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| Madrid, Spain |  Review on August 17, 2012: |
AandJ
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
The final process of our Visa Journey was much easier than we expected in Madrid. The Medical, which we did at Unidad AngloAmericana was easy and quick. We checked out the vaccination requirements beforehand from this link - http://www.unidadmedica.com/images/visados_english.pdf.
At the Embassy we arrived about 40 minutes early and had to wait in line outside to pass through security. They do NOT allow backpacks and large bags for anyone who is not an American citizen. They allowed me, the American spouse, to enter with my husband for his CR1 interview no problem. We were then assigned a number and passed through to the waiting room for Consular Services.
While there was no clock, there were a lot of people but our process moved quite quicly. We were called to window 1 where a nice woman leafed through our paperwork and asked questions here and there - confirmed where we would live upon arrival, asked the relation of the joint sponsor to us, asked if this was the first marriage for both of us and then asked for the medical results. She took the results but gave us the x-ray to keep. She also gave us back all of our originals that we had sent to NVC (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc) but said the Embassy needed to keep the original police certificate and instead gave us the extra copy we had sent. She took the passport and then took the fingerprints (digitally) and kindly told us that we would be called back to another window for the 'interview'.
We waited about 15 more minutes and were called to window 6 - a window that you had to go through a glass door to get to (privacy we guess). Anyways, in there, he confirmed that my spouse was the person applying for the visa and asked him take the fingerprints again and then to raise his right hand and swear that all of the information we had provided in the paperwork was correct and true. He swore that it was and ta-daaaa we were told that the visa would arrive in the mail in a week or so. That was it!
We were in such shock that we asked if the process was really over and we were finished! No showing photos, no showing updated living arrangements, nothing - so EASY!
We were so excited that we even asked the security guard out front to take a picture of us - smiling huge smiles! He kindly obliged but made sure not to get the Embassy in the photo haha.
A GREAT and EASY trip to the Embassy and now just checking the mail for that visa and ready to get our USA Adventure started!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #10211