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| France |  Review on November 24, 2015: |
Syhem LNK
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
I went great!!!
The staff was very friendly and were making jokes. It really felt like they want you to succeed and they know you have been through a lot already. As the consular officer said "hang in there, you are almost there. You have done the hardest part!"
So here is how it happened:
-arrived at 12:35 for my interview at 1.
(for those who have never been to the embassy, you have to walk on the other side walk and then cross the street for security reasons)
You will have to leave all electronic devices outside, well the security will keep it and give you a little tag so you can take back your things. If you want to save time, put all of them together (like flash drive, turned off phone, perfume, lipstick, etc.) so you don't waste time at security.
-took a ticket, DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE ONE otherwise you will have to wait for no reason. Also make sure you take the right one. For example, K1 visa make sure you take the ticket for fiancé and spouse and not a non immigrant visa!
- was the first one (of the people applying for an immigrant visa) to get my ticket so I was the first one called.
- 3 steps :
1- they call you once to have your P4 letter and ticket and the person tells you that you will be called with the same number
2- another employee calls you and asks for papers : birth certificate+marriage certificate+police certificate (the lady told me you might want to keep the original marriage certificate and she gave it back to me)+ID pictures+medical exam envelope+ CONFIRMATION OF THE ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED ON VISA INFO for your visa to be sent. (YES, be careful because the website says you do not need to bring it but you do. I was able to print it there but when she told me that I freaked out, so just print that confirmation and bring it)
The lady took my fingerprints (biometric signature) told me that I will be interviewed by a consular office when she calls me with the same number.
3- The consular officer called me and asked me to swear that I was telling the truth, etc. Then she started asking questions (where we met? How long we have been married? Where? Why there? Have our families met? What was his job? What he was studying? And just out of curiosity she asked me what I have studied with the J1 visa I got a few years ago.) She took the prints, and told me she had all the info she needed and that I would recieve my visa in 10 days. I asked 10 business days, she said yes and advised me not to buy my ticket yet.
I was done at 2:15 so it lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. The earlier you arrive, the sooner you will be out.
Good luck to you guys, and if your relationship is true do not worry it will go great!
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PS: regarding the medical exam it did not go that great. It took place the day before the interview at Dr Slattery's, who is by the way friendly. The lady gave me two envelopes, one sealed the other one was for me to keep and contained a paper that belongs to someone else. I told her I did not appreciate the fact that she was not careful with sensitive and personal info. I also told her that it might not be my papers in the sealed envelope. She encouraged me to open it when THE INSTRUCTIONS TELL YOU NOT TO, OTHERWISE YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE EXAM AGAIN AND OF COURSE PAY AGAIN. I told her I would not take that risk after 10 months doing this process and that I would go back the next day to make sure the sealed envelope contains my papers and have it sealed again.
Conclusion: if you are advised to open the envelope, DON'T! and if you see papers that don't belong to you just be safe and go back to see her. I am pretty sure it doesn't happen often but I was outraged by her behavior (she barely felt sorry...) and her lack of professionalism!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #18434