Consulate Review: Nigeria
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
November 8, 2012 |
| Embassy Review : |
For some reason, I can't seem to be able to reply to messages, or comment on my own profile, so I have read all your congratulatory messages and I appreciate them all. My husband and i are so excited. Even though he still thinks visa journey got me unnecessarily worked up. Especially since i had taken to calling him at weird hours to ask for some document or some abstract information which i saw on VJ. While I think visa journey made me prepared.
So, I got to the embassy for my 10am appointment with 2 hours to kill. Was flustered Initially because I was soo afraid of being late. But glad I got there on time. Was accompanied by some distant relative of my husbands who my mother in law sent to baby sit me. Well, she was good company.
By a few minuites to 10, the guards come out and announce that all those for immigrant visa 10am interview should queue to the left, every human being gets up and attempts to queue. The guards keep repeating 10am, immigrant, someone is filling for you, gradually more than half the crowd goes back to their seats leaving just a bunch of us. I'm about number 7 in line. The lady in front of me looks at my wedding ring and makes small conversation, telling me she was here before and was sent back to get something. Generally implying that since this is my first time here, I would probably not get the visa at the first try. I smile wryly, making no comment, telling myself that all spirit of discouragement will not see me today.
I get to the first screening point, they check my appointment letter, give me a form to fill and a blue slip. I fill the slip, end up having to share my biro with a couple of people. Then get to the first check point, they make sure I have no prohibited items in my bag, then let me in, putting the people with children ahead. Then I receive my number, it's a nice number, a well rounded B.. I sit down, look around and get comfortable. Watching people smile and people frown. More seemed to be smiling though. There was a black American guy who seemed to be dashing out visas, left, right and Center. Was praying furiously for my number to flash at his ?counter.
Then I hear a name which sounds suspiciously like mine and I'm confused. I listen again, and it really does sound like my name. I see a lady, calling into a microphone. Didn't realise my surname could sound so exotic. . Then I almost smack my head as I remember the Pre interview. I go up to her. She asks for my imternational passport, two passport photographs, the blue and filled slip of paper, medical report. She asks for copies of my marriage and birth certificate, here I'm happy for visa journey cause it was after reading people's reviews that I made sure to make copies.
Then I go back to my seat and continue looking around, still praying against the two Caucasians who seemed to be giving some people a tough time though i did see them approve one or two. Suddenly the lady beside me taps me and indicates one of the caucasians and its my number flashing there. The devil is a liar. She must approve me. I mumble a quick prayer as I grab my bag and head over there.
Goodmoring.....she's really smiling, so I smile back. Surely she cant give me a 212 or is it 221g smiling like that.
Good morning, I reply.
Biometrics follow, then she has me raise my right hand and swear to tell the truth.
The following questions were asked
-When did your husband leave the country......
-What kind of visa did he leave with.........
-Who did he travel with...........
-What are some of their names..........
-Who is.........she mentions the English name of one of his siblings whom I had mentioned an Igbo name for. So I go ahead and tell her all their names, English and Igbo for all his siblings starting with the one she asked me.
-Did you know him before he travelled.........to give her credit, she chucked at the question so I felt free to laugh when I said no. She then said you would have been an infant then. True. My husband left at a very young age and I was probably not even in nursery school then. Lol.
-So, when did you meet him........
-How did you meet him.........
-What did he come to do in Nigeria when you met.......
-Are you from the same village.......no, same state, but different villages, I go ahead to tell her the names of our individual villages
-When did you become romantic.......I went ahead to tell the entire story of how we became a couple few months after meeting but decided to wait to meet several more times in person before taking the step towards marriage.
-So when did you get married.........
-Have you seen your husband since the marriage........I think I actually looked a bit sad when I said no and explained when in the year he can take vacations and for how long.
-What does he do for a living..........
-Which state in US does he live in.........
-where does he live, a flat, an apartment?..........
So, I'm giving you this to collect your visa a week from now at ..........
My eyes widen and she says, yes you are approved. Welcome to California. I break into a very wide happy smile as I say 'oh thank you thank you thank you'. she's equally smiling as she says you are welcome.
I take my original document and collection slip and put it in my bag with my two photo books, pages of phone logs, Skype logs, pictures taken of couple before and after the wedding plus a few photocopied pages from my wedding albums showing couple with both families, both immediate and extended, 30 pages of yahoo emails, 50 pages of yahoo messenger chats and also yahoo messengers chats logs, even print out of inbox page and sent messages page, copies of pages of my husbands passport showing when he traveled to Nigeria which I refused to allow a certain someone to make me feel bad that it wasn't certified or that I was the one who printed all my documents and even pictures(on photo quality paper) in the comfort of my fathers study as against my husband printing and sending it. When you have a computer savvy wife who has Internet access 24/7, I don't see the need to go through all that. Contrary to popular beliefs, Nigeria is not exactly in the dark ages. Except for those who choose. Anyway, I digress.
The point is that I had all these and she never even asked to look at them. Might have been worried, or questioned her if i hadnt seen a few reviews here where their interviews went like that. Though i did feel as if i was under a microscope and she she was reading me carefully, despite the smiles. The entire interview didn't even last up to 5 minutes.
So, am I sad I printed them all out, of course not. Am i glad I found visa journey. 100% I felt confident that I knew what to expect, the best and the worst. I knew all my shortcomings and was prepared to address them if they did arise, luckily they did not.
So, hopefully, this review will boost someone's confidence and assist someone to prepare, the way so many of your review here assisted me. 😃
Thanks VJ.
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| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0