|
|
| Islamabad, Pakistan |  Review on November 3, 2009: |
MumtazG38
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Beneficiary name: Haseeb
Petitioner name: Amna (Mumtazg38)
Interview date: Oct 16, 2010
I'm sure you all already know enough about the procedure to get on the DSS service by now...it doesn't change much for interviewers. Just a really nice lounge...free refreshments and some waiting for your number to be called. The only difference with our experience was that 5 minutes after we came in and sat down in the lounge...the electricity went out..and what surprised me the most is that they had no generators whatsoever....so the light was gone...and pretty much stayed that way until we got on the shuttle and reached the embassy. So, no need to go into more detail about the DSS service IMO...
After arriving at the embassy we waited to be called to get in line outside to cross the street. First they called all of the people that had non-immigrant visas. Then we were first in line for immigrant visas. So the guard checked my husbands interview letter and let us both cross the road. Once we were there my husband was to stay in a line for males and I was told to enter a separate room/office to be prodded by a security wand before the lady told me to stay in the blue line I believe it was. The very last/outer line. There was no one else there, so I went to the front. Shortly after my husband followed behind me, and the line began filling up. We had to wait another 10-15 minutes before the guard told us to enter the building. Once we were told to enter we went through the automatic door and put our documents on the conveyor belt for the huge scan machine (like at the airports for luggage)they also told my husband to take off his belt and put that in too. Then we walked through the security door/gateway type thing(also like at airports). No beeps, then they told me to go and sit in the waiting room while my husband gets his fingerprints taken. We were the first people to enter the embassy at that time...so I was pretty excited about that. I went inside and a very very extra nice guard told me to sit at the seat towards the back near the middle so I could see the TV and not get too bored. LOL. I waited almost FOREVER for my husband to come in....so many people got called in before us...even though I remember we were in line far before all of them. When finally my husband did come in and sat down with me, he explained how they couldn't get his fingerprints on the digital scanner for some really odd reason. The American lady asked him if he had a fever, and he said no...then they kept trying for a while and told him to go to the bathroom and wash his hands with warm water because apparently they were creating steam when they touched the scanner....so he did that about 3 times and the people behind him were able to get their fingerprints taken just fine....then finally he decided to press REALLY hard on the scanner...to the point where the lady said to stop...and all of a sudden his fingerprints finally entered the system.
Finally 25-20 minutes later they called my husbands name. We went to the booth and they took our medical and asked whether hubby would like his interview done in English or urdu. I said urdu, thinking it would be easier for him because he isn't very fluent in English yet...I believe that was my biggest mistake....as that landed us with a pompus desi interviewer with a serious need for an attitude adjustment about 20-30 minutes later, and the American interviewers were being SOOOO MUCH sweeter to everyone. Before sitting down again and waiting though, I told the guy who took the medical file about how I was 6 months pregnant(as of Oct 16, 2010) and will be needing to leave soon and need my husband to come with me as care taker seeing as having a baby all alone....doesn't even sound right when you say it. He was compassionate and said that Inshallah all will turn out for the best...then told us to sit and wait till my husbands name was called again.
Our interviewer was an a$$ hole..lol, no doubt about it. He seemed to have a HUGE stick shoved up his butt...the moment he saw me approach the window he immediately asked if I was the petitioner and after I said yes he didn't wait two blinks and told me to sit down. I was ready to give him a nice little talking to....but then I saw my husbands face and he looked desperate to keep my mouth shut today...just pure pathetically desperate...so for the first time in ever I took note and sat down at a seat close enough that I could hear part of what was going on. Anyways, the guy didn't ask for ANYTHING he just had Haseeb say the outh, then Haseeb explained that we had photo albums...he kept insisting that we show him pictures of the actual functions....and his dumb a$$ wasn't seeming to understand the fact that we HAD NONE! It was a simple iftar party where we read the nika. Haseeb kept mentioning how we had loads of proof, and tons of documents...tickets, boarding passes...gosh...and whatnot really, and loads of photos to but the guy just didn't get it. He kept asking for pictures of the wedding function....WE HAD NONE...since we had a simple nikah iftar party and apparently pics of that weren't good enough for him. Haseeb showed him the photo session and he just stared blankly and kept asking us to show them photos of the functions. Not many questions were asked after that....and then he tried to hand Haseeb his passport back and Haseeb avoided picking it up, so the guy took it and handed Haseeb the green slip with another white paper that had a purple sticker stapled to it and said that he was "ehel" for visa, meaning he was going to be getting the visa (APPROVED) but would have to wait for AP.
Got the green slip and they took my husbands passport and the interviewer said that if in a month and a half they didn't call us about the visa that we should call them to inquire about it.
So.....yes, I'm upset....but what to do. It just seems to me that these interview people see that the beneficiary is a male...and there are just no two ways about it...Simply AP! But no problem I guess, I came home and talked to the travel agent again and he said that it's not like the airline will look at me and ask for proof of how far along I am, and even if they do...all I need is a letter of permission for travel from a doctor... so I can leave Pakistan whenever I feel comfortable....so I guess I'll wait till late November or early December(30-32 weeks) before I leave now.....it's not like I have much choice really as I can't see myself trying to have the baby all alone in the states.....we'll have to arrange for someone to care for me for the last month or two if I have to leave without Haseeb. Till then, we have 3 more months till I'll be leaving....INSHALLAH AP is over much much MUCH sooner than that!!!! I'll be praying ofcourse. Husband and I will both be reading Surat Muzammil 41 times each day for the next three days starting tonight!!! My mother in-law has already been doing so every morning since day 1 for us, now we can read together.
| |
|
Consulate / USCIS Member Review #5183