|
|
| Naples, Italy |  Review on November 21, 2013: |
LUAL
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Ladies and gentlemen,
Yesterday morning I had my interview at the consulate. If you don't have time to read everything, the final thing the consular said was "your visa has been been approved. Good luck".
If you have time, here is my wonderful experience in Naples:
My appointment at the "Istituto Varelli" was for Tuesday the 19th at 8 am. They usually give this appointment for the day before your interview date.
For this appointment I had with me a few pictures 5cm x 5cm. This is the first thing I want to focus your attention on. A lot of people had normal "foto-tessere". Even if they are okay for the Istituto Varelli, they won't be okay at the consulate. I had 6 pictures total, just to be sure, all 5cm x 5cm and I was totally fine. I would suggest to do the same. At Varelli's they asked me for one of them. Also they need your passport, that I had with me. I also asked a few weeks ago a vaccination record from my "distretto sanitario" in my comune. Lots of people had to do few vaccines so they had to pay more in the end for the medical exams. I was okay with all of them so I paid "only" 170€ in cash to one of the doctors there. What I did there was : I arrived at 7.30. They took a sample of my blood almost immediately and then they walked me in an other room where I did the X-ray. After waiting ten minutes a doctor asked me for the vaccinations record. After saying I was already okay with them, he told me to pay the 170€ to him. They will send the receipt to the consulate so you will leave the Varelli without a receipt. After that I had to wait until 9.30 when the other doctor came. I was one of the first people he visited and after a vision, height and weight check he asked me few things like if I smoke, if I am an alcoholic, etc... Everything was fine so he checked my blood pressure and he said everything was ok. Only now they told me i had to go to the consulate at 2 pm for the finger prints. During the medical exams I met different people that I will also find at the consulate at 2 pm and the next day for the interview. It was nice to talk with them and sharing our experiences. I was done at the Istituto Varelli around 10.15. Walked around Naples and around 2 pm I went to the consulate bringing with me only two pictures and the passport. The finger prints process was really fast and I was out before 3 pm and had a great day visiting the city. I also went to Salerno with few friends I met during the medical exams.
The day of the appointment I had all my hundreds of documents ready. I was so confident and I did not even check them one more time. Had a fast breakfast and I arrived at the consulate gate at 6.58 (they told me to be there at 7.30 but I wanted to finish soon and I couldn't wait to get home). At 7.30 they opened the gate and while I was waiting lots of people I met the day before arrived. We entered one by one. I suggest you to leave everything at home. Cell phone, iPads, computer and other electronic devices will be left at the first gate and they will give you a number that you need to keep in order to collect your goods later. Inside the consulate few desks (for Italians they look like the sportelli you can find at the post office) were calling us and when it was my turn one lady, who spoke Italian with me but English with other people who didn't speak Italian, asked me the DS156 and DS156k which I did not have. I was almost getting nervous but then I said "I do not have it and in the packet 3 instructions it was not required. I have only the DS160 confirmation page only". She talked with an other lady and in the end she said that the one I had was the correct one. From here I learned "Each case is different. Just follow the instructions they send you at 100% and you'll be fine. Online you can find different instructions and they say different things".
She also asked me which other documents I had with me and I gave her: the visa fee payment receipt, the TWO police certificates (ATTENTION!!! A lot of people only had the "certificato generale del casellario giudiziale" but they also need the "certificato del carichi pendenti"... So be aware of asking and bringing both. If not your visa won't be approved until you'll send the certificate by mail. This will add more time), and she seemed like she was almost done with the documents. I was like "My gosh...I've prepared so many more documents and they won't ask me for them??? I guess it's better to have something more than having something less". I also need to say that your interview also depends a lot on the i129f your fiancée sent. If that one is complete you'll have an easier life later. My fiancée did a wonderful job and basically they didn't ask me anything more than the things they already had. After that she gave me anopen folder with the results of the medical exam telling me I would need to give that to the immigration officer when I go to the US. Then she told me to sit down and to wait to be called by the consular. I was called after 15 minutes by this lady with a red dress. Really kind, really clear, really nice who asked me first if I was able to speak English. I said yes. She asked me if I would prefer to speak English or Italian and I said English even if I'm Italian. Probably because I was feeling really confident and ready. She made me swear I was telling the truth at the best of my knowledge and then she asked few things like:
- how long we have been dating?
- when we decided to get married?
- where I'll be going to live in the US?
- which job my fiancée does?
And after that she said " I see you already paid the courier for the home delivery. So you'll receive from the DHL your tracking number in two or three days. After that a week might pass before you receive your passport at home. Your visa has been approved. Good luck!"
Me and my fiancée have been dating for almost four years. Have met multiple times. Lived in the same place for years (Italy before, US after). We had nothing to hide, nothing to invent. We prepared ALL the documents they asked us to and may be even something more. The staff at the Varelli and at the Consulate was really helpful, kind, nice and easy going. Our experience so far was easier than what we were expecting and faster than the average time. I'm so glad to be done with this step and I can't wait to receive my "K1 fiancée visa".
I stayed at the "B&B Mira Napoli" which is 3 minutes walking from the consulate gate and 15 minutes driving from the Varelli's. Gina, the owner and Gabriele, the son were so kind, helpful and I would suggest you to stay with them. Good price and really close to what you'll need.
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #13292