Consulate Review: Peru
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
September 4, 2008 |
| Embassy Review : |
My fiancée’s interview went very quickly with no problems. I will try to give as much detail as I can remember. Our interview was scheduled for 8:45 on 8/29/2008. We were staying at a hotel in Miraflores and left the hotel at 7:45. Allow 30 minutes for traffic in the morning if you are staying in Miraflores. We arrived at the embassy at 8:15. There was a queue of people in line in front of the embassy, about 5 people in front of us. A man was talking to each person in the line to determine each persons reason for being at the embassy. Within a few minutes we entered the first security room, gave our cell phones to security and received a card with a number for retrieving the cell phones later. No electronics of any kind are allowed inside the embassy. In the first security booth we passed through a metal detector. The first security booth is a small room just for the security check, with no more than 10 feet from the entrance to the exit door. When you exit the security booth, you will be outside again, but inside the walls of the embassy. To your left you will see the DHL shipping office for your visa. We then waited in a second line to pass through security again before entering the actual embassy building where the interview took place. We were called to the first window within 10 minutes, either window 13 or 14. The first time at the window the woman wanted the receipt for the visa fee, $131, the 3 police certificates, the medical exam results, the 2 photographs, and the DS-156 (this form is filled out online and has the barcode, 3 sheets total). The woman wanted 2 copies of the DS-156 form. The woman did not care about the chest X-rays from the medical exam. She said the X-rays are only needed if there is a problem. We were then called to either window 13 or 14 again and asked for the I-134. I also gave tax transcripts for the last 3 years, but she only wanted the transcript for 2007. I gave her my employment work letter and last 3 pay stubs. At one of these window visits we also gave some other forms and Susy’s passport. I need to review my notes later and update this post with exactly which forms.
Next we waited for about 2 hours for the interview in room #15. Room 15 is right beside window 14, but you have a door and enter the room. There are 2 chairs, and the woman is behind a glass wall, just like at the other windows. My fiancée was asked only 4 questions:
1. How did you meet your fiancé?
2. Are you legally able to get married?
3. Do you have any children?
4. Why do you want to marry your fiancé?
I was asked more questions than my fiancée:
1. When did you divorce your first wife?
2. When did you divorce your second wife?
3. When did you meet your fiancée?
4. How did you meet your fiancée?
5. How many children do you have?
6. Your daughter lives with her Mother?
7. Where did you meet your second wife? (this was asked I think, because my second wife was also petitioned for but not as a K1)
7. What kind of work do you do?
8. How many times have you visited your fiancée?
The woman did not ask for any supporting evidence, no pictures, no phone logs, no letter of intent, nothing from the original I-129F. She just asked the questions, made notes on her computer, then said we were approved and gave us the pink little piece of paper.
We walked outside the main embassy building to the DHL booth and paid the 16 soles fee to DHL. We were finished with everything at the embassy and in the taxi at 11:30, about 3 hours total. My fiancée was very nervous before the interview, but afterwards agreed that there was no need to be nervous. The whole experience was really good with no problems.
We checked DHL’s website and the status of the tracking number on Saturday (the next day) said the mail was ready to be picked up by the recipient. On Monday the status was updated again on the DHL website stating that the mail was ready to be picked up by the recipient. When we called DHL, they said that they did not have the package. We asked DHL to hold the package at the embassy office so that we could pick it up there, but DHL said they did not have it. I could not understand why having it had anything to do with requesting a change of how to handle it. After many frustrating phone calls because of the discrepancy between the website and what we were told on the phone, we just went to the embassy Tuesday morning. Keep in mind that Monday was an American holiday, Labor day. We were worried about getting the visa for our flight late Tuesday night because DHL said that if it shipped from the embassy on Tuesday, then it may not be available for pick until Wednesday. We arrived at the embassy on Tuesday around 12:30. We were told by security that it was too late for us to go inside (without an interview, entering stops at 12:00). We walked around the Polo shopping center, ate lunch at McDonalds, and finally called the consular at 14:00. The consular said that everything was good with the visa and that it should be printed today, but if I wanted to be sure, go to the American Services window at the entrance of the embassy at 15:00. So, at 15:00 my fiancée was allowed inside the embassy. After 1 hour and talking to several people, my fiancée returned outside with the passport/visa in hand.
Some other notes. If you want to pick up your visa at the DHL office in the embassy, make these arrangements before leaving the day of your appointment. Trying to change where the visa is shipped to after the fact is nearly impossible. This might save you 1 day of shipping time if you are on a tight schedule.
Directly across the street from the embassy there is a place with a big sign that can provide instant passport photos.
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| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0