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| Ghana |  Review on July 16, 2013: |
kne1
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My wife and I arrived at the Embassy at 6:30am for our 7:30 appointment. There was a long line but they opened registration at 7:00am and the line moved quickly.
We were asked to provide our appointment letter and Passport. As the beneficiary, I was allowed to continue into the Embassy but my wife could not get clearance to enter until 8:30 as the American Citizen.
Once in the door, we had to deposit cellphones, keys, and metal objects into a bowl and the Guard recorded our names. Our items were put into a numbered bag and we were given a card with the bag number on it to use to claim our possessions as we were leaving.
From there, we were asked to put my wife\'s purse through a scanner and we were asked to walk through (it was just like the security check at the airport.)
We left that area and went on to a large waiting room where again we were asked to show our passports and appointment letter. We were told to sit until our name was called.
A few minutes later I was called and the woman asked if there was anything that I had to give them this morning (items should have been listed on the last page of your appointment letter.). I gave her my medicals, a new Police Report, and some additional pictures. I was told to sit again and wait to be called. Shortly after, my wife was cleared to join me in the waiting room.
Before much time passed, I was called to come to window number 1 for fingerprinting and again told to sit and wait.
At 11:15 I was called to a window for my Interview. My wife went we me and stood aside holding copies of all of the \"stuff\" we had submitted previously just in case USCIS or NVC misplaced something...the last thing we wanted was a second appointment so we went prepared. The CO smiled and told my wife to join me. She looked through my file checking some pictures, documents, and forms. She looked at the I-864 and checked the income amount my wife had entered against the W-2 forms.
As she did all of this, she would stop from time to time and type information into the computer system.
We found that the way she asked questions was interesting because they were not done in the order that events occurred. These were the questions in the exact order asked:
1. When were you married?
2. How did you meet?
3. When did your wife first come to Ghana?
4. So your wife was only here for a couple of weeks before you were married?
5. How did you communicate after you met?
6. Did your wife send household goods to Ghana? (She did because we will also maintain a vacation home here)
7. She then asked my wife if she intended to stay in Ghana or does she have a return ticked to go home to the States.
As she asked questions, she started giving us some of the materials that we had submitted and only kept the legal documents and my Passport.
She then gave me a BLUE paper and said I can pickup my Passport/Visa on Friday. It was now 11:30pm
We picked up our evidence and went to collect our car keys on the way out.
We thank God for everything and hope that documenting our experience will be helpful to those who are following us in this long journey.
Thanks to those who came before us from whom we learned much.
Best lessons learned: front load at both USCIS and NVC and give them every evidence you have to support your case AND above all, prayer and praise to God.
(updated on July 18, 2013)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #12339