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| Nigeria |  Review on May 8, 2010: |
Chibuogwu
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
THE EXPERIENCE
- I got to the US Consulate by 5.45am.
Those for immigrant visas could be easily identified by the x-ray films they carried in their large brown envelopes.
- At about 6.20am, security men attached to the Consulate started to arrange the applicants into 3 lines.
We filed into the waiting bay, names were checked against the master-list, were processed, issued interview numbers and then had to wait for to be searched and
called into the Consulate compound in troops of fives.
- At about 7.15am, it was my turn and we went into the consulate.
The security guards seemed nice, friendly and courteous.
Inside the Consulate compound and we paid at a cashier post. IV and DV applicants paid in USD. I was surprised as I thought they would allow local currency. After payment, there was another search point and then we entered the interview hall. I must comment that the hall was not as cool as I expected.
Inside the hall, the IV and DV applicants sat to the right of the entrance door while the ‘NIV’s sat opposite; Nigerian staff of the Consulate came first and called out interview numbers; and the bearers will go to the glass window and afterwards return to their seats.
When it was my turn, the lady asked for my:
DS-156 and
DS-156k Forms,
original certificate of birth,
police certificate,
white envelope containing the medical report,
affidavit of support from my fiancée, her tax returns and the letter from her employer.
She however, rejected my DS-230 saying I didn’t need it. I also told her I didn’t sign the forms and offered to do so but she stopped me saying I don’t have to. When she collected them, she sent me back to my seat. When the American CO’s came about 20 minutes later, they started with folks whose children had filed for them. After that category, came the DV applicants which were being interviewed alongside the IV applicants.
I was already getting a bit weary and nervous as the time crawled to 12noon; I had believed I will finish with the interview before noon (the usual wake-up time for my fiancée). Then one of the CO’s (there were 3 of them) called my number and I walked up to the booth.
I was shown my DS-156 and DS-156K forms and requested to sign them. I raised my right hand and promised to say the truth, completed my biometric finger-printing. She reminded me that if successful, I will be required to get married to my fiancée within 90 days of admission into the US, then she settling me into the questioning;
When did U meet your fiancée for the first time?
Where did you meet her for the first time?
When did she travel to the US?
Did you keep in touch all the while she was away?
Where U dating before she left?
When and how did you guys re-kindle the relationship?
When was the first time you saw her since she left for the US?
When was the next time you saw her after that?
When and how did you propose to her?
Why do you want to get married in the US? Does she have family there? Do you?
Has she started making and wedding arrangements?
Have you started marriage counselling?
When you get to the US, do you intend to do a court wedding or a church wedding?
Will you still have a church wedding, after a possible court wedding?
Is your fiancée Christian? Which denomination? What about you?
Do you have any pictures you have taken with your financee?
When was that picture taken? And that one?
O.k you can have the album back...
She then faced her computer terminal and typed furiously; she had been smiling and was generally animated with my story throughout the 6-8mins or so. After she had printed what she was typing, she spoke to me... the transforming words while handing a letter to me... I will issue you the visa. You can go and collect the visa at the address on that letter in Lekki next Tuesday being 11 May. However, do not buy your plane ticket until your collect your passport to make accommodation for any unforeseen delays that may occur. I thanked her and left.
I was surprised, they didn’t ask how often we spoke to each other, request for emails or SKYPE records...cos I had a bag full of phone records, email print-outs covering over 5 years and phone records from January 2009... Not talking about Skype records. So in the end, they based their decision on just pictures and there were less than 60 of them... We are grateful to God!!!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #6036