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| Juarez, Mexico |  Review on February 13, 2015: |
Strykerk
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
So, this was our experience. We had 2 rounds in Juarez. My husband's first interview date was scheduled for Oct. 20, 2014, but since they found something on his chest x-ray, he had to do the sputum culture for tuberculosis. That test lasted 2 months before we got the results. Our second interview was scheduled on January 16th.
Biometrics: We chose to do this prior to going to Juarez the first time in Guadalajara. It was super easy and fast. All he needed was his passport and DS260 confirmation page. Also know your interview date and time because they will ask.
Medical exam: We had this originally scheduled October 16th. After filling out some basic information forms, my husband went to his medical exam, and I went to the waiting room. They gave him a handful of vaccinations, full physical, chest x-ray. Also, during the questioning, the doctor asked about prior drug use. My husband initially said no, but he eventually admitted to trying marijuana once. That was no big deal. He did have to talk to a psychiatrist who evaluated him. We went later on that day to pick up the results as they said. That's when they told us that our interview would be cancelled and that he would have to do a sputum culture for tuberculosis because of what they saw on the chest x-ray. We were able to talk directly to the pulmonologist who explained everything to me, since I am also a recently graduated doctor. The sputum test involved 3 consecutive mornings of giving a sputum sample, in which he had to cough up phlegm.
After 2 months of waiting, the results were negative for TB, and I rescheduled his interview for January 16th.
Repeat biometrics: January 14th. He had to update his biometrics for his new interview date. Luckily his fingerprints were still valid, they just needed to update their system. We did this in Juarez.
Interview: January 16th, 9:15 a.m. We got to the "sala de espera" about 30 min. early. There he waited in line to be called for them to review his documents. There they just wanted to see his passport, his DS260 confirmation page and his medical exam results (which were sent directly to the consulate since he had to do the sputum test). So, instead of the black envelope everyone had he just showed them the paperwork we received from his initial medical exam stating that he went through the sputum test.
At about 9:20, a group of them, including my husband, were sent from the "sala de espera" to the consulate where they were shuffled through more lines to make sure they had all their paperwork. Here my husband said he was good to go because we had submitted all of the necessary paperwork to the consulate with his application. They didn't even ask for his birth certificate or police certificate.
In one line, he was asked basic questions before the actual interview.
- Basic info: Name, birthday, age, etc
- Who is the petitioner of your visa?... my wife
- What is the address to where you going arrive in the US? ... he gave the address
When it was his turn to for the interview, they asked him:
- Where did you meet our wife?
- How long have you known her?
- How did you meet her?
- When did you get married?
- Where was your wife born?
Here is where his interview may be a little different, since I was born in Japan and speak Spanish, which surprised the interviewer
- What language do you speak between the 2 of you?
- Does your wife speak Spanish?
**Congratulations, your visa has been approved. It will be ready for pick up in 3-5 business days.
My husband said that the nerves were the worst, but the actual interview wasn't nearly as bad as he had imagined.
Picked up visa January 28th. It took much longer than we had imagined. We lost one day because it was Martin Luther King day. When we went to DHL, we had planned going directly to the airport. However, the DHL guy had told us to check what our POE had to be. We were required to go directly to a specific bridge for his POE for them to stamp his visa and turn his documents. We had an excellent taxi driver who took us exactly where we needed to go.
We originally stayed at the Ibis hotel, which is right near the consulate. However, since they weren't able to extend our stay there, we went to El Conquistador, which was a bit further away, but we definitely spent less money on food since breakfast was included with the room ($680 pesos for 2 full beds). There they also have coin operated washer and dryers, which was very convenient. They also have shuttles that will take you to the consulate for free for your exam, interview, and biometrics.
We officially flew into the US on Feb. 1st through San Antonio, where we went through immigrations without any problems. The only thing we have pending now is to turn in some medical forms that they told us to turn in when we got here, but none of the USCIS associated doctors seems to know what to do with the forms.
Overall, it was a long process, but well worth it.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. It's a long process and can be very confusing.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #16204