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|  Review on March 30, 2017: |
sunshinelove
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
Step 1 : Entering the embassy
I had an appointment at 2pm and I arrived in front of the embassy at 1:35. I spoke with the two guards and they told me they couldn’t let me in before 1:45 so I waited until then. When it was time, they asked me for my passport. I gave it to them and they checked if my passport number was on the list. It wasn’t due to the fact I had some complications with the payment online (Basically the website didn’t allow me to pay with my debit card. We tried four different cards but the website wouldn’t accept any of them. Two days before the interview, I called the embassy to let them know the difficulty I was facing and they told me to pay by wire but that it took a few days to be completed and accepted. The consequence of that problem was that my name wasn’t on the most recent list the guards got I think. The payment cleared the morning of the interview though so I had confirmation of the payment.)
Since my name wasn’t on the list, one of the guards called someone and entered the embassy to show them my passport and my appointment letter. As he was coming back he shook his head no and then said he was kidding with a big smile on his face and that I could go in. It made me and his co-worker laugh about the situation. That put me at ease because I saw right away how nice people over there seemed to be. They let me in and showed me to the entrance where you had a security area.
Step 2 : Going through security
I entered the security area – you have to wait outside before they let you in because they control one person at a time – and two guards asked me to open my bag to see if everything looked okay. It’s basically the same process you go through when you’re at the airport. I had to give them my bag too (and jackets if it’s the case) before getting it back when I would leave the embassy.
Step 3 : Giving up the necessary documents
I stepped in the actual room where the process begin and I had a ticket with a number on it. I had to sit down and wait a little bit before my number was shown on the screen, which told me which window I had to go to. (For Belgians familiar with the communal house, the system is pretty much the same. You walk up to a window and speak to the person on the other side of it). I barely had the time to sit down before my number was called and the lady at the window asked me to give her my papers one by one. That step took 20ish mins because she had to look at the documents and input the info into the computer. She asked me a couple questions (have I lived in Brussels my all life, have I been married before etc) but most were regarding the papers. Then she also took my prints and told me to sit down and wait for the interview.
Step 4 : The Interview
After waiting for about 15 mins my number was called to another window and another lady asked me a few questions about my fiancée.
- What’s her name ?
- When/how did we meet ?
- How did the proposal happen ?
- When did we meet in person / Has she been in Belgium before ?
- Where are we gonna live in the U.S. ?
- Does she speak french ?
- She also asked a couple specific questions like what does her tattoo mean ? (She saw it in a pic of my fiancée) and asked about our blogs and what content was on them (since that’s how we met)
After these questions, she told me that she had everything she needed and gave me a piece of paper and told me to come back in a week (the date is written on the paper) to get my passport and that our visa was approved. Then she finished with some congratulations and that was it. I just had to get my bag back and leave the embassy. I was out by 3pm.
Regarding my impression of the whole process at the embassy, I have to say that the people working there were all super nice. Whether it was the guards and their sense of humor or the ladies at the windows. The interview lady was super friendly. She asked all her questions nicely and it felt natural to talk about my relationship with her. I didn’t feel like I had to defend our relationship. It more like I was talking to just a normal person who was curious about us. 
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #21617