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| Korea |  Review on July 3, 2023: |
Boar
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Our interview was at 12:30, so we arrived a half hour early. We were directed to wait in a line outside of the embassy (it was extremely hot this summer). We had not expected to be outside for a half hour, and regretted wearing professional clothes (button up and slacks). Since we arrived early, we were second in line. Once called in, my husband was almost immediately called. I was unable to join him because I brought an iPad, which is not allowed inside, of course. The whole process took about an hour after being called in (an hour and a half, including waiting outside).
I would say that arriving a half hour early is not necessary or even preferred based on our experience. You will be able to spend more of the waiting time inside, rather than outside if you arrive just 5 minutes early, and your total wait time will be about the same. You will also have more time to order your documents properly.
We prepared way more documents than evidently necessary. My husband was given a paper with the order that all our documents should have been in. We would have had them in order in advance had we known. We had arranged the documents in the order of the checklist online, but I guess the order is different. When called up, he had not finished ordering the documents, but the people were very polite and kind, accepting the documents as they were. He didn’t have one document in the correct form, so we were sent to obtain that document after the interview. We sent the missing document to the embassy through Ilyang Logis the same day and it was delivered the next day.
Ilyang Logis is about a half hour away from the embassy by public transit. If anyone needs to do the same as we did, I recommend getting your document near the embassy, and then going to a print shop near Ilyang Logis in Mapo to print the submission form. From the print shop, you can go straight to send the documents, to waste as little time as possible.
The interview itself was very basic; not many questions were asked. The staff was perfectly professional, kind, and helpful. Overall, the experience was pretty painless but we are thrilled to be done! We received the visa less than a week later, even with our missing document setback. The actual interview process at the embassy was the least convoluted part of the entire visa application process, but I would have felt less stressed while preparing for the interview had we been directed to sources with less conflicting information and had we been given clearer answers when contacting the necessary authorities.
(updated on July 3, 2023)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #32221