Consulate Review: Singapore
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
November 21, 2008 |
| Embassy Review : |
I got there an hour before my interview time (I arrived at 8am, interview was at 9am) and started queueing at the tent outside the entrance. It was only five minutes before 9am did I realise that I was in the wrong queue! The queue was for typical travel and non-immigrant visas. Ours on the other hand, is an immigrant visa (like the lady at Counter 2 quite rudely told me so, when I had taken the wrong queue number), so I spoke to the security guard, showed him my appointment letter and he let me in.
I was nervous as I was there alone. Almost all other applicants had their partners with them, so I was apprehensive. They got through okay, though as far as I could tell. I guess I was lucky to get a friendly interviewer.
Before I continue, let me just note that prior to the interview day, I had dreams (nightmares, really) of how the interview would be like. I had dreams of being in a dark, stuffy, windowless room with only a large mirror on the side wall, a huge table separating the interviewer and I, and a dusty lightbulb swinging from the ceiling. I think I watch too much Hong Kong dramas.
Anyway, once I was within the embassy compound, I asked around and was directed to the room for (non)immigrant visas. The room was full of people, and counters lined up on one side with embassy employees talking to us through glass panes, like when you buy a fresh new EZ-Link card at the MRT station, and the room is similar to the passport collection room at the Immigration Checkpoint Authority at Lavender, only with.. you know. The glass. And there are no chairs to sit there and talk to the officer across the glass pane. Both parties stand. I went up to the queue machine and pressed the THIRD BUTTON. After 15 minutes of waiting, my number was called and I went to said counter. That's why I got told off by the lady at Counter 2. Apparently I should have pressed the first button, which I subsequently did.
I looked at my ticket and it said 004, and remembering looking at the Q-thingy, it last read 003 for that window, so I waited patiently. The lady at the window was pleasant enough when my number was finally called. She was just organising the documents she already had, and just needed mine. She asked for my letter from the Consulate, my duplicate copies of DS-156 and my DS-156K, and submitted them to her. One of the nightmares I had was that they had "misplaced" the cashier's check I stupidly sent in with my DS-230 in order to get the interview date, but to my great relief, it was paperclipped to my folder. Said folder looked to be an inch or more thick with documents, by the way. Anyway, the lady also asked for the original and a copy of my birth certificate, after which she certified that the copy is true. She hung on to those for a while, and after asking me a few questions, like were we ever married, did we ever have any children, she also asked me for the two 2"x2" passport photographs of myself which I provided, the affidavit of support I-134 and I provided it along with letters from Karl's bank and employer, and some copies of his paychecks. She then told me to take a seat (there was like sooooo many other people in the room lol) and said that my name will be called in a while.
So after a while, my name was called at another counter, and I spoke to this American lady, who asked for further evidence. I provided photographs of us together, with the guys, and with Karl's colleagues, and testimonials that Karl's parents and some friends wrote, as well as a couple of phone bills stating that we have indeed been contacting each other. She looked over everything twice, stuck my photographs on to some forms, told me to raise my right hand, affirm/swear that all the information I had provided is accurate and true, and I just looked her in the eye, and said "Yes." Then she told me to go to the next counter, and congratulations.
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| Rating : |
Good |
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ver 5.0