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| Bangkok, Thailand |  Review on December 12, 2018: |
malinowski
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
10 months after applying for K-1, my Thai fiancée had her interview today. Despite the many positive reviews here, she was very nervous, having heard horror stories, particularly on YouTube. So a reality check may help others. It's really not too scary.
Her interview was scheduled for 8am. We arrived at 7:30am. After a 5 minute wait in the outside line, she was admitted. At that point, I went to a nearby coffee shop that would be our rendevous point.
She made it back there about 9:15 am, all smiles. Despite not having her 'original' death certificate for her late husband, they approved the visa, subject to receiving that document by mail, and said it would take about a week after that.
The consulate staff was courteous and friendly. The interviews she saw (and hers) were brief, and at the counter window, not in an inner room. She was asked just a few questions (possibly because we had provided ample proof of relationship and support in packet 3). He offered to interview her in Thai but much of the discussion was in English, as my fiancée can communicate fairly well in English if not stressed. His bilingual ability made her more comfortable.
Questions: How did she meet me? When did she first meet me? What kind of work do I do? (I'm retired) Before I retired, what kind of work did I do? Was I married before? Did I have any children from that marriage? That's all. Visa approved.
Conclusions: the better your packet 3 documents, the more likely it will go smoothly. Keep copies of every step you do. For unknown reasons, they insist you have the original receipt from the bank for the application fee payment (crazy because they wouldn't schedule the interview unless the bank notified them that you had paid). Likewise the signup acknowledgement for the online registration (which they know you did, they can see it). Bureaucracy.
Secondly, in addition to the packet 4 instructions document list, I'd recommend bringing along EVERY original document you have, just in case. We went to the trouble of having her birth certificate original and translation, and single certificate, reviewed and stamped by the legal official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This may help us at 'adjustment of status' in the US, as I hear they are getting rather picky about birth certificates. They also apparently require that you once again prove everything, so keep copies of everything and all the originals you have.
Overall timeline: 7 month wait for the I-197 application review. This annoyed me as an honest hard-working US citizen already well vetted (Global Entry). It apparently sat on some desk at the California Service Center for most of that time, unopened. They should do better for straightforward applications: perhaps make a prompt determination of complexity, and then route appropriately.
Then a 5 week wait to get the NVC approval, not too bad. They didn't approve it until right after I inquired after 30 days, which makes you wonder.
The Bangkok consulate then replied within three weeks, but the letter in Bangkok went astray due to no fault of theirs, introducing a 4 week extra delay. After completing her medical exam and police clearance, and submitting packet 3, she was given an interview date 4 weeks later. That seems pretty reasonable.
So all in all, kudos to the Bangkok Consulate. They seem to be doing their best to help applicants and give them fair treatment. The USA processing delays are not under their control, and may be political, as they have doubled recently.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #25194