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| Sydney, Australia |  Review on September 20, 2008: |
Heaven
Rating:  | Review Topic: K3 Visa
16 September, was the interiew date. We arrived at 7:15 and were told to wait until 7:30 before taking the elevators to the 10th floor. 7:30 we were on the elevator and much to our surprise once we got there were already two people waiting. We continued to wait, then the security people came and opened the doors to set up after 8:00. Once inside, we were instructed to have our appointment letter and identification in hand. We had to turn off cell phones and I had to leave my purse with them. My husband had to take off his shoes and belt. You are only allowed to take your papers with you. SO anything not associated with your case must stay in the assigned cubby! Security will then give you a number that you will return in exchange for your items.
Once everyone was screened, security escorted us to the elevators and pressed the button to the 59th floor. Once off the elevator, there is a sign that says go to the left which took you to another security check point.
We then went through the doors. I was so nervous that I did not notice there was already a number hanging out so I pulled it. And of course it was not for what we needed. So I pushed the button for another number, this time before reading and it was for non-immigrant visa. My husband, then stepped in when he noticed my nervousness and told me to press the top button for immigrant visa and we were set. Our number was 001.
When our number was called we went to counter number 1. The lady was a little bit aggressive, but pleasant. Se handed my husband a form about adjustment of status and other information once your arrived to the US. She asked us for items that were requested in our appointment letter. We gave them to her. She asked my husband when we expected to travel and we told her asap. That was not good enough. She wanted something more specific, so we told her one or two weeks. She then asked us to take a seat until we were called. 7 mins later were called to window number 5, where my husbands finger prints were taken and we were then told to sit and wait to be called. 15 mins later our name was called and we went to counter number 6 where we were greeted by a nice man. He smiled and was friendly. He asked the following questions: How long have you been married? How long have you been in Australia? What did I do for a living in the US?, Where in the US did I live and then he asked my husband again, how long he had been in Australia! No pictures, no additional information, no phone logs, cards, or anything to show that we had an on going relationship, nothing more was requested. He then handed us a letter that stated, Congratulations, your visa is approved! The letter also stated that our package would arrive 2-3 business days.
Oh, by the way, we were in the embassy for about an hour and things were not as stressful as we originally thought!
Since we had flown to Sydney from Perth, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to explore Sydney. We had a great time!
Once we arrived back home, the waiting started. It seems like waiting is just a part of the process no matter what stage you are in. 3 days have gone by and we are still waiting for our packet. We are patient and thankful to have got this far. Hopefully our documents will arrive soon! Who knows?
My best advise is:
Stay focused on the outcome.
Be organized and prepared.
Don't stress, it'll steal your confidence!
If you made it this far, you can make it a little further!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #3362