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| Guayaquil, Ecuador |  Review on December 23, 2009: |
darwinsfinch
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Tips:
-make sure you go with your significant other-- it truly made it easier for us. He was much more calm as was I an I believe the service was better.
-Lodging: We stayed at Hotel Sol del Oriente and it was a short cabride or 30 min walk to consulate.. away an within walking distance to Malecon. It had AC , wifi which was sometimes not working the best and it was like 22 dollars a night with breakfast.
- You can be with them every step of the process at this consulate , from my experience, eventhough customer service on the phone told my fiance I couldn't come to the interview.
- our interview was in March 2009 and we arrived there at 8;30. Make sure you don't bring anything besides your paperwork, other items must be checked in with a guard. Make sure you eat before hand.
There were no lines or waiting outside the consulate the day I went , and we went through the lane that said American Citizens since I was with my fiance.
There are many cafes nearby the consulate if you need a last minute print of a document or a pass port foto. Make sure you bring some to the interview.
after we checked in outside with the guard an showed are letter, We were greeted by a man inside the consulate in a yellow polo who took our information name and type of visa. They considered it an immigrant visa eventhough it is a K1..non-immigrant. They consider the visa no-migrante like the tourist visas. So dont get worried...
We first went upstairs to the larger waiting area but then moved downstairs to the smaller waiting area for immigrant visas. We were nervous we would miss getting his named called.
In this waiting area, for visa migrante I think there were 3 windows and then the lady who takes your documents, approx 4 rows of chairs. It was crowded. I remember being nervous and waiting for like an hour an a half before the document lady called us to the ventanilla. We slipped our document copies underneith the window. I had organized things in manila tabbed folders (AFFADAVIT STUFF, PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP, CONTINUED CORRESPONDANCE- emails, phonecard statements showing I called to his cellphone and receipts etc ) with hole punches an brass fasteners. Basically everything that we had originally sent in the package plus new pictures and updated info from our relationship, affadavit stuff ( Letter from employer, paycheck stubs, I braught past 3 years of tax stuff, and you'll need it later, so better to start collecting it now!) from the NOA2 until then.
Then we waited for like another hour. Then they called my fiance up for fingerprints in the other room. Then we waited again for like another 30 mins.
Finally, our caseworker called my fiance up to her window. You just stand there while they conduct the interview. She was American and sounded like a native english speaker when she spoke in spanish. She asked my fiance to verify his name and asked if he spoke English. He said he prefers spanish. She swore him in " do you swear to tell the truth", She asked him if he had kids? he says NO! She asked me how I know spanish and inquired about my job and the work I do , and confirmed where I live with me. She then told my fiance he was approved. You get a little purple slip with directions on where to bring your passport so you can get the visa put in it.
You must walk to the DHL office a few blocks up from the consulate. There they have a nescafe stand so you can wait with all the other approvals to send off your passport to get the stamp. You can fill out the orderform online prior to going. it made it a little bit faster for me and my honey.
Anyways, just enjoy your time in guyaquil. Las penyas is cool, and so is malecon. If you get a chance stop at a fruitstand (looks like a garage) with the man that sells ONLY watermelon juice .. crushed up ice cold watermelon in a cup. He sells it at all hours of the day and night! A hot spot when you need something cold!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #5449