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| Vancouver, Canada |  Review on December 4, 2006: |
mercy
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I got there sometime between 9:30 and 9:40 for my 10am appointment. There were several lines(9:30 appointments, 10am appointments, US citizens) and thanks to VJ I knew that I didn't have to wait in them, but I still wasn't sure what to do. There were no security guards outside, which I was expecting, so I stood in front of the doors and gestured to the guard with my passport and letter and he waved me in. Security was just like an airport, empty the pockets, take off you belt, coat, that sort of stuff. They went through my file folder/organizer thing pretty throughly and the one guard made a really big point of telling me not to open my medical report, even if someone tells me to. I heard him telling this to the K1 couple who came in after me. Not sure who they think would tell us to open the medical, but whatever.
After this you go up a flight of stairs and a guard will get the elevator for you. On the 20th floor you go through security again, same deal as before. The guards here seemed more friendly. They also give you a sheet that tells you what order to put your documents in, which I still have and is as follows:
-passport
-photographs(print name on back)
-OF 156/DS-156
-DS-156K
-birth certificate (long form)
-marriage certificate
-termination of all previous marriages
-police certificate(s)
-court records (where applicable)
-affidavit of support
-medical
After you clear security, one of the guards brings you to the little hall that K visas are processed in. It's just four chairs in front of some teller like windows. I put my forms in order and started the waiting. It's hard for me to say how much time passed, I kept looking at my watch but wasn't really registering what it was saying. I was really nervous! A lady came to the window, maybe 10 minutes after I sat down, and called me up first. She asked for the documents that I put in order and went through them while I stood there. I forgot to make a copy of my BC but she didn't seemed too concerned(they made one and returned my original later). She asked a couple questions about what was what in the affidavit, but that was about it. She then said she needed to look over the forms and that I should have a seat. I started worrying a little bit that something was wrong because I thought that she would send me to the cashier right away. She took another 10 or 15 minutes before she came back to the window and had me go pay the cashier. The cashier is just down the hall, which is filled with chairs and people waiting. I returned the receipt to her and waited and waited. She went through the same process with both of the other couples.
Eventually someone came and took my index fingers prints and told me that someone would interview me in a few minutes. It was probably a little longer than that before the interviewer came out. He called one of the other girls up first and her fiance turned to me and said "I wonder why they didn't call you, you're first!", but a second later he called my name and the girl came back, I guess she had told him that I was supposed to go first, or else he had picked up my file but called her name. Not sure what happened there. I went to window 5(everything else was done at window 2), signed the DS-156K, and then he started asking me questions. He asked more than I expected, given everyone else's experience. He asked how we met, and when I told him he wanted to know why my friend thought we'd be so good together, why she wanted to set us up, how we both know her. He was very interested in how our relationship started, how long of a drive it was to visit, how often we visited. He asked me a couple questions more than once, I don't know if he forgot or if he was testing my answers. He wanted to look at my pictures and I offered him some airline stuff from our trip to Germany(he seemed to like that we had taken a vacation together). He was curious(on a personal level it seemed) about how much engagement rings cost and looked at my receipt when I offered it to him.
I felt like he was questioning me forever, but it was probably only 5 minutes or so. I was starting to worry that he was going to deny me. Finally he said "Okay, everything is good." He told me I could come back at 1pm. I followed the exit signs and took the elevator back down. You end up in the lobby that has the Starbucks in it. I was back at the hotel(the Renaissance, which is literally just around the corner) by about 11:30. I had lunch at a nice cafe(Moonpennies) that is kiddie corner to the Starbucks, it was really good so if you have a little time, it's a great place. A couple minutes to 1pm, I went back in, through security. They don't give you anything to bring back, so just tell them that you are there to pick up your K visa. I was in and out of there within 5 or 10 minutes. I was the last of the three of us to get there(all approved, yay!!), and the lady came out right away, explained the visa and sent us on our way. It's real pretty and colourful.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #1075