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|  Review on September 5, 2017: |
goobies
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Medical exam on 21&22nd of August at IOM Gigiri:
We took the Easy coach bus from Malaba directly to Nairobi. We stayed at the Gigiri express hotel for $60 per night, and it included breakfast. The hotel is just a block or two away from IOM. Husband left at 7:30 am to arrive a little before 8 am. Everything was straightforward. They took two passport photos and directed him through the whole process. The first day they asked about immunizations, all of which we got ahead of time in Uganda. They took his Blood Pressure and blood sample, then gave him the payment slip, which was only for the cost of the exam since he had all vaccinations.
We paid the fees at the bank inside Village Market and then went to enjoy Nairobi!
The second day was much shorter and he was out by 10am, after handing over his payment form and taking chest xrays and being g examined.
We left that night and arrived home in Uganda the next morning.
Interview on 5th September,2017
We woke up at 3am to prepare breakfast . this time around, we stayed at Four ways Junction Home stay, a beautiful cottage with all amenities needed, including a full kitchen. It is $35 per night and about a 15-20 minute drive from the embassy.
Husband arrived around 5 am, and was the very first in line. The second person arrived after 5:30 and then others began to trickle in.
At 7:45 am he was called forward to hand over all original docs. Then he did biometrics. He wasn't paying attention to the clock, so I'm not sure of the time frame after this.
A while later he was called to Window 7, which unfortunately housed the infamous grouchy blonde who we have now dubbed "The Tiger". Anyone who reads about Nairobi will be familiar with her! She is fierce! She never smiled, and immediately began firing questions at my husband. I will try to remember them all:
(Forgot about the very first one so I'm adding it here) " What are you applying for? Why are you applying for this visa?!? With an exasperated, annoyed tone)
1 when and where did you meet your wife?
2 what was she doing in Uganda?
3 how long did you date and how did the relationship progress?
4 dates of meeting, moving in together, proposal
5 asked why we married when I was not yet divorced (this was a trick question...we had a traditional introduction ceremony 3 days before divorce became absolute. It was a year long process) our true marriage was days after divorce absolute.
6 what is my (petitioners) profession?
7 asked if I could really support our family
8 asked about husband's profession, then thanked him for his service (IT security specialist) ðŸ”📧💻
From here, she pulled out the yellow slip and handed it to my sweetie. He told her " give me just a moment" and handed over the forms indicated on the paper, as well as all my mother's tax forms, and she seemed surprised! We were extremely organized, thanks to VJ!
After dissecting the papers with extreme attention to every line, she asked him one final question.... Do you plan to be in the USA forever? He answered that Africa is a part of our home and always will be, and we will be coming regularly to visit our family here.
Then she pulled out that beautiful green paper and told him in a dry tone, "Your visa has been approved. Follow the instructions to collect your passport at the DHL you have registered with."
We truly believe that she had the intention to deny us, but thanks to my husband's ability to stay very calm and satisfactorily answer every question (like a BAWS) 😂, we made it through.
Because there is so little current info about Uganda and the Nairobi Embassy, we will be writing a detailed guide in the days to follow.
Please forgive any grammatical errors! I am writing this on an awkwardly sized tablet that has my hands split wide open! I will attempt to edit once we get to a computer.
Good luck to all of you fellow East Africans, and BE PREPARED!!!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #22449