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| Juarez, Mexico |  Review on June 14, 2011: |
icarolina
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Our experience in Juarez and with the consulate was smooth and painless for the most part. My interview was on 6/9 and since they closed the consulate a day before that, and there were no flights on tuesdays in the airline I liked, we flew in on monday 6/6.
The city:
We stayed at the Ibis Hotel, which was really nice and the cheapest I could find that was within a block from the consulate. If you book online 20 days in advance you can get a rate of approx. $420 pesos a night (reg. price is like $599-699 pesos). The Ibis is sandwiched in between the two clinics and is facing the small plaza right next to the consulate. It also is right across from the mall and next to the wendys and the denny's. I'd say the consulate area is safe to roam around till 9ish, then it starts to get sketchy. One thing that I didn't enjoy was how expensive taxis are in Juarez. A taxi would charge for a 10 minute ride What one in Guadalajara would charge for a 25-30 minute ride.
The Medical:
Woke up at 5:45 am and got to the clinic at 6 am. I was asked for my passport, invitation letter, AND appointment confirmation email. They asked for all three so don't forget the confirmation email! They put me in their database and took a picture of me. Then I went to a small waiting room where we were separated by gender, and taken to a rooms with cubicles where they asked us to take everything off waist-up and cover ourselves up with a paper robe. We were then lined up and they took our x-rays. We went to another waiting area and our blood was taken. Finally, we were taken to another part where we were weighed, given an eye exam, and our pressure was taken. We were each assigned a small room in which we were to undress completely and wait for the doctor to come in. When the doctor finally came, she didn't really do much. She asked me a bunch of questions one right after the other one, with almost no pause to actually let me answer. It was super quick and she didn't seem to be particularly interested or suspicious of me, so she just told me to get dressed and go pay. I payed $183 USD in cash because it was cheaper to pay in dollars. On the window it said they took the dollar at 12 pesos. I was out of the clinic and back in my room by 7:15 am, it was definitely very quick and there wasn't many other people in the clinic. Picked up my results after going to the ASC, so about 4:30 pm that same day. I went to Servicios Medicos, the big blue and white one and was very content with how it all went.
The ASC:
That same day I had scheduled me ASC appointment. The ASC is in the same little shopping complex the Waiting Room or Sala de Espera is in, but further in. I went at 4 pm and it was empty except for a few guards, and other workers that were leaving. All in all, it took them about half an hour to take my pics and fingerprints because I guess they were getting ready to close the ASC, so I recommend not going till 4 like I did.
Wednesday we just took it easy since our big day was on thursday
The Interview:
I woke up a 6 and was at the Sala de Espera at 6:30. All they asked for was my passport, the invitation letter, the DS-260 confirmation, and the appointment confirmation email, then stamped some of them and told me I could go line up at the consulate. I lined up and went
through security which is done like an airport. After you're through it, you're assigned a number and told where to go. I waited for my number to be called up three times, the first time they took up birth certificates, I-134's of my fiance and co-sponsor, any proof I wanted to submit, payment MRV confirmation, the DS-156's with the 2 pics they ask for, and basically any other document that is of importance. They'll ask you for some specific documents but leave it open for you to choose what evidence you want to give them.The second time I was called up was to have my fingerprints taken again, I think this is done to confirm identity and not because the ASC lost them or is useless. The third time was the actual interview. The consulate officer was nice and relatively young. He asked me about my Fiance, what he did, where did he work, about his parents, how did we meet, how was our relationship before I left the US and after, when did he propose, and what our plans were if I were given the visa that very day. I answered everything honestly and he asked to see all my previous passports with all past visas stamped. He stared at his computer screen for what seemed to me a long bit but then he looked at me and said "you're approved." He just told me afterward that all I had to do was set DHL up and wait to receive my visa through the courier. I was out of the consulate by 9 am, so I'd say it was relatively fast.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #7759