Nairobi Embassy Thread!

[Nick&Ann 1]

Thanks--this is very helpful! I'm passing this info along to Aaron. It will be really nice to be able to sort out a lot of this stuff before Aaron and I go to Nairobi.

And......I got my NOA2 yesterday!!!!! So now we are officially into the Stuff Happening phase: whee!

Ann, do you have any tips for getting the police certificate? I got some instructions from the USC half of another UG/USC couple, but it would be even better to hear from someone who's actually dealt with it.

So, the next part is: call NVC until they receive the petition and can give me the case number. Then I can start contacting Nairobi to find out when they receive it. When Nairobi receives the petition, they will schedule the medical exam, and we can pay the visa fee and schedule the interview (for at least 3 days after the medical exam). Something like that? Did I miss anything?

Finally, congratulations, its about time you got your NOA2. With the police certificate, this is what you have to do

Board any taxi going to Nakawa. Get off at Game-Shoprite Lugogo. From Jinja road to Game Lugogo. The taxi will cost 500shs or 1000shs depending on where you board from.

Then when you get to Game Lugogo, you will get a boda boda that will cost you between 1500shs-2000shs. Tell the boda guy that you are going to Police headquarters where they do fingerprinting and it will cost you that much.

By the way, its not Kibuli anymore the headquarters moved to Naguru. When you get there, you will walk into the gate and you will see a tent at the furthest corner. Go there and tell the man that you want a certificate of good conduct and then he will write you a bank slip of 9500shs which you will take the bank (Stanbic Bank, IPS building near Parliament building)

Then go back to Naguru, fill out a form, write an application letter and then you will have your fingerprints taken.

Make sure you go with 2 passport photos , a photocopy of your passport. Because they are attached to the fingerprint form.

Then you will directed to an office next to the gate, where you will pay 3000shs, leave your fingerprint form there and you will get a receipt. Then you will be told when to go to Kololo.

So this is how it went...I still insist you have to go at around 9am so you can beat lunch time...I never seem to do that because I went to bed late and woke up late...

You can get a taxi like last time and get out at game, get a boda boda and you will be charged 3000shs(atleast that's what i was charged). Tell him to take you to Interpol offices at Kololo. Make sure he know and he is not taking you to Naguru...Make sure you tell him Interpol offices Kololo.

Anyway, I got there, and went through the security check, asked me what i needed, I told her, i went to naguru on Monday and i was told to come here on friday...they might ask for your receipts from naguru, so make sure to have them.. and then the police officer was kind enough to direct me to where I should go. You will see a building with flags and then walk past it and continue, you will see stairs going down, follow them and you will get to the intersection of building...one is up and the rooms are labelled with numbers, just walk past it and you will see a small door and enter there...if that is too confusing, just ask any police officer to direct you to where they give out bank slips..they were really kind to me...or anyone in the compound will direct you to where bankslips are given...

They will ask you for your receipt and bankslip from Naguru and then they will write you a new bankslip similar to the one tht was given in naguru, you still have to go the same bank to pay..The amount is 50,500shs. From interpol to the bank I got a boda because there are no taxi stages in Kololo...So i got a boda who took me, he waited for me and brought me back to Kololo for 6000shs altogether...

Went back to the same office where the bankslip was written,give them the pink bankslip and retain the blue one and i was given 2 receipts, one for the bankslip and one for 3000shs which is called Officer's allowance or something like that...you pay that and get the 2nd receipt, so in total you have 3 receipts, the blue one from the bank, the two that you have been given, then you will be told where to go to room 3...

In room 3 you will find 2 police officers, and they will ask for all your reeipts, make sure you have your receipt and bankslip from naguru plus the ones you have. Give them all to her. In total you should have 2 bankslips&3receipts in total. the two from Naguru and the 3 you will have got.

You will be told to look through lots of applications to find yours, the papers we filled in naguru. When you find them, they look through them and make sure its you and then send you to another room with those papers and the receipts where you will have your photo taken...You will be told to go and wait by the gate...it takes about an hour and then a police officer will come with the signed certificates and read them out

pick yours, go and sign in the book and go home...That's pretty much it...

That is how getting the police certificate went. its a pretty easy process. Good luck with that and congratulations on your NOA2

[afoyoswa 178]

First, congrats on your NOA2...things will move along quickly now. The Embassy doesn't schedule the medical exam, Aaron does that himself, but he will need the email from the Embassy confirming that they've received his petition. The email also gives instructions on how and where to schedule the medical. Aaron will have his medical at IOM in Nairobi. Just wanted to clarify that the Embassy doesn't schedule the exam for you. Good luck with everything! I know you guys will be super fine.

Thanks, Jill! I haven't been around the Nairobi Embassy Thread much for quite a while because I was so frustrated with the lack of progress at VSC: so glad you and others are still around to help with this stuff now that I actually *need* to be here!

Would they communicate directly with Aaron? I'd be the one following up with them to find out when the petition gets there, so would they send all of this information to him, or to me? He doesn't have internet access or check email that often.

Finally, congratulations, its about time you got your NOA2. With the police certificate, this is what you have to do

Board any taxi going to Nakawa. Get off at Game-Shoprite Lugogo. From Jinja road to Game Lugogo. The taxi will cost 500shs or 1000shs depending on where you board from.

Then when you get to Game Lugogo, you will get a boda boda that will cost you between 1500shs-2000shs. Tell the boda guy that you are going to Police headquarters where they do fingerprinting and it will cost you that much.

By the way, its not Kibuli anymore the headquarters moved to Naguru. When you get there, you will walk into the gate and you will see a tent at the furthest corner. Go there and tell the man that you want a certificate of good conduct and then he will write you a bank slip of 9500shs which you will take the bank (Stanbic Bank, IPS building near Parliament building)

Then go back to Naguru, fill out a form, write an application letter and then you will have your fingerprints taken.

Make sure you go with 2 passport photos , a photocopy of your passport. Because they are attached to the fingerprint form.

Then you will directed to an office next to the gate, where you will pay 3000shs, leave your fingerprint form there and you will get a receipt. Then you will be told when to go to Kololo.

So this is how it went...I still insist you have to go at around 9am so you can beat lunch time...I never seem to do that because I went to bed late and woke up late...

You can get a taxi like last time and get out at game, get a boda boda and you will be charged 3000shs(atleast that's what i was charged). Tell him to take you to Interpol offices at Kololo. Make sure he know and he is not taking you to Naguru...Make sure you tell him Interpol offices Kololo.

Anyway, I got there, and went through the security check, asked me what i needed, I told her, i went to naguru on Monday and i was told to come here on friday...they might ask for your receipts from naguru, so make sure to have them.. and then the police officer was kind enough to direct me to where I should go. You will see a building with flags and then walk past it and continue, you will see stairs going down, follow them and you will get to the intersection of building...one is up and the rooms are labelled with numbers, just walk past it and you will see a small door and enter there...if that is too confusing, just ask any police officer to direct you to where they give out bank slips..they were really kind to me...or anyone in the compound will direct you to where bankslips are given...

They will ask you for your receipt and bankslip from Naguru and then they will write you a new bankslip similar to the one tht was given in naguru, you still have to go the same bank to pay..The amount is 50,500shs. From interpol to the bank I got a boda because there are no taxi stages in Kololo...So i got a boda who took me, he waited for me and brought me back to Kololo for 6000shs altogether...

Went back to the same office where the bankslip was written,give them the pink bankslip and retain the blue one and i was given 2 receipts, one for the bankslip and one for 3000shs which is called Officer's allowance or something like that...you pay that and get the 2nd receipt, so in total you have 3 receipts, the blue one from the bank, the two that you have been given, then you will be told where to go to room 3...

In room 3 you will find 2 police officers, and they will ask for all your reeipts, make sure you have your receipt and bankslip from naguru plus the ones you have. Give them all to her. In total you should have 2 bankslips&3receipts in total. the two from Naguru and the 3 you will have got.

You will be told to look through lots of applications to find yours, the papers we filled in naguru. When you find them, they look through them and make sure its you and then send you to another room with those papers and the receipts where you will have your photo taken...You will be told to go and wait by the gate...it takes about an hour and then a police officer will come with the signed certificates and read them out

pick yours, go and sign in the book and go home...That's pretty much it...

That is how getting the police certificate went. its a pretty easy process. Good luck with that and congratulations on your NOA2

This is so helpful, Ann: thanks! I've forwarded this to Aaron. Looks incredibly detailed to the point where anyone should be able to follow it, but if he has any questions, I'll pass them along. How long did the whole police certificate process take, overall?

[Cotton Candy 0]

Cotton Candy - you won't need the NOA2 at the Embassy HOWEVER...we had this problem too, that it was never mailed to us. You DO need it for the AOS process!! Get your fiance to start calling USCIS and asking them to send it. It took me SEVERAL phone calls and being sent to higher levels etc before someone finally recognized that USCIS was at fault and went ahead and sent it to me. You don't need it right away but you do need it!

Thanks Katie. I will look into that. Hoping it's not lost, but just delayed.

[Cotton Candy 0]

Hello everyone!

About financial support documents, is it necessary to have everything listed on the form I-134? Is 4 paystubs, bank statement and his job offer letter (because he recently changed jobs) enough?

Thank you.

[Nick&Ann 1]

This is so helpful, Ann: thanks! I've forwarded this to Aaron. Looks incredibly detailed to the point where anyone should be able to follow it, but if he has any questions, I'll pass them along. How long did the whole police certificate process take, overall?

It took five working days. I started the process on Monday and I got the certificate on Friday. The key to making the process short is to do everything you need to do on time. SO starting in the morning is the best. It takes 3 days from Naguru to Kololo.

Yes, please if he has any questions,lease pass them on, I will gladly help. Good luck

[Ben and Jill 37]

afoyoswa: Thanks, Jill! I haven't been around the Nairobi Embassy Thread much for quite a while because I was so frustrated with the lack of progress at VSC: so glad you and others are still around to help with this stuff now that I actually *need* to be here!

Would they communicate directly with Aaron? I'd be the one following up with them to find out when the petition gets there, so would they send all of this information to him, or to me? He doesn't have internet access or check email that often.

Joy, I would email them about the petition to confirm that they received it, and just copy Aaron on the email. When they respond, they will respond to both of you and this way you will surely get the email. That's what I did, and it worked out just fine. And yes, I am still around and so are lots others to help out

Edited August 13, 2012 by Ben and Jill

[Ben and Jill 37]

Hello everyone!

About financial support documents, is it necessary to have everything listed on the form I-134? Is 4 paystubs, bank statement and his job offer letter (because he recently changed jobs) enough?

Thank you.

That's pretty much what's included on the instructions for the Form I-134 under the "Supporting Evidence" section so you should be OK. Just make certain all the details are included in the employment letter that they ask for, i.e., date and nature of employment; salary paid; temporary or permanent, etc., same goes for the bank letter.

Edited August 13, 2012 by Ben and Jill

[Cotton Candy 0]

That's pretty much what's included on the instructions for the Form I-134 under the "Supporting Evidence" section so you should be OK. Just make certain all the details are included in the employment letter that they ask for, i.e., date and nature of employment; salary paid; temporary or permanent, etc., same goes for the bank letter.

Thank you very much Jill. When you say bank letter, is it possible to replace it with last year's bank statements? Or is it imperative that he goes to the bank and have them write a letter?

Also, does it matter that he has been on unemployment for a while last year (February-August 2011)? But he is in a good situation now.

Thank you.

[katie & sifa 25]

Thank you very much Jill. When you say bank letter, is it possible to replace it with last year's bank statements? Or is it imperative that he goes to the bank and have them write a letter?

Also, does it matter that he has been on unemployment for a while last year (February-August 2011)? But he is in a good situation now.

Thank you.

I think you can use a bank statement It's been a while since we went through Nairobi, but we didn't take a letter from the bank, just bank statements, tax returns, pay stubs and a letter from my employer.

[afoyoswa 178]

Joy, I would email them about the petition to confirm that they received it, and just copy Aaron on the email. When they respond, they will respond to both of you and this way you will surely get the email. That's what I did, and it worked out just fine. And yes, I am still around and so are lots others to help out

Thanks, Jill! Apparently it hasn't even reached the NVC yet, so we have a little while.

As long as I have sufficient income from my work (and show pay stubs, an employer letter, tax transcripts, etc.), I don't need bank statements, do I?

Also, I am just looking at:

http://usvisa-info.com/en-KE/selfservice/us_fee_payment_options to try to understand the payment process. I have a friend in Uganda (Aaron's cousin) who is going to take care of making the payment for us. If she already knows how to use MPesa, what information is she going to need from us in order to do this? The site mentions a "Mobile Pay Deposit Slip PDF": is that what is given to you when you pay the money to the MPesa agent, and then going through the process on the embassy's website is what applies that payment to the visa fee? I am so lost, and don't want to get this wrong!

[Cotton Candy 0]

I think you can use a bank statement It's been a while since we went through Nairobi, but we didn't take a letter from the bank, just bank statements, tax returns, pay stubs and a letter from my employer.

Thank you Katie, we got the letter from the bank this morning. So this, bank statements, pay stubs and letter from employer. I think we're good

[katie & sifa 25]

Thank you Katie, we got the letter from the bank this morning. So this, bank statements, pay stubs and letter from employer. I think we're good

Looks like it! Good luck!

[Ben and Jill 37]

Thank you Katie, we got the letter from the bank this morning. So this, bank statements, pay stubs and letter from employer. I think we're good

Oh good! You got the bank letter. You're good to go!

[Ben and Jill 37]

Thanks, Jill! Apparently it hasn't even reached the NVC yet, so we have a little while.

As long as I have sufficient income from my work (and show pay stubs, an employer letter, tax transcripts, etc.), I don't need bank statements, do I?

Also, I am just looking at:

http://usvisa-info.com/en-KE/selfservice/us_fee_payment_options to try to understand the payment process. I have a friend in Uganda (Aaron's cousin) who is going to take care of making the payment for us. If she already knows how to use MPesa, what information is she going to need from us in order to do this? The site mentions a "Mobile Pay Deposit Slip PDF": is that what is given to you when you pay the money to the MPesa agent, and then going through the process on the embassy's website is what applies that payment to the visa fee? I am so lost, and don't want to get this wrong!

Joy, the letter from the bank is actually on the instructions as supporting evidence for the I-134...I would get it if you can. I did and it doesn't take that long - get two copies of the letter. If you can't, I would think the other supporting evidence you have would be OK. The Embassy can be so quirky though, so I personally would not risk it. You KNOW how they are! LOL

As far as your other question about the fee, we used MPesa to pay the fee and you need the MRV receipt number in order to schedule the interview. Let me read through the link you attached and try to remember how we did it and come back to you. I don't want to give you the wrong information

[Ben and Jill 37]

Thanks, Jill! Apparently it hasn't even reached the NVC yet, so we have a little while.

As long as I have sufficient income from my work (and show pay stubs, an employer letter, tax transcripts, etc.), I don't need bank statements, do I?

Also, I am just looking at:

http://usvisa-info.com/en-KE/selfservice/us_fee_payment_options to try to understand the payment process. I have a friend in Uganda (Aaron's cousin) who is going to take care of making the payment for us. If she already knows how to use MPesa, what information is she going to need from us in order to do this? The site mentions a "Mobile Pay Deposit Slip PDF": is that what is given to you when you pay the money to the MPesa agent, and then going through the process on the embassy's website is what applies that payment to the visa fee? I am so lost, and don't want to get this wrong!

OK, it looks like the process is a bit different as I don't remember anything at all about the "Mobile Pay Deposit Slip PDF". Anyway, what we did was we paid the fee using MPesa through Ben's phone, once paid, you automatically receive an MRV Receipt Number which can be saved to the phone (it comes via text I believe). You have to wait a while for the payment to clear. Ours took a good two-three days. I kept trying to schedule the interview via the website, and it wouldn't allow me to. Once the payment clears, you will be directed to the schedule (you'll know that it cleared when you're able to actually view the interview calendar). The MPesa account that you are using needs to have enough money in it to cover the visa fee. The MPesa agent doesn't give you anything other than the receipt for the deposit into the MPesa account. Aaron's cousin should follow the directions on the website for making the payment using MPesa. It's pretty intuitive when your actually doing it over the phone with the instructions.

I know it's overwhelming and confusing, but when you're going through it, it's not as difficult as it sounds right now. When Aaron's cousin pays the fee, she needs to make sure to save the MRV receipt number for you. You can do the rest through the website. I hope this helps a little.