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| Ethiopia |  Review on August 12, 2010: |
S&ET
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
I gathered this information from my wife as soon as she finished her interview at the Consulate.
My wife’s original interview date was scheduled on August 31st, 2010, a Monday. On August 2, 2010, I called up the consulate office to request if they could move up the interview date. I spoke to the consulate officer and he told me he would call my wife if he found an earlier spot for my wife. After I hung up, I called my wife to tell her that she should expect a phone call from the consulate office. Within 3 hours she told me she got a phone call from the embassy, and that she was asked to come to the Embassy the next day in order to receive her new appointment paper. She was asked to bring her passport as well. On Tuesday August 3, 2010, she arrived at the embassy and presented her passport to the security guard. She explained to the security guard that she had received a phone call from the consulate officer. The security guard confirmed her phone call with the front desk and he then escorted her to the consulate office after a security check.
After she was escorted by the security guard, her name was called at window number one. She spoke to a lady and explained why she was there. She was asked to provide her old interview appointment paper, her passport and she was told her to have a seat and wait until someone called her name.
After waiting for 15-20 minutes, my wife's name was announced at window number three by a loudspeaker intercom PA. At window number three, a gentleman spoke to her. He explained to her that he was going to take her finger prints and that he was going to keep her passport in order to save time. He gave her a new appointment interview date paper and instructed her to return on August 5, 2010 at 8:00 AM.
Interview date August 5, 2010
My wife arrived 30 minutes early at the embassy. She told me there were eight people in front of her. At 7:45 AM, a security guard started checking people in. My wife explained to the security guard that she had already submitted her passport earlier this past Monday. She showed him the new appointment paper and the security guard escorted her to consulate office at window number one. At window number one, it was the same lady. She remembered my wife. She asked my wife to present the interview appointment paper and then told her to have a seat and to wait for her name to be called.
After 30 minutes my wife's name was called by the intercom speaker system to appear at window number six.
She went to the window number six and the American gentleman greeted my wife with very nice smile. He said "Hello, how are you?" and then asked if my wife needed a translator. My wife said yes and he called one of the translators. He asked my wife to swear that everything was correct on the DS-230 form. My wife replied yes. He asked her to sign and he then returned the documents back to her. It was more of a general conversation rather than a questioning. My wife responded in a relaxed manner to the translator.
1) How did you meet?
2) Where did you first meet?
3) When is your husband's birthday?
4) What day is your wedding date?
5) What does your husband do in the USA?
6) When's the last time you saw your husband?
7) Have you met his parents?
After that, the translator asked her if she had any pictures with her husband. She presented a big stack of pictures. He made a very nice comment about the pictures, then told my wife that she was approved after returning the album. Then he instructed her to pay the Bank of Abyssinia agent located at the Embassy entrance for the visa delivery and he handed her a white paper.
It only took 15 minutes or so with the consulate officer.
She received her approval after she paid the delivery charges. She was told that her visa and passport would be delivered to the Bank of Abyssinia agent located close to her neighborhood next week on Thursday August 12, 2010 and that she would need to come and pick it up herself.
My wife was very relaxed and she was very happy with her experience at the consulate. She said that there were some very nice people and that she had had the very best experience there.
I would like to thank everybody here on VJ for all your encouragement and moral support. Without which we couldn’t have made it this far. It truly is a life-time experience. Thank you very much to everybody who helped and encouraged me. Once more, thank you very much!
To all those of you still at the NVC stage and waiting for the upcoming interview -- I wish you all the very best!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #6467