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| Senegal |  Review on June 12, 2007: |
jklemm
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My wife's experience at the embassy in Senegal has shown just how ridiculous is government's rigidity around "following procedure" regardless of the circumstances.
My wife arrived in Dakar from Sierra Leone the Sunday before her Thursday interview. Monday morning she went for her medical exam with Dr. Djoneidi, who was very professional. She was told the next day that the lab was unable to process any HIV/AIDS test results, since its materials had run out and they were awaiting a shipment from Germany.
So she went to her interview on Thursday as planned, and was duly approved after only a couple minutes, pending receipt of the medical results. (It's amazing that the process can take a year, yet it comes down to a few simple questions at the end.)
So it's the following Monday, and she checks again with the doctor, who tells her that the lab is still unable to process the results, and the shipment is not expected until Friday. When asked whether it was possible to do the test elsewhere (there are dozens if not hundreds of places in Dakar to perform HIV/AIDS tests), he said and the embassy confirmed that tests from ONLY THIS ONE LAB IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY are recognized by the embassy. The panel physician himself agreed that this was ridiculous.
Not only that, we even have to reschedule an interview (i.e. buy their visa calling card at an extortionate price) just to give them the results of the test! And THEN wait for the following Tuesday or Thursday, the only days that they issue visas.
As a lifelong citizen of America, I've come across some really astounding examples of the idiocy and excessive bureaucracy of the government, but this (and the entire visa experience more generally) really takes the cake.
Despite everything, I am still happy that her visa was approved, and that this will all hopefully be resolved.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #1697