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| Bogota, Colombia |  Review on June 18, 2009: |
artigano
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
My wife's IR-1 visa was approved yesterday. We waited for 6 hours for a less-than-two-minute inteview. The very pleasant C/O asked 2 questions: "How did you meet," and "what were you doing in Argentina when you were there for 6 months." (she took a course in multi-media animation). Then she asked to see some of our evidence. My wife asked her if she wanted the photos or the paper evidence, and she asked to see photos. We took the photos out of the wedding album and the other album, and the C/O glanced at a few of them and then said "congratulations, you are approved." It was sort of anti-climactic in a way, because I did so much preparation of the documentary evidence - I had all my boarding passes, emails, phone bills, IRA account and bank statements and she didn't look at it. I suppose it was good to prepare for any and all eventualities.
The worst part is the insufferable wait, where you watch other visa applicants stand at the windows for up to 45 minutes, only to be told to come back with additional evidence or return with their spouse/fiance or to be denied. I was expecting a long, drawn-out detailed interview and that agitated both of us.
Another part that made me nervous is the first interview with the Colombian clerk who reviews the file for sufficiency. She asked my wife for her baptismal certificate and I knew that it was not necessary, as we had her birth certificate from the civil registry. She then asked me for my 2006 tax return, and I told her that it was not necessary, and that only the most recent return is required, which was in the file. She said "well, I guess the Consular officer will have to decide." I was expecting that the C/O would not approved the application becuase of my 2006 taxes but the C/O didn't ask to see them.
Then the clerk made us go across the street to take new photos, becuase the photos we submited had her ear partially covered. Whatever. We paid the 10,000 pesos and came back with the new photos.
I think the reason that our interview was so easy was because the pictures we had were very good. We had professional wedding photos in a nice album and then we had photos of trips we took together - to New York, the Hamptons, Argentina, etc, as well as photos w/family. I guess photos don't lie.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #4603