Consulate Review: Sydney, Australia
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
September 6, 2012 |
| Embassy Review : |
My husband had his CR-1 visa interview on September 4th, 2012. We were scheduled for 11 am. We arrived at the building at around 10am. Martin Place features a lot of cafes and food outlets, so if you have some time to kill, it's easy to grab a cup of coffee or a meal.
We wanted to print out a couple of photos we took over the weekend in Sydney, so we found the Royal Express Kodak shop. This is very handy for printing photos off of smartphones, USB drives, etc. They also do passport photos, if you need them. We didn't see a Post Office there, but luckily we had stopped at a Post Office near the QVB earlier and picked up the envelope they needed to mail him his passport and his documents. We got an Express Post Platinum 3kg envelope, which cost around $18 I believe.
It was a bit confusing finding our way to the correct floor of the building. We took the lifts to the tenth floor, which is mostly medical offices, and the consulate. Since we were a bit early, they asked us to come back 10-15 minutes before 11. We waited down in the lobby, then returned to the consulate on the 10th floor. This is where you go through the security check--it's like US airport security. We had to remove our shoes, my husband had to take off his belt, etc. The people were very nice. We left our phones and my purse, and carried our folders and photo albums along. They had us sit in the front row of the seating area. A few minutes later we were called to the elevator. It is a fast elevator, but not unusually so.
Once on the correct floor for the consulate proper, we went through the heavy door, then straight in and pressed the Immigrant visa button for a ticket. There was plenty of seating, and not too many other people there. The area is much smaller than I expected. There are a number of windows similar to bank teller windows, and a board which shows the ticket number being served. Each window also has an electronic number board. You can't really get confused or miss your number when it's called. There's also a window with a terrific view of Sydney Harbour.
We had a bit of a wait, and then my husband was called for his document intake. He gave over the papers they had requested, his photos, envelope, and his passport. They took his fingerprints on a small machine. Then the lady handed him back the civil documents we had submitted to the NVC--marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc. (we had sent photocopies along with all of them). There was another wait, and then he was called up and told to fill out a short form regarding his medical exam--how much did it cost? Was he given certain examinations? He was happy with the doctor so he wrote some good feedback on the form.
After that we had quite a long wait. We were there for a little over two hours, all told. Be aware that even if your interview is short, you may be there for some time. They seemed to have three women and one man doing interviews. As many have stated here before, you can hear everything that goes on; there is no privacy. It was helpful to hear the type of questions. We didn't see anyone turned down, but several people were told to provide documents before they could get their visas. Be sure and bring all your paperwork and copies of everything!
We liked the sound of the one man doing interviews, and we hoped to get him. Luckily, we did. He seemed to be relaxed and friendly, and was laughing with several of the interviewees. He first apologized for the wait. Then he had my husband do some other fingerprint thing, then told us he would ask some technical questions, then the 'fun questions' about the relationship. It was very cursory and brief, and seemed like he really had no idea what was in our file (though I am sure he did). Some of the things he asked:
Was husband planning to work? At what kind of job?
Was I (the spouse) the sponsor? Did we have a joint sponsor? Who was she?
When did we meet? How did we meet?
Where will husband be living in the US?
When is he planning on going to the US?
The interviewer was very nice and not at all intimidating. He was intrigued that we met in an online game, and wanted to know if our characters fell in love and got married (they did). The whole interview only took a few minutes. Then he said "You're approved." We cheered, and he laughed and said "Did you really think I was going to deny you?" He also remarked that he felt like he needed to create a game character to give us our approval. He made sure we knew what to do at the POE, how to track the package with the documents, and that my husband would be welcome to become a dual citizen if he wished. He really did a great job, and made us feel very relaxed.
Afterward, we took the elevator back to the 10th floor, collected our things, and were on our way. No one ever asked to look at any of our photos or additional evidence of ongoing relationship. I did bring copies of everything I had sent, and extra originals of many documents. My advice is--bring everything, just in case!
All in all, it was pretty easy and straightforward. Everyone was polite and friendly, and it was all professionally done. The only thing that surprised me was the wait. Be prepared to wait, and hopefully you won't have to.
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| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0