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| Frankfurt, Germany |  Review on July 23, 2006: |
zauberblume
Rating:  | Review Topic: Direct Consular Filing
Interview Experience
The U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt is located at Gießener Straße 30. It is relatively easy to find, especially if you take public transportation.
We arrived at the Consulate at 9:20. Our appointment was at 9:30. There were two queues outside of the building. We weren’t sure which queue to stand in so we asked. We were told to go to the left line. After waiting for two minutes, we approach the clerk’s window.
We said, “We have a visa interview.”
The clerk asked, “Do you want to file a petition?”
We said, “No. We have an interview for the CR-1 visa.”
The clerk asked to see our appointment letter and the beneficiary’s passport. Then, we were crossed off a list that he had in front of him and we were given our magic number. We exited that queue and went over to the other queue, which is for entering the Consulate. We had to go through the security checkpoint.
Tip 1: Don’t bring electronics or anything like that. Follow security guidelines outlined in Packet 4.
We proceeded through the security check point, walked on a short path, and then went into the main building. Once inside the main building, an assistant will tell you where to go. There is a large waiting area located in the middle of this large room. We were instructed to go to Window 22--Cashier. The visa fee was €325. We were about pay when we heard our number called, which told us to go to Window 23. My husband stayed at the Cashier and paid while I went over to Winder 23.
Tip 2: At the Cashier’s window, you need your waiting number, €325, and your appointment letter.
Tip 3: Keep an eye on the numbers called. Our number was called while we were paying.
I proceeded to Window 23, which is right next to Window 22. I gave the clerk my husband’s passport, one photograph, and DS-230 Part II. My husband filled out DS-230 Part II. I didn’t help him. He entered my German address for Question #29. According to the clerk, a U.S. address is needed. I crossed out the German address and wrote my mom’s U.S. address. The clerk gave me an envelope, told me to self-address it, and put €4.25 stamp on it.
That whole process took less than 15 minutes.
We waited...for 1.5 hours.
While we were sitting in the waiting area, we got ourselves a Coca-Cola from the vending machines and had a snack. We couldn’t help but watch other couples. It appears as if all the couples that are there for an immigrant visa interview and the K-1 all have a waiting number starting with W. As we waited, we grew curious about what exactly would happen when our documents were checked. There was a woman ahead of us who also had, what appeared to be, an immigrant visa interview. We overheard the clerk talking to her while her documents were being checked. He specifically asked her about the tax forms submitted with the Affidavit of Support. Then he asked her how she was going to survive financially in America. The clerk had a problem with her financial situation. After trying to explain herself to the clerk, she was told to wait for her number to be called. She was visibly tense.
Tip 5: Make sure you’re fully informed about the poverty guidelines for the Affidavit of Support. It’s crucial.
Tip 6: The checking of documents and the subsequent interview are conducted at a window. There is a glass between the employee and the customer. There is virtually no way of maintaining any kind of privacy, especially from people who may be sitting in the first or second row of the large waiting area.
We were then called to Window 21 so that the clerk could check our documents. She went over everything and we had all of our documents prepared in the requested order. That order is detailed in the Packet 4 instructions. The Consulate wants photocopies of mostly everything, except for the German police report. We could’ve given her a few originals, like my husband’s birth certificate, but she didn’t want it. She checked every photocopy against the original.
Tip 7: Bring originals of all documents!
Two things:
1) We had bank statements from Deutsche Bank. We didn’t make a copy of these bank statements because we didn’t need them for our records. The clerk didn’t want the originals and made a copy. She didn’t charge us €1 for it.
2) The clerk told me that my husband would likely have to fill out an I-864A. I was surprised as I felt like I had researched and read everything carefully. We had not prepared an I-864A because we were not instructed, on the new I-864 form, to do so. I remained calm, but I think she saw that I was anxious. I told her, “I am submitting the new I-864 form. On that form, it says that if my husband has no dependents, he doesn’t need to fill out an I-864A.” Also, my husband and I had lived together for longer than six months. We fulfilled all of the requirements. She said she would double check, but she explained to me that it is more of a problem for the port of entry officer who also has to examine the documents if the visa is issued. She said that they do not, sometimes, have the correct information. It turned out that my husband didn’t need to fill out an I-864A. I assume that he didn’t have to fill it out because: 1) We are not leaving until the middle of August; 2) The form is supposed to be in use immediately; 3) Most, if not all, port of entry officers should be familiar with the new I-864 form sooner rather than later.
The clerk then collected our self-addressed envelope. She went on to explain exactly what would happen after our interview if the visa is granted. She was so thorough. I’m not going to recount what she said because, actually, all of it is here on the VisaJourney website. But it’s nice to hear it confirmed from the Consulate employees.
Then we waited...for another 1.5 hours.
After a while, the number of the woman who was in front was called and she began her interview. We did not hear any part of the interview as we had moved a few rows back in the waiting area. We did see that her passport was returned to her, but she also got a green form, which is the “Pending Worksheet.” The “Pending Worksheet” is good news in that you’re not instantly denied. Usually they just want you to bring something back. In fact, on the form, the following is written: “After we have received all documents, including the medical examination results, your visa will be mailed to you via the German postal system.” In her case, I assume that the Consular Officer wanted her to find a co-sponsor who had an income above the poverty guideline or assets three times above the poverty guideline. I assume that this document was requested because he returned her passport, which means it could take a while to find a co-sponsor.
After her interview had concluded, my husband and I tensed up. We knew we were next. When our number was called, we were more nervous than ever before.
We walked up to Window 20 to conduct our interview. The Consular Officer was very nice. I think he observed that we were nervous. My husband was told to give his fingerprints. There is a small device next to the Window for this purpose. After the Consular Officer identified me as the petitioner, we both had to swear to tell the truth. The interview had begun.
The first question was posed to my husband: “How old is your wife?”
My husband, in all his anxiety, hesitated…and then laughed and looked at me. He had to calculate my age in his head. I didn’t answer the question for him but I wanted to.
He finally responded, “She’s 24.”
I’m not 24 yet… I still have a few months to go. I didn’t correct him and it seemed like the Consular Officer didn’t notice or if he did, he understood the anxiety and asked more follow-up questions.
Tip 8: Try to stay calm! It’s hard, but try.
Some questions that the Consular Officer asked us during our ten minute interview:
Petitioner
“You got your BA and MA from that school?”
“What are you doing in Germany?”
“Can I see your student visa? How long have you been in Germany?”
“You’re going for your PhD. How did you manage to get a stipend?”
Beneficiary
“How old is your wife?”
“How did you guys meet?”
“You were there—in America—for how long?”
“Is that your old passport? Can I see it? Is your student visa in there?”
“Did you guys have classes together?”
“Have you received your Diplom? In what subject?”
“You were born in a ‘small German town.’ Where is that?”
As the interview went on, we got more relaxed and I think the Consular Officer got the impression that we indeed have a bonafide relationship.
Then, he looked at my Affidavit of Support.
He said, “That’s quite a bit of savings for someone who hasn’t worked. Is it all yours?”
I said, “No. My mom and I share the account. I hope that’s not a problem.”
He said, “No, it’s not as long as you have access to it.”
In this case, the fact that I had a joint asset was not a problem. In fact, the simplicity of his answer was quite a surprise for me. He then asked if there was a co-sponsor. I said, “No, if that works…”
He said that they usually rely heavily on taxes from the petitioner, but he’d allow me sponsor because our financial situation was sufficient. He read the tax letter carefully. That appears to be the only document he read closely, to be honest. (I don’t think he had enough time between the previous interview and our interview to do a super-meticulous analysis of our documents.) My husband was able to get a letter from his current contractor saying that he would be working in America for them as he finished up some software programming projects. That timeframe was indefinite, but would be a minimum of six months. My husband also had a small sum of money saved up, which we were able to include on the Affidavit of Support.
The Consular Officer asked me, “Do you have to pay for tuition for your PhD program?”
I told him, “No.”
I am not sure if he asked this question because he hadn’t read the file or if he asked it to ensure that my answer and the documents matched up. I found that to be honestly strange and that leads me to suspect that he didn’t go over the documents that closely. This is probably another reason why Frankfurt is considered a nice, friendly, and no-hassle Consulate. To go along with the Affidavit of Support, I included an official letter from my university saying that I had received a full tuition and fee waiver as well as a nine-month stipend. I think there was an overwhelming amount of proof that my husband wouldn’t become a public charge. (My mom had prepared all of the required documents to be a co-sponsor and I had it with me, but I didn’t need it!)
The interview took all of ten minutes.
If our observation is correct, there were about six visa interviews scheduled for that day. We arrived at 9:20 and left the Consulate at about 1:00. There was one interview left after ours.
Tip 9: I like to emphasize Meauxna’s advice about the Affidavit of Support. Make it work for you. The questions on the form are, for the most part, rather clear but if you feel that there is something about your financial situation that the Affidavit of Support doesn’t cover, try to find a way to include it. That helped me tremendously.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #714