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| Israel |  Review on November 23, 2011: |
lovenow
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Let me tell you, the interview part is the easiest one!
Waiting for them to process it and their unresponsiveness was the worst part! It took them 6.5 weeks to issue the visa and that's with the involvement of my fiance's congressman. (twice!!!!).
Arrived at 7:45 sharp. Lots of parking space for free on the street above the consulate- Yam Hamelach st. (Dead sea st.). Only 2 people in line in front of me. Got to the check in window outside, stated my name and got a number and the paper for Sha'al. Waited 2 mins to get inside and go through security. They asked me to open the medical envelope outside and then come back in. Promised it's OK and it was. You need to leave you cellphone with them. I left it in the car and only brought a carton bag with all my documents, my wallet, a bottle of water and a sweater. But I saw other people there with backpacks so I guess they let you bring stuff in. Got into the interviews hall. There were maybe 5 parties already waiting. Met another k1 couple there so the time passed quickly. Waited for like 15-20 mins and got called to the window for the documents check up. Gave all documents one by one to the clerk who spoke Hebrew to me. He took: my passport, 2 photos, original+ photocopy of birth certificate and army discharge (originals were given back in the end), medical exam forms (without the x-ray), 2 copies of ds156, 1 ds156K, 1 ds157. when he took my fiance's i-134 said that his $20,000 is not enough so thank god I had his parents co-sponsor us just in case and I immediately gave him their forms and that was satisfying. Also gave him our photo album and our signed statements of intent to marry. He didn't want to take the rest of my proofs and said that the CO might ask for them at the interview. I also had to give him the paper with my contact details for Sha'al. In the end he asked if I speak English and I said yes. Waited for about 10 more mins and got called to the last window at the end. The CO was pretty nice and spoke to me in English. I raised my hand and swore to tell the truth and then he took my fingerprints. The CO went through all the papers and had me sign the parts left to be signed in his presence. While he was looking on the papers he started asking me the questions.
1. Oh you're fiance lives in Arizona? I've lived there for 20 years! It's too hot there. (not really a question).
2. How did you meet? (answered where and when and who was there with me and that was it).
3. What does my fiance do for a living?
4. In what part of the city exactly does my fiance live at? (Probably since he knows the area. gave him the crossroads and he nodded).
5. Does it bother my fiance that I've served in the army? (no)
6. Where are your parents from? where do they live now? how does you parents feel about you leaving? (said it's hard but they support me. I wanted to show him a letter from them but he didn't want to see it)
7. Asked me again how long we've been dating. (answered the same as in the beginning and stated how many times we each visited the other).
8. Looked through my photo album (simple album with 36 pics of us in the US and Israel and with our families). Didn't really ask many questions or tried to tackle me. He was more commenting on them, saying: oh that's a nice area, oh where is Rosh Pina? oh you went traveling a little? oh this is his family? that's his grandma?
He seemed pretty satisfied with the pics and I tried saying I had many more proofs to show him but he didn't want to see. Then he gave me back my original birth and army certificates.
Then he said, it's all good. OK we'll issue you the the visa. I asked how long it would take, he said in 1 to 2 weeks it would be delivered to you. Then he said: You can tell your fiance you're traveling soon to see him. That was it. Was out of there by 9:00 AM and called my babe to tell him the good news.
The actual interview day went smoothly, no problems at all, didn't take long and the CO was nice.
The way until the interview was rough and long and a lot of misleading information. The forms you need are exactly the ones I've listed here. I brought way more proofs such as: phone bills, magic jack record, skype print screens, all of our flight tickets, emails between our parents and a statement form my parents, receipts for my ring and the watch my parents got him, my wedding dress receipt, emails regarding wedding plans, my school papers and emails with schools in the US for my transfer. They didn't want to see any of them but I'm still happy I had it all in case they would of asked.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #8761