|
|
| Mumbai, India |  Review on August 16, 2012: |
DiVen
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
My fiance got to the Consulate at 6 am. There were already 15-20 people waiting outside the consulate. They had formed a single queue.
At around 6.50, VFS guards come and segregated the line into IV and Non-IV applicants. IV Applicants (about 30 applications for IV by now) were asked to keep their appointment letters in hand along with passport.
At 7.15 the guards led them inside the building for security checks. It doesn\\\\\\\'t matter if you get there super early really, because there is a security check and each check station takes different time. You are not allowed to carry anything but your Visa related forms and docs. VFS no longer has a locker facility there either.
It was about 7.25 by the time my fiance got through the check. After that they proceeded to another building. IV Applicants were asked to go to a counter where an Indian CO looked at it, and attached a token number to it. After this, she was asked to take a seat till her token number was called.
Her token number was called at 7.45. Another Indian CO checked her documents which we had submitted to VFS, the stuff she had brought, and our original petition which he had in a pink folder. He was very pleasant to her.
Questions asked by Indian CO:
1. What is your name?
2. Where does your fiance live?
3. Have you been to America before?
4. Have you stayed in America for longer than 6 months?
He proceeded to collect the PCC which she was unable to submit at VFS, I-134, my IRS tax return statements etc. He asked if she had the Demand Draft for the fees. He checked that and told her to go to Counter #22 to submit payment and told her he would hang on to her passport and paperwork.
There was no one at Counter #22, and there were about 10 people in front of my fiance. After about 25 minutes, she was able to submit the fees as required. She then proceeded back to the same Indian CO and gave him the receipt from Counter #22. She was asked to take a seat till her number was called again.
At 9.10, her number was called to Counter #10. There was an Indian Female CO and an American Female CO at the counter. The American CO asked her to place her right hand fingers on a finger scanner for fingerprinting. She was asked to take an oath.
She was asked to sign her DS-156K. Then it was question time.
Questions asked by Female American CO:
1. Who is in the US that is petitioning for you?
2. How did you guys meet?
3. Since when have you been in this relationship?
4. When was the first time you met him in person?
5. Is this an arranged marriage or a love marriage?
6. Why do you want to have the wedding in the US and not India?
7. Will you have a court wedding?
Then the CO requested proof of relationship. She only took the photographs from my fiance even though we had phone bills, skype screen shots, chat logs, email logs and a 100 other receipts and proofs.
She browsed through the photographs from the original petition and then the proof of relationship photos. She didn\\\\\\\'t seem too interested in the pictures of us together. However, she seemed very interested in the pictures of us with family, friends, grandparents, uncles, aunts etc. She proceeded to ask my fiance who each person was in the photos.
She then entered something in her computer and told my fiance that her K1 visa has been approved. She opened up the page in the passport that had my fiance\s tourist visa. She said she was going to cancel the tourist visa now since her K1 visa was being approved. She then said that the visa would be at my fiance's doorstep in 4-5 days.
My fiance thanked her and left the building at around 9.20. She called me as soon as she got to her phone and I am posting this review from her recollection of what happened.
We are so excited to get married here in America and start our new lives together. Thanks to VJ for all the help!
(updated on August 21, 2012)
Edit: August 28: It's been 12 days since my fiance's interview and we are yet to receive her passport back. I called DOS this morning and they said that our case has been put on AP. There was no indication at all during the interview that this would happen, and they did not give her any 221g or anything. Now we are just lost and don't know what to do or who to contact.
(updated on August 28, 2012)
Edit: Sept 4: The Visa was processed finally on August 31st, 2 weeks after the interview. After the weekend and Labor Day (Sept 3rd), we finally picked up the passport at VFS today and fly to Texas this coming weekend! They came through and processed the AP on time to where we do not have to reschedule everything for our Texas wedding which had already been planned.
(updated on September 4, 2012)
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #10193