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| Sydney, Australia |  Review on December 21, 2013: |
dodgyJim73
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I had my appointment for 9am so I rocked up at 8:45am and was greeted outside by 2 Australian federal coppers who asked what time my interview was for. I told him 9am and he checked his watch and said I could go through to a completely empty room, I was expecting it to be full of other people. I was then greeted by 4 security staff members. One checked my passport and ticked my name from a very short list. The next security officer gave me the whole 'take off your belt, shoes etc..do you have a mobile phone' talk before scanning them. The third security officer was standing around enjoying the air-conditioner and making jokes. The fourth one was a woman at the counter where you drop off bags etc, she asked if I had any bags to drop off and I said that on the form it states not to bring anything and they all cheered...clearly most people bring stuff with them that needs to be checked  She also asked me to take a drink from the bottle of water that I had and watched me swallow it to make sure it wasn't some kind of liquid explosive. They were all very nice and friendly.
I was then told to sit and wait for the elevator. As soon as I sat down the lift attendant came straight over and took me to the lift and buzzed me up to level 59. On getting out of the lift take a moment to check out the flags and what I believe is the Great Seal of the USA, it's kind of cool. At the front there's a women behind ultra thick bulletproof glass who checks your passport and buzzes you in and tells you to take a ticket etc. There was only 2 other people in the room, I was surprised how empty it was. I was sitting for about 1 minute when the first woman called me up to take my passport, payment receipt (I paid this online, not at Aust Post. If you pay it online make sure you print the e-mail receipt as this is the one she wanted) and express post satchel. She also gave me back my original documents and told me to sit and wait for the interview. She was nice and friendly.
I was sitting for about 2 minutes when I was called for the interview. The guy who interviewed me was very business like, he was polite just very direct. He asked the following questions:
- How did we meet and tell me about the relationship history
- When are you getting married and what are the plans (I told him we are going to a registry office to make it official as soon as I arrived and then planning a proper ceremony at the end of 2014 so my Aussie family and friends have time to plan for it)
- When did you get engaged
- How did you propose
- What does she do for work
- What is she doing right now (This one threw me a bit. I thought he was talking about her work but he then said 'No, what's she doing at this very moment'. I told him that she's working from home today and waiting for me to call her with the good news This actually made him smile!)
- Have you ever lived overseas and how long
- Have you been married
- Do you have any kids
- What do I do for a job
- What will I do in the USA
- He then glanced over her I-134 and asked me a question about that
That was it. He then pulled out a little slip of paper, scribbled my name on it and said congratulations your passport and documents will be sent out in about 2 weeks and to make sure you read the information very carefully.
To be honest....being given the little slip of paper is a very anti-climatic moment. At the very least they could have given me a bald eagle and had a marching band complete with a baton twirler to congratulate me after all this effort! :D
One thing that I noticed is that when he asks you a question he touch types your response and keeps a very strict focus on your eyes at all times. I'm not sure if he's been trained in behavioral patterns or not to see if people are lying but it wouldn't surprise me. This can be a bit unsettling for some people so thought I'd give you a heads up
I walked out of there at 9:20. 20 minutes...done! I walked straight back to work, called the girl to give her the good news and booked my flight!
Don't be nervous, it's an easy process. I took all of my documents and evidence, I had 2 folders worth of stuff and didn't need any of it so while you probably don't need it, it may not hurt to have something just in case they happen to ask.
While you are sitting in security waiting for the lift attendant to take you up to level 59 look up on the wall to your left as there's a beautiful photo of Glacier Nat Park or Crater Lake in Oregon. I wasn't sitting long enough to actually read the location
Good luck everyone, don't be nervous it's a very easy process.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #13510