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| Caracas, Venezuela |  Review on August 22, 2014: |
alejandreska
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
I tried to give as much details as possible, so the review is a bit long. If you only want to see the interview experience read the last part where it says "ACTUAL INTERVIEW". If you are going to the embassy with the U.S. citizen (petitioner), he/she can park inside the embassy and both of you can skip the first security check together  He/she has to be the one driving, though.
We arrived to the embassy around 6:30 AM (The appointment was at 8:00 am, but since all immigrant visas have the same appointment time we decided to get there earlier). We had to do the security line outside of the embassy. Right before the first security check, a lady informed us about prohibited items (electronics, knifes, CDs, etc). There are small lockers at the entrance where you can leave your phone and small objects. Remember that you cannot take dark folders (only transparent ones).
After the first security check, the guards tell everybody to take a seat and wait for further instructions. However, don't do that, since that is for tourist and student visas. Mention that you are there for an immigrant visa (Visa de Residencia) and you can enter the next section of the embassy without making any other lines.
You go up a small ramp to the left and enter through a door. There is a second security check.
Then you go to a waiting room. A lady told us to go to Window 13-16 at the end of the hall and take a number (This was around 7:30 AM). There you take a seat and wait for your number to be called. We took the 4th number (those other 3 people must have gotten there really early!)
When my number was called (around 9:30 AM), they only wanted the principal applicant at the window. There a lady requested my medical results, asked me for how long was I married, and verified the address of the DS260. Then she requested 2 passport type photos, took my passport and also took my fingerprints. She didn't want any additional documents. She returned me my original birth and marriage certificates (she didn't ask me for copies), and also returned other additional documents I sent to NVC: 2012 and 2011 Tax info (they only needed the most recent year, apparently), bank statements (we used assets), employment letter, cover letters, etc. So from what I sent in the AOS package, they only kept form i-864 + most recent tax info...
After that the LOOONG wait started. We had to wait for the actual interview with the Consular Officer (CO). He was pretty quick with the other interviews, however people that arrived a bit later than us were interviewed first. All of them were approved. I believe that most of them were Diversity Visa cases (not relationship based) and maybe that's why they were called first. The process was slow because there was only one consular officer in charge of IV cases. [The embassy at Caracas is currently (since 2013) understaffed because of issues with the Government...]
Around 12:00 PM we were told that it was now lunch time and we should return to the embassy at 2:00 PM, and that our interview would be at that time.
We left the embassy for lunch and returned at 2. The consular officer arrived late (3:00 PM) and then he interviewed us. He apologized and appreciated our patience.
ACTUAL INTERVIEW!
The actual interview was really simple. First the CO asked me to make an oath (tell the truth and only the truth)... Then he asked if I spoke English and the rest of the conversation switched to English. He only asked us one question: How and when did you meet? And then we said that my visa was approved! He didn't ask for any additional documents.. No pictures, no letters or forms...
Then He told us to go to DHL to set up the passport shipment, and explained that we had to pay the USCIS ELIS green card fee.... Then I asked if it was possible to pick up the passport at the embassy because my flight was the following week and he said no problem and gave us a sheet of paper that instructed us to pick up the passport a few days later!
The people at the embassy were really nice and polite, the interview experience was great, however I'm giving them 4 stars because of the LONG wait! From 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM....!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15046