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| Madrid, Spain |  Review on September 23, 2017: |
Estibaliz
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Interview: 21st October, 2017, 11:30 am
I live in Asturias, so I flew that same morning to Madrid for my interview. I took the train (line C1) at the Airport T4 to go to the clinic first to pick my medical exam results. It's an easy 25 minutes ride, with 5 stops to Recoletos, and the price is really cheap (2.70€), so that's the better option if you have the time.
Everyone was professional and nice at the clinic, as usual, and I got my sealed envelope with the results, plus a copy of the lab tests results for my records and also my DS3025, that was pending due to the need of confirming through serology that I was immune to varicella. I was, so the form was marked as complete.
That took less than 5 minutes and then the walk from there to the Embassy is about 25 minutes along preppy Serrano Street.
I arrived at the Embassy around 11:10am (20 minutes before my interview). I'm not going to mention times regarding the different steps and waits, because I don't wear a watch and they keep your phone, but I can tell you I was out at 11:55am, so the whole stay and process took just 45 minutes.
There was a nice lady outside the Embassy along with a security guard. The lady greeted me good morning and I told her I was there for an interview at 11:30, so she asked my name to check my appointment on her PDA and also wanted to see my passport. I've heard they doesn't let you in if you arrive over half an hour before your interview, but I can't confirm that since I was there just 20 minutes before time.
Another security guard came out at that moment, and the lady told her she had three people to go in (a girl, a man and myself, that was the last one to arrive), so he prompted us in and proceed to the security check individually. You have to put in your belongings on a plastic tray and take off anything metal (rings, belt, keys...), just like at the airport.
So when it was my turn, they scanned my tray and I went through the arch. Of course, I beeped. I told the guy I was sure that were my boots, because they have a metal zipper. He still asked me to take off my glasses and go through the arch again. I beeped again, so he used the hand detector and confirmed it was my boots.
Then he asked what was on my purse, apart from the USB and mobile phone, if there was any other electronic devices or things they have to keep. I told him I only needed my folder with the documents and my passport, so they could keep everything else on my purse. He asked if I didn't need my wallet too, but I told him I had already paid everything, so it was ok. He took my purse and gave me a number to pick it when I was done.
Then he told me to cross the door, and go upstairs to the left, and then it was the left door there.
(FYI: I've been told by a girl that had her interview two days before me, that they don't take your belongings if you are carrying a backpack or something big like that, and they tell you to go to a pub nearby where they have a wardrobe to keep your things for 2€).
You enter to a small hall, where there's a machine for you to take your number. It has different options (like Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Visas), but I didn't even have the time to check before a very nice lady, that spoke perfect Spanish but with a very slight accent, came out and asked me what I was there for, and get the number for me (B-203, Non Immigrant Visas).
She walked me into the room and to another lady in the back, and they both asked for my name and passport again. They put a sticker in the back with my name and interview appointment and place another paper inside the passport (sorry, don't ask me why, but I didn't even check what was that, but I think it was same as the sticker in the back). When they were checking my passport they seemed confused for a second, because I, of course, wear glasses on my passport picture, since that's how it works here in Spain, for all official ID's, so they wanted to make sure I wasn't wearing glasses in the pictures I had for the visa, which I could confirm. Talking of which, I have to tell you they never asked me for any passport pictures at the interview, since you have to send that beforehand as part of packet 3, and apparently that suffices. I had taken new ones because the ones I was using would be 6 months old 4 days after the interview, but never needed them.
So I took a seat in the waiting area as indicated. It's quite a small room, and not intimidating at all. There's probably like 30-40 seats and 12 windows, I think it was. There's a screen where they show the numbers called, not in any particular order. For what I've seen B letter is for the fiancé visas, because I could see that B-200, B-201 and B-202 before me were fiances too. Because the space is quite small and the CO's use the speaker often to talk to you, I could hear how they were interviewing other girls before me, and asking the typical questions (how you met? have you ever been in the States? when did he propose? do you have a ring? where does he work?... I'll make a list of my personal questions when I come to that point).
It wasn't that long until I was called to a window (number 3), where a nice Spanish lady smiled at me and greeted me good morning. She asked for my passport first thing, and then disappeared for a couple minutes, which she apologized for when she was back. First thing she asked for was the payment fee confirmation, that I saw her attach to other documents, including my passport picture, in a folder.
She then asked me for my medical exam results. I showed her first the letter where you have to put a picture and they stamp at the clinic, because they had told me there that was required, but the lady said it wasn't, and they only wanted the two sealed envelopes with the x-rays on a CD and the medical results themselves. She gave me back the CD after sealing the envelope with tape and also stamping it profusely, so they can be sure it hasn't been opened.
She gave me my original birth certificate back and asked if any of us had been married before. I told her my fiance had been married, but I hadn't sent his divorce decree because I understood they were only asking for my personal documents on the check list. She confirmed me that was the case, but still said is better to include the divorce decree, because the CO's normally don't care about it, but better safe than sorry. I couldn't agree more on that, and I actually told her I would have had her taken the copy anyway. So she checked the original and added the copy to my documents. I saw her going through the rest of my paperwork, including the i134 and all the supporting documents and she said that was it. She explained to me how when I got the visa package that was going to be another sealed envelope I shouldn't open, but that it was going to be clearly marked as such, and anyway they would mail it inside another envelope (or two), so I could open everything until I founded the heavy stamped one.
She told me I would be called again by the same number for my biometrics and interview in a few minutes, and to take a seat and wait.
So after another wait, not too long (10 minutes or less?) my number showed on the screen again: window 6. The CO was an American young lady that greeted me on Spanish and said we would be doing the sworn and biometrics first thing. She quickly switched to English. I had to raise my hand and swore and then she took my fingertips. This took a bit because I have a sweaty hands problem when nervous, which I apologized for, but she said it was ok, not my fault. Actually, the problem was I was pressing my fingers too hard against the machine, so worried I was the read wasn't clear enough.
So after the biometrics, she started with the interview. I have to say she was professional and ok, but not particularly friendly, as I don't reckon she ever smiled and I'm sure she didn't say congratulations either.
So here is the list of questions she asked to me:
- How did you meet? (I said FB, so she asked me to elaborate a bit, and I continue to do so for the rest of the questions, but without babbling).
- When did you first meet in person?
- Where?
- Have you ever visited him on the States?
- Have he ever been in Spain?
- Did he meet your family?
- What does he do for a living?
- Was he married before?
- What happened then? (Seriously)
- Was she a US citizen?
- So did she ever live in the States?
I want to point out the importance of these four last questions. Our case was pretty straightforward, and the only thing that could raise questions was the fact my fiance had been married to a UK citizen for 10 years, but he never petitioned for her, she never lived in the states and he never lived in the UK either, due to the fact the marriage failed from the start, they just didn't get a divorce for a long time... My point is they know your case and what they are asking you, even if the questions come so fast that it seems pure routine.
Anyway, after that she said something like that was enough, and everything was fine, she didn't ask for any proof of relationship. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not sure about everything she told me then, but I know she was talking about the 90 days to get married and adjust status and how they would send the passport and visa package back, and quickly dismissed me. So I asked if that was it and she said yes and I just said thank you and goodbye.
I walked out and once you are outside the Embassy someone from security gives you your belongings back and, yep, that's it, you are good to go.
So a fairly quick and painless experience... though I'm still rating it with a 4 because, when you are feeling anxious and in that position, you would like to have someone a little bit more friendly interviewing you. But she was professional nonetheless, as I said before, so kudos to her.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #22540