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Last 5 Reviews
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| London, United Kingdom |  Review #33454 on November 19, 2024: |
charlestee
Rating: 
| Review Topic: K1 Visa
Hnnnnmmm! It was quite an adventurous long and fearful journey.
I arrived the consulate quite early for my interview before 7am as my interview was scheduled for 8:30am.
Long line as usual people waiting to be signed in so i joined the line. one of the officials came by asking people to put their docs together properly so i asked if mine was ok. Seeing my doc, she asked me to come forwards then signed on it and told me to bypass the queue straight to the entrance, being that my appointment was a priority whom they were already waiting for inside.
I got in, was checked and directed to the interview area which was different from others. Quite few persons around there, then i was called by the first guy who took my biometrics and asked for my docs which i gave. Some of my docs were photocopy e.g. my divorce letters both mine and my fiancé, police certificates from everywhere you have lived in the last 5years, my birth certificate, affidavit of support for me and my fiancé and police certificate which he told me would not be accepted and requesting for the originals. I told him some in my home country and some in Manchester where i came from. He also requested for my photo passport and my international passport, and all other docs as requested in the form. So, guys do make sure to go along with all your original docs as they are very important and check if your police report is still valid as it does expire every 3months if you do not want any delay on your visa issuance.
I was asked to sit down and wait for the consular to interview me, then i sat waiting anxiously.
In about 10mins i was called to proceed to a particular boot which i did. Low and behold it was a woman i had seen before and that put more fear in me. We exchange pleasantries then she asked me to raise my right hand to take an oath then i knew we were in for a very serious business. I took the oath then began to ask question which were quite easy but tricky. She asked how i and my fiancé met, where and when, the first time we saw each other, where and when? She asked places we visited. She saw a picture of both of us in the house and asked who took the picture and i told her a neighbor did, then asked if we were both married previously and i answered yes. While she asked all of this questions, she kept typing on her computer without looking at me.
These didn't last more than 6minutes, now she looked at me she passed my old passport to me holding unto the new and also returned other docs. She passed me a lemon green sheet of paper which indicated refusal. However more docs requested. The consular told me they would need to see the originals of my other docs and that the police report from my home country was expired and asked me to get a resent one. I was told i would receive an email withing 2days with instructions and how to post my docs to me embassy. So, i departed her presence. It was the fasted US interview i have ever experienced before.
My interview was on the 24th of September, i posted all required docs on the 8th of October, and a confirmation of received was send to me on the 14th the following Monday. Thinking withing a week i would receive a response... that was the biggest joke ever, it was the longest time of our lives, and it was like waiting forever endlessly. We didn't get any response until that faithful night my fiancé checked and saw that my visa had been approved, and the longest wait ended.
Guys once you missed the day of your interview and not approved, you definitely can't tell how long it will take to get a response. It can be really frustrating folks.
Best of luck to everyone on the waiting list and wishing you all the best as you approach this scary interview which indeed is quite usually easy and smooth.
| | | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Review #33452 on November 18, 2024: |
Devarj
Rating:
| Review Topic: IR-2 Visa
Appointment at 0740. Line to enter the consulate was very long but moved somewhat quickly. Started waiting to be called about 0800. First call to check documents at 0830. This is an interview for my under 18 year old stepson IR2 Visa. Only took his birth certificate, my marriage certificate, copy of mother's green card, and my birth cartificate (I'm a US citizen and the petitioner). Waited about two hours to be called for interview. They call numbers randomly. For example, my number was 1070 but numbers such as 1085 etc were called before us. Got to the interview with one US and one Vietnamese agent. One question "Where is your biological father". The US consular agent stamppled the document approved before the questions even asked by the Vietnamese agent. This my second time for an interview. First was with my wife a few years before. Only three questions to her. I suspect these visa approvals are really predetermined. Overall a good experience!
| | | Egypt | Review #33451 on November 18, 2024: |
Theamerica
Rating: 
| Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
The process took about three years from when my family member returned to Egypt. He was initially on a student visa in America but had to go back to Egypt due to the two-year requirement associated with the J-1 visa. I petitioned for my spouse to come back to the U.S., which cost about $3,000 for everything since I handled most of the paperwork myself.
The process was difficult, as I had to deal with many flights traveling back and forth to Egypt over those three years. In Feb of 2024, his case went into administrative processing and then turned into a refusal. However, after six months, the Egyptian embassy reached out to us to complete another health physical and requested that we send the Egyptian passport to the embassy in Cairo. This only took two weeks, and after we received notification of approval, my spouse was on a plane back to the U.S. via British Airways just two weeks later.
FYI, the Social Security card and roughly two months to receive the green card at our home.
| | | Review #33450 on November 15, 2024: |
Terry G
Rating: 
| Review Topic: General Review
The interview at the consulate was easy. They have an area where I was able to sit while my wife did her interview.
| | | Frankfurt, Germany | Review #33449 on November 11, 2024: |
rathuis
Rating:
| Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
On October 18 I had my interview appointment @7:30AM.
I arrived @Frankfurt a day earlier by car, driving from Gouda Netherlands in a 5 hour commute.
I stayed at Hotel Arena Villa am Wasserpark, a block away from the US Consulate.
For people who have an early appointment is it a good option for a hotel. Only parking is expensive €15,-/night.
I parked my car on the street which is for free.
I arrived at Consulate @06:45AM and I was sure I would be the first in line. But I was mistaken. There were 3 people in front of me. So I was the forth person together with my US wife. At 07:10AM Window 1 opened and my turn to approach the window was 5 minutes later. The lady behind the window asked for our passport. I received a little paper stated "Immigrant Visa I 101 7:17AM 10/18/2024 Case ID:89226" and we were directed to go to wait in front of desk number 15-21 once inside the main building, after Security which was next door. My wife had a Apple watch that had to be turned off and put in a locker. Security went fast, similar to airport security. 5 minutes at the most. At 7:30AM we walked following the green lines to the main building and we sat down in front of the desk numbers 15-21 which was way in the back. We waited 10 minutes and we were called for documents check at desk 19. I had uploaded all the required documents online via https://ceac.state.gov/IV and all I was asked to give was not more then the originals of the following documents:
- Passport
- Marriage Certificate
- Birth Certificate
- Police record (VOG)
- Registration of return address to send passport to.
- Passport photo (according to American standards) with my full name written on the back.
That were all the documents asked. No AOS documents, proof of income, proof of domicile, etc. None of that.
After that they took my fingerprints, right hand, left hand, both thumbs at the same time and look into the camera.
I was instructed to sit down again and wait for my number to show up on the screen for my interview.
We sat down again and waited 45 minutes for the interview.
The interview was pretty easy and took about 10 minutes. I had to raise my right arm to the square and answer "Yes I will". After that my fingerprints were taken again, only the 4 fingers of my left hand this time. Most of the time the interviewer was typing stuff. The very first question I totally blew it!!.
I was asked when I met my wife for the very first time. It was in 2005 but I answered: "in 2019". My wife who stood next to me at the interview desk surprisingly reacted: "Really?" Then I said: "Oh...ehhhh...no no....it was in 2005". We all laughed about that!
Other questions were like:
How did you meet eachother, date of marriage, if I was married before, if my wife was married before, if we have children, where we going to live in the US and why at that particular city/State.
I was asked if I had completed my medical exam yet. I had it completed 3 days before on the 15th, but the results were not in yet and so I was rejected with a 211(g) stating that my Visa will be accepted as soon the results of my medical exam shows up in the system and are positive. The interviewer handed me back my original documents and I was good to go.
To set up the medical exam is indeed a nightmare and time consuming like peachy_8 shares.
Plan well in advance all the vaccinations needed for the medical exam. All vaccinations must be done at GGD and/or local doctor which took months for me to have them all done.
I have no history of any vaccinations I have had in my childhood. "Gele boekje" only contained my Covid vaccinations. So I had to get the rest:
- Covid vaccination
- Flue shot
- Difterie, Kinkhoest, Tetanus] (Boosterix)
- Bof, Mazelen, Rode hond (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella=MMR)
- Hepatitis B (Engerix). Serie van 3 vaccinaties (0, 1, 6 months) - only 1st shot is needed for medical exam
- I was not sure if I have had Waterpokken, so I asked for a blood test at my local doctor and the result was that I had enough anti-bodies for waterpokken in my blood, so there was no vaccination needed.
When all that was done I was able to make appointment for medical exam at https://huisartsritz.nl/praktijkinformatie/visumkeuring-amerika/
Medical exam was fairly easy. The doctor measured my blood pressure and I had to pay €220,- X-Ray of my longs was €90,-
After 5 working days of processing time they send the results of the exam to the Consulate in Frankfurt.
So after 5 working days (4 days after my interview) I checked my Visa status at https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx
But Visa was still refused. After 10 days, still refused. After some emails to the panel doctor and resending the results to the Consulate i finally received the status "Issued".
Another nightmare for me is to get my passport returned to my home address in the Netherlands.
I registered my home address online (and handed the lady behind the desk the confirmation at the time of interview at the Consulate). I registered for Frankfurt IV international delivery (which was a free of charge delivery service). But they changed the system and now that registration is lost and they sent my passport to a local mailbox in Frankfurt instead, ready to be picked up. By who??? Not me!! I live a 5 hour drive from Frankfurt and not able to pick up my passport. At the moment of writing this review the Consulate tells me that I have to contact the courier to ask for advice....another nightmare!
(updated on November 11, 2024)
(updated on November 11, 2024)
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