|
|
| Warsaw, Poland |  Review on March 8, 2019: |
bboucher28
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
TLDR: The interview process was very smooth. We followed the advice given on this website as well as the official document checklist from the Warsaw embassy itself. We had much more than we needed and honestly looking back we probably were stressing about this a lot more than we needed to. That said, I wouldn't have done anything different.
My wife's appointment was scheduled for 9AM. We arrived at about 8:45. There was a line outside of the embassy. The staff was polite and trying to organize everybody into groups of the same time slot. When our time was called, a gentleman was checking the DS-260 confirmation page against a list that he had. Once he was satisfied, we were directed to a Window where another man checked my Wife's passport against the appointment list. He took her passport and added a barcode sticker to it. We were then directed inside the security checkpoint. Prior to the interview I had been wondering if they would allow me to enter the embassy with my wife. I'm a US citizen so I figured they'd let me in regardless, I just wasn't sure I'd be hit with push back. To my surprise, nobody had questioned it at all.
We next went through the security checkpoint which is similar to any airport security. At this point a very nice man collected our phones and gave us a number to retrieve them later. There were some individuals that were being told they could not bring in backpacks into the building and they were being asked to check them in the building across the street. After the security checkpoint we began walking through a long hallway into the embassy itself. After descending a set of stairs, we were in the main room where visa interviews were being conducted. There were a number of lines that were roped off for those waiting to go to the non-immigrant visa windows. It was at this point we got a little turned around and I walked up to an open counter to ask where we should be. The woman at the desk was incredibly rude and started shouting, asking us what our problem was. We ignored her and simply walked away as I felt that saying what I was thinking would probably not end well for my wife and I. This would end up being the only negative part of our experience. Soon after, we finally realized there was no line for the Immigrant section. There were two windows in front of a waiting area in the very back of the room. We registered at the window that the staff outside had identified for us. At this point they collected the originals of our marriage certificate, my wife's birth certificate, Polish police reports and her UK Police report. We were then given a number and asked to wait. When it was called (about 15 minutes) my wife completed her biometric screening. She was then asked to return to the waiting area until her number was called again. After about 45 minutes, we were called for the interview itself. I tagged along at the window and asked if it was OK for me to be there. She smiled and told me that it was. The woman was very friendly and asked to hear our story. She asked how we met, how were we able to keep the relationship going after that initial meeting, why we decided to get married in Poland instead of the US, etc. it honestly reminded me of the same types of questions I got whenever I told someone that my wife was from Poland. More the curious questions about how we overcame the challenges of it than anything else. At this point it should be said that my wife carries 2 passports when she travels. Her current one with her married name and her old one that has her maiden name in it. This is because she has an active B1/B2 visa in her old passport. The interviewer than asked to see my wife's old passport and she proceeded to stamp a "Canceled" notification across it. She then explained to us that this looks scary, but it's actually good news. She said this is the last thing I need to do before I can grant you your new Visa. She offered us her congratulations and gave us a few more details about the passport delivery. All-in-all a very positive experience, except for one angry woman in booth #2.
A few things I learned:
* Take everything. Even if you keep reading here that people didn't need those items. There are two items in particular (below) that I told myself we wouldn't need but I brought anyway. Turns out we did need them and if I hadn't brought them, we probably would have been delayed in getting the visa.
* For those of you that need a UK Police report. When you receive it, it typically has a cover letter and then the certificate itself. The US embassy in Warsaw needed both, the letter and the certificate.
* If you have an old passport with an active Visa in it, make sure to bring it with as well.
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #25741