|
|
| Sydney, Australia |  Review on August 13, 2019: |
Eagleburra
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Approved! Had a great experience today with the absolutely amazing staff at the Consulate General in Sydney. I was the first in at 8am, and even despite some technical issues they were having with biometrics/finger scans causing a delay, I was done within an hour.
I was asked the following questions:
1. How did you meet your Fiancé?
2. How did your relationship progress after you met?
3. Everything happened quite quickly then? (I was expecting this question, as we became engaged only a month after we met each other by chance in a bar. CO seemed satisfied with my simple and genuine response and moved on quickly, which I think was also due to my answers to his other questions)
4. Have you/how many times have you seen each other since returning home to Sydney?
5. What does your Fiancé do for work?
6. How long did you live in the UK for? (In response to my provided UK Police Check)
7. Have you ever lived in any other country?
The CO was very professional, but also very kind. He said that everything looked great with our petition and relationship, that I was approved and should expect my passport back with the issued visa within the next week or two, and wished me well for the future.
I would like to express my gratitude to the other posters in this forum. Following the useful advice provided in a few previous consulate reviews, I think the whole embassy process went a lot quicker and smoother than it might have otherwise. This bought us valuable time when we already had a tight window planning for our preferred wedding date, and for family booking flights and accomodation. We did as follows:
- As soon as we knew my case number (which we obtained by calling the NVC a few weeks after our NOA2, we never received an email from them), we estimated the possible/likely delivery date of our case to the embassy by looking at current estimations and following advice on visa journey forums related to NOA2 - NVC, and by looking at timelines of other K1 Australian members in the few months before me.
- With my case number, I was able to book my medical with one of the authorized panel physicians in Sydney. I had my medical a few days before my case was due to arrive at the consulate. (Be aware that your K1 Visa validity is tied to the medical’s validity, which is only 6 months. This was a risk we were happy to take as I would be flying out well before the expiry, even if there were any delays. FYI The doctor’s office also advised me that the processing of the medicals can take up to 2 weeks once completed and sent to the embassy)
- The day my case was due to arrive at the consulate, I monitored the CEAC site (https://ceac.state.gov) for the status to change from IN TRANSIT or RECEIVED to READY. This happened within a few hours of arriving at the consulate. As soon as I saw this change, I sent the following email to the Consulate General at support-australia@ustraveldocs.com
————————————————————————
Dear United States Consulate General Sydney,
With my case number showing as ‘Ready’ on CEAC.state.gov I am pro-actively writing with the information required to schedule an interview date.
Name: {your full name)
Case No: SYD0000000000
Email: {your email}
DS-160 Confirmation: {your DS160}
MRV transaction confirmation and payment receipt are attached.
I have all the required documents ready for the interview:
+ K1 Document cover checklist
+ Passport
+ U.S. passport size photo x 2
+ MRV Fee receipt of payment
+ DS-160 Confirmation page
+ Revalidation letter
+ Birth certificate (original) + copy
+ Australian Federal Police Certificate (original) + copy
+ UK ACRO Police Certificate (original) + copy
+ I-134 with Supporting Documents
I had my medical with authorized panel physician Dr. Celina Rappaport on {date}
I am ready for an interview ASAP.
Kind Regards,
….
———
- I instantly received an automatic reply saying that my enquiry had been received, and they would respond within 1-2 business days. My fiancé still received a ‘P3’ email later that evening, but it was sent automatically after I had already contacted them myself.
- I received a reply 2 days later advising me that my case was ready for further processing, and advising me of my interview date. The interview date was booked for 3 weeks away, with which I was fine.
- As per my email to the embassy, I had all the required documents ready before contacting them. Preparing this in advance was fairly easy, as the K Visa Required Documents List can be found anytime at https://au.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/fiancee-visa/the-interview/ or https://au.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/81/K-Required-Documents.pdf
- I made sure the packet of required documents I took with me to the interview was only what was requested, and was in the order listed in the K1 document cover sheet (the pdf link to this can be found in the K1 Required Documents pdf). This greatly reduced my stress knowing that I had everything ready to go, and it also streamlined the admin and security process at the embassy.
Good luck to you all with your own visa journeys!!
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #26853