So you're off to the consulate

As we continue with the K-1 visa guide, we arrive at one of the most crucial moments: the consular interview.

The absolute most important thing to remember for this part of the process is to bring the entire application package, the one you must assemble after receiving your NOA-2. It is essential that you remember every single piece of it and that you have it organized in the exact order the consulate requests on the website. When you first get there, someone will check to make sure you have all of your documents and that you have them in the right order. If you're missing stuff, they'll send you home, though they are generally accommodating about rescheduling your interview.

Lots of people want to know whether the American fiance should go with the foreign spouse. There are mixed responses about this. I personally couldn't attend, but some friends of mine who did attend said it wasn't necessarily helpful. The consul who interviews your fiance could be really nice or could be really mean, so it's the luck of the draw. If it makes you feel better to go, I don't think it is ultimately detrimental, but it won't necessarily be more helpful. 

While this is one of the most stressful parts of the process, it can actually turn out to be the easiest. In Eli's case, they asked only a few, very straightforward questions (when are you going to the States? when do you plan on getting married? what do you plan to do there? what does your fiance do? etc) and made him feel relatively at ease. Other cases, however, aren't always so smooth; sometimes they ask personal questions, or weird questions (what color is your fiance's toothbrush? what side of the bed do you sleep on? are your fiance's parents religious? - the guy asked Eli that one). Sometimes they are rude and unhelpful, and other times they're friendly. You never know.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you're going to be doing a lot of waiting, so bring something to read or distract yourself, because it is usually slow and crowded. Also, make sure you're in the right line; the tourist visa line is usually a different one from the immigration line (this I know because Eli was waiting in the wrong line for a bit). 

You find out right away if your visa was approved or denied. Assuming everything goes well and it is approved (!) you will have to leave your passport for the consulate to allow them to insert your visa. They will send it to you by messenger service, and you should get it back within a week.

Then, it's time to go!

Comments

[Leslie]

It might be helpful to consult with a local immigration attorney regarding the presence of the US citizen petitioner. I am currently going through the process in the DR- because of the high level of visa fraud in that particular embassy and the relative proximity of the US, the absence of the petitioner sends a red flag and these cases (where the petitioner does not attend) are routinely denied.