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| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Review on May 17, 2009: |
Tricia599
Rating:  | Review Topic: Direct Consular Filing
As I am one of those annoying people who like all the details ahead of time, I am going to write my review for other people like me - who like details, details, details!! However, the quick and dirty of it all is that we were approved. The process is very smooth, and extremely relaxed. We didn't feel like we were on trial for murder, and everyone was nice and helpful. No need to worry or stress if you have everything in order. And if you don't, they will help you as best they can.
For the detail oriented: My husband's interview was on the 15th and we were approved. This is how it all went down.
We filed DCF, and while we were notified by email that the I-130 was approved, we were not notified by email that the interview had been scheduled. I actually sent an email towards the end of April (We sent in the packed saying that we were ready for the interview on April 4th) asking what was going on. They replied back saying that the interview was on the 15th at 7:45, and that the letter was coming in the mail. We received the actual letter on March 12 - not a lot of time for scheduling flights and such had I not contacted the Consulate earlier. So if you are far from Rio, it is probably smart to start checking after a week or so, as the mail is slower than slow.).
We flew into Rio on the night of the 14th, actually arriving early, early the 15th. We stayed at the Ibis-Santos Dumont, which is pretty close to the Consualte. We got in line at 7:15am for the 7:45 interview. There were 3 people in front of us already in the line for immigrant visas. After about 10 minutes, it started to rain, so they took pity on us and let us in the building. They did not ask for the appointment letter, only checked our name off a list and gave us the numbered ticket. We went into the Consulate and sat in the immigrant visa section until a little before 8am. At that time, the aide came and gave everyone two papers. The first is an information sheet, asking for case number, address of beneficiary and petitioner, etc. The second is the document list, which is pretty much the same list that is everywhere. According to the instructions, you only need to have the documents not submitted to the NVC already. As we had submitted nothing to the NVC, we had to include everything except the DS-230, which we already sent to the Consulate.
After about 10 minutes, the aide called people up, in order that they entered the building and got your number. She goes through all the paperwork and will make sure it is all there. The only thing strange is that she was asking for 2 photos, not one, like all the instructions say. If anything was missing, like a fillable document, she let the people fill it out there. If it was a copy or soething like that, she put a note on the package and left it to the first interviewer to make the call as to what to do. We then waited to be called by the first reviewer.
This first round went in number order too. The person behind the glass took all the documents, went through everything and noted anything weird or missing. We were missing the military document, as thought since my husband was exempted and did not serve in the military, he didn't have to submit it. However, they wanted a copy of the card saying so. As my husband had his card in his wallet, we were able to go outside and make a copy. So when we went downstairs to pay the $400 fee, we ran across the street and made a copy. We went back to the Immigration section, turned in our receipt and waited to be called by the Consul.
During this time, we saw one person get sent away to take better photos (that show the ears), and another who was missing numerous documents. The latter was given the docs needed and told to come back at 1pm once she had completed them. Other than that, it looked like everything went smoothly for all.
This part did not go in number order. There were maybe 10 cases, from what I could tell. We were the 3rd to last to be called. All those who went befoore us were approved. Though I didn't ask, I can surmise from listening to people around me that those who went before us were filers in the US, and not DCF. Since none of our documents had been filed previously, it took those people in the back room more time to go over our stuff. We were finally called in for the interview around 10:45.
We went in the room, sat down in front of the same Consul that accepted our I-130. He swore us in, took fingerprints, and asked if we remembered him, as he remembered us. So that was a good sign. The Consul was very nice. Looked over our paperwork a bit, and asked a few questions (we spoke only in portuguese): where did we meet (to which my husband gave the name of the place and the date, which prompted the Consul to joke that I had trained him well, as husbands are required to remember the date, time, place, music, clothes, etc.); who was the co-sponsor (it was my mom); when did we plan on moving; where we will live; what will I (the petitioner) do back in the US as far as a job.
After that, he told my husband he was canceling his tourist visa and wished him luck in the US. All in all, we were in there 5 maybe 10 minutes at the most. We went back out to the aide and she gave us a slip of paper to take down to the mail desk to pay for delivery of the passport. It is not Sedex like the tourist visas, but a company called TNT. The postage from Rio to Minas Gerais was R$43.
A very smooth process. No reason to stress, even though everybody does. Hope this was helpful.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #4394