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| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Review on November 23, 2007: |
Mila
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
To begin with, like most of us, I was freaking out for no reason! 
I went to Rio on Monday afternoon... after 13 hours of bus drive - plane was WAY too expensive this time - I got to Rio. My dad went with me. I'm from Paraná, btw! Anyway, we got there and took a cab to the hotel - cabs in Rio are much cheaper than in São Paulo, just so you know! We paid 24,00 reais for this ride and went to Hotel OK (www.hotelok.com.br) I tried first to get a reservation at Hotel Ambassador, which is right across the street, and was half the price (80,00 reais) of the other one. They told me they couldn't make a reservation for me, I think they were either full or under remodeling, don't know. But I actually didn't regret changing to Hotel OK after all... the room is pretty fair and have a nice view of Urca's Mountain.
Anyway, we got there one day early, since the bus get to Rio around 9 am, and the interview is earlier in the morning. We went for a walk and saw that the Consulate is really really close to the Hotel, and there's a bunch of magazine stores and cafe places around. There were actually other hotels in the area also, but I didn't take the time to look closely. And besides, if the very simple hotel I was staying had a rip off price (imo) I thought the other ones were a bit more...
So, the next day came and dad and I woke up at 6 am, got ready and went for breakfast. Again, kinda forced me to eat, I was so nervous I couldn't, but knew I could spend a lot of time at the Consulate. We left and got there at 7 am. There was a line outside for the non-immigrant section and another line for the immigrant one. There was an old lady and her friend at the top of the line and a couple sitted right after them. We were the 3rd in line. The officers outside were very nice and I talked with the couple for some time, it helped to calm down, believe me! After a while, around 7:40, there came a guy to check our names on a list and after checking the whole line they started to let us in. Got to the x-ray and went fine - I didn't take any electronics, as you recommended here before! So I went to the second floor and a guy came to me and gave me a number, a list with the order of the docs - again, previously checked! - and a sheet to fill with my contact info.
After a while my number was called and I gave the lady all my docs. Then she also gave me a paper to go downstairs and pay. When I went to pay, their credit card machine wasn't working, so I had to leave the Consulate and go across the street to the ATM to get some cash, which was fine and also very quick! As soon as I got back in, I paid the fee and went back upstairs, where I gave my receipt back to the lady. After a little while (and 4 other interviews) it was my turn.
The Consul was a very nice lady that received me with a good morning and very large smile!  As soon as I sit she asked me to place my fingers on the machine and also to lift my right hand and swear everything. That done, I signed two forms and she started some questions. She asked me how we met, which gave me the chance to tell her a lot about us. She also asked what's his school background and how many people attended to my wedding - again, it gave me the chance to show her some pics. After that, she only asked me where is his town in California, what does he work with and what do I intend to work with when I get there. After answered, she said "enjoy California" and send me to the other booth to get instructions about the delivery of my passport!!
Easy peezy 
I left the Consulate (around 10:50 am) with a huge smile and my dad already knew it! This morning I got an email saying that my visa was issued and it's already on the courier service to be delivered to me! Yay!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #2204