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| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Review on July 25, 2014: |
schnucks
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
We arrived at the consulate at around 6 a.m. and the line for immigrant visas was very small. Only a few people were in line. We stayed there until a little after 7 when Alex came out to check off the people that were there. About 5 minutes after he did that we were allowed in and escorted to the 2nd floor. Once everyone was seated he gave a 5 minute speech outlining the process and all instructions for what was going to happen that morning. After this, he gave us all papers to fill out with some general contact information, case number, etc... that would be used for the documents, interview, and Sedex.
We were first to turn in our paperwork to Alex and was called back to his desk to get our required documents in order for the documents collection which was to come next. After this we waited about 10 minutes and were then called to the documents collection window. They really didnt need anything from us other than the interview letter, photos, and passport. They returned originals and duplicates as well. This took about 10 minutes and then we were allowed to return to our seats.
After waiting another 15 minutes or so we were called to the interview window. The lady was smiling and VERY nice when speaking with us. She asked my wife only a few questions.
1. How did you meet?
2. and then "tell me a little more about your relationship"
So basically she did just that. Told her how we met and gave a quick 30 second summary of our relationship which led up to our 2010 wedding. The whole question/answer part of this took maybe 2 or 3 minutes at most. After this the lady said my wifes visa was approved and to see Alex about going to pay the Sedex fee.
We went back and Alex told us how to get to Sedex, which was just around the corner and only a 2 minute walk away. Upon entering Correios the lady at the counter knew exactly whey we were there and handed us a form to fill out. It just needed the case number, address, phone number, and an email address so they could send an email with the tracking number when the passport and documents are given to them for shipping from the Consulate. We paid for Sedex 10, which was available for delivery to us in Campinas. It was about R$ 79. Keep this in mind!! They do not accept credit/debit cards there. You must pay in cash or with a check! We knew this ahead of time but I dont believe too many people know this. Bring cash with you.
We left Correios and took the paid receipt back to the consulate. They would only allow one person in so my wife took it back upstairs and turned it in to Alex. She was back outside to me within 5 minutes. We were done!!
The whole process took about 3 hours from when we arrived at 6 in the morning. We were able to make it back to our hotel in time for breakfast which was great because we were starving. Had we not been first, our process may have taken a bit longer but it seemed that they were pretty quick at processing people and finishing everything.
Now I'll put some miscellaneous details below:
1. My wife was a former J-1 and F-1. She was NOT subject to the 2 year rule only BECAUSE in 2010 we obtained a "212e NO OBJECTION Waiver Approval", which eliminated the 2 year requirement. A note about waivers for that.....these are NOT easy to get. Most people that try get denied. So, if you are subject to the rule then your best bet is to just serve it out. You can try for a waiver but most likely it will be denied and its about $600 to apply. We showed them the waiver and asked if they needed it. After looking at it the documents lady said "no" it was not necessary for them to have.
2. Due to the fact that I have heard of documents being lost, I took a copy of EVERYTHING that was submitted to the NVC. Luckily we didnt need anything but its better to have and not need rather than need and not have.
3. I had been living in Brazil with my wife since 2012 and I was worried they would want proof of domicile or proof to re-establish domicile. Nope! They didnt ask for anything from me nor did they ask me any questions at the interview.
4. My wife already had a job with the same company she worked for in Brazil waiting for her in the U.S.. She was already in her new position and just working it from the office here until our visa was approved. They were happy for her but it did not play a part in the visa interview really. The IR-1 interview is about the couple and thats it. Jobs dont really make a difference.
(I only add this because I have seen people ask if this alters things much)
5. Here is the big one!! We paid for Sedex 10 which means that when Correios accepts the package that you will receive it the next day by 10 a.m.. This is a load of crap! As most people should know, things in Brazil are highly unreliable and never what they appear to be. You are charged money (which you MUST pay) and then you are just lucky if you get the goods or service you actually paid for. Brazil doesnt care. Pay me! If you get what you want, we dont care....
On Wednesday Correios received the package at noon and sent me an email with the tracking number. On the CEAC website it still showed the visa as in "administrative processing". Ok, thats confusing. However, late Wednesday night the CEAC status changed to "Issued". I guess it takes some time to update.
Thursday, the package is STILL untrackable. I get worried and have my wife call Sedex. She comes to find out the tracking number they sent us was wrong. They screwed up ONE number! So, now that we have the proper number we track it and it shows as in our city at the post office as of 9:30 a.m.. Now, I think they will hurry up and deliver it before 10 as promised. Nope........
I give up hope for Thursday and figure that they will deliver before 10 on Friday. Nope...... My wife calls the post office that has our package and they say this....."well, the area (Campinas) is a high risk area for robbery and we dont have our escort here so we cant deliver it today. You will have to wait until we have an escort here so our delivery boy can bring it. My wife says no to this and tells her to set the package aside and she will come pick it up herself. The Sedex employee says this is fine and that she just needs to bring her identification. So this really got my blood pressure up. Everything here is unreliable and the excuses just keep coming and coming. It never stops.
The consulate part was quite pleasant but the Sedex part was quite stressful as you can see. When this garbage institution has their hands on your package with the visa, passport, and all those important documents it tends to make you worry. If they lost it that could set you back MONTHS! So happy to get the visa in our hands!
Hope this review helps.....
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #14898