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| Madrid, Spain |  Review on December 6, 2008: |
Marcos Heidi
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
My interview was scheduled for November 26, 2008 but the clinic I chose (Clinica Angloamericana) gave me the appointment for the medical examination two days before: one day for the X-ray and analysis and another day to get the results. My medical appointment took an hour and a half during which time I had a blood test and the exam. However, they sent me to another clinic on the same street as the Embassy (30 minutes away, walking) for the X-ray. The next day I went to get the results and they gave me the X-ray and an envelope for the Embassy. It took 20 minutes. Finally, I went to the American Embassy on November 26 at 9:30, my scheduled time, but they didn't allow me to come in because I had my documents in a briefcase. The guards at the entrance said that I had to leave it somewhere within 30 minutes. I was desperate but in the end, I found a little Indian restaurant with really kind people who kept my briefcase and I ran back to the Embassy just in time. Once inside with ONLY the documents in hand, the receptionist gave me a number (B209) and I went into the main room. I sat for 1 1/2 hours before I realized they had skipped my number and gone on to B210, at which time I inquired about mine. After a while they called me to submit my documents. They accepted my bank balance ($23,000) and a letter of intent from my fiancée (stating that I would have somewhere to reside upon arrival in the United States) instead of the I-134 form. I mistakenly signed a form that specifically said I should not so the nice lady gave me another one and told me to fill it out again while I was waiting for the second call. Besides, they gave me back the X-ray stamped with 3 Embassy seals and told me I had to submit it to the immigration officer at POE without erasing the ink which was stamped on the bag. At the second call they took my fingerprints. After waiting another 30 minutes, they called me for the interview. It was easier than I thought because the consular was very helpful and friendly. She made me sign that form previously referred to, after stating that I would marry within 90 days of entry into the USA. She also asked me some questions about my fiancée’s family (number of kids, their ages), when and how we met, what I was going to do for work there and where I was going to stay. She was determined to resolve any questions I had. At the end, she told me within a week I would receive my passport, the visa and a closed envelope which I had to submit to the immigration officer without opening. Even though the directions say to bring proof of relationship (plane tickets, photographs, etc.) they didn’t need it. The interview only took 15 minutes to complete.
In general, it was very easy and smooth, except the private Spanish guards at the entrance. Five days later, and after I paid 14€, an MRW carrier delivered the package from the Embassy to my flat in Barcelona. The only thing that caused me concern once I inspected the visa (pasted inside my passport) was an annotation that stated: Med. Petition valid through December 26, 08. However, it doesn’t matter because I am leaving on December 24 but I don’t understand the reason for the limited time if the visa is valid from November 26, 2008 to May 23, 2009... Heidi, I’m coming!!!!!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #3680