Consulate Review: Melbourne, Australia
Review Topic: F-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
June 24, 2014 |
| Embassy Review : |
Had my F-1 interview yesterday and all went very smoothly. I was prepared with all uni transcripts, bank statements and so on, but they asked for the barest minimum. When I got to the interview window, the guy was professional and asked me what I was going to do in Boston. I replied that I was flying over to study for my Masters. Then he asked me which uni, and finally he asked how I was going to afford the year’s expenses as declared on the I-20. I said I was self-funded, and had cash in my bank account. And that was it! Approved 
I thought it might be useful to have a quick walkthrough of the process in Melbourne, as I hadn’t seen it posted anywhere else here. For those who arrive early, the queue starts on the ground floor, probably around 30 mins beforehand. The door opened around 8am, and the main security attendant instructed everyone that they would go in in groups of four. On the other side of the door, you enter your basic details into a terminal and it prints out an ID label that you put on the upper left of your chest.
You put your documents in one tray, and your effects in another. The effects are kept there for you, and you get an ID number on a lanyard. The documents get x-rayed, then you pass through a metal detector. Once the group of four is re-assembled, you get taken up by another attendant to the main consulate floor. Once there, another guard scans you in and gives you a numbered ticket. You then enter the waiting area and take a seat until your number is called. You get processed in three phases. The first call-up accepts your basic documents. The second call-up is the “interview” itself. The third is the optional cashier phase if your visa requires an issuance fee to be paid.
I watched one guy in my group get bounced for not printing out his DS-160 confirmation. He tried to argue the point, but the guard said the instructions were very clear. Another member of my group got bumped for not finding the interview window in time, but I think she only went back one place in the queue.
Overall processing time was about 1 hour end to end for an 8am appointment, plus another 15 mins in the queue. As others have said, it’s professional in the consulate, but if you have the basic documents in order and follow the instructions, the whole process goes smoothly and quickly. I didn’t get any of the weird “interrogator’s eye” that some reviews have mentioned previously. it’s also worth noting that you no longer need to bring an Express Post envelope, as the consulate now despatches your passport by AusPost eParcel service. |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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