March Interviews

[meuy99 4]

I saw that someone had posted a Feb Interview topic and thought there should be a March Interview topic so you can post about your interview experience.

Our interview is on March 27 and I am expecting a denial because he has a record for marijuana possession from 5 years ago (long story) and will apply for 601 waiver if he is denied, so I guess you can say I am expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. It's so nice to read about other people's stories and approvals because every time I see an approval, I gain a little bit of hope.

[Tina and Johan 206]

Good luck! I have a question: I was reading your timeline, and it says that you were waiting for his documents from his home country (SA?). Does this mean that he lives elsewhere currently, or did SA take that long even though he still lives there? My man is also South African, but living in Ireland (citizen of both now) and we've been debating about how long it'll take to get these documents. :-/

[meuy99 4]

Good luck! I have a question: I was reading your timeline, and it says that you were waiting for his documents from his home country (SA?). Does this mean that he lives elsewhere currently, or did SA take that long even though he still lives there? My man is also South African, but living in Ireland (citizen of both now) and we've been debating about how long it'll take to get these documents. :-/

Hi There. I saw your question on another post and meant to answer, but got sleepy There are a few agency that will help you get his Police Clearance- you can google it. The process normally only takes a few weeks- the website says 8, I think- don't quote me on this, but from what I've seen, it only takes 2-5 weeks, if there are no prior convictions. My fiance sent his in Dec 4, they didn't start processing it until Dec 19th, I think, and because of a prior conviction, they didn't finalize it until Feb 4, which wasn't as bad as I thought. If your fiance has no prior convictions, it should be fairly quick. But if there is a prior conviction, it may take up to 12 weeks. Once you submit it, you can check on your progress on the SAPS website.

Ours took a while because of the labor strike so the mail didn't arrive for another 2 weeks.

Edited February 28, 2014 by meuy99

[KTichUsZim 3]

I had to reply to your post. Fiance and I are still gathering documents police clearance from south Africa and Zimbabwe, he's Zimbabwean, haven't done the medical, our approval is good until May and I'm going out my minf with worry, does it really take that long to get SA clearance? I'm so worried about that.

Good luck on your upcoming interview!

[meuy99 4]

I had to reply to your post. Fiance and I are still gathering documents police clearance from south Africa and Zimbabwe, he's Zimbabwean, haven't done the medical, our approval is good until May and I'm going out my minf with worry, does it really take that long to get SA clearance? I'm so worried about that.

Good luck on your upcoming interview!

Thank you. It doesn't take that long to get the police clearance, but if your fiance was ever arrested and have a prior conviction, it'll take longer, but shouldn't be more than 12 weeks. If you already have all of your other documents, then you shouldn't worry. I see that you seem to be really nervous from your other posts, so my word of advice is to just relax and breathe There are so many who have gone through the process and documented their journeys so that the people who come after them, like us, will be more knowledgeable and hopefully less stressed out about the situation. If you get nervous, read other people's stories and struggles. If you are unsure of something, ask or do a search on the page and see if anyone has gone through what you're going through. All I'm trying to say is that, don't worry so much because what will happen will happen and stressing about it won't help matters. I don't think you have anything to worry about (I know, easier said than done). Good luck to you

[KTichUsZim 3]

Thanks for replying, 12 weeks? Wow that is really long wait time, would you mind sharing the medical experience, plus the embassy never mailed a letter with specific instructions, just an email directing us to there confuing website, DS160 done but wasn't clear on what else they needed we dud DS230 and 156 something or other. This is why I'm so stressed not to many people from SA consulate I can seek advice, I'll take anything.

Thanks

[meuy99 4]

Thanks for replying, 12 weeks? Wow that is really long wait time, would you mind sharing the medical experience, plus the embassy never mailed a letter with specific instructions, just an email directing us to there confuing website, DS160 done but wasn't clear on what else they needed we dud DS230 and 156 something or other. This is why I'm so stressed not to many people from SA consulate I can seek advice, I'll take anything.

Thanks

Yes, all you need is the DS 160. The DS 230 is outdated and so is the 156, that is why I say to read and do some search on the site. All of your questions have been asked before and answers given. He's not going to do his medical until it gets closer to the interview date. I don't want to risk it expiring, since it is only good for 6 months, if we have to apply for a waiver. If you are in Cape Town, the doctor I hear is nice, their staff is very helpful. I spoke to them when I was visiting my fiance in December. Don't be nervous. You should have received an email from the embassy with instructions to complete the DS 160, medical, police clearance and whatever documents you need. this is Packet 3. We didn't receiving an email, so I had to send multiple emails to follow up and we finally received our Packet 3 email, but the instructions were wrong so I had to email back for clarification.

When I emailed them back our packet 3 to schedule an interview, we didn't get an interview notice the first time, so we missed our appointment. I called to follow up and the person I spoke to said she'd follow up on my second interview request. She then called my fiance to let him know that he missed his first interview, but he told her that he didn't get a letter, email or phone call letting him know that he had an appointment. She sent us an appointment letter shortly after, but she put down the wrong VISA type on the letter, but I confirmed with her that it didn't matter. From what I've read, this consulate sounds like they have their ###### together, so maybe we just got someone who is overwhelmed or doesn't know what she's doing. Either way, every time I call, she's really helpful and friendly, which is a lot more than I can say about the SAPS. If you don't know, customer service is almost non-existent in SA and especially with government workers (I guess the same can be said of our civil servants..)

Edited February 28, 2014 by meuy99

[Tina and Johan 206]

Hi There. I saw your question on another post and meant to answer, but got sleepy There are a few agency that will help you get his Police Clearance- you can google it. The process normally only takes a few weeks- the website says 8, I think- don't quote me on this, but from what I've seen, it only takes 2-5 weeks, if there are no prior convictions...Once you submit it, you can check on your progress on the SAPS website.

Ours took a while because of the labor strike so the mail didn't arrive for another 2 weeks.

Thank you very much for the reply! His biggest concern is that he's not IN SA at the moment. He's in Ireland, and he's thinking it'll take up to 6+ months to get the police clearance. This worries me more than anything. My hope is that he'll be at the interview stage in 6 months' time. Can a family member of his request it for him? Unbelievably, he has pretty much all the other documents he would need from SA, apart from that.

[meuy99 4]

Thank you very much for the reply! His biggest concern is that he's not IN SA at the moment. He's in Ireland, and he's thinking it'll take up to 6+ months to get the police clearance. This worries me more than anything. My hope is that he'll be at the interview stage in 6 months' time. Can a family member of his request it for him? Unbelievably, he has pretty much all the other documents he would need from SA, apart from that.

I understand why he's concerned because things in SA take forever and people are not friendly. He can have a member help submit it for him, but he has to get finger printed and he has to do that himself. I'm not exactly sure if he has to get finger printed at any particular place (eg consulate), so you may want to try googling or searching the SAPS website. When I was researching, I remember reading about people who lived abroad and getting their PC done from abroad. Good luck.

[Tina and Johan 206]

cool. Thank you for the feedback. I'll pass that on.

Tina

Edited March 1, 2014 by Tina and Johan

[KTichUsZim 3]

Thanks again for the info, he's in joburg so unfortunately the one doctor listed in that area is expensive and all we have to chose from.

I just hope the police clearance don't take long and we have all the correct documents needed and submitted, as I said earlier, the consulates website is very confusing. I'm just freaked out!