My K1 visa interview experience at US embassy, New Delhi India

[Vish & Prach 3]

K1 Visa Interview
Consulate: New Delhi, India

Me and my fiancée were at the NWD last month for our K1 interview, which went very smooth! We were really very nervous and anxious at the same time as we had been looking forward to this day since so long. My fiancée had flown in from the US for the interview and we were not even clear if she would be allowed to stay with me during the interview.


We reached the Embassy early (by 7:30 AM).

First we were made to wait outside the embassy and people were called inside according to their interview time i.e 7:30, 8:00 etc
As we were scheduled for 8:30AM batch, we were admitted into the embassy around 8:45am. The guards at the entry took our mobile phones and stored them in a locker and gave us a token for that. After entering we were made to sit down again and wait in the lobby.

Once inside the Embassy, we were given a token number. In there an electronic display guides you when your number is up to go through 3 different counters in the order;

1) The first counter is for biometrics : Fingerprints (takes about a minute once your number is up).

2) At the second counter you submit your forms, police certificates and essentially everything that you have compiled in your PACKET 4. (takes about 10-15 minutes once you are at the counter).

3) The third and the final counter is where you are interviewed by the consular officer for your K1.
I had expected for the interview to take place in a room or a cubicle but surprisingly the interviews take place at the window of a counter! (amount of time spent here depends on how your interview proceeds).

I did not face any trouble while getting my US Citizen fiancée into the embassy with me or having her by my side throughout the whole process including the interview. No one even looked twice let alone say anything regarding her presence in the embassy. They just saw her American passport and asked if she was with me for interview. Even the consular officer was freely asking her questions regarding our relationship and did not show any reservations whatsoever to her presence.
Personally I feel it was very helpful for me to have my fiancee by my side during the interview and it had a very positive effect on the outcome of the interview.

Inside the embassy everything went smoothly and we were out in 3 hours time i.e by 12 noon.

The interview:

It only took 5-7 minutes to complete the interview. The officer made us raise our hands to take an oath of truth and proceeded with the questioning:

How and when u guys met?
Why did you go for a fiancée (K1) visa and not for marriage visa?
Why marriage ceremony is being held in US and not in India?
Will my family be able to go to US for marriage?


Two out of those four questions I answered and two were answered by my fiancée. We had tons of evidence in form of chat printouts and photographs etc, but he did not ask for any of it!

Then he said, we will mail you whenever your visa is ready for pick up :-)
7 days later we got an email saying that my visa was ready for pickup. Incidentally it was the very same day that my fiancée was supposed to take the flight to return back to the US. We picked up my visa the same day, bought a ticket for me too and boarded the plane together for US. LOL.
And here I am now with the love of my life enjoying snowfall in New york.

Overall it was a great experience for both of us!
Our K1 journey lasted 9.5 months and I am happy that it is over :-)

[JaiCyn0071 0]

WOW! I got chills reading your post! Thank you so much for sharing this part of your journey it is beyond helpful. I truly believe that being there will make all the difference. We will be having our interview at Dehli as well. Best Wishes to you both!

[TBoneTX 43,059]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the Embassy/Consulate forum -- topic involves that phase. ***

(Moderator hat off)

If you haven't, be sure to post the pertinent parts of your story in the "Reviews: Embassy" (link atop any VJ page) for New Delhi. Congratulations!

[Bin deeq 10]

Great experience , congrats guys !!

[Vish & Prach 3]

WOW! I got chills reading your post! Thank you so much for sharing this part of your journey it is beyond helpful. I truly believe that being there will make all the difference. We will be having our interview at Dehli as well. Best Wishes to you both!

You are more than welcome, I'm glad I could help. Thanks for your wishes and Best of luck to you guys for your journey as well!!

Great experience , congrats guys !!

Thanks!

[amrm 1]

Friends,

What is the best way to reply to the following questions at the interview:

Why did you go for a fiancée (K1) visa and not for marriage visa?
Why marriage ceremony is being held in US and not in India?
Will my family be able to go to US for marriage?

[newuser1919 0]

Hi,

Can you please tell me what did you guys answered for the below questions.

Why did you go for a fiancée (K1) visa and not for marriage visa?
Why marriage ceremony is being held in US and not in India?
Will my family be able to go to US for marriage?

Thanks.

[KTichUsZim 3]

That is a lovely story

Congratulations

Welcome to New York

[sumitlesia 0]

can anyone tell me if i need to return to Delhi to join my husband for interview ?

Im in school at this time ,and would have to take leave.

Dont take me wrong,I would love to be there every minute of every day,but i must finish school.

thank you for any help

[mansukh07 1]

I am a US Citizen and had filed K-1 petition for my fiance back in nov 2014. The petition got approved and Interview came on March 11th, 2015. Below is her experience of the interview at NWD Delhi.

The counselor, which happened to be asian looking, called her up at the window. The counselor didn't seem happy from her previous interview with another person (who had her visa refused). She asked my fiance about how we met. She gave a truth and easily explanation that we were both introduced by our parents with the intent of arrange marriage back in May 2014 and since then we talked over the phone for about 4 months and then my USC fiance came to india to get engaged with his mom. She also explained that we had huge gathering of people for engagement and it occurred in a large banquet hall.

The counselor got very angry and said if this is not a genuine relationship. Then my fiance tried to show the engagement pic album, the counselor immediately told her this is not what I am asking. She told my fiance to go and have a seat in a lobby area.

Then after 15 mins, she was called by another counselor (white). He asked my fiance about her parents name, her parents nick name, her brothers name etc.. then he asked her if he could get access to her cell phone. My fiance replied that it is with her parents who are sitting outside the embassy. The counselor then sent a security guy outside to capture the phone.

The strangest thing that happened next was that the counselor accessed the contact book in her phone and randomly made calls to people from address book. He asked those people about my fiance and myself. Luckily, the people he called knew about our relationship and said the same story.

My fiance was then called third time and had interview with different counselor. This time this guy asked her random questions about where she lives, what is nearby her home etc.. I think this was a lie detecting interview and where checking her confidence.

Finally, the fourth time she was again called by the same counselor who took her initial interview. Her face was not happy at all and she said "Your Visa is Approved" and threw the passport in front of her.

To me this is very unprofessional way. I am a software Engineer and grown up in US only. There was no red flags in our case and everything was genuine, but the extent to which these guys went, was very disturbing. They almost made my fiance feel as if she was a criminal and begging for a visa.

Good luck.

[scarletandjohn 2]

mansukh 07 :

I think I recognize the asian looking counselor. She had given my wife a hard time too (for no apparent reason) when my wife had visited Embassy last year. Although my wife had given back a smacking reply which shut her mouth, as counselors/officers do not have any authority/capacity in behaving rudely or arrogantly to the Embassy's home country citizens, my wife was just inches close to filing a complaint against her presence and behavior in the Delhi Embassy, back to the US Capitol's official complaint hotline.

Trust me, that woman has some very very serious issues. Not only us, but that woman behaved very arrogantly with other US citizens who showed up at the Embassy that day. She seems to be a miserable person who is very unhappy with her life. Luckily my wife put her in her place just right.

Another male citizen also raised his voice against her behavior and the whole waiting area clapped their hands for his befitting reply back to her. She still did not change her tone of voice and continued behaving rudely with the next person at her counter.