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| Switzerland |  Review on February 13, 2014: |
Thomas&Kelley
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
My interview was today (13th Feb 2014) at the embassy in Bern, Switzerland. The instructions said I should be there 11am, be on time and present the instruction letter to the security and not wait in line. I was ther 10:45 and they let me inside for the security check. The lady was very nice, she had to take to CD-Rom away from me with the x-ray from the medical and stored it, also she said I have to open the medical examination envelope, as no closed envelopes are allowed. So I had to step out to the pedestrian way, open the enevelope and show her (staying inside at the window) that there is only papers in the enevelope. Then I went back inside. She said this is no problem, as the consulate knows about this security issue.
I walked down the stairs and entered the embassy/consulate. There is a desk, where they screen if you have all your documents with you. But when I mentioned "K-1" they immediately sent me to a separate room. A lady showed up behind a security window. She was nice, but showed no emotions at all. She took my documents, but only asked for the mandatory official documents (birth certificate, MRF fee receipt, barcode DS-160, military record, criminal record). She didnt ask for evidence of relationship. I asked if I can have my originals back for the birth certificate and the criminal record, and she said if I have a copy then yes. Then she wanted to know if I wish to pick up the visa or have it sent to me. I said if I can pick it up the next then, then I prefer that. She offered to call me by a certain time to let me know if the visa is ready, otherwise I could give her the envelope and they send it to me if not ready the next day. I agreed and she noted my mobile number. She took fingerprints then and I left the room and had to go to the waiting area. There were maybe 20 people waiting, compared to an F-1 visa I got 3 years ago, the consulate seemed to be less busy this time, and also security was much more relaxed I felt.
After 2min I was called to a counter and another lady asked for the fingerprints of my left hand (no idea why, maybe the first prints they took didnt work) - and I had to wait again. The called a bunch of teenagers one after another to another counter, they were processed within seconds. Maybe after 10min they called me, too. The lady there greeted me nicely, I said "Hi, good how are you" and she took my fingerprints of my left hand again. Then I had to raise my right hand and swear to tell only the truth. I did of course. She asked "German or english" and I said english is fine, and she handed me a piece of paper with some text about what happens if I do certain things that might make me inelligible to enter the US after I receive the visa. I confirmed I understood and gave it back to her. Then she asked me a few basic questions about me and my fiancée:
"When did you meet?"
"Where did you meet?"
"What do you do for work?"
"What does she do for work?"
"Where did she grow up?"
"How do you maintain a distance relationship?"
"How many times did you meet before?"
I answered all those questions, and she gave me the originals of the birth certificate and the criminal record back. She said "Alright, everything looks good. We contact you then". I assumed she meant they contact me because of the pick up of the visa, to be sure I asked back "Does this mean the visa is approved?" and she said "Yes".
I left then, went back to the security building, got the CD-Rom back (seems I need this at POE). The security lady chatted with me a bit, asked if everything went well and where I will go to (california)...very nice and relaxed.
Overall, the whole thing including chatting with the security lady took around 45-50min. I hope to go and pick up the visa tomorrow javascript:emoticon(' ')
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #13852