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| France |  Review on July 15, 2024: |
Hyacinthesis
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Disclaimer: This was my experience! I cannot guarantee your interview will go like mine did. Things will most definitely differ from case to case, from applicant to applicant, and from officer to officer. The amount of variables should be taken into account, and you should always follow the indications given to you by the NVC or Embassy.
I got to the Embassy 20 minutes before 8:00 a.m. My interview was scheduled for 8:30.
There was already a little line forming on the side of the street, and every 15 minutes the guards would come up to the clock and change the current appointment time (8:00 ? 8:15 ? 8:30).
When 8:30 came around, a good chunk of people were allowed into the security tent, where you'll be instructed to put all your belongings in a box and be scanned with a metal detector (be sure to turn off your phone). It's a 30-second check, and then they'll hand you everything back as you follow the line to the booth ahead. There, they will ask you for your passport, DS-260, and police certificates and promptly direct you to the next stop.
You'll enter a small checkpoint where you'll, again, need to put all your belongings in a tray and go through a metal detector. Here, you'll be handed a badge to pick up any belongings later, the security holds them for you in one of the lockers (smartphones, etc.).
Afterward, you officially enter the embassy building.
There should be a guard pointing you in the correct direction as soon as you walk in, but you can follow the signs if that's not the case. Simply follow the 'Visas' sign, and a couple feet ahead, you'll be welcomed by an open waiting room and around 25 booths surrounding it. An attendant will most likely approach you and hand you a ticket with a number as you prepare to wait in line (in my case, there was a dedicated line for Portuguese nationals, and I happened to be the first in, so the wait was barely any).
When it's your turn to approach the booth, the staff will ask you for the main documents. This includes birth and police certificates (along with any translations), the 2×2-inch photograph, and obviously, your passport. For Portuguese nationals such as myself, you are required to bring a 2 kg EU Chronopost envelope to ship back the passport to Portugal, and this is also when you'll be asked to hand it in. They also ask if you are able to confirm if your medicals were delivered to the embassy. The staff will then take your fingerprints, and you'll be given an information sheet about IMBRA to be sent off to wait.
The wait was just enough to let me organize the documents I was handed back because, as soon as I was done, my number went up. The ticket should read something like A-000, mine was Q-111. By looking at the waiting screen, you'll be able to discern which booth to approach.
The officer was a lady in her late 20s or early 30s, she made me swear an oath, and the interview process started. As she punched away at the keyboard, I reached to get my briefcase out, and she said, “Oh, I won't be needing any papers from you.” and gave me a smile. She then asked 4 questions:
“When did you and your spouse get married?”
“Where did you meet your spouse?”
“Where is your spouse right now?” and “What does she do for work?”
These were followed up by a few control questions, such as:
“Have you ever overstayed your time in the US?”
“Have you ever lived in another country for more than 6 months?” etc…
She asked me if I had gotten my IMBRA sheet, to which I said yes, and we proceeded to confirm my fingerprints again. The officer said everything looked perfect and that I'd get my passport back in 2 weeks, to which I replied “So, that's it? I can just go now?” She nodded and answered, “Yeah, you're all good!”
I didn't think it would go so smooth. I really felt like I shouldn't go, so I asked again if I could go, and she jokingly replied, “It's ok! We've got your fingerprints.”
I left feeling a little cheated but extremely happy.
That's about it! I retraced my steps out of the embassy and went to enjoy the Louvre~
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #33296