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| Czech Republic |  Review on August 4, 2015: |
LeavingPrague
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
I had my interview at the US Embassy in Prague. A week prior I had had my medical, which was extremely quick and easy (and cheap, at least compared to London).
After waiting in line outside for a few minutes, I was brought in through the quick security check and then sent upstairs. I took a ticket from the machine and sat down and waited around 10 minutes to be called up to the counter by a Czech lady.
I handed in my documents, photos, sealed medical report and passport and was told I'd be called back up by name soon. After a few more minutes, the same lady called be back briefly to ask me which of my photos I'd prefer to have on my Green Card (the photos I sent off with the original package were different to the ones I'd brought with me to the interview). Obviously I felt like this was a good sign!
I then sat down again to wait to be called by name to one of the counters. I found this slightly stressful as I couldn't always hear the names being called very well, and I was a little paranoid about missing my slot, but after probably 15-20 minutes I was called up to the counter by an extremely friendly American gentleman.
The first step was submitting thumb- and hand-prints via the scanner. I then swore to tell the truth and the interview began. My interviewer put me at ease quickly by telling me that my wedding photos were 'awesome', then asked me to give a quick outline of our story. After that he checked that I would be staying with my wife's parents and planned to travel within the next six months. Finally he said that everything was fine, my papers were in perfect order and that following some routine checks I should be able to pick everything up within a week.
My interview took place on a Tuesday. The following Monday I called the Embassy to see if there was any update (and to make sure they had the right contact details for me), and was told that I could come down and collect everything as it was ready.
I arrived at the embassy around 3pm, which was after the day's scheduled interviews had finished but before the end of the work day. I was let straight in and went upstairs, only to find nobody was working any of the counters. I tried ringing the assistance bell but it didn't appear to be working. One lady clearly saw me but for whatever reason chose to ignore me.
I was there for around 15 minutes until finally I caught someone else's attention in the back office. They immediately came over and spoke to me, then informed their colleague who was dealing with my case. After a few more minutes, the lady dealing with my case called me over and gave me my passport and my papers.
Overall the experience was extremely positive, even if that 15 minute stretch was a bit stressful.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #17472