South African K1 Visa applicants

[Wouter Erwee 11]

1 minute ago, Vintage girl said:

Wow that is such great news. I am so relieved for you guys. How come the doctor appointments are wide apart?  jeez that interview date happened quick. I am supper happy for you guys. I hope that everything go well with your interview.

The Doctor1 and Doctor2 are usually only 2 days apart, to give time from blood tests to be processed.  But, when I called I just said I would be willing to come in any day anytime in order to make it for my consulate interview.

[Vintage girl 146]

5 minutes ago, Wouter Erwee said:

The Doctor1 and Doctor2 are usually only 2 days apart, to give time from blood tests to be processed.  But, when I called I just said I would be willing to come in any day anytime in order to make it for my consulate interview.

My apologies for asking so many questions. Did you struggle to get a interview in Sandton? it seems that the schedule of interview went quick. Did you first made the interview?

Another thing how many days did you guys wait for the NOA2?

 

So the hold up was not at the NVC but at the Sandton embassy? or do I understand wrong.

[Wouter Erwee 11]

10 minutes ago, Vintage girl said:

My apologies for asking so many questions. Did you struggle to get a interview in Sandton? it seems that the schedule of interview went quick. Did you first made the interview?

Another thing how many days did you guys wait for the NOA2?

 

So the hold up was not at the NVC but at the Sandton embassy? or do I understand wrong.

NVC said that the packet had left for JHB and when you call the consulate, they say it's still at the NVC, haha.  But I believe my packet was maybe just laying there in JHB.  I just probably called the right person at the right time and 5 mins after my call we got an email from the consulate.

NOA1 - 18 July 2017

NOA2 - 13 Feb 2018 (215 days)

NVC Number - 26 Feb 2018

Interview - 29 Mar 2018

 

When I processed they online payment it took me to the schedule appointment page. (JHB only does K1 on Tue & Wed and only the last 2 weeks of every month) But all the dates were still open.  I could have selected an appointment for next week if I wanted, but I took a chance on the 29th and booked it.  You can always go back and change the date of your interview.  After that I called the doctor and pleaded for them to help me so that I can make my interview on the 29th.  Guess I got really lucky!!!!

 

No worries on the questions.  Ask if you have more.

[Vintage girl 146]

24 minutes ago, Wouter Erwee said:

NVC said that the packet had left for JHB and when you call the consulate, they say it's still at the NVC, haha.  But I believe my packet was maybe just laying there in JHB.  I just probably called the right person at the right time and 5 mins after my call we got an email from the consulate.

NOA1 - 18 July 2017

NOA2 - 13 Feb 2018 (215 days)

NVC Number - 26 Feb 2018

Interview - 29 Mar 2018

 

When I processed they online payment it took me to the schedule appointment page. (JHB only does K1 on Tue & Wed and only the last 2 weeks of every month) But all the dates were still open.  I could have selected an appointment for next week if I wanted, but I took a chance on the 29th and booked it.  You can always go back and change the date of your interview.  After that I called the doctor and pleaded for them to help me so that I can make my interview on the 29th.  Guess I got really lucky!!!!

 

No worries on the questions.  Ask if you have more.

That's really great. I hope we get the NOA2 soon. I think I will feel better after the go ahead from the NOA2. At this moment this waiting is very frustrating for me. The unsure feeling. But we have a long way to go. Today 96 days since the NOA1. The INS Lawyer told us that they never waited more than 180 days for the NOA2. But guess with the back log you can't really estimate it. We just have to wait on it.

 

Are you the one going for the interview or is it your fiance?

 

Another thing, I am still working till  my interview date so I have to keep in mind the notice time too... But we don't want to wait any longer after the interview so I guess I just have to make a arrangement then to work 2 weeks notice.

Edited March 20, 2018 by Vintage girl

[HOORAY7 165]

WE ARE APPROVED!!!! YAY!! I will get more details and pass them to you all, Kerren is still on her way home. More to follow, but wanted to let you all know! Thank you for all your thoughts! I'll be back with info as soon as I can speak to Kerren. Yay!! 🇺🇸🇿🇦🇺🇸🇿🇦🇺🇸🇿🇦

[Vintage girl 146]

10 minutes ago, HOORAY7 said:

WE ARE APPROVED!!!! YAY!! I will get more details and pass them to you all, Kerren is still on her way home. More to follow, but wanted to let you all know! Thank you for all your thoughts! I'll be back with info as soon as I can speak to Kerren. Yay!! 🇺🇸🇿🇦🇺🇸🇿🇦🇺🇸🇿🇦

Ah that is wonderful news. I am super glad for you guys. Please do send us details. I have a ton of questions. But let her get over the shock and excitement first. You guys deserve it. I am so so happy for you. Enjoy the good news.

[Yale Man 3]

This is fantastic news! Julie, what would the movies be without a little drama? In the nick of time, you and Kerren pulled through. It makes for a great story.

 

Wouter, wonderful to hear that the consulate responded to you and has scheduled your interview. As you wrote, it was the right person at the right time! 

 

Michael

[LuFlolady 881]

8 hours ago, amaraimee said:

Hello everybody! My fiancé has his interview today at the Johannesburg Consulate, and I will be attending with him. I have a question about my Affadavit of Support (I-134), in the box where it asks your yearly salary, I used a pay stub of mine that I get every 2 weeks (the amount varies as I get paid hourly) and I multiplied it to make it into a years pay. Will they see this and think I exaggerated since I’m paid hourly or should I have written $xx.xx/hr even though it states /year? Any help is much appreciated  thank you! 

good luck and pls update us after the interview when you can

[LuFlolady 881]

3 hours ago, Wouter Erwee said:

Hi Guys,

Update from my side.  After we received our NVC Number Via email everything kind of stopped. The CEAC tracker said ready the day after we received our NVC number.  After waiting a few weeks and only being told to just wait by the consulate in JHB and NVC center in the US we finally got our email with packet 3 from the US consulate. ( I am a little suspicious of this, as our email from the consulate came 5mins after a call from me enquiring about the status, anyways...).  we managed to squeeze in our doctors appointments and our interview will be soon.

Doctor1 - 20 Mar

- Appointment at the doctor was effortless. Gave the documents, blood sample, pay R3000, then they send you to the XRAY center to complete your xray and thats it.

Doctor2 - 27 Mar 

Consulate Interview - 29 Mar

 

Good luck to everyone out there.

wow! good luck the rest of te way I am glad everything went so fast after the initial delay!

[LuFlolady 881]

2 hours ago, Wouter Erwee said:

NVC said that the packet had left for JHB and when you call the consulate, they say it's still at the NVC, haha.  But I believe my packet was maybe just laying there in JHB.  I just probably called the right person at the right time and 5 mins after my call we got an email from the consulate.

NOA1 - 18 July 2017

NOA2 - 13 Feb 2018 (215 days)

NVC Number - 26 Feb 2018

Interview - 29 Mar 2018

 

When I processed they online payment it took me to the schedule appointment page. (JHB only does K1 on Tue & Wed and only the last 2 weeks of every month) But all the dates were still open.  I could have selected an appointment for next week if I wanted, but I took a chance on the 29th and booked it.  You can always go back and change the date of your interview.  After that I called the doctor and pleaded for them to help me so that I can make my interview on the 29th.  Guess I got really lucky!!!!

 

No worries on the questions.  Ask if you have more.

so once they sent you pkt 3 u logged on  and paid the DS160 am I understanding you correctly? and after paying the DS160  they took you to a page to pick your interview date?

1 hour ago, HOORAY7 said:

WE ARE APPROVED!!!! YAY!! I will get more details and pass them to you all, Kerren is still on her way home. More to follow, but wanted to let you all know! Thank you for all your thoughts! I'll be back with info as soon as I can speak to Kerren. Yay!! 🇺🇸🇿🇦🇺🇸🇿🇦🇺🇸🇿🇦

SO HAPPY FOR YOU! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!

[HOORAY7 165]

Everyone thank you for your kind words of thoughts and support, really helps!!  We are approved and it feels like a huge weight off our shoulders.  A bit surreal now for Kerren as she begins to say her goodbye's to family and friends, which I know will not be easy for her or the boys. 

Here is how her interview went:

1.  Appointment was at 1pm, but as I requested her get there early in case there are any hiccups in traffic or weather or otherwise.  Thank goodness she did.  Apparently the consulate overbooks the interview times with more than one couple; she said there was like 20 people there for the 1pm interview time slot.  So Kerren suggests to get there early, an hour before your interview time.  Why, so you can at least be standing in the line to go in and be at the head of that line; especially because they book so many people for the same time slot.

2.  She was there for a max 2 hours from being in line to the end of the interview, but plan longer if you arrive closer to your interview time as you will be behind others slotted to be there for the same time slot.  Be prepared with a umbrella or something, she said it rained and hailed over a lot of people :(.

3.  She was complimented on how together her package was, we worked very hard on ensuring she had it all and then some.  And because of that, they limited how in depth her interview was.

4.  When you go in you will go to the 1st counter and hand over all your documents (we had 3 folders; folder one was all documents called out in your Packet 3 from the Consulate, folder two was all our proof of relationship and folder three was just everything we already sent in the first package just in case). You will only give them what they request and most you will get back too.

5.  Once you go to the first counter and give your package(s) then you will wait for your interview

6.  Her interview consisted of 3 questions (we were prepared for more than 25), but they asked:

     a. Where did we meet

     b.  When was her first trip to see me

     c.  When was the last time we saw each other

 

7.  They did not ask the boys any questions, the boys were disappointed, but none the less we were ok with that lol

8. Again the lady complimented Kerren on having a well put together package, most people don't come in that prepared she said; so she was told several times you will have no issues being approved and she wasn't, she and us were approved!!

9.  After that, the way they told her she was approved was they stamped her tourist visa/passport no longer valid.....because she was APPROVED for the K1 Visa!!!  YAY!!

10. They told her it will take 5-10 days to receive the visa's, as we expected. 

11.  In the CEAC website you go to, you need to put there if you want courier service, that is with DHL and that is what Kerren did.  So she will be notified by DHL when the Visa's are ready for her to pick up and she will go pick them up.  I do not believe there is any charge for this since you are picking it up.  But I highly suggest using DHL, they are the most secure for postal items.

Kerren and the boys will now fly here 12 Apr (we believe that is plenty of time to get the visa's) and the we will be married on the 21st of April on Mount Rainier by my best friend to meet the K1 requirements and then have our big wedding next year with family and friends from both sides.

 

Like I said before, i'm not leaving VJ just because we are approved now, most people don't return.  But I want to answer anyone's questions along their journey and still share ours, we are not done.  We are just done with Phase 1.  But I also want to see everyone's journey's to success.  I'm always here for you all, so don't hesitate!  Keep the faith!

 

Julie

 

 

 

[amaraimee 109]

59 minutes ago, HOORAY7 said:

Everyone thank you for your kind words of thoughts and support, really helps!!  We are approved and it feels like a huge weight off our shoulders.  A bit surreal now for Kerren as she begins to say her goodbye's to family and friends, which I know will not be easy for her or the boys. 

Here is how her interview went:

1.  Appointment was at 1pm, but as I requested her get there early in case there are any hiccups in traffic or weather or otherwise.  Thank goodness she did.  Apparently the consulate overbooks the interview times with more than one couple; she said there was like 20 people there for the 1pm interview time slot.  So Kerren suggests to get there early, an hour before your interview time.  Why, so you can at least be standing in the line to go in and be at the head of that line; especially because they book so many people for the same time slot.

2.  She was there for a max 2 hours from being in line to the end of the interview, but plan longer if you arrive closer to your interview time as you will be behind others slotted to be there for the same time slot.  Be prepared with a umbrella or something, she said it rained and hailed over a lot of people :(.

3.  She was complimented on how together her package was, we worked very hard on ensuring she had it all and then some.  And because of that, they limited how in depth her interview was.

4.  When you go in you will go to the 1st counter and hand over all your documents (we had 3 folders; folder one was all documents called out in your Packet 3 from the Consulate, folder two was all our proof of relationship and folder three was just everything we already sent in the first package just in case). You will only give them what they request and most you will get back too.

5.  Once you go to the first counter and give your package(s) then you will wait for your interview

6.  Her interview consisted of 3 questions (we were prepared for more than 25), but they asked:

     a. Where did we meet

     b.  When was her first trip to see me

     c.  When was the last time we saw each other

 

7.  They did not ask the boys any questions, the boys were disappointed, but none the less we were ok with that lol

8. Again the lady complimented Kerren on having a well put together package, most people don't come in that prepared she said; so she was told several times you will have no issues being approved and she wasn't, she and us were approved!!

9.  After that, the way they told her she was approved was they stamped her tourist visa/passport no longer valid.....because she was APPROVED for the K1 Visa!!!  YAY!!

10. They told her it will take 5-10 days to receive the visa's, as we expected. 

11.  In the CEAC website you go to, you need to put there if you want courier service, that is with DHL and that is what Kerren did.  So she will be notified by DHL when the Visa's are ready for her to pick up and she will go pick them up.  I do not believe there is any charge for this since you are picking it up.  But I highly suggest using DHL, they are the most secure for postal items.

Kerren and the boys will now fly here 12 Apr (we believe that is plenty of time to get the visa's) and the we will be married on the 21st of April on Mount Rainier by my best friend to meet the K1 requirements and then have our big wedding next year with family and friends from both sides.

 

Like I said before, i'm not leaving VJ just because we are approved now, most people don't return.  But I want to answer anyone's questions along their journey and still share ours, we are not done.  We are just done with Phase 1.  But I also want to see everyone's journey's to success.  I'm always here for you all, so don't hesitate!  Keep the faith!

 

Julie

 

 

 

Hello!! I was at the Johannesburg Consulate today, I think I may have seen her and her boys! That’s so cool!! We were also approved today, yay for all of us!!

1 hour ago, LuFlolady said:

good luck and pls update us after the interview when you can

We were approved!!!! I will update soon

[HOORAY7 165]

10 minutes ago, amaraimee said:

Hello!! I was at the Johannesburg Consulate today, I think I may have seen her and her boys! That’s so cool!! We were also approved today, yay for all of us!!

We were approved!!!! I will update soon

Congratulations!!!  Yes, she kept asking what you all looked like and I said I don't know honey, lol.    Congratulations!!!  Glad it worked out, I saw your I-134 form post, but knew you were already there!  That is awesome news!!

[amaraimee 109]

24 minutes ago, HOORAY7 said:

Congratulations!!!  Yes, she kept asking what you all looked like and I said I don't know honey, lol.    Congratulations!!!  Glad it worked out, I saw your I-134 form post, but knew you were already there!  That is awesome news!!

Ahh that's so neat! As people kept passing by her boys asked "are they american?" haha it was cute. I'm so happy for you guys! It's such a hard process and it's nice to FINALLY have a breath of fresh air! The I-134 wasn't a problem, thankfully

[LuFlolady 881]

6 hours ago, HOORAY7 said:

Everyone thank you for your kind words of thoughts and support, really helps!!  We are approved and it feels like a huge weight off our shoulders.  A bit surreal now for Kerren as she begins to say her goodbye's to family and friends, which I know will not be easy for her or the boys. 

Here is how her interview went:

1.  Appointment was at 1pm, but as I requested her get there early in case there are any hiccups in traffic or weather or otherwise.  Thank goodness she did.  Apparently the consulate overbooks the interview times with more than one couple; she said there was like 20 people there for the 1pm interview time slot.  So Kerren suggests to get there early, an hour before your interview time.  Why, so you can at least be standing in the line to go in and be at the head of that line; especially because they book so many people for the same time slot.

2.  She was there for a max 2 hours from being in line to the end of the interview, but plan longer if you arrive closer to your interview time as you will be behind others slotted to be there for the same time slot.  Be prepared with a umbrella or something, she said it rained and hailed over a lot of people :(.

3.  She was complimented on how together her package was, we worked very hard on ensuring she had it all and then some.  And because of that, they limited how in depth her interview was.

4.  When you go in you will go to the 1st counter and hand over all your documents (we had 3 folders; folder one was all documents called out in your Packet 3 from the Consulate, folder two was all our proof of relationship and folder three was just everything we already sent in the first package just in case). You will only give them what they request and most you will get back too.

5.  Once you go to the first counter and give your package(s) then you will wait for your interview

6.  Her interview consisted of 3 questions (we were prepared for more than 25), but they asked:

     a. Where did we meet

     b.  When was her first trip to see me

     c.  When was the last time we saw each other

 

7.  They did not ask the boys any questions, the boys were disappointed, but none the less we were ok with that lol

8. Again the lady complimented Kerren on having a well put together package, most people don't come in that prepared she said; so she was told several times you will have no issues being approved and she wasn't, she and us were approved!!

9.  After that, the way they told her she was approved was they stamped her tourist visa/passport no longer valid.....because she was APPROVED for the K1 Visa!!!  YAY!!

10. They told her it will take 5-10 days to receive the visa's, as we expected. 

11.  In the CEAC website you go to, you need to put there if you want courier service, that is with DHL and that is what Kerren did.  So she will be notified by DHL when the Visa's are ready for her to pick up and she will go pick them up.  I do not believe there is any charge for this since you are picking it up.  But I highly suggest using DHL, they are the most secure for postal items.

Kerren and the boys will now fly here 12 Apr (we believe that is plenty of time to get the visa's) and the we will be married on the 21st of April on Mount Rainier by my best friend to meet the K1 requirements and then have our big wedding next year with family and friends from both sides.

 

Like I said before, i'm not leaving VJ just because we are approved now, most people don't return.  But I want to answer anyone's questions along their journey and still share ours, we are not done.  We are just done with Phase 1.  But I also want to see everyone's journey's to success.  I'm always here for you all, so don't hesitate!  Keep the faith!

 

Julie

 

 

 

I am so happy for you thank you for the detailed events of kerran's day I cant wait until my fiancé and I are at this point.... again CONGGRATS and im glad u are sticking around to help us out!