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| Sydney, Australia |  Review on August 10, 2014: |
aelix
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
I had my final visa interview in Sydney and it went well - only took about an hour all up and I've been approved. Here's how it played out for those who are preparing for theirs:
My appointment time was 8.30am but I showed up at 8am since I was in the city already. I went up to Level 10 (reception) where you need to go through security.
Security is similar to at an airport - you put your bag/s through a scanner and go through a metal detector yourself. You can't take any electronic devices, USB sticks or even CDs with you... in my case the clinic that did my medical included a CD with my chest x-rays and as a result I wasn't allowed to take the envelope up to the interview. More on that later.
I took all the docs requested in the interview letter as well as copies of the forms I'd submitted previously, just in case I needed to refer to any of those. I should have taken a book or magazine because in the interview room there are only women's mags :-P
The first step once my number was called was a bunch of admin stuff - handing over my passport, prepaid envelope and the two US passport photos, doing fingerprints etc. I basically stood at the window while the lady looked through documents for 10-15 minutes.
I had to go back down to reception to get my medical envelope because of the security issue I mentioned earlier. They made me open the envelope and take out the CD, then take the rest of the materials back up.
After the admin stuff I sat and waited for 15-20 minutes for my interview. This was with an American officer who literally asked me 6 questions: when did I marry my wife? How did we meet? What does her dad (my co-sponsor) do for work? Why are we moving to the US? What do I plan to do for work there? Where do we plan to live on arrival? Our discussion lasted maybe 6-7 minuets and then she said "congratulations, you've been approved".
I had brought relationship and domicile evidence with me but wasn't asked for anything. But I saw another guy getting grilled quite a bit for his interview so it depends on individual circumstances. My case was about as straightforward as they get: Australian by birth, married to my American wife 5 years, already have 2 kids, moving to be with family. The other guy was Pakistani and had an arranged marriage to an American girl he had never met before etc. etc.
Once my interview was done the lady explained the next steps. The next day I got the email re. dispatch of my passport with visa and my entry package. The package arrived one day later and it was all done.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #14976