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| Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |  Review on January 15, 2013: |
jmhull
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
The overall experience was pleasant. We got to the US Consulate at 6:30am for a 8am appointment, and the line to go through the first door didn't start until 7. Our interview didn't happen until close to 9:30 and it was only a couple minutes for us - we were out the door at 9:30. My husband was there with me and the CO was made aware of that. He told my husband that they would let him know if they wanted to ask him some questions, but that ended up not happening. Only a couple of basic questions for me like how and when we first met, did he propose, how we communicated when apart, where we both currently work, and last question was if we plan to move back to the U.S. (my husband has been living in VN with me for the last 1.5 years). The CO then said there was nothing else and that my visa is approved. We weren't asked to show any of the evidence, paperwork or photos, etc. that we brought with us, none at all, so that was a bit (pleasantly) surprising for us.
It's probably worth noticing that one has to be extra careful with the original paperwork that has been previously submitted to NVC. When the officer at the first door (who was only checking papers and taking whatever original we had to submit) went through our file, she asked me to submit original birth certificate and marriage certificate, while in fact we had submitted all these originals to NVC with our DS-230. She said that she couldn't find them in the file, and asked me to submit them again. I, luckily, brought with me an extra certified marriage certificate as well as a certified BC, and they were all accepted. When the interview ended, and my original documents were returned, original BC and marriage certificate were still missing. I then asked the CO to double check the whole file and see if they were still there hidden somewhere. They did find them. So the lesson here is that remember to double check that you have received all your originals back before leaving the interview counter. It's also good to be over-prepared and bring extra copies/certified copies of documents that you had already submitted. They also asked to see the household registration book (so ho khau) even though that was not an item listed on the interview letter sent by NVC.
No "pink slip" was issued at the end of the interview. Someone mentioned that they stopped giving out the pink slips since now visas are delivered by courier. The only pink paper I got was an info sheet about domestic violence in the US and rights of immigrants in case of domestic violence, and they gave it to me before the actual interview happened. Finally, all Consulate staff was polite and professional.
(updated on January 15, 2013)
(updated on January 15, 2013)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #11265