TIPS for your papers at the interview

jess100 · April 28, 2016

Hi I would like to pass along what I was told by my husband after his interview at CDJ that would have made things easier for him.

First, the interview was for a K-1 visa and no children were involved so he only went up to a window (I had always imagined him sitting at a table with an officer but I think that's for families-or at least not done in CDJ)

Because I thought he'd have use of a table I put all documents and proof into clear sleeves into a notebook. Then I had another whole notebook with more proof of relationship. I thought he would be able to open to the relevant papers. Because there was no place to put things down he was juggling 2 large notebooks and trying to pull papers out of the sleeves. Things move pretty fast in CDJ and probably other consulates too. Having this set up made it more difficult.

It would have been easier to have an expanding folder with the opening on top and then file the papers by sections (birth certificates, affidavit of support and supporting documents, etc) Also an extra sticky note attached to the relevant documents (and sticking out from the top) would have helped in our situation. I'm attaching a photo but they are just called expanding folders. It might help to color code the sections (green for money, ie. affidavit of support, etc.) in a way that makes sense to you both.

The clear sleeves in the notebooks was very helpful for studying the material because he could see the full document, re-read them and become more familiar with the arrangement of them.

One other tip was to bring as little as possible with you and to wear shoes that are easy to take off. He had coins, etc. in his pockets and a belt and boots so it was more complicated getting through security. A pocket was helpful, though, because they give you a ticket with a number for your case so if you can just put that in your pocket that will help. He said some women had purses and papers and notebooks and he could see it wasn't easy for them. A pocket (instead of the purse) probably would have been a lot easier.

I hope this helps someone.

LionessDeon · April 28, 2016

That's exacty what I did. My fiance had an expanding folder with sticky notes as tabs for each document. I knew he wouldn't know what an I-134, employment letter, tax transcript, etc would look like so I had it all labeled and sorted out for him. It helped alot at the window.