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| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Review on August 24, 2010: |
sorchaine
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Arrived at the consulate in Rio de Janeiro at 6:40 AM and was the 2nd in line for the “K1”. The line was made by the Santa Luzia Street (the short side of the consulate), while at the same time a larger line started to form on the other side, by Mexico Street for the tourists applicants. Around 7:10 AM a lady wearing a green vest (specific for the K1 applicants) came, and asked us to hand out the passport, case number and pictures. She checked while outside the pictures of everyone and gave us a number (also this same lady speaks Portuguese and English). Around 7:25 AM (10 minutes late of the time listed in Packet 4 schedule) we were asked to enter the consulate, go through the security, leave our cell phones with the security, a simple paper with our names, address, phone, and phone model.
Heading to the second floor, the same lady gave us 2 papers, the first one to fill out our case number, name, address, phone number, petitioner address and phone number. The second paper was a document with the list of the correct order the forms should be put in. Then she started to call us by numbers.Two people got to talk to a consulate officer before everyone else, but they didn’t have the right papers, e.g., pictures 3x4 instead of 5x5, Visa fee missing. On this day we had about 9 K1s, not like other reviews, today was split half had their fiancé/es with them and have were alone. After filling the first document out with our information and petitioner information as well as putting the documents in the right order, the lady checked the order and started to send us into a room. She would call the number, we would go in, another lady (a bit more old, and not very nice) checked all the documents, very fast and told us to go back.
So now starts the waiting, a big mess around with some couples that didn’t have tax returns, other didn’t have a clue about their paperwork, many had to get the forms inside the consulate and fill them out with a pen. No longer are you called by the consulate officer by your arrival and how fast/organized your documents are, it’s random and he will decide. I was, if I’m not wrong, the 5th person to be called. The consulate officer was nice and polite. As soon as I entered the interview room I decided to start to talk with him in English without waiting for him to ask me if I would mind to do the interview in English or in the language my fiancée and I speak in. Note: the employees outside said that the consulate officer didn’t speak Portuguese very well. As soon as I got in I said “Hello, good morning,” and started the finger printing process. After that he handed me 2 documents to sign and then I asked if he would like to see the evidence (a full evidence folder with pictures, emails, phone calls – bills, email list from the past months, chat history) and he said that was not needed at that time.
The questions I was asked were:
How did you meet your fiancée? (I gave a short answer, I asked if he would like more background and complete history, he said it was not needed.)
Your fiancée came twice to Brazil right? (Short answer, from X month to X month and X month to X month.)
What does your fiancée do for a living? (Short answer, just told the place.)
What do you plan to do when you arrive in the US? (I did a more complete and long answer, by the middle of it he was done writing I guess and was looking at his computer.)
At this point he handed me my original birth certificate, police records, and the Visa fee client version, explained that my visa should be done in 10 days and I should go back and talk to the first lady that helped us with the forms order, and etc. He told me “Good luck and work hard,” (which was funny by the way). The lady filled out a green paper, gave it to me, and explained how the package would arrive at my house, inside would contain 2 folders, one with my passport with the visa and another sealed folder with a big paper on the top saying “Do Not Open,” that should be used at the arrival at the US. On the first floor I filled out the little form of TNT (company that will deliver my passport with visa), paid R$30.00 for delivery and was done. The receipt already had my case number and another code that they lady on the 2nd floor had wrote on the green paper.
The interview took about 4-5 minutes and no evidence was checked at all. So about 80 papers and 40 pictures of evidence, had no use. Overall a good interview, nice consulate officer, easy and simple questions. He just wanted straight forward answers, no trick questions, just the basic. I was there until 11:00 AM. So a total of about 4 hours from the time I arrived in the line early in the morning until the time I was walking out the door to leave.
I am rating it 4 out of 5 due to the bad intercom system that they have and that it is not comfortable when having to stay there for hours.
(updated on August 24, 2010)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #6520