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| Peru |  Review on March 22, 2007: |
odey
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
The visa interview process in Lima was straight-forward with no surprises. We arrived at the Embassy for a 9:00 AM interview at 8:30 AM.
After passing through security, you enter another checkpoint. From there, you sit in a waiting area by windows 9-14. Everything before window 9 is for non-immigrant applicants. Window 15 is actually secured by a door for private interviews apparently. Looking around, we saw few couples but many families. One family of six had won the visa lottery.
At 9:00 exactly, they called my fiancée to window 14. The lady was patient and asked for the I-156 (2 copies w/ photos), I-156K, her passport, and visa payment receipt. Note that the156K form that the Embassy sends you is ancient compared to the one on the Internet. You will be asked for the first.
After 15 min, my fiancée was then called to window 10. I was told to sit down while she was asked for everything else (3 police reports, medical exam -- you get back the x-rays, 6 photos, affidavit of support, birth certificate). The lady was a bit surly in the sense that she was very impatient with my nervous fiancée and quickly tossed back docs she didn’t want from the affidavit of support. My fiancée was asked several brief questions about where I had learned my Spanish and when we had met.
After 20 min, she was called to window 9, and I joined her. We thought we were headed to window/door) 15 because everybody else was going there. At window 9, we talked with an American consular officer. There is not much privacy as everybody in the room can hear the conversation. She had the original app in front of her. First, she took her fingerprints. After a series of 10-12 questions including how/where we met, financial support, her level of English, parents, and small talk, she said, “As long as the fingerprints don’t reveal you as criminal, the visa will be approved in the afternoon.” Yay! I found that check to be odd given the 3 police reports. We were told to go to the DHL booth and arrange for delivery. In all, about one hour inside the Embassy!
Several recs: bring both the original birth certificate and a copy of it. Show the original but leave the copy with the Embassy. When we asked the American consular how we can get back the original, she said everything will be sent in the secure brown envelope with the passport. She was vague about whether we ask for it back at POE, but we will try.
The process is very easy, but be prepared as everything happens fast. Leave time for the queue to get in (don’t assume the guards will let you jump the line with the invitation letter).
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #1413