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|  Review on October 4, 2012: |
darulaloom2006
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
All praise and glory is due to Allah for having made my wife's interview an easy and successful one.
We decided to spend the night in Nairobi before our interview so that we could be fresh for the interview. After reading a lot of good reviews we decided to stay at the Nomad Palace Hotel in Nairobi which is 50$ usd dollars per night. I must say the inside of the hotel and its staff is amazing but the outside of this place is definitely like a 3rd world country so you must have a lot of patience until you reach the hotel. I recommend that one hires a personal driver for the time they are there or else it is going to be pretty expensive getting around. The hotel to the US consulate is 15 minutes without traffic. We reached the consulate at 6.20 a.m. There were around 15 people already in line before us so it’s better that one comes earlier to get their ticket number quicker upon entering the consulate waiting area. (This is after 2 check points which could take a while to get by). I made an appointment a week and a half in advance for American citizen services and therefore was allowed to enter with my wife, but she entered earlier than me because her appoint was scheduled for 6:30 a.m. I had to wait until 7:45 am because the earliest appointment for ACS is 8:15. After I passed the 2nd security check point I saw my wife waiting outside for her number to be called (The indoor waiting room is for Kenyan and American citizens due to the limited amount of space.) I waved at her but had to go inside to ask a simple question for the ACS appointment I made. I was given a ticket number and told to wait on the left side which is the waiting room for ACS. Within 5-10 minutes my number was called and I was done. I thereafter exited the consulate indoor waiting area and attended my wife who was still waiting outside for her turn to come up (I would not recommend US petitioners to do what I did to enter because the representative who issued me the ticket number caught on what I did and told me it was not allowed but was luckily quiet about it) After going back and forth twice for fingerprints and submission of her visa photos we waited until 10:45 to be interviewed. I was not allowed to stand right next to her because the interview is basically just like visiting a bank where the beneficiary is asked questions through an intercom which really is heard to communicate with unless you come really close and bend your head down to speak. I was literally sitting 1 foot away and was able to hear the entire conversation. She was interviewed by an elderly woman who was really nice, but since my wife is Somali there was a female Somali translator by her side. She was asked 4 questions which were pretty easy and most common questions.
1. How long have you (the beneficiary) resided in Kenya?
2. How did you meet your husband?
3. What does your husband do in America?
4. How long has your husband been in Kenya with you since he came this year?
After these questions the lady said everything seems fine and I have approved your visa and that you should receive it within a week at your registered local dhl courier. She was not asked to show any type of prove or pictures even though we had brought with us a 50-100$ binder worth of proofs I had put together within the past year. We did receive a letter as well which requested that we submit through our local dhl courier an affidavit of birth since she did not have a birth certificate. (I recommend anyone going for their interview to get this affidavit it literally takes 1 hour to get through any lawyer or affidavit agent because some people were still asked to bring this even though they had a birth certificate especially if you are originally from an African country)I sent the affidavit of birth today and should receive our visa within 8-15 days. May Allah make it easy for loved ones to reunite together quickly as possible. Ameen
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #10553