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| Amsterdam, Netherlands |  Review on December 4, 2014: |
Elizabeth+Fred
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Today I (Fred) has my interview at the Amsterdam Consulate.
Because you cannot have any electronics (phones etc) with you, and parking
is pretty bad in that area, my buddy offered to drive me there, hang out,
and just "fly by" until he'd see me outside. Great!
--> If possible, this IS a good solution, otherwise, public transport is
a good thought on a day like this. Your mind isn't quite there..
So, it's December 4th, and pretty cold with a sharp wind. We get there by
1:05p, and nobody sight yet. We park, talk for a bit, and then I see someone I recognize (from the medical) walk right by. Oh, but wait! The entrance for the public is on the OTHER side of the gate!
I get out, grab my stuff, making sure nothing is in my pockets, and walk off. Sure enough, people are lining up, and the guard is checking names against a list, and then running a scan on each person. People are let into the building by a second guard.
This is not quite the regular procedure described by others, so maybe they did this because of the cold weather, so people would not have to wait outside for too long. My appointment was at 1:30pm, but everybody's appeared to be at that
same time. So.. be there on time (1:15pm-ish), but not over-early.
Once inside, you show your passport, which is checked against their info, and once you're found, they ask you to put all your stuff in a tray, then move on, towards the scanner. Just like the regular airport security. Take your belt off, shoes if they contain metal, proceed through the scanner, and, if all is well, grab your stuff, and go inside. That is one big heavy door, by the way!
Once inside, you see the large-ish Non-Immigrations hall. Go to the RIGHT, that is the waiting area for the Immigrations cases. Put your belt and/or shoes back on. You can now sit down, they'll call out your name, at which point you go to the window indicated (#5 in my case), and they will ask you (very nicely) to pledge to tell the truth to all questions asked, and, when done, they will tell you what paperwork they need from you. In my case, he
wanted:
- my passport
- 2 (two) U.S.-style passport pictures
- my original Birth Certificate, and a photocopy
- my original VOG (Police Certificate), and a photocopy
- my fiancee's I-134 form, and the supporting documents
That was it. After that, you have to take fingerprints on the scanner to your right. All done, go back to a seat, you'll be called after they checked the paperwork.
--> Although all letters state they need the invite and DS160 confirmation
page, they did not ask me for any of those. Just my passport, three times.
After some waiting time (which can vary between 5 and 50 minutes, depending on who's in front of you in the queue), you'll be called by the CO, and you proceed to the window indicated- #6 in my case.
A very nice and relaxed CO greeted me, and started going through the paperwork (including the original I-129F paperwork), and then just asked me the usual
questions:
- fiancee's name and where does she live
- am I planning to also live there? [YES !]
- how and when did we meet
- how many times I have gone to visit her
- did she ever come here to visit, or elsewhere?
- did I meet her parents and/or other family?
- does she have any kids? did I meet them?
- where does my fiancee work, and what does she do?
- oh, what is normally my occupation? do I think I can do that in the U.S. as well?
Since my fiancee and I met 20 years ago, and are basically "re-trying", he
did have some additional questions about that... how long ago was that, how
did we decide to try again, and when did we start "working" on that, etc.
All of this in about 5 minutes. It was actually a very nice guy, so if you have your case 'together', you won't have any problems.
After some more reading stuff on his screen, he then said the "all looks good,
you're approved, congratulations, and good luck!!"
The packet with paperwork and stamped passport will be sent using a postal courier within 4 work days, usually sooner.
So... a quite relaxing experience, really. Yes, your stomach is not feeling great, your knees kinda wibble, but THEY KNOW THAT. Just be yourself, be honest, and answer the questions.
That said... as in many other reviews, I also have to report that NONE of the additional paperwork (proof of ongoing relationship), including the updated Letters of Intent to Marry, and our (200+ pages!) of Skype logs, etc, were not asked for. Lots of time wasted on that. But: they CAN ask for it, so just do it, prepare it, and [looks at the fireplace] you can burn your frustration away later that day javascript:emoticon(' ')
Now, for some notes.
1. As their letters say CLEARLY ... DO NOT BRING ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICES. I
saw SEEVRAL people at the front gate with phones, and they were ALL in
trouble for it. Hopefully, the guard succeeded in getting a collegue to
come and collect them, as they were apparently in 'bad weather mode' today,
but normally, you can either throw it away, or go home..
2. Make sure your paperwork is organized. I myself had 4 stacks.. "theirs"
(invitation, DS160 conf, etc), "mine" (birth cert, police cert etc), "hers"
(I134 and docs) and "proof" (Skype logs, LoI's etc) and they really liked
that. MAKE SURE you have ONE PHOTOCOPY of the original Birth Cert and VOG,
so you will receive the originals back in the package they send!
3. Remember, they want U.S.-style passport pics, not Dutch ones!
4. The moment you receive their Packet3 letter, start reading reviews here, and
make a list of what YOU need to bring. Don't blame your other half for
stuff 'forgotten', it's your party, too! READ THEIR INSTRUCTIONS. If
something is unclear, call them, and they'll explain.
Even though we all know you're very, very stressed, remember, they know that as well. This Consulate is one of the most relaxed 'official offices' of the U.S. I have ever experienced!
Good luck!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15729