|
|
| Auckland, New Zealand |  Review on April 17, 2018: |
TarKenkari
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
We showed up 20 minutes early for the appointment. The security is as others have described. Everything goes through the scanner. No taking shoes or belts off though. Security guard was friendly and polite.
My spouse went with me (they are allowed to), we left our 3yr old son with his grandparents. (Good decision)
Once inside directed to window 5, had an initial chat with a staff member, she was great, I think others on this forum have called her miss B. Friendly and understanding. She handed back a lot of the pre-interview pack. Only unexpected question was about previous passports and if they had any visas in them. They also asked when we were planning to move to the US.
She explained the process to us, and gave us the opportunity to ask questions.
After this she said to sit down and wait for the consulate staff to call us up.
Like others we waited nearly 2 hours, unsure of exact times as there was no clock in the room (phones/watch were left at security)
We were called up to window 2 for the interview.
Interview itself was short and simple. Questions were...
When did we get married?
What job did I have in nz? He asked my spouse what she did
Where were we planning to live?
Why were we planning to move?
We answered these, and then we were told that the visa was approved. 1 minute total for the interview with the consulate officer.
He said congratulations and that the documents would be couriered to me. (I had to provide a courier bag, A4 or bigger)
Lessons learned about the experience...
A. It takes time, our interview time was 10.45am, it was 12.30pm before we were called up
B. If you are outside if Auckland, bring a prepaid courierbag
C. If you have visas from previous US visits in an expired passport, bring that passport with you, this is not mentioned on any of the required document lists
D. The police check from NZ police only lasts 3 months. Don’t request it too soon. I included the confirmation email from NZ police with my Pre-interview pack.
E. I used a clear file with a cover letter and labelled pages to hold all the paperwork. It worked great. They commented on how well it was organised.
F. Try to leave kids at home unless they are a required participant in the interview.
Regrets:
A. Not asking for one of the little US flags that they give kids when they gain citizenship 
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #23647