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| Chile |  Review on December 1, 2018: |
hm139
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
There aren't any recent IR1/CR1 visa reviews for Santiago so I hope this is helpful for anyone applying now. My husband had a very good experience today at his interview. He was in and out within an hour. First, a Chilean woman asked him some basic questions in Spanish: how did we meet, when did we get married. Then he waited a few minutes before he spoke with an American man, who began to speak to him in Spanish but one of the first questions was what language do we speak to each other, to which my husband replied "a mix" and then they switched to English. They also asked what university I went to, what city I live in, and what was our relationship to our joint sponsor. Though we had received an NVC checklist for our joint sponsor's IRS transcript, they did not request it. The only paper they requested from my husband was an updated certificado de antecedentes, which luckily he had thought to get even though it's not on the embassy list of things to bring. They also briefly checked the envelope with his medical exam results. Then they told him he was approved and his passport would be sent within the next two weeks! He had been worried because he forgot to print the DHL confirmation but the embassy already had all the necessary info. I had been a little nervous after reading old reviews here on VisaJourney that suggested we needed a certificado de antecedentes with a special signature, but the one you print off online from the registro civil is just fine. All in all it was very easy. My husband did say that he felt a sense of approval that he was dressed nicely and spoke English. Overall the process took us 13 months, quite a bit longer than people we know who'd gone through it a few years ago. I'm just happy we'll be together in the US for Christmas.
I do want to add that while the embassy itself was great, the medical was a nightmare. They are only open from 12 to 4 and that also includes calling them. The secretary is clueless and consistently gives confusing and conflicting information. She told my husband that he had to come back and get his exams done the next day but he later found out he could easily have done them on that same day -- there is zero respect for people who don't live in Santiago. If you're from regions, you will basically have to take two weeks off just to deal with this office. Then the secretary did not give my husband back his passport, which he needed for the exams. He called to get it back and she told him to return at 11. He arrived just before 11 but the secretary did not show up until after noon and appeared to have entirely forgotten about him. Then she was upset that he brought passport photos with him because they were supposed to be carnet photos, according to her. They also ended up asking him to come back for the envelope a day earlier than they had previously agreed on, which, again, very difficult for someone who does not live in Santiago. My husband said the office itself is very old and dingy and really gives a bad impression, which is surprising for an office that works so closely with the US embassy. So glad it's all over with!
(updated on December 1, 2018)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #25135