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|  Review on July 18, 2011: |
dennn
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
What all have read in previous reviews is accurate in terms of the line outside, benches inside, and consulate windows...speaking through glass.
Arrived at five thirty for our six forty five appointment, with the line moving promptly at six fifteen. In and seated, we were called to window 21 at around 8:30, where we submitted the Banco Popular receipt, police report, physical examination, and some original documents were returned to us, but not all. The woman at window 21 appeared to be asian, and all questions were asked in english.
Our situation was unique, in that my wife and I were married in Port au Prince, Haiti, and she is a Haitian citizen living in the Dominican Republic on a work visa. She does not have a cedula, but has a Dominican Republic visa in her passport, so we submitted that and her national ID for Haiti in lieu of a cedula.
The woman verified our information, asked where we will live in the U.S., and asked my wife my birtday and when we were married, which was almost a year ago. She asked how we originally met, which was through an internet site. She then explained the next steps, fingerprints, and then the interview with a consular officer.
At around 10:30, it was off to fingerprints at window thirteen, a two minute visit, and then at about eleven fiften we were called to window 21 for the interview. The consular officer was a black woman, near thirty years of age. She was pleasant, asked direct questions, and asked to see photos of the wedding, and also photos taken at other times than the wedding. She asked if we had a religious wedding, which we did, and how many people were at the wedding. She then asked to see my passport to verify visits to the Dominican Republic, and I explained visits as there are a lot of stamps in my passport. She then asked for a police report from Haiti, and we explained that they are not available. Actually, the NVC told me not to even attempt to obtain a Haiti police report, so I never sought one, and the appointment letter also explained that the report is unobtainable per the foreign affairs manual. The Officer asked questions about the pictures, which included photos from a party where I proposed, the marriage, various photos of her family, and also of my mother, who visited my wife and I a few months ago. She asked my wife the names of several people in the photos.
The consular officer said that she needed to verify the Haiti police report issue, and I also asked her to trade my wife's original birth certificate for a copy, because birth certificates in Haiti are very difficult to obtain. She said she would check on it.
So, we waited. At around 1:30 we were called to window 11, investigations. My wife was taken quickly into the room where the door was closed, and I was instructed to sit outside, which I did. After about 10 minutes, I was called in and she waited outside. The questions asked by a male consuler officer were: who took a shower first this morning, when did we first meet in person, when did we first have sex after we met, did we use protection, how much was the rent for my wife's Dominican Republic apartment, how many daughters did I have, has my wife ever met them, what did I do for a living. After we were finished, the man said to go back out to the benches and wait, and we would be called again.
So, we waited again, and talked to each other briefly about what just happened. We did not discuss the questions among ourselves, we know each other well so that was not an issue, but I was thinking privately that we were going to be denied. Our documents were and are different from Dominican Republic documents, as Haiti is not a country that is part of the Hague Convention regarding apostilles. Haiti government documentation is very, very different.
At two thirty we were called to window 21, and the consular officer said that she was just waiting for one paper and then our visa would be approved. She also said we could have our original documents, and we traded those for copies.
Finally, at two forty five, we were called to window 21, where the consular officer said she would issue the visa. We thanked her and went to DOMEX.
It was a very confusing but rewarding day. All consular officials were very professional, but I still don't understand the investigative part of the process. We compared questions in the car on the way to the hotel and found the same questions were asked to each of us. I would rate higher, but I found the investigative process confusing. They were very thorough in the job, and ultimately made the correct decision.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #7951