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| Amsterdam, Netherlands |  Review on September 16, 2014: |
AlissaCarly
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I had my appointment at 13.30 and I was standing at the back of the line in front of the building at 13.20. The guard came out and called my name and told me to stand at the front of the line because I was the first appointment. Then he lined up the other appointments. We were all asked to show him our passport pics so he could check if they were correct. One lady got sent away to take new ones. The guard asked if I had any electronics, which I didn't. After scanning us all with a portable metal detector they let the first 3 of us inside and we went past a desk, where I had to show my interview letter and passport. Then we went through the metal detector after putting our folders in a seperate bin that went through a scanner too. I was careful to not wear any jewellery, shoes with metal parts or a belt. I left my bag outside with a friend, since you're not supposed to bring other stuff inside. I also had a plastic accordion folder with my papers in it and plastic paperclips on the sheets, so I had no issues at the metal detector.
Inside I was sent to counter 5 and told to wait. The officer popped up behind a glass screen and spoke through the intercom (in English, whole interview was in English). I had to scan my fingerprints on the machine there and then he asked for the following documents, one by one:
- Original police certificate (VOG) and a copy of it.
- Original long-version birth certificate and a copy of it.
- Two US-size passport photo's.
- My passport.
- The Affidavit of Support (I-134) with all accompanying financial documents. I had the following for my fiance: past 3 years of tax returns from both US and Holland, last 3 payslips and one bonus payslip, screenshot of his regular and savings bank accounts (his bank wouldn't write us an official letter), copy of employment verification letter (he forgot to give me the original, but they didn't care), copy of his pension plan, copy of the ownership deed of his house. (*Side note: I made a cover letter for the Affidavit stating what all the papers were and he really appreciated that, maybe worth doing too!)
- The confirmation e-mail about having paid the visa fee of 180 euros.
I had brought an envelop with registered mail sticker, but he said they stopped requiring that for K-1 visas a month ago. Thanks for letting me know earlier, waste of money  They do still require them for other visas though, just FYI!
Then I was told to wait while they reviewed everything. I got called to counter 6 and had to take an oath with right hand raised. Then my fingerprints were taken again and he started the interview. I was asked the following questions:
- What is your fiance's full name?
- Where does he live?
- What is his job title and what does his job entail?
- How did you meet?
- How long after meeting did your relationship turn serious?
- When is your anniversary?
- Have you visited the US, how many times and when?
- Are you planning on transferring from your NL office to the US one?
- What did you study and at which college?
- When is the wedding?
- Have you ever been in trouble with the police or immigration authorities? (I'm from New Zealand, so that last part was specific).
- How long did you live together? (specific question since my fiance lived in Holland for awhile).
Since we had lived together for so long and my fiance worked in Holland he said he already was convinced we were for real, so he didn't want to see the two new letters of intent to marry, or my 85-page folder of relationship evidence, which I had painstakingly put together over the course of 8 months! Doesn't mean I would advise not to bring the letters or the evidence though, I have heard they have asked for it other times and it does depend on the officer.
After that he said our finances were good and he saw no problem, so I was approved! He said I'd get the passport back in 5 working days, and that was that. The whole procedure from start to finish took 20 mins.
In short my advice would be:
- Make sure to NOT bring any electronics or anything metal along, they asked me that 3x! It will save you a lot of hassle. Best way is to go in with only your case file and nothing else.
- Have all docs ready to hand over right away, including COPIES!
- Bring original VOG and birth certificate, it's mandatory.
- Don't bind or sort your documents in any way. I had a plastic binder for the affidavit with colored tabs and he took it all apart.
- Don't freak out when they keep your original birth certificate, you'll get it back later by mail.
All in all quite a pleasant experience! 4/5 because they forgot to tell me about the envelope..
(updated on September 17, 2014)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15211