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| Ghana |  Review on December 12, 2014: |
Natanna
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
We arrived at the US embassy in Accra at 7.20am for our 7.30am appointment. Upon arrival, we joined a queue in front of the Consulate and after confirming we had an appointment from the Interview letter, we were allowed to enter at nearly 8am.
My husband was with me (hence the use of we) and I was worried he will not be allowed in since it was not yet 8am, but he was allowed to follow me in. We dropped off our phones and other electronic devices and made our way towards the main building. A security guard near the main office entrance asked us to sit outside and wait to be called in. However a few minutes later, we realized he had given us the wrong information because persons seated outside were actually those who were waiting to collect their DNA results. (Please take note to almost triple check any information that does not seem right when you get to the embassy)
Anyway, we lost a bit of time and moved further down the queue as a result of this mix-up but finally entered and greeters (identified by the blue uniform with CGI printed on the front pocket) checked our interview letter, took off the first page and directed us to sit in a designated row for IV applicants. After nearly an hour of sitting, we were called to Counter 2 to submit our documents and had handed over to us, some documents we submitted to the NVC (mostly the inaccurately filled AOS, uncertified photocopies of civil documents etc).I was worried that we would not be able to fit our huge album through the counter opening so we would be forced to take it back but the lady was insistent that we submit it and showed us the useful trick of opening it up and then slowly slipping it through the rectangular opening.
After nearly 30mins, we were called to counter 1 to have my biometrics done. Another waiting period began.
At around 11.30, we were finally called to the counter to speak to a Consular Officer. She was not very friendly and had on a very serious or business-like expression that made it difficult to sometimes read her thoughts when we provided answers. Ok, for starters she asked who my husband was and then asked for his passport to confirm his identity. She then asked us to both raise our right hands and swear the Oath to tell the truth.
Interview then began with quite a few questions including ones like:
Where I had travelled
How many US visa applications I had made and when
How we met
How our relationship progressed
What did he do to make me fall in love with him
How long we had been together in the place we had stated as our common address prior to marriage
Whether this was my first marriage
Whether this was my husband's first marriage
Whether we had any kids
My husband and I answered the questions together i.e. he took some and I others. Afterwards she says well everything looks good except our W2 was missing since my husband had filed joint taxes, a W2 was required to show his real income aside from what had been provided in the AOS. Luckily, thanks to VJ we had preempted that such forms not stated in the interview letter or requested by NVC might be requested by the Consulate. So my husband searched through the file he had and presented it to her, much to her surprise! She actually passed a comment that she was surprised my husband carried his W2 around. So yes, we escaped AP and instead got the lovely blue slip that asked us to pick up my visa the following week.
Glory Be To God and thanks to the VJ community! I hope someone is as helped by this review as I have been by the many I have read throughout this journey.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15782