 1st security checkpoint to an area with a few benches outside a second security entrance but that was all. I have a fealing they will soon change this to where the US citizen is not allowed past the 1st checkpoint as well because it seemed like i was getting in the way a little while others were waiting to go in.

---Even though the appointment letter my fiance got from the schedualing website stated that her interview was on April 19th, it was not. That date was for drop of only. Meaning she just goes in and drops off her application forms then has her interview the fallowing day.

---Prepair to be very patient. My fiance waited about 3 hours just to drop off her documents and about 4 hours for her interview. All the while i was sitting outside on a cold metal bench.

---Bring a smile and good attitude with you. It seemed like they really liked the fact that my fiance and i were so polite and friendly. It may not have helped get the approval but it sure didn't hurt.

---The counsulers are all english speaking Americans and it seemed like they get very upset when they cannot understand the person they are interviewing. So if you don't speek english very well, i suggest having your fiance help you learn a little better or bring an interpreter. My fiance was pretty sure she noticed a few people get denied that did not have an interpreter and did not speak much english at all.

Thats it for now. I will post a long, more descriptive review on the embassy review section of my timeline.

Good luck to you all and may you have a safe and very successfull Visa Journey!

Congratulations! That's great everything went so well. Thank you so much for posting your experience on here to help others. We appreciate it! Best of luck to you both! Congrats again!