Consulate Review: Dominican Republic
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
November 8, 2012 |
| Embassy Review : |
Hello to all my VJ fam,
I hope this review finds you all well, and will give you a piece of mind as you go on your journey.
I prepared all my forms and the electronic forms here in the United States and took the copies. I was able to fill them out once my fiance and child had their passports, because you need the passport #, expiration date, and where it was issued.
When I got to DR, I wen to the bank, (banco popular) the tellers were so confused in what bank fee we were talking about. Thankfully my fiance had a contact person, who knew about the process. So at the bank they asked non-Immigrant or Immigrant Visa fee and we thought apparently for a K1 Visa it would be non-immigrant and it was for Immigrant visa. So wait, no you need to pay both fees for non-immigrant and immigrant, they would tell you No at first if they really don't know what they are doing. And yes, don't take no for an answer because it can be done in the system, all they have to do is put an X at the end of the passport number submission on their system and it goes through. I was so livid about their knowledge with this.
So do not "omit" any of them because you need both. Don't let them tell you, you need to call and make another appointment, because it's bull crap. They told me that they were just not going to make me pay both if I didn't have to, ... Really after all I been through a few extra hundred pesos is not going to kill me. I don't care.
So the day of the consulate, we arrived at 6:35 am, we got a bit lost. Our appointment was at 6:45am. I suggest getting there around 6.15-6:25am. Make sure you do not take anything electronic, no USB, no wires, No cellphones. No excuses. They will make you get out of line to put it away, you can either go back to your car, or pay the "buscones" to hold it for you.
Once you get on line they give you a number, when you hand in your appointment letter. Once inside, which is hot as hell, no AC. Sauna central. They will call you either by the ticket number of name. When I was called, which was like 20 minutes after I got in, they said my fiance's name. They called us to window 24 and the officer asked for the DS forms. DS230 pt 1, DS156 and DS157K. The young lady asked my fiance more information about his job, and filled out some of the information. Then she gave us a yellow ticket and told us to go to window 15, once we are called for biometrics. Once we payed for biometrics we went back to window 24 and gave the agent the receipt. We then sat back down and after a long wait we got called to window 25. Window 25 was a big dark bilingual man, who sworn us in and he asked my fiance, "when we got engaged," "when is your anniversary date," and "where you married before?" Which he was. He said how many children you have and their age. He asked me where do I work and made my fiance write my name on a piece of paper. The officer also asked me when and how we met. He then told us thank you and we can sit back down, while I review your documents.
We sat back down, I was wondering if it was okay because my friend who just got interviewed at the window just got approved. So around 12:30pm we get called to window 13. I noticed the office sign read "fraud Prevention Unit," I was like what the hell is going on? But I kept my cool. So a man comes out of the door in this waiting area and calls us, not by name, but he knows who we are already. Stalkerish huh?
So we both walk in and the officer makes me wait in another waiting area after we passed the first door, so he goes in a separate room and just interviews my fiance. My fiance was in there for a good 25 minutes, no lie. I'm serious. I was like Lord... I don't know what I was thinking at this point, but watching tv in English language helped me keep my cool.
Then the officer called me in, and asked me the following.
So what do you do? Where did you guys meet? What's your story? You guys know each other since you were kids? So as the chatterbox that I am, I tell him our story, and we were very conversational and then the questions were beyond awkward. You ready?
You guys use condoms or no condoms?
Birth Control or no birth control?
When was the last time you had sex?
When and where was the first time you had sex with him? I said a cabaña and he said you sure, and I said okay okay in the cabaña in the white Ford Jeep in the back where the trunk is at. (sorry guys) lol I had to be specific. Don't feel weird or jeopardize an answer because it's intimate. Just say the truth.
Who took a shower first this morning?
What's your favorite food?
What color underwear you have on?
How many times have you traveled since you been together?
Does your fiance have kids?
How many and and what are there names?
Do you have kids with him?
Do you send your fiance money? I took copies of the envios
(no affidavit forms were asked but I took them anyways)
So after my interview, he gave me my passport book, and said to go back and sit down until our name was called.
This was an ordeal my friends. Mind you it's a sauna in this place, I'm hungry and nervous and my flight was the same day back to NY.
So finally they call us again after another hour to window 25 and the agent saids, "you have been approved, take this (green ticket) and go to domex." This mans voice is so blah, annoying and the weirdest accent I've ever heard. In my head all I can picture and hear is a new years celebration, horn blowing, confetti and blurred vision. So we go to domex pay the fee and ask to pick up our documents instead of mailing them. We sit back down, yes... I feel like I have ants in my pants. So 3 minutes later we get back up and actually pay.
Everyone at the consulate was doing their job, but the agent in window 25 was very mono-toned and uninterested. The Consulate officer was very nice, but his questions were so intimate. I was nervous on the inside the whole time. I was more nervous because my fiance's ex threaten us to mess up our papers and call the embassy, so good thing that we were always very private about these things and our personal life. We never told anyone we were going about doing this. So all in all we got approved and I am so happy of the outcome.
The worst ordeal of this is the waiting, we got there at 6:30am and didn't leave till like 2:30pm.
I wish you all the best of luck and contact me if you would like to know any other information. I also went to the interview with my fiance, and left his child, as he would be follow-to-join. They didn't ask for any of the babies forms.
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| Rating : |
Good |
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ver 5.0